By Here is a simple conversation that two individuals had about becoming a Christian. For the sake of this post, we’ll name them Mike and John. Has God changed you this way too?
Mike: How do people become Christians?
John: They tell God how sorry they are about all their sins, ask God to forgive them, and believe in Jesus and obey Him.
Mike: If I obey for a whole week, can I become a Christian?
John: Even if you obey for a whole week, you won’t become a Christian. It isn’t good enough to obey for a week. Your sin is so bad that you need God to forgive you, then He will change you, and then you can obey because you are then a Christian.
A few days later …
Mike: Last night I asked God to forgive my sins. If I obey for a whole week, then I’ll be a Christian!
John: That is wonderful! But obeying for a whole week won’t make you a Christian. To become a Christian, God has to change you. If you asked God to forgive your sins last night, then He will change you, and that will make you a Christian. God doesn’t have to change you, but when He does, then you are a Christian.
Mike: So did I become a Christian last night?
John: Perhaps, but only if God changed you. We will need to see if God had changed you. Then we can know if you became a Christian last night. We can’t see these changes immediately, but if God changes you, then other things in your life will change too and you can know that God had saved you and made you a Christian.
The question to you and me is: Has God changed you?
Read the following passages from God’s Word for further clarity on how God saves sinners:
- John 3:3
- Ephesians 2:4-5
- Titus 3:4-5
- 2 Corinthians 5:17