How to Accept Christ As Your Savior

Understand God's holy nature. Many people do not understand the concept of the Holy Trinity, and some explain it the wrong way. Early Christians' beliefs about the nature of God say: "God is one while being in a Trinity". The explanation of this is that The Father, The Son (Jesus) and The Holy Spirit are all one: The three of them refer to one and only one God, not by person, but by power, will and love. The Son has the same power and will as The Father and The Holy Spirit: That is why they are one God, and the three of them cannot be apart in anyway, they complete each other in everything. This does not mean if you pray to Jesus you are only praying to Him, this way, you are praying to God at once (The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit). The Father and the Holy Spirit sent The Son to pay the price of our sins, by acceptance of the Son, because again, God is one by will, by power and by love. So when we say that God sent Jesus to Earth, we do not mean that God and Jesus are not the same. In the Trinity, they are different, but are one at the same time.

Seek to understand God's plan: "So, I need to be saved from what, and why? Believing in God and The Bible is crucial to understanding "What is a savior?" and "Why be saved?" The Bible is God's revealed word to mankind, written by people so yielded to God's will that God chose them to write it. The people who wrote the books of the Bible were inspired (given the words) by God. They all agree in purpose and point to Christ, the Messiah, though they were written over a period of more than a thousand years. The Bible teaches that all people have sin in their lives. Sin is any act that displeases God, as sin separates us from God, who is perfect, such that the payment we are to pay for sin is spiritual death -- permanent separation from God.Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Spiritual Death entered into the world when Adam sinned. Genesis 2:17: "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die." Romans 5:12: "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" Romans 5:14: "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come."

Understand who could save you from spiritual death. Because we are all born sinful, we are unable by our own whimsical or very deep reason--or in our own strength and morality--to please a perfect God. However, God sent His son Jesus as your representative and as your ransom from being captive. John 3:16-17 (NIV): "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him." This belief is trust and faith that God is who He says He is. He provided the payment for our sin by His own son’s taking our place as a substitute. All sins, past, present and future were forgiven by Christ at the cross, although men condemned Him who knew no sin to a cruel, physical death. Hebrews 10:10: "And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Someone had to pay with his life for all of our wrongs. Hebrews 9:22 (NIV)"In fact, the law requires that... without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness." Jesus died to pay for the sins of man. However, He rose again, conquering death and making it possible to be saved; so we accept Jesus when the Holy Spirit calls you--not merely our thinking and reasoning it out, but realizing that it is based on God's provision and His gift. In fact, Christianity is not just a volunteer religion. (Jesus called His disciples, they generally didn't come to Him already determined to follow Him.) In the same way we cannot merely "accept" Jesus, but we can receive what He gives us through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does call us--all to repentance (to change your mind) and to follow God--through hearing God's Word and accepting the Good News (Gospel). Those who do not believe have rejected God's free gift, those who do believe only have faith because faith is the free gift of God (by grace).

Admit that you have sinned. It is a prerequisite to accepting Christ. Once you understand that we are and you are a sinner and that all have sinned, turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness by repenting, turning from your way to God's way.

Profess Jesus as your savior. Romans 10:13, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Say, "Father in Heaven, I believe that Jesus died for my sins." And God will impart eternal life to your spirit.

Understand that Jesus said to receive Him we must receive whom God has sent. "Truly, I tell all of you emphatically, the one who receives whomever I send receives me, and the one who receives me receives the one who sent me."(John13:20) That is the Holy Spirit (John15:26)

Remember to ask for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not come automatically when a person believes but Jesus says everyone who asks receives. (Luke11:9-13)

Taste and see that the gifts of the Lord are good. Believe that God loves you; He has shown this by giving His Son to face your punishment and die in your place for your payment for all you've done wrong and for all your sins. Repentance is the decision to turn away from sin and to turn to God and obey Him. Once you have done this, every other step will fall into place. If you still have a hard time with this concept, trust Jesus as Lord over you as well as Savior.

Talk to God in your own words. There is no protocol to follow in order to talk to God. God listens to your prayers even if you do not say them. But this does not mean He does not like to hear you seek His help and His forgiveness. God does not judge you violently, because He just is not a human being like us! He is your Father; He is your Brother and your personal protector and mediator, and He wants to become you very BFF (best friend forever)! God wants you to confess your sins to Him, because He wants to forgive you, and He wants you to tell Him your secrets, even though He knows everything about you. This is a promise: Matthew 7:7-9 "7 Ask and it will be given to you [worshippers]; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 [For] Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?"

Tell God what you want to say to Him. But realize that: John 9:31 "Now [in this] we know that God [listens but] hears not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and does His will [and receives Christ], him He hears [and answers]." Talking to God can be in many forms, whether in a prayer or in an ordinary way as in talking to others. Here's a prayer suggestion, please read this suggestion but use your own words. Without reading such words, just tell God what you want to say to Him in your own words, expressing all your love to Him: "My God and my Savior, I know I have disobeyed you, and I know about all the bad things I let into my life. But with you, my God, I'll never fear even the worst things in life, because you have sent your only true Son, Jesus, to be rejected by self-righteous teachers, falsely accused, crucified, and so He paid the price of my own sins. I come to you, my God, to confess everything I have done in my life, and to tell you I am sorry. I am here to declare you King of my life, my thoughts and my actions. I want you to be my Savior. Please God, forgive me, for I have sinned before you. My God and my LORD, reign over my life, because your reign is perfect and your kingdom will never see an end. Amen" Feel the presence of God in faith while kneeling. Kneeling is efficient, if you want to concentrate on nothing but your prayer.

Be baptized in accordance with the New Testament. Baptism is used to signify the death and burial of our old, sinful person and our resurrection as a forgiven Christian through the power of the Holy Spirit just as Jesus was (Romans8:11, Col. 2:12,13). Baptism is commanded "for the forgiveness of your sins." (Acts 2:38) You are saved by God's grace, through faith, not by works, so no one can boast... saved unto good works that God has already appointed for you to do. (Ephesians 2:8--10) The believer, Cornelius, who was a Roman jailer was baptized and his (house) family and servants were saved. (Acts 10:48) After every example of a person having faith and believing in Christ, he or she was, when possible, baptized to complete his or her salvation! (Acts 2:41; 8:13; 8:37,38; 9:18; 16:30-33, etc).