Do you remember the day when you first became a Christian? Do you remember what year it was? Do you remember who baptized you and who witnessed your baptism? Do you remember your initial feelings once you came up from the waters of baptism? Do you remember what drove you to become a Christian?
It can be easy to forget what compelled us to become Christians. Once we are Christians for a few years, it can be easy to become lazy and begin merely going through the motions. It can be easy to forget what life was like before we received salvation in Christ.
Here are four reasons why I became a Christian.
I knew Christianity was the truth.
- Jesus claimed to be the only path to heaven and eternal life (John 14:1-6). Why should we believe this extraordinary claim?
- I believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be because of His resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:3-4). Would God have raised a deceiver and false teacher from the dead? The resurrection of Jesus verifies His identity. It is God’s seal of approval on everything He said.
- Peter also appealed to the evidence of the resurrection when preaching the gospel on Pentecost in Jerusalem (Acts 2:22-24, 32, 36).
I knew I was lost.
- Those in Peter’s audience knew they were lost sinners after hearing the gospel (Acts 2:37).
- Paul urged Christians in Ephesus to remember their spiritual condition when they were lost and outside of Christ (Ephesians 2:1-13). We need to do the same!
- Remembering our desperate and hopeless feelings before becoming Christians will help us avoid leaving Jesus. It will help us avoid missing the world and desiring to return to a life of sin (2 Peter 1:9). As Christians, we have been purified and cleansed by the blood of Jesus. We have been given a new spiritual status, direction, and purpose.
I knew I needed to follow Jesus.
- Peter and the other apostles resolved to follow and commit themselves to Jesus (John 6:66-69). Jesus has called on us to do the same (Luke 9:23).
- We committed to living transformed lives (Ephesians 4:24; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
- We committed to being about the Lord’s work (Acts 2:42; Matthew 28:19).
- We committed ourselves to living for the Lord!
I knew I was going to die.
- We are all going to die and stand before the Lord in judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
- Becoming a Christian prepares us for death. It provides us with hope and assurance that after we die, everything is going to be okay (Revelation 14:13).
- It should remove our fear of death because we have entrusted our souls to the One who has authority over it (Revelation 1:18).
Conclusion:
Are you prepared for the inevitable? If not, prepare yourself right now (Acts 2:38).