How Does One Become a Christian?
Churches do not make Christians; churches (congregations) are comprised of Christians. There are two senses of "church" used in the Bible: the local congregation (such as in 1 Corinthians 1:2), and the spiritual, "universal" [our word] church (such as in 1 Timothy 2:15). The church of Christ [in this latter sense] belongs to Christ, and only He adds souls to this (Acts 2:47). He is its Founder (Matthew 16:18), Leader (Ephesians 1:22,23), Head (Colossians 1:18) and Husband (Ephesians 5:25-30). No one can force himself or herself into Christ's church, nor can anyone force anyone else out of Christ's church. Salvation belongs to God, and He is the One who offers it in the first place. If anyone is going to be saved, then he or she will be saved according to what God determines, not according to what you or I determine. God provides "everything pertaining to life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3), and if anyone wishes to have either life or godliness, then he or she must adhere to the Spirit of God that brings such life (John 6:63)--the commandments of God (John 12:44-50).
One who desires to become a Christian (literally, a follower and disciple of Christ) should not merely be trying to make himself or herself a member of a Christian congregation. Congregations cannot save people; they are merely groups of saved people (ideally). One should instead focus on what he or she must do in order to be right with God; this "rightness" with Him the Bible calls "justification." Justification (the act of being justified--that is, being brought up out of a sinful life into a life on par with the righteousness of God) comes from God, and is only offered through Jesus Christ (John 14:6, Romans 5:1). "Going to church," by itself, does not save anyone, although working and assembling with a group of believers for the purpose of exhortation, edification, encouragement and evangelism is part of the Christian duty--a theme found throughout the book of Acts and the New Testament epistles (letters).
In order to be justified with God, one must consider what the Bible says about this:
One must hear the truth of God. It is truth that saves us, and it is those who worship God in truth whom God calls His worshippers (John 4:23,24). Such truth has only been revealed by or through the authority of Jesus Christ (John 1:17, John 17:17, Ephesians 4:20-24). Seeking salvation from God is an individual responsibility; one cannot hear, learn, or be converted by proxy (Philippians 2:12,13).
One must believe in the truth of God, making a connection between himself or herself and the message that God offers to the world for salvation (John 3:16-21). It is true that Jesus died for the whole world (1 John 2:2), but it does not follow that the whole world will automatically be saved by Jesus (Matthew 7:21-23, 1 John 5:18-20). God will not preserve those who deliberately set their hearts against Him. Jesus has been offered as the proof of God's salvation (Acts 17:30,31), and anyone who rejects Jesus' teaching rejects God as well as the One who brings him or her the truth (Luke 10:16).
One must be convicted of the truth of God. That person must acknowledge that he or she is a sinner before God (Romans 3:23), and that the only "reward" of a sinful, rebellious life before God is a spiritual "death" (an eternity spent away from the presence of God); see Romans 6:20-23, 8:6-9. Many people may be convinced that the Bible offers them the truth of God, but are not necessarily convicted by that truth. As a point of illustration only, the "rich young ruler" (Matthew 19:16-22) was convinced that Jesus had the truth; however, he was not convicted to follow the message of that truth no matter what.
One must make a response to that conviction. So far, the sinner has only acknowledged his or her helpless state before God; nothing has been done about it. This does not mean that salvation is accomplished through our works, for it is the grace of God that saves us (Ephesians 2:8-10). But faith and love require demonstration, as is seen in the faithfulness of God's promises (2 Timothy 2:11-13, Hebrews 6:13-20) and in the love which He showed through the offering of His Son (1 John 4:7-10). Likewise, our faith, if it is not shown or demonstrated, does not really exist (James 2:17). This demonstration includes repentance (Romans 2:4-8), a confession of Christ (Romans 10:8-10), and baptism [lit., immersion in water] (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 2:38, 22:16, Romans 6:3-6, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:9-12, 1 Peter 3:21). What God imparts to the one who accepts His message and submits to His will is the promise of salvation (1 John 2:25), and the benefits of His Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21,22, Galatians 5:22,23). There is no place in Scripture that says that we can "just ask Jesus to come into [your] heart and be [your] personal Savior."
What we have described so far is the initial conversion process of a person who has been an enemy of God, and is now a friend of God (James 4:4). A person who considers himself (or herself) to be a "good person" and yet does not listen or follow the words of Christ or His apostles is not good before God; remember, God is the One who justifies a person. Our own standard of what we think is right (or wrong) means nothing if it is not already based upon God's standard of right and wrong. Only One is truly "good" (Matthew 19:17). If we truly wish to be "good" (righteous--the act of being right with God), then we must follow His commandments (1 John 5:1-3). This, again, is a demonstration of our love to Him (John 14:15, 15:10-14). Think about all that God has done for our salvation--"while we were yet sinners" (Romans 5:6-8)!
God expects the Christian following his or her initial conversion to live a life in harmony with His will. This means a life that is led by His Spirit (Galatians 5:16-25). This is not a miraculous situation; God's Spirit is made known to us through His word--the gospel, the truth, which is preserved through the Bible (John 20:30,31). The more we internalize the word of God, the more like God we will become (Ephesians 5:1), in that we are reading into the very intent of His will for us, revealed through His apostles (1 Corinthians 2:1-5, 10-16). Therefore, Christians are to be diligent to: study (2 Timothy 2:15); assemble together for the purpose of worship (Colossians 3:16,17), communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-33), teaching (1 Timothy 4:13); stimulate one another to "love and good works" (Hebrews 10:23-25); and promote general edification--admonition, encouragement, etc. (1 Thessalonians 5:14). The Bible never tells us to "join any church of your choice," because the Bible only recognizes one faith and one calling (Ephesians 4:1-6), which leads to one "type" of Christian--the true Christian, who worships God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). There is no teaching that supports denominational ideas, structures, hierarchies, or faiths in the New Testament (you are certainly invited to look for yourself). On the contrary, there is much Scripture to support unity and a singularity of worship to God (John 17:17-23, Romans 15:5,6, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Philippians 1:27, 2:1-4, et al).
God calls the sinner through the gospel--the truth of His word (2 Thessalonians 2:14). The one who is not "in Christ" is excluded from His spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). The Lord wants all people to be saved (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9), but also recognizes that few will respond to His message of salvation (Matthew 7:13,14). We are here to help you be right with the Lord, and would like to help you with any questions you might have regarding the relationship between God and His children. We encourage you to seek out the truth: read your Bible, pray for sincere guidance toward the things which you need to know, and do not be afraid to ask questions of those who are perhaps more spiritually-minded than yourself (but always demand a Biblical response from them--it is your right, and their responsibility). God, the Father of spirits (Hebrews 12:9), has given you control over the destiny of your own soul; some future "day" He will hold you accountable to what you have (or have not) done with that responsibility (2 Corinthians 5:10). We encourage you to follow God now, in this life, so that you will have a life with Him forever. And isn't that what you really want anyway?