I know I’m a Christian because…
… I believe in God.
… my Mother & Father were Christians.
… I go to church all the time.
… I’m a good person.
… I live in a Christian nation.

While none of these things are bad, they fall short of how God desires for us to answer this question. The correct answer can be summed up in four words: GOD, MAN, CHRIST, RESPONSE.

The Truth about GOD
1. God is HOLY and demands HOLINESS! “without holiness, no one will see the Lord” Hebrews 12:14
2. God created us to enjoy RELATIONSHIP with Him & the rest of creation. Jesus said, “I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness!”  John 10:10

The Truth about MAN
1. Mankind has REBELLED against God’s HOLINESS.
“All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, & each of us has turned to his own way.” Isaiah 53:6
2. Sin SEPARATES us from God and leads us to DEATH.
“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”  Isaiah 59:2
3. Mankind can do nothing to EARN GOD’S FAVOR.
“All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” Isaiah 64:6

The Truth about CHRIST
1. Because of HIS LOVE for us, God sent Jesus Christ, TO DIE for us. “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” John 3:16
2. Jesus DIED THE DEATH that we deserve, so that we might have FORGIVENESS and A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds we are healed” 1 Peter 2:24

Response: What Does God Want Me To Do?
1. Turn from SIN to GOD. “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.”  Acts 3:19
2. Put your TRUST in Jesus Christ alone. “For it is by grace you are saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”  Ephesians 2:8,9
3. INVITE Jesus Christ to be LORD of your life. “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Luke 9:23
You can take these steps by praying a simple prayer of commitment to God: “Dear Jesus, thank you for making me and loving me, even when I’ve ignored you and gone my own way. I realize I need you in my life and I’m sorry for my sins. I now want to repent and turn to you. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept your gift of salvation. Please help me to grow now as a Christian.”