A STUDY GUIDE

BECOMING

A

CHRISTIAN

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

ROGER MARTIN

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

©COPYRIGHT 2014 DO NOT DUPLCATE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. EXPLANATION: Understanding The

Big Picture .....................................................1

II. SALVATION: God Had A Plan! ..................8

III. REVELATION: God’s Plan Unfolds ..........14

IV. INVITATION: The Opportunity of a

Lifetime! ......................................................23

V. MOTIVATION: What Difference Does It

Make? ..........................................................27

VI. PERSONALIZATION: How To Become

A Christian ..................................................35

VII. REALIZATION: What Just Happened To

Me ................................................................40

VIII. APPLICATION: Now That I Am A

Christian –What’s Next? .............................45

IX. TEMPTATION: Don’t Be Surprised If… ...51

X. INFORMATION: Questions Everyone

Asks .............................................................57

XI. INSPIRATION: A Final Word and

Resources .....................................................68

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

INTRODUCTION

It is natural for everyone to have questions about

what it means to be a Christian. The questions are

important. The answers are important. The purpose

of this brief study guide is to set forth, from

beginning to end, what it means and what all is

involved in becoming a Christian.

This study will explain why the need to be a

Christian exists; how God put a plan into place to

make it possible; what action God Himself took on

man’s behalf; how a person can become a Christian;

what difference it makes in a person’s life; and

finally, what to do and what to expect when one

becomes a Christian.

This subject matter of Becoming A Christian

concerns the most important issue of a person’s life.

Be sure to read and re-read this material until you

know what it all means and why it is important for

your own life.

Discussion questions are available at the end of

each chapter.

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I. EXPLANATION:

Understanding The Big Picture

The Bible begins by telling us that God created the

heavens and the earth and all that exists. He made

our universe, the galaxies and the world in which

we live. He made the seas and the dry land and all

that they contain. He made mankind (Genesis

chapters 1 and 2).

ABSOLUTE PERFECTION!

The Bible tells us that God’s creation was

stunningly beautiful and absolutely perfect. It was

so perfect that God Himself would personally visit

His beautiful creation. He had made man and

woman in His very own image. This means that

God made man to be an eternal being. God wanted

man to live forever and so He breathed His very life

into man. He named the man and woman whom He

had made, Adam and Eve. God would come down

in the cool of the day and walk and talk with Adam

and Eve. He gave to them the responsibility of

being the caretakers of His beautiful creation. God

also put a particular tree in the midst of His garden.

Adam and Eve were told not to eat of its fruit.

By doing this, God gave to mankind the personal

choice to obey or to disobey (Genesis chapter 2).

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IT HAPPENED ONE DAY

One day, Eve was tempted to eat of the fruit of the

forbidden tree. She had listened to the voice of the

Tempter who told her that God had lied to them. He

told her that if she would eat of the forbidden fruit,

she would become just like God.

The temptation sounded so good to Eve that she ate

of the fruit. She then gave it to Adam and he ate of

it also. In that moment of time, mankind had made a

choice. They chose to listen to the voice of the

Tempter (the devil) instead of listening to the voice

of God, their Maker. They chose to disobey rather

than to obey (Genesis chapter 3).

ABSOLUTE CHAOS!

The world of absolute perfection that God had made

has never been the same since Adam and Eve made

their choice. Because of their choice to disobey

rather than to obey, our world was plunged into the

familiar world that we know it to be today. It is a

world of war and conflict and power struggles

between nations and individuals. It is a world of

hatred and bloodshed. It is a world of sickness,

disease and death. It is a world of calamity,

accidents, and natural disasters. It is a world of the

strong taking advantage of the weak. The Bible

calls our world a ‘domain of darkness’

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(Colossians 1:13). We see the effects of this fallen

world of darkness in our own personal lives. Every

one of us has experienced the pain of deceit and

hurt and the sting of death as we gather around the

graves of our loved ones.

But God never intended His beautiful creation to be

such a place of pain. But He knew what it would

become when He gave to man the free will to make

his own choice in life. When man chose to ignore

the voice of God, our world has paid the price of

that decision ever since.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL

Not only did man’s disobedience to God throw all

of God’s perfect creation into chaos, conflict and

ruin, but it caused something even worse. Man’s

disobedience to God changed man’s relationship

with God. The relationship between God and man

was broken. Man now found himself on the wrong

side of God. And, ever since the time of Adam and

Eve, everyone who has been born into this world

has been born separated and alienated from God.

“BUT, THAT’S NOT FAIR!”

That is exactly what we all want to say and think.

We all would like to think that if we were Adam

and Eve, we would never have chosen to disobey.

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And since we think we all would have done better,

it is easy to think it is unfair that they should

represent all of us in the making of their choice. But

the Bible tells us otherwise. The Bible makes it very

clear that all of us would have made the very same

choice that they did – in fact, we actually have

made the very same choice, and not just once, but

many times over. The Bible declares that “all have

sinned and have come up short of God’s perfection

and expectations” (Romans 3:23). This coming up

short of God’s perfection and expectations applies

to every one of us. It is easy to look at others and

then compare ourselves to one another. We may

conclude that we are better than others in such a

comparison. But being better than someone else

doesn’t solve the problem we all have of not being

good enough. For example, what if the whole

human race were to be lined up on the West Coast

of the United States and told to swim 2500 miles to

Hawaii. Some might be able to swim 10 yards. The

very best of swimmers might make it 200 miles. But

the very best swimmers would still come up 2300

miles short, even though they were better swimmers

than the others. And that is the way we all are with

God. God’s moral law, the Ten Commandments,

proves to all of us that, while some might be better

at keeping the Ten Commandments than others, we

have all come up “miles” short of a perfect

performance. We have all missed the mark of what

God requires. This missing the mark is what the

Bible calls “sin.” It is the sin of Adam and Eve, as

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well as our own personal sin that has separated us

all from God.

But it gets even worse than that. The Bible tells us

that not only have we all sinned and come up short,

but we have done so purposefully, consciously, and

intentionally. We have done so by going against our

own conscience and acting in full knowledge

against what we knew to be right. God has a code of

‘right and wrong’ and He has put it in every

person’s heart. We know when we violate that code,

because our conscience lets us know (Romans

2:15). Adam and Eve knew they had crossed a line

with God the very moment they ate of the forbidden

fruit. That is why they tried to hide from God

(Genesis 3:8-11). We all have proven that we are

just like Adam and Eve, and so none of us can

blame them for the world we live in, nor can we

accuse God of treating us unfairly.

The bottom line is this: we are all born into this

world separated from God. We have confirmed and

proven such separation by our own conscious

choice. Therefore, becoming a Christian is all about

getting back on the right side of God and becoming

re-united with Him in a restored relationship. But

how can this happen?

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Why do you think Eve gave into the

temptation to eat of the forbidden fruit?

2. Do you think you would have done the same

thing? Explain.

3. God never created our world to be a place of

sickness, war, conflict and death. How did it

become this way?

4. Why did God allow man to make his choice

and allow the world to become what it has

become?

5. When people blame God for the way the

world is today, especially when bad things

happen, how do you respond?

6. How did man become separated from God?

How serious is this separation?

7. How do you respond to the fact that you

were born into this world separated from

God?

8. What evidence is there in your own life that

you have chosen to do wrong?

9. What do the following verses say to you:

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“For all have sinned and fall short of the

glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)

“Therefore, just as sin entered into the world

through one man, and death through sin, and

in this way, death came to all men, because

all sinned.” (Romans 5:12)

“Consequently, just as the result of one

trespass was condemnation for all men…”

(Romans 5:18a)

“For just as through the disobedience of the

one man, many were made sinners…”

(Romans 5:19a)

10. What conclusions about your own life can

you make from this first chapter?

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II. SALVATION:

God Had A Plan!

Man’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden

and our own wrong choices and separation from

God, DID NOT CATCH God off guard. God never

had a Plan B. Plan A is still in place. God had a plan

already in place for man to have a restored

relationship with Him, long before He even created

the world and mankind. God knew what would

happen. He knew all of us would make the wrong

choice. He knew all of us would become separated

from Him. He knew His world would become

something different than what He created it to be.

And so, He had a plan already in place. The Bible

tells us that God actually determined the plan that

included providing a Savior and salvation for

mankind – long before the foundations of the world

were even put into place. Revelation 13:8 talks

about “the Lamb that was slain from the creation of

the world.”

GOD KNEW WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE

Man desperately needed help. Something needed to

be done. Man had made his choice and it was

impossible for man to reverse his own decision.

What needed to be done, could not be done by man

himself. Man, now finding, himself on the wrong

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side of God, has no ability within himself to right

his own wrong. He had disqualified himself from

having that ability by the choice that had been

made. Man has no ability to offer to God any viable

or acceptable solution to his own separation. The

solution, therefore, could not originate from man’s

side of things. There was absolutely nothing man

could do to solve his dilemma.

GOD KNEW WHAT HE WOULD DO

And now we come to a most amazing and

astonishing thing. God, Himself, would originate

taking action on man’s behalf. God, Himself had

already decided that He would do what needed to be

done. God, Himself would provide a Savior for the

world and make a way for man to be restored to a

right relationship with God. To do so, God knew

that He would need to provide the needed sacrifice

of His own Son, and send Him to earth as one of us

and allow Him to remove the sins of mankind.

What a plan God had! It would cost Him

everything! It would cost Him His life. He would

experience our death. His Son would experience

what it is like to be separated from God.

In experiencing such separation, all of the sins of

mankind would be placed on His shoulders. It

would be a once and for all sacrifice. It would be a

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sacrifice for all of the sins of all mankind. It would

be a sacrifice for all time – past, present and future.

What an amazing plan! God, Himself, offended by

man’s willing and conscious choice to reject Him,

now offers to act on man’s behalf. Man would once

again have the opportunity to be in a right

relationship with his Maker. Such a thought and

such a plan is nothing short of amazing!

The only question left is, “Why?” Why would God

do such a thing for us all? Again, the Bible gives us

the answer. The following verses tell us what was

the motivation behind God’s plan to provide the

opportunity for man to be restored to a right

relationship with God.

“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)

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in

this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for

us.” (Romans 5:8)

“This is how God showed His love among us:

He sent His one and only Son into the world that

we might live through Him. This is love: not

that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent

His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

(I John 4:9,10)

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God loved mankind so much that He was willing to

lay down His own life in order to remove the barrier

of man’s sin that had separated man from God.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How significant is it that God knew what

would happen to His beautiful creation and

to mankind and that He already had a plan in

place to address it?

2. Why is man unqualified and not in a

position himself, to do anything about his

separation from God?

3. Explain what is meant by the fact that a

solution for man’s dilemma could not

originate with man.

4. How would you explain God’s solution and

God’s answer and God’s provision for

man’s problem?

5. Why would God provide such an answer for

man’s problem of sin and separation from

God?

6. What does God’s provision mean to you that

He would do such a thing for man?

7. What does John 3:16 say to you personally?

8. Describe in your own words the meaning of

Romans 5:8.

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9. How would you sum up this chapter in your

own words?

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III. REVELATION:

God’s Plan Unfolds

With the failure of man in the Garden of Eden and

his separation from God, God’s plan to provide a

rescue and salvation for man went into effect. This

would enable man to once again have the

opportunity to be in a right relationship with God.

God’s plan would progressively unfold over the

next 4000 years, from the time of the Garden of

Eden until the time of Christ. This gradually

unfolding plan would include the choosing of a man

to be the father of a nation. It would include the

development of a nation and the establishment of a

kingdom and its failure. It would include the

promise of a coming Messiah, the birth of the

Savior, His subsequent rejection by His own people,

His death and resurrection and His ascension back

into heaven.

THE CHOOSING OF A MAN

God chose a man by the name of Abraham to be the

father of a future nation (Genesis 12). The nation of

Israel would come from the offspring of Abraham.

Through Abraham’s son Isaac, and through Isaac’s

son Jacob, Jacob’s twelve sons would become the

foundation of the twelve tribes of Israel. God’s plan

begins to unfold.

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A NATION IS BORN

(Genesis 37-50 and Exodus 1-15)

When Jacob’s sons sold their brother Joseph into

slavery, he ended up in Egypt. In the providence

and plan of God, all of Jacob’s family would also

end up in Egypt. Joseph had become the Prime

Minister of Egypt under the Pharaoh at that time.

Over the next four hundred years, the nation of

Israel developed and became a strong nation. Under

the leadership of Moses, Israel left Egypt for the

land that had been promised to Abraham by God,

Himself. God gave His Law to Israel, the ten

commandments to guide their living. God’s plan

continues to unfold.

A KINGDOM ESTABLISHED

As the nation of Israel developed, God raised up

King David to rule in Israel. God promised David

that through his bloodline, the Messiah would come

into the world and that His kingdom would be

established forever (II Samuel 7:8-17). The nation

of Israel was at its strongest point under the reign of

King David.

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ISRAEL’S FAILURE

God’s plan and purpose for Israel was that, as a

nation, they would be the avenue through which

God would bring the Savior into the world. But

God’s plan and purpose for the nation of Israel was

also that, as a people, they would represent God to

the rest of the world:

“…then you shall be My own possession among

all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you

shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy

nation.”

(Exodus 19:6,7)

God wanted Israel as a nation to show the rest of the

world what it was like to belong to God and honor

God with their living. But Israel failed in doing this.

They took for themselves the many gods of the

other nations around them. As a result, God allowed

Israel to be taken into captivity. For hundreds of

years, Israel suffered under the empires of Babylon,

Persia, Greece and Rome. But God’s plan continued

to unfold just as He had promised.

A SAVIOR IS BORN

Jesus Christ was born in the town of Bethlehem

two-thousand years ago in fulfillment of the

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promises given to Abraham and David and the other

prophets (Genesis 12:1-3, II Samuel 7:8-17, Micah

5:2). Christmas is the celebration of the birth of

Jesus Christ (Luke 2). The coming of God into our

world is one of the great climatic moments of all

time. God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, into our

world to reconcile man back to God. The choosing

of Abraham, the establishing of the nation of Israel

and the unfolding of God’s plan over the centuries

of time, led to this wonderful event of the birth of

the world’s Savior. Jesus Christ, as God’s Son,

could be the sacrifice for man’s sins, because He

Himself was without sin.

JESUS CHRIST REJECTED

Jesus Christ served as a carpenter in the shop of his

step-father Joseph. At the age of thirty He started

preaching and teaching that the Kingdom of God

had come to earth. The Jewish people, however, had

different expectations for their Messiah. They

wanted a mighty king who would be able to deliver

them from the oppression of Rome. They wanted

someone who would re-establish the kingdom of

Israel as it used to be in the glory days under King

David. They wanted an earthly liberator and they

were unprepared for the kind of Messiah that Jesus

was. He claimed to be God (John 8:58), and He

backed up His claims by doing many miracles. But

the Jewish leaders of the day led the people in

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rejecting Jesus as their Messiah. They brought false

accusation against Jesus, and had Him arrested. He

was put on trial before Pontius Pilate. Pilate found

Him to be innocent, but for fear of the people he

condemned Him to death. He was crucified and

hung on the cross between two thieves.

THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST

(John 19)

When Jesus Christ was crucified, His death enacted

and fulfilled the plan of God. This is why He had

come into the world (Matthew 20:28). His death

was the once and for all sacrifice needed to remove

the barrier of man’s sin that separated man from

God. When Jesus hung on the cross between heaven

and earth, the sins of all of mankind (past, present

and future) were placed on Him, (I John 2:2;

Hebrews 10:12-14). Jesus, the perfect and sinless

Son of God, experienced death and separation from

God on our behalf. The sacrifice that was needed

and required was complete. The price of man’s sin

was paid in full. The transaction was accomplished.

There is nothing more that can be done or needs to

be done regarding man’s sin. Jesus Christ, in dying

for all of mankind, has made it possible for man to

be re-united with God in a restored relationship.

This was God’s plan from the very beginning of

time.

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THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

(John 20)

Three days after Jesus was crucified and buried, He

arose again from the dead. He was resurrected. This

too was all a part of God’s plan. Without the

resurrection of Jesus Christ, man is still in his sin

and is still separated from God and stands guilty

before God. But when Jesus conquered death by His

resurrection, He broke the power of sin and the

penalty of sin that it had over mankind. The

resurrection power of Jesus Christ is stronger than

the power of sin. It is this resurrection power of

Jesus Christ that sets us free from the sin of our

lives and its penalty of eternal separation from God.

What a wonderful plan God had for all of us!

THE ASCENSION OF JESUS CHRIST

(Acts 1:10-11)

Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, He

ascended back into heaven from whence He had

come. His mission was complete. God’s plan had

been fulfilled. God, Himself, had made provision

for man’s sin. Man now has the opportunity to be

restored back to a right relationship with God. Jesus

Christ, now in heaven, awaits for God’s time clock

to fulfill its appointed time. And then when God’s

time clock is completed, He will once again return

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to this earth – this next time in all of His power and

glory. At that time He will fulfill all of the yet

unfulfilled promises that He has made with His

people Israel.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How would you describe God’s plan to

provide salvation for mankind?

2. Why would God’s plan unfold over so many

years?

3. How did the nation of Israel originally come

into existence?

4. How did Israel as a nation fail to live up to

God’s expectations of them? What was the

result of their failure?

5. How did God send His own Son into the

world and why was that necessary?

6. Why did the Jewish nation reject Jesus

Christ as their Messiah? Why was this

rejection a part of God’s plan?

7. Why was Christ’s death so important?

8. Why was the resurrection of Jesus Christ so

important?

9. What does it mean to you that this was all

God’s plan, even before He created the

world?

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10. What does this chapter say to you

personally?

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IV. INVITATION:

The Opportunity of a Lifetime!

God’s plan to provide an opportunity for man to be

re-united in a right relationship with God, has been

fulfilled and completed.

The price for man’s sin and restoration to God has

been paid in full.

Justice has been done. The offense that man had

committed against God has been forgiven.

All that needed to be done has been done by God

Himself. He became a man and as a man He acted

on man’s behalf. There is nothing more that man

can do. This is one of the things that sets the

Christian faith apart from all other faiths and

religions. They all demand that man must do

something and keep doing something in order to

earn forgiveness and acceptance before God. But

the Christian faith teaches that whatever needed to

be done, has already been done by God Himself,

and that man can do no more.

And so, having removed the barrier of man’s sin

that had separated man from God, God now sets

before man a wonderful opportunity. It is really the

opportunity of a lifetime! God now allows man the

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opportunity to choose to be on the ‘right side’ of

God. The door is wide open for man and God to be

reconciled once again in friendship and fellowship,

just like it used to be in the Garden of Eden.

THE GRACIOUS INVITATION

God now invites man to come to Him. God, after all

he has done to make this restoration possible, could

force and command all of us to come to Him,

whether we want to or not. But he doesn’t. He

simply invites us with a gracious invitation. The

reason for this is very important and significant.

The reason God invites man to come back to

Himself, rather than forcing him to do so, is because

it was man who voluntarily made the choice to

disobey God, and walk away from God in the first

place. Back in the Garden of Eden, man chose by

his own free will to disobey God and give his

allegiance to another. Since man chose to walk

away, God now gives man the opportunity to

choose to return. It is now up to man to respond to

God’s wonderful and gracious invitation. God’s

invitation to man is offered to one and all. The

Bible uses a wonderful word to communicate this

all-encompassing invitation. The word is

‘whosoever’! Whosoever wants to respond can do

so. Whosoever wants to accept God’s invitation can

do so. Whosoever means you and me and everyone!

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THE GIFT

God is so desirous of man accepting His invitation

that He describes it in the most appealing way

possible. He presents the invitation in the form of a

gift:

The gift of God’s son, Jesus Christ.

The gift of His death and resurrection on

man’s behalf.

The gift of complete forgiveness.

The gift of eternal life.

The gift of knowing life the way God meant

it to be.

God invites man to come to Him and receive the

gift of a restored relationship with Him. This

restored relationship with God is only made

possible through the gift of God’s Son, Jesus Christ

(John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

There has never been an invitation so awesome, so

great and so amazing as God’s invitation to man, to

receive the gift of God’s salvation.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What has God done about the problem of

man’s sin that had separated God and man?

2. How was justice done regarding man’s sin?

3. What does it mean to you that everything

that needed to be done regarding man’s sin

has been done, and that there is nothing

more that man can do?

4. What opportunity does God set before man

now that the barrier of sin has been

removed?

5. Why does God give man an invitation to

come to Him, rather than demanding,

commanding and forcing man to do so?

6. When God says ‘whosoever’ may come to

Him, what does that mean to you?

7. Why is God’s offered salvation like a gift to

be received?

8. How would you personally describe this

gift?

9. How important do you consider this gift to

be in your own life?

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V. MOTIVATION:

What Difference Does It Make?

The decision to become a Christian by accepting the

gift of God’s Son to be your Savior, and thereby

give you salvation, makes all the difference in the

world in a person’s life. Everything changes. So, it

is important in each of our lives to ask the question,

‘Why”? Why should I accept God’s invitation and

what difference will it make in my life?’ Here are

some reasons.

First, you will experience God’s total forgiveness.

This means you will have a new standing with God.

Before you accept His invitation, you stand before

God as guilty. But when you accept His invitation,

you stand before Him as forgiven.

Second, when you accept God’s gift of salvation

you actually become a part of God’s own family.

You become a child of God, a son or a daughter,

and God Himself becomes your Father. As His

child, you will live under His love and care for you.

As His child, you receive special privileges and

blessings that come with belonging to Him as your

heavenly Father.

Third, when you accept God’s Son as your own

Savior, God puts His Spirit within you so that you

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have God with you for the rest of your life. God, by

way of His Holy Spirit will guide your life in the

right way. His Spirit will empower you and enable

you to have the right attitude and response to the

things that happen to us in life.

Fourth, when you become a Christian, you will

become a brand new person and you enter into a

brand new life.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new

creation; the old is gone and the new has come!”

(II Corinthians 5:17)

Jesus said, “I have come that you might have

life and have it to the full.”

(John 10:10)

New life includes having a new purpose, new

desires, new goals, new attitudes, new perspectives,

new values and new understanding. Everything

becomes new. You will be enabled to give up your

old selfish way of living and replace it by making

Jesus Christ the center of your living.

Fifth, when you accept God’s invitation to become

one of His followers, you will have a new

destination. As long as a person is separated from

God, the Bible tells us that our future is just that – a

separation from God that never ends. Man

instinctively knows this to be true. That’s why

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religion appeals to man. It is man’s effort to remedy

his separation from God. And whenever you hear

someone, in the heat of the moment, say to another

person, “Go to hell”, that person is really saying, “I

wish for you the worst possible fate!” The worst

possible fate for anyone is separation from God that

never ends. This is what hell really is. That is why

Jesus spoke to this issue so clearly (Matthew 5:22;

23:33; Mark 9:43-44; Luke 16:23; 12:5). Separation

from God that never ends is the current condition,

direction, and destination of every person’s life,

who does not choose to accept God’s gracious and

generous invitation to return to Him. No one ever

desires a ‘never ending separation from God’ to be

the end to their life.

But, on the other hand, when a person does accept

God’s gracious invitation and free gift of

forgiveness, the destination and future of that

person’s life is that of living forever in the very

presence of God. Living forever in God’s presence

is what God originally intended for all of us. This is

what heaven is. That is precisely what God intended

all of us to experience back in the Garden of Eden.

But man (through Adam) made this to be

impossible when he chose to disobey God. This

disobedience caused everyone to become separated

from God. Everyone would desire heaven if they

really understood the two options and what they

both actually mean.

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But now, God has made a restored relationship with

Him, all possible again. And so, God invites man to

once again be in friendship with Him. But he leaves

the decision and the choice up to each one of us.

“YES, BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE A

HYPOCRITE!”

Many people respond to God’s invitation with a

“Yes, but, I don’t want to be a hypocrite” response.

That is a very common response as it is the opinion

of many that, ‘all Christians are just a bunch of

hypocrites.’ A hypocrite is a person who says one

thing and does another. It should be noted to that

end, that both Christians and non-Christians alike

qualify. But, let’s just suppose that the hypocrite

accusation ONLY applies to a Christian. If that

should be the case, then being a Christian is being

just like Adam and Eve in their failure. They were

created perfect and they were without sin. But they

became imperfect when they disobeyed God, just

like we all have done. And it is being just like the

nation of Israel in their failure to live up to God’s

expectations for them. For, they were also

imperfect. And so, now you have Christians who, as

hypocrites, also fail to live up to God’s expectations

for them. They too, prove themselves to be

imperfect. But just think about all these failures and

imperfections for a moment. Do they not all

together just make God’s love and God’s plan all

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the more amazing? Do not the failures of man only

highlight the love and mercy and grace of God all

the more? Becoming a Christian is especially

designed for imperfect people, just like all of us.

Who wouldn’t want to belong to a God who accepts

us all for who we really are?

The bottom line is that being a Christian does not

mean that we all turn in a perfect performance. For

being a Christian does not depend on man’s

performance (not at all to excuse hypocritical

living). But being a Christian depends solely on

God’s Word, His promise, His faithfulness, and His

finished work on man’s behalf. Becoming a

Christian and being a Christian solely and

completely depends upon God from beginning to

end, and not upon ourselves.

So the caution might be this: be careful that you

don’t minimize or miss out on God’s wonderful gift

of salvation to you, over an excuse that, in reality,

actually becomes the best reason to be a Christian.

It is a great reason to become a Christian because

one realizes just how much God loves us and

accepts us for who we really are: people who have

failed and people who have all come up short of

God’s requirements and expectations. But the good

news is this: God gladly accepts all of us

unconditionally with our failures, warts and all!

And by His grace, He will begin to work on the

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areas of all our flaws. And that is truly amazing –

amazing grace!

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How important do you consider God’s offer

of forgiveness of your sins to be?

2. How important do you consider family to

be? What would it mean to you to be a part

of God’s family?

3. When a person receives God’s gift of

salvation and forgiveness, how does life

change and become new for that person?

4. When it comes to a person’s eternal future,

what does it mean to have a new

destination? How important would you

consider this to be for your own life?

5. Why do many people consider Christians to

be hypocrites? How can this accusation keep

a person from becoming a Christian and

accepting God’s gift of salvation?

6. How do the failures of man only highlight

God’s love for mankind all the more?

7. Why is it important that being a Christian

depends on God’s performance and not on

man’s performance?

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8. How is it possible for someone to miss out

on God’s wonderful gift of salvation over an

excuse that isn’t much of an excuse?

9. How would you answer the question: ‘What

difference does being a Christian make in a

person’s life?’

10. What would you consider to be the greatest

motivation to become a Christian?

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VI. PERSONALIZATION:

How To Become A Christian

If it is your choice and the desire of your heart to

become a Christian, you have just made the most

important decision of your life! Here is how a

person becomes a Christian.

Everyone who becomes a Christian, becomes a

Christian by faith. This simply means that a person

personally applies the truth to one’s own life.

By faith, a person believes that Jesus Christ is God

and that He became a man by way of being born of

the virgin, Mary. You apply this to your life by

acknowledging that He came to this earth because

He loved you personally (John 3:16).

By faith a person believes that Jesus Christ suffered

and died on the cross and in doing so, He took all of

your sins upon Himself. He could do this for you

because He, Himself, was sinless. He paid the debt

of your sin in full and has forgiven you every sin of

your life! You apply this to your own life by

admitting, ‘He died on the cross because of my own

sins.’

By faith a person believes that Jesus Christ rose

from the dead on the third day and was resurrected,

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thus, conquering death on our behalf. You can apply

this to your own life by admitting, ‘Jesus Christ was

resurrected from the dead and conquered death for

me.’

By faith, a person receives the gift of God’s

salvation and forgiveness that can only come

through Jesus Christ. You can apply this to your

own life by accepting God’s gift of salvation and

forgiveness as being true for you.

By faith, you turn away from your ‘self’ way of

living and turn away from any living that is

displeasing to God. It is a turning away from any

kind of disobedient way of living, because it was

that kind of living that separated you from God in

the first place. This turning away is called

repentance. It would be disingenuous to say to God,

‘I’m glad to accept your gift of forgiveness, but I’m

going to keep on living a life that offends You.’

That is why repentance is necessary and important.

Repentance is what helps one to avoid hyposcrisy.

You can apply this to your own life by deciding

right now that you are turning from anything in

your life that you know is displeasing to God.

One way to put your faith into action is to verbally

tell God that you gladly accept His gift of

forgiveness and salvation. You can verbalize it with

words like the following:

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“Dear God,

I know I need you to be in my life as my

Savior. I know that I am a sinner and that

because of my sin, I am separated from you.

Today, I turn away from the kind of life that

brought about my separation from you. I

believe Jesus Christ, your Son, came to earth

and died for my sins and that He conquered

death by being resurrected from the dead.

Today, I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior

and I gladly accept your gift of salvation and

forgiveness. Thank you for loving me so

much and for coming into my life today.

Amen.”

God, by His grace, has enabled you to exercise faith

to both believe Him and receive him into your life.

By faith you have accepted Jesus Christ into your

life to be your own personal Savior. By faith you

have received His gift of salvation and forgiveness.

By faith you have become a Christian, for the Bible

says: “…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as

Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him

from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart

man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with

the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation”

(Romans 10:9,10).

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Have you made the decision and the choice

to invite Jesus Christ into your life to be

your Savior and thereby become a

Christian?

2. What does it mean to you to exercise faith in

something or someone?

3. God’s provision of salvation through the

finished work of Jesus Christ in His death,

burial and resurrection is called ‘The

Gospel’ which means, ‘Good News’. What

makes what Jesus did for mankind, ‘good

news’?

4. “By Faith” means you accept and believe

that something is true and that you receive it

to be true for your own life. What does this

mean to you today?

5. Becoming a Christian is as simple as

accepting or receiving a gift. Why does God

make His salvation a gift to be received?

6. Read the prayer that is provided in this

lesson out loud. After reading the prayer,

summarize the content or explain it in your

own words.

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7. When you ‘personalize’ God’s gift of

salvation and forgiveness to your own life,

you have become a Christian. How would

you explain what you just did to someone

else so they might understand it?

8. You may not feel any different than you did

before. This is because salvation is not a

matter of the emotions. It is a matter of fact.

God said it. Jesus Provided it. You accepted

it. That settles it. Why might this be

important to understand?

9. On the other hand, forgiveness and being

accepted by God into His family is such a

wonderful thing, many people, having

received God’s gift find themselves

overcome with joy and gladness. What

would cause them to have such joy?

10. As a new Christian, you have just become a

follower of Jesus Christ. What does this

mean to you?

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VII. REALIZATION:

What Just Happened To Me

The very moment you accepted Jesus Christ by faith

to be your Savior, a number of things immediately

became true of your life.

First, you just became ‘born again.’ This is a term

Jesus used to describe the fact that you became a

new person. You were born spiritually into God’s

family. You became a spiritual child of God (John

3:3-5).

Second, you just experienced the forgiveness of all

your sin. You have been declared to be righteous in

the eyes of God. All charges of sin and wrong that

had been charged against you for the time of

judgment have been dropped. You have been

declared innocent. You have been freed from any

penalty of sin (Ephesians 1:7).

Third, the Bible teaches that you have just been

transferred from the realm of death to the realm of

life. When Jesus came into your life to be your

Savior, you became a partaker of eternal life. Before

a person becomes a Christian, that person is a

recipient of the nature of death. This death is more

than physical. It is a spiritual death that results in

eternal separation from God. But now, that has

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changed. You are now a recipient of eternal life

because you have Christ’s Spirit within you (I John

5:11,12).

Fourth, the Bible also teaches that the moment you

believed and became a Christian, God, by way of

the Holy Spirit came to live within you. God has

taken up residence within you. God’s indwelling

presence is God’s guarantee, or his official seal of

authority, that promises your eternal future with

God (Ephesians 1:13,14; I Corinthians 6:19,20).

Fifth, the moment you became a Christian, you

were placed by God’s Spirit into His Church, which

is called ‘the body of Christ.’ You belong to the

household of faith. You belong to the ‘family of

God.’ Other believers in Jesus Christ are now your

brothers and sisters in Christ. You have become a

part of God’s spiritual family (Ephesians 2:19-22;

I Corinthians 12:27).

Sixth, when you became a Christian, you entered

into a brand new life. The Bible states, “Therefore,

if a man be in Christ, he is a new creature or person;

the old things have passed away; behold, new things

have come” (II Corinthians 5:17 NASV).

Everything has become new for you: A new way of

thinking. A new direction in life. New desires. New

priorities. A new belonging. New friends. A new

future. A new hope. A new kind of joy. The list

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could go on and on. The Bible declares, ‘everything

has become’ new. Because you have entered into a

new life, it takes a while to adjust and learn what

has changed concerning your new life.

And last, the very moment you became a Christian,

your relationship with God was restored as if you

were never separated from Him in the first place.

This means that you are now on the ‘right side’ of

God and that you can enjoy fellowship and

friendship with Him. Just like Adam and Eve, who

walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden,

so you too can now enjoy His continual presence

with you and within you. This means that you can

worship God and give Him the honor that He truly

deserves. (Before being a Christian, we lived our

lives apart from Him and without Him in our lives

at all.) But now, God is in your life and you are re-

united with Him. It’s just like coming home after

being gone on very long trip. This is how God

always meant life to be lived in the first place. God

loves everyone so much that He desires that

everyone be restored to a right relationship with

Him. Welcome back to friendship with God!

Welcome Home! (I John 1:3-7; II Peter 3:9).

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What does it mean to you to be ‘born

again’?

2. What does it mean to you to be forgiven of

all your sin?

3. What does it mean to you to now be a

partaker of eternal life instead of eternal

separation from God which is described as

‘spiritual death’?

4. What does it mean to you to now have God,

by way of His Spirit, living within you?

5. What does it mean to you to now be a part

of God’s family, the household of faith or

the body of Christ?

6. What does it mean to you to now have a

brand new life?

7. What does it mean to you to ‘repent’ or ‘turn

away’ from the kind of living that brought

about your separation from God in the first

place?

8. What does it mean to you to now have a

right relationship with God?

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9. How would you summarize what just

happened to you in becoming a Christian?

10. It would be a good time to read the third

chapter of the Gospel of John and the fifth

chapter of Romans. If you read and re-read

these two chapters it will help you

understand what has happened to you as a

new believer in Jesus Christ.

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VIII. APPLICATION:

Now That I Am A Christian –

What’s Next?

Now, what do I do? This is a very important

question because God wants every Christian to

grow and become strong in their faith. The Bible

declares, “Like new born babies, you crave pure

spiritual milk, so that by it you may GROW UP in

your salvation” (I Peter 2:2 NIV). “But GROW in

the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ”

(II Peter 3:18).

When a person is a new Christian, having just been

‘born again’, the Bible describes us as ‘babes’ in

Christ. It is a way of saying we are just beginning

our spiritual journey. Just as a new born baby drinks

its mother’s milk and begins to grow and become

stronger each day, so it is for every Christian. God’s

Word, the Bible, becomes our ‘milk’ and spiritual

nutrition. There is a need to grow and become

stronger in one’s faith. Spiritual growth is one of the

evidences that a person has really been ‘born again’.

The following steps will help you to grow strong as

a Christian.

First, tell someone that you have become a

Christian. Do not keep it to yourself. Tell your

family. Tell your friends. Do not worry about what

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they will think or what they might say. Remember,

they may not understand all that you understand at

this point. This is one of the reasons for this study.

Many people do not become Christians because

they do not understand what it really means or what

it is all about. When you tell others about your faith

in Jesus Christ, it may be the first step in their own

lives to also consider becoming a Christian.

Second, find another Christian who knows more

than you do about the Christian life and faith. Ask

that person to teach you and mentor you in learning

more about the Bible and the Christian life. This

will greatly help you to learn faster and grow

stronger more quickly.

Third, start reading the Bible every day. The Bible

is God’s Word that He has given to us. It teaches us

about God and how He wants us to live our lives.

You may read things you don’t understand, but as

you keep reading, God will give you understanding.

Also, if you start meeting with another Christian,

that person can help you in answering some of your

questions.

The Gospel of John would be a good starting point

for your reading.

Fourth, begin to attend a church that believes and

teaches the Bible. You will meet other Christians

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who will become your friends and they will help

you and encourage you in your faith.

Fifth, seek to be baptized. Baptism is a way of

declaring to others that you are a Christian, a

follower of Jesus Christ. The waters of baptism help

you declare your faith publically by allowing you to

identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus

Christ. When you are placed under the water, it is a

way of saying that Christ died for your sins. When

you are raised up out of the water, it is a way of

saying that Christ was raised from the dead for you.

It is important to know that the waters of baptism

have nothing to do with washing your sins away as

some people may think. (It is a natural thing to link

water with cleansing, but in baptism, that is not the

meaning.) Your sins were washed away and taken

away when Christ died on the cross for you.

Baptism is simply a way of declaring that you

personally identify with what Jesus Christ did for

you and that you are now a Christian.

Sixth, a new Christian always grows stronger and

faster in his faith when he gets involved with some

responsibility or in some way serving in the church.

There are many opportunities where a person can

participate and be involved as a volunteer. Things

like being a greeter or parking lot attendant, or

helping around the facility, or helping with

equipment or technology or sound are generally

areas where a person can start helping right away.

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The list is really endless where help is needed in the

local church. As you begin to serve and contribute

with your abilities, you will be strengthened in your

faith. You will learn what serving is all about.

Seventh, keep telling others about your decision to

follow Jesus and how it all came about in your own

life. Everyone has their own story to tell. Every

time you tell your story, it will encourage you and

strengthen your faith. Furthermore, every time you

tell your story, you never know how God may use

your story to encourage or motivate that person to

also want to follow Jesus and become a Christian.

There are many Christians who have never done the

things that have been suggested above. They

continue to believe and follow Jesus, but many of

them continue to be baby Christians. As such, they

do not have a strong and vibrant faith. And with a

weak faith, they are more susceptible to temptations

and failures and misplaced priorities and focus. So,

it is important to make every effort to grow and

become strong and mature in your Christian faith.

Make every effort to learn, to study, to read and to

serve. You will find that it makes all the difference

in the world.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How is becoming a Christian similar to

being like a newborn baby?

2. Why is it important to tell someone right

away that you have become a Christian?

3. Who do you know who is an older and

mature Christian that you can begin meeting

with on a regular basis so you can ask

questions and learn more about your

Christian faith?

4. Why is it important to find a church to

attend that believes and teaches the Bible?

5. How would you describe what baptism is?

Why is it important to be baptized?

6. What are some skills that you may have that

you can offer as a way to become involved

in serving in your local church?

7. How would you describe your story as to

how you became a Christian? How will

telling your own story help you in becoming

stronger as a Christian?

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8. What can happen to a new Christian if one

does not start applying the suggested actions

in this chapter?

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IX. TEMPTATION:

Don’t Be Surprised If…

Temptation is an effort to challenge and disrupt

your faith. Every Christian faces temptation and has

to learn to deal with it all the time. So, don’t be

surprised if you find yourself being tempted in some

way or another.

The goal of temptation is to create defeat, failure,

discouragement and destruction in your Christian

life. You may discover yourself being tempted to

sin – to do what you know you should not do.

You may find yourself being tempted to doubt your

faith and wonder if everything you have been told is

really true.

You may find yourself tempted to have wrong

desires and attitudes.

But here is what the Bible says about temptation:

“No temptation has seized you except what is

common to man. And God is faithful; He will not

let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But

when you are tempted, He will also provide a way

out so that you can stand up under it.”

(I Corinthians 10:13) This verse teaches us that

temptation is common to everyone! You are not

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being singled out and you are never alone when it

comes to temptation. That is why having other

Christian friends in your life can be a big help to

you when it comes to facing life’s temptations.

This verse also teaches us that God is faithful to us

in every situation of temptation. He has not

abandoned us. He is faithful to provide a way of

escape. There is always a back door! There is

always a way out. When you know you are being

tempted, look for the way of escape.

All through the Bible there are examples of people

who faced temptation. Adam and Eve were tempted

in the Garden of Eden. They gave into the

temptation and the result was disastrous for the

whole world (Genesis 3:1-24). We all are still

paying the price of the consequence of their

disobedience today.

Jesus, Himself, was tempted in the wilderness to

listen to the voice of Satan, and do what Satan

suggested. But Jesus did not give in to the

temptation. He stood strong. He quoted Scripture.

He withstood the heat of the moment (Matthew

4:1-15).

The Apostle Peter had vowed that he would never

let Jesus down. But when the pressure was on, he

denied that he even knew who Jesus was three

different times (Luke 22:54-62).

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And temptation will come to you. You can count on

it. And when it does –

1. Don’t be surprised.

2. Look for the way of escape.

3. Depend on God’s Word. It is powerful!

4. Pray for God’s strength and help.

5. Ask for help from other Christians.

But, if like Peter, you happen to fail, you will find

that your own conscience will convict you,

(Romans 2:15). That is one of the ministries of the

Holy Spirit who is now within you. And when you

know that you have failed in some way and have

given into the temptation, here is what the Bible

tells us to do:

1. Repent, or turn away from the failure.

2. Don’t keep doing it.

3. Confess the failure to God.

4. And when we do, the Bible tells us that

when we turn away from our failure and

confess it to God, He always forgives us.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to

forgive us our sins, and purify us from all

unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). There is no Christian

who is perfect. Jesus Christ is the only person who

ever lived on this earth who was perfect in every

way and without sin. That is what qualified Him to

be the sacrifice for our own sins.

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But as Christians, God has given to each one of us

His Holy Spirit to empower us and give us strength

and sensitivity as to what is right and wrong. He has

given to us the Bible to guide our lives and to lead

us in the paths of righteousness. As we pursue God

on a daily basis and continue to grow strong and

become mature in our faith, we will honor and

please God with the choices we make and how we

live our lives.

But, don’t be surprised if you find yourself facing

temptation after temptation. It is just one of the

realities of being a Christian.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How would you describe temptation?

2. What is the goal of any temptation?

3. Why is being tempted NOT a sin? When

does temptation become a sin?

4. Read I Corinthians 10:13 out loud. Read this

verse five times. List several things this

verse says about temptation.

5. What happened when Adam and Eve were

tempted to eat of the forbidden fruit in the

Garden of Eden? What was the result of

their failure? (Genesis 2:8,9; 15-17)

6. Jesus Christ was also tempted by Satan in

the wilderness (read Matthew 4:1-11). How

did He respond to the temptation?

7. When you are tempted, what are some steps

you can take to not give in to the

temptation?

8. When a person does give in to a temptation,

what should he do?

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9. Read I John 1:9 out loud. Read it over

several times. Why is this verse important to

every Christian?

10. What does it mean to you to ‘please God

and honor Him’ with how we live our lives?

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X. INFORMATION:

Questions Everyone Asks

As a new Christian, you will have questions.

Everyone has questions. Never be afraid or

embarrassed to ask your questions. It is an

important part of the growth process.

And if someone should ask you a question about

your faith, and you do not know how to answer, do

not be fearful or embarrassed. All you have to do is

tell them, “I’m not sure what the answer is, but I

will find out and get back to you.” Every time you

have these situations it is an opportunity for you to

grow stronger in your faith.

The following questions are just a few of the

common questions that everyone asks at one time or

another.

1) What if I sin or do something wrong? Am I still

a Christian and will God still forgive me?

Answer: You will make mistakes and you will sin,

and yes, God will forgive you and yes, you are still

a Christian. But we are to take this matter seriously

and not treat it lightly. That is why God gave to us

instructions concerning what to do when we find

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ourselves in this situation. As was mentioned in the

last chapter on temptation, we must do two things:

First, turn away from our wrong and stop doing it.

This is called repentance. Second, confess our sin

and failure to God. “If we confess our sins, He is

faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and

purify us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9).

When we do this, God is always faithful to forgive

us our sin. Never forget to thank God for His

faithfulness to forgive.

2) What if I have doubts about my faith and my

salvation?

Answer: This is not uncommon. Satan loves to fill

our minds with doubts. When we doubt it makes us

unstable and weak as a Christian. The Bible tells us:

“…the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea

driven and tossed about by the wind” (James 1:6).

Satan would love to have Christians doubting

because it affects how we live and it affects the

condition of our faith. So, when you find yourself

doubting, here are some helpful steps to consider:

* Talk to someone who is stronger in their faith

than you. They will have been through times

of doubt themselves.

* Claim the promises of God and read them

over and over. God’s Word is true and it never

fails. You can count on what God has said.

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You will find His promises to be a great

encouragement to you.

The following Scriptures contain just some of

the wonderful promises of God:

God’s Forgiveness: Romans 8:1; Isaiah

43:25

God’s Protection: Psalm 91:1,2

God’s Presence: Psalm 23:4; Hebrews

13:5

God’s Peace: John 14:27; Philippians

4:6,7

God’s Care: I Peter 5:7

God’s Comfort: I Corinthians 1:3-5;

Psalm 23:4; 34:17-180.

* Pray. Ask God by His Spirit to give you peace

within (Philippians 4:6).

* Keep reading, keep learning and keep asking

questions. Many times our doubts come

because we lack sufficient information.

* Choose to believe. Whether we believe or

doubt, it is a choice that we make.

* Persevere. Don’t give up. That is what

doubting wants you to do. But as you keep

pressing on with your faith, your doubts will

clear up and dissolve in time.

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3) What if I don’t feel any different as a Christian?

Answer: This is a very important question and many

people have struggled with their feelings. But here

is a fact: Being a Christian is not based on nor does

it depend on how one feels. If it did, every Christian

would live life like a yoyo, being up one day and

feeling down the next. But being a Christian is

based on faith not feelings. So it does not matter

how you feel. So, the real question might be, ‘what

do I do about my feelings?’ Here are a couple of

suggestions.

* Listen to great worship music. God uses music

to soothe and comfort and encourage the soul

(Psalms 145-150).

* Look for ways to encourage others. This will

get your mind off of yourself and in the

process will change your perspective and your

feelings.

4) What about all the other religions – Aren’t all

religions the same?

Answer: Apart from the Christian faith, all religions

are the same in two very important areas: First, all

other religions originate with man and try to please

God or satisfy God.

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Second, all other religions require man to do works

that will satisfy and appease God, endeavoring to

make man acceptable to God. The problem with

both of these areas is that the solution originates or

begins at the wrong end. Man is not qualified to

offer anything that God can accept. Secondly, if

man could earn his acceptance, he would never

know if he had done enough. The truth is, man can

never do enough to earn acceptance with God.

On the other hand, The Christian faith is set apart

from other religions in two important areas.

First, God initiates reaching out to man, and God

Himself has done all that needs to be done

regarding man’s sin and separation from God.

Second, God has provided all that is necessary and

God is completely and wholly satisfied with what

He has done to remove the offense of man’s sin and

failure. Therefore, He offers to man the gift of

salvation and forgiveness, and all man has to do is

accept God’s offer. No other religion in the world

has ever offered such good news to man.

This is not at all meant as a criticism of other

religions, but simply meant to point out the vast

distinction between the Christian faith and all other

religious faiths.

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5) Why are there so many different churches and

how can I find the right church to attend?

Answer: This can be a very confusing issue for

many new Christians.

First, look for a church that believes the Bible and

teaches the Bible. It may sound strange, but not all

churches believe the Bible nor do they teach the

Bible.

Second, look for a church that has energy and life in

the presentation and teaching that keeps your

attention.

Third, look for a church that meets your needs and

is able to care for you and your family.

Fourth, as you become friends with other

Christians, they will be able to give you helpful

information regarding a church that will help you

grow in your faith.

There are many reasons why there are so many

different churches. Some have different ethnic

backgrounds. Some churches may believe the basics

of the faith but differ on how things are done. Some

churches differ on more minor issues of doctrine

and some churches differ on major issues of

doctrine. As you grow stronger in your Christian

faith, you will become more familiar with the

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church environment and the Holy Spirit will guide

you in this important matter.

6) What will happen to me as a Christian when I

die?

Answer: God knew that we would have questions

and concerns about our future and so He has

provided a clear answer. The Bible states: “To be

absent from the body is to be at home with the

Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). This means that when

we die, our earthly body is put in the ground, but

our spirit goes straight to heaven to be with God.

And then when Jesus Christ comes back, our dead

bodies will be resurrected (just like Jesus was

resurrected) and our spirit is reunited with our brand

new resurrected body. When this happens, we will

then be with God forever. This is how the Bible

describes it in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 (NASV):

“But we do not want you to be uniformed, brethren,

about those who are asleep (dead), that you may not

grieve, as do the rest who have no hope. For if we

believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God

will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in

Jesus (meaning Christians who have died). For this

we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who

are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord,

shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For

the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a

shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the

trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise

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first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be

caught up together with them in the clouds to meet

the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with

the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these

words.”

7) How will the world end?

Answer: The world will end with Satan’s final

defeat and with God’s resounding victory. The

Bible teaches that Jesus Christ will physically reign

over this earth for one thousand years (called the

millennial reign of Christ). During this time Satan

will be bound and unable to be destructive with his

influence. But at the end of the one thousand year

reign of Jesus over the earth, Satan will be released

for a short season of time. He will go out and

deceive a great multitude. They will gather together

to make war against God and in this final battle they

will be destroyed. God will reign on His throne

forever and ever. He always has. He always will. As

a Christian, you are on the side that wins!

Revelation chapters 20-22 describe these events.

God wants everyone to be saved and to come to

Him. He does not want even one person to perish

(II Peter 3:9). That is why the Bible ends with a

final invitation to man:

“And the spirit and the bride say ‘Come’. And let

the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who

is thirsty come. Let the one who wishes, take of the

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water of life without cost” (Revelation 22:17

NASV).

This is an invitation that God wants every person to

accept. This is how a person becomes a Christian.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. As you consider this lesson, how would you

answer the question: If I do something

wrong, am I still a Christian and will God

still accept me?

2. In light of the above question, how would

you define ‘repentance’ and how important

is it?

3. What should a person do if he has doubts

about his faith and salvation?

4. What is the difference between ‘feeling’ and

‘faith’? Why is this important?

5. What happens if a person bases his faith on

how he feels instead of on what God has

said?

6. Why are there so many different religions in

the world? What would you say to a person

who might say "It doesn’t matter what

religion you belong to as they are all the

same?"

7. What makes the Christian faith different

from all other faiths?

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8. What should a person look for when trying

to find a church to attend?

9. What happens to a Christian when one dies?

10. How does being a Christian make a

difference when it comes to facing death?

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XI. INSPIRATION:

A Final Word

If you have become a Christian through the reading

of this material – WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

OF GOD! You have become a member of the

household of faith! May God bless you in your

journey of faith as you walk by faith with Jesus for

the rest of your life!

However, if, on the other hand, you are still on your

way to becoming a Christian, do not give up. Keep

pursuing the truth. Keep asking your questions.

May your quest be honest and sincere, for if it is,

God has a promise for you and all who seek Him

with their heart:

“And you will seek Me and find Me, when You

search for me with all your heart.”

(Jeremiah 29:13)

Do not hesitate to read and re-read this study guide.

And for questions you may have, do not hesitate to

find another Christian who can encourage you and

assist you in your pursuit of the truth.

But, either way, as a new Christian or as one who is

still on your way to becoming a Christian, the

following books are recommended for your further

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reading. Many people have found these books to be

very helpful to their own spiritual growth. Many of

the following books are found on the ‘Most read

Christian books of all time’ lists.

1. THE PURPOSE DRIVEN LIFE by Rick

Warren. You will find both hope and

purpose in this best-selling, must read book.

2. MERE CHRISTIANITY by C.S. Lewis. The

book discusses many aspects of life from a

Christian perspective with practicality and

clarity.

3. PILGRIM’S PROGRESS by John Bunyan.

For clarity and enjoyment, it is

recommended to use the pictorial edition by

Moody Press. Everyone will identify with

the experiences set forth in this book. It is an

allegory that describes our journey of faith.

4. THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP by Dietrich

Bonhoeffer. The author was arrested by the

Nazis, and he lost his life for his faith in

Christ. This book is a masterpiece on

following Jesus.

5. MY HEART CHRIST’S HOME by Robert

Munger. This small booklet challenges

every Christian to allow Jesus Christ into

every area of one’s life.

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6. EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A

VERDICT by Josh McDowell. This book is

full of facts and information that will

provide answers and give confidence to

every Christian.

7. A CASE FOR FAITH by Lee Strobel. An

insightful book that provides a logical

explanation for the Christian faith.

8. THE PURSUIT OF GOD by A.W. Tozer.

This book will help everyone know God

better.

9. EXPERIENCING GOD by Henry Blackaby.

You will find this book helpful and practical

in making God a part of your every-day life.

10. THE GRACE AWAKENING by Chuck

Swindoll. Everyone needs grace, the favor

of God. This book will help you become a

person of grace.

11. THE SAVING LIFE OF CHRIST by Major

Ian Thomas. A very helpful and insightful

book that helps a person understand the

spiritual life.

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12. KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE by Paul

Little. This book defines and explains the

basic beliefs of the Christian faith.

13. PEACE WITH GOD: THE SECRET TO

HAPPINESSS by Billy Graham. This book

by the world’s most well known evangelist

reinforces the information found in this

study guide.

14. HOPE FOR THE TROUBLED HEART:

FINDING GOD IN THE MIDST OF PAIN

by Billy Graham. This is a must read book

for everyone who struggles with trouble and

pain in life.

15. BORN AGAIN by Chuck Colson. The

author describes himself as the most

unlikely candidate to become a Christian. It

is a remarkable story of his journey and how

God changed his life.

BECOMING A CHRISTIAN

WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?

Roger Martin is a graduate of Western Baptist

College (now Corbin University), Dallas

Theological Seminary and the California Graduate

School of Theology. He is the founding pastor of

Rolling Hills Community Church in Danville,

California and served as the Senior Pastor there for

twenty-one years. He has served as the Global

Director for International Students, Inc. in Colorado

Springs, Colorado and as the Executive Director of

Shasta Bible College in Redding, California and as

the Senior Pastor of East Hills Community Church

in the Oakland Hills.