Peace with God
This page outlines a way to become a "Christian" (or a "believer" in Jesus Christ, or to be "born again", or to experience "eternal life" or "peace with God," or to become "right with God" by being reconciled or restored to a right relationship with God) through the good news of the gospel.
1. Introduction
The major problem confronting people in the world today, according to the Bible, is that everyone is born in a state of spiritual deadness because we have each inherited the sin nature of Adam, the first human (cf "About" page on "Covenant"). Sin alienates us from God, who originally created us in His image to live a magnificent life in His presence. Sin acts like a barrier that disconnects us from God, and causes us to commit sinful acts e.g. wrong thoughts, speech or actions, the most serious of which is that we deny God His rightful prerogative as Creator to rule His world and His creatures. We convince ourselves that we can live as we please in God's world, without experiencing any consequences from God! How bizarre! What there are the consequences of sin? Every human being is subject to God's justice, wrath and condemnation (Romans 1:18f). God is holy and righteous and requires that His image bearers are also! Thankfully, God shields us from Himself, for the Bible warns that if we could actually see Him as He really is, the sight of God would kill us! As sinners, our heart inclination is not to seek God but to rebel against Him and to try to hide from Him. Why? Because we know that we are guilty before Him. As sinners, we proudly refuse to acknowledge God's sovereignty, perpetuating the Satanically inspired lie that finite human creatures know better than God, our infinite and good Creator, what is the best way to live our lives. Fortunately God is gracious and longsuffering, not wishing that any should perish, but patiently extends mercy and compassion towards we, His cosmic human rebels, that we might get right with Him before Jesus Christ returns to earth a second time, to judge (perfectly) both the living and the dead.
Cultural myths are popular everywhere. In NZ, it's common to believe that humans get to define how God should be i.e. He should always be loving and merciful but never righteous and just. When we think we can define God, we are acting "as if" we are God! Though we know we are guilty sinners, we assert the belief that our good works more than offset our moral failings, thereby making us acceptable to God. "Not so" warns the Bible. God's standard of morality and right living is 100%, not 50% or 30% etc. In God's court, 50% is not a pass mark, but a fail. Therefore, we all have a big problem with God - we transgress His standards - not just once or twice but frequently!
But there is also incredible good news! God has instigated a plan to rescue some people from what is, from a human perspective, a hopeless situation.
“ … but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23b ESV).
“… but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV).
God’s Son Jesus, God's promised Messiah, paid the penalty of the sin debt that His people owe to God, dying on the cross as their substitute! Not only so, He also perfectly obeyed all God’s requirements for mankind (cf "About" page on "Covenant"), thereby earning eternal life, which He gives to all who come to Him for rescue. Christ is God's solution for human sin. To those who come to Christ, God grants forgiveness and complete pardon for sin, together with the restoration of true life, forever more!
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard” (Romans 3:23 NLT).
“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a NIV).
“Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment…” (Hebrews 9:27 NIV).
The news is really bad – every guilty sinner faces a frightening future!
“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3 NIV).
2. How to “Become” a Christian
Spiritual birth is analogous to physical conception. In the latter, a man and a woman come together sexually, and a sperm from the father and an egg from the mother unite to form a new human being. From that moment, the mother is pregnant, though initially she may not realise she has conceived. In John 3 Nicodemus, a religious leader had a discussion with Jesus, who indicated that the only way a person could enter, or even see, God’s kingdom was if they were born again (or born from above). God by His Spirit creates within the spiritually dead “womb” of a person (man or woman) an “egg,” and at a moment in time, when that person receives the “sperm” of the gospel good news in the word of God, God by His Spirit conceives a new spiritual life within them. Initially, the recipient may not realise what has happened, but soon discovers evidence of change i.e. a new desire to seek after, learn about God and to live for Him etc.
A person “becomes a Christian” by humbly responding to the new spiritual reality that God has created within them. At the beginning of the New Covenant era (gospel or church age), John the Baptist, Jesus and the Apostle Paul etc., all indicate that the response required is to “repent and believe.”
'Later on, after John was arrested, Jesus went into Galilee, where he preached God's Good News. "The time promised by God has come at last!" he announced. "The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!" (Mark 1:14-15 NLT).
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13 ESV).
A "Christian" is a person who has been "born again" by God the Holy Spirit and restored into a right relationship with God. This person affirms this new spiritual reality in a process like the following 3 step “A, B, C” outline:
1. Admit to God that you are a sinner, repenting to Him and asking for His forgiveness.
2. Believe that Jesus is God's solution to your sin problem and the only way anyone can get right with God.
3. Commit yourself, going forward, to live for Christ, and in gratitude to your Saviour and Lord, seek to wholeheartedly follow Him from this moment on.
Here is a short prayer (talking to God) to help you to affirm the new spiritual life God has birthed within you:
“Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and that I deserve your condemnation. I repent of my sin and ask You to please forgive me. I believe that Jesus Christ is the only solution to my sin problem and my alienation from You. Here and now, I turn from my life of sin, and commit myself to live with Jesus as my Saviour and Lord, seeking to wholeheartedly follow Him for the rest of my days. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
If you prayed this prayer, and genuinely now desire to live for God, the Bible assures you that God has forgiven your sin and that you are now a brand-new person: a newly adopted son/daughter of God. You are reconciled with God. You are now in a right relationship with God. You have peace with God.
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13 NIV).
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life” (John 5:24 ESV).
3. Next Steps
If you prayed the prayer above, you've just begun an incredible journey. Your life will never be the same again. You are a brand-new person! Congratulations! It’s the best decision any person can ever make, and the beginning of a wonderful, though often difficult, new life. The Bible describes this new life in terms of:
- Status: you are now an adopted child of God in Christ
- Family: you are now part of God's worldwide new spiritual humanity
- Future: you can now anticipate an amazing future, living in God's presence forever
Here are some steps to consider as you begin your new journey as a follower of Jesus Christ!
3.1 Begin to Grow
As a new born baby needs milk to grow and develop, in the same way you, as a new baby Christian, also need food to grow.
“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation…” (1 Peter 2:2 NIV).
The food you need is the Bible, God’s word. Obtain a modern and easy to read translation of the Bible e.g. NIV - New International Version, or ESV - English Standard Version, or NLT - New Living Translation. You could also download a Bible App., such as YouVersion.
Begin by reading a little of the Bible each day, perhaps initially one of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Spend perhaps 10-15 minutes/day, gradually reading your way through the book you select. Set aside a time and a place to do this daily. This will help you to cultivate time in God's presence.
The following is a suggested way to do this:
- Pray and thank God for who He is and what He has done.
- Pray that God would help you to understand and apply what you read.
- Read perhaps a paragraph at a time. Maybe read it through 2 or 3 times.
- After reading/reflecting, pray and thank God for what He has shown you in His word, asking Him to help you become more like Jesus.
You’ll find that Satan “whispers in your ear,” particularly when you’ve done something wrong: “so you think you’re a Christian, but what’s really changed – you’re no different and still do what is wrong!” But now, as a new child of God, you have all the spiritual resources of God at your disposal. Resist Satan, confident in God’s promises in the Bible, knowing that your heavenly Father will help you.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. 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 endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).
3.2 Join A Bible Believing Church
As a new Christian, it’s important to begin to associate with other brothers and sisters in Christ in the New Covenant community of God's people, the church.
Find a Bible believing church where you discern a strong desire of both the leadership and the people to get to know God better, and live as His people. Such a church will have a high regard for the authority and importance of the Bible, and will be one which, on the one hand, makes you feel very welcome, and where, on the other hand, you feel that you also “belong” and can grow in your new life in Christ, discovering various ways of humbly serving Christ and helping to advance His eternal kingdom. If you live in SE Christchurch, you might consider worshipping with us.
Every believer, whether a brand new babe in Christ or one who has been on the journey for a while, needs the encouragement and close fellowship of other believers to support them as they seek to:
“grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18 NIV).
Finally, remember that Jesus Christ gave everything so that you could be restored into a right relationship with God and experience His perfect peace in your heart. Having done everything for you in His Son, He requires you to wholeheartedly follow Him:
“Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23 NLT).
Because Jesus Christ is God, you don’t relate to Him in the same way as you do with other people. Many new believers gladly accept Jesus as their Saviour but are often not taught, or do not understand, that Jesus is also Lord i.e. the King of kings and Lord of lords has taken up residence within your “heart” in the person of His Holy Spirit and seeks to transform your life and make you more like Jesus. Remember: God is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe - He is not your personal assistant; but He is your loving Lord and friend. Through God's word, by God's Holy Spirit, Jesus will gradually transform you into something truly special and incredible. This will happen gradually as you yield the control of your life to Him, increasingly acknowledging His Lordship over areas of your life, and seeking to obey Him.
This is the pathway to a richly fulfilling, satisfying and enjoyable life; a life abounding in God’s grace and blessing as God gradually transforms you into the special person He made you to be as He re-orientates your thoughts, words and deeds from a self-centred, sin controlled lifestyle to a God-centred, God controlled way of living that will amaze you - and others - and bring glory to God, and immense love, joy and hope to you.