How do people become Christians?

[Naijagal]

I’m interested in what a wide range of people think is the turning point that makes a person a Christian.
According to the Bible, Everybody ( no matter what they are called) who trusts in Jesus (and all that He’s done) will be saved.
Christian as a name wasn’t there from the beginning but that’s what people began calling people who trusted in and practiced Jesus teachings.

No need to be sorry! Thanks for sharing, it appears over your journey you knew of Jesus but didn’t “follow” him till April 2019

I have a mixed faith background, Catholic, Islam, New Age, Prosperity gospel this was the world I grew up in but my laidback attitude meant I didn’t explore anything too deeply. Sometimes it feels like becoming a Christian, “just believe”is too easy and I wonder is there more to it.

Fair enough. It's possible to listen to the podcast without the Catholic commentary afterwards, I know quite a few people who do that. There's a short intro at the beginning where he just invites people to subscribe and says what the readings of the day are, then the actual Bible passages are read without comment. After that there's his prayer and commentary, so you can just stop after the Bible readings and not listen to the last bit. I don't know of anything similar from Evangelical churches which covers the whole Bible, but there might be something.

Do you know what, I'll give it ago and report back to you!

Obviously that could be interpreted in several ways, and indeed has been across the ages (including various theories that it refers to angels rather than humans, which I won't go into here), but the most mainstream Catholic interpretation is that it refers to people who were disobedient before the Flood but nevertheless repented before their deaths.

Do! I've found it transformative to just have that regular commitment of 10 minutes every single day, no excuses, with the Word of God. That's why I'm so evangelical about it .

It's a yes and a no.

Almost everyone in my family who professes to be a Christian is a non practising Catholic. If you say to them 'do you believe that Jesus died for your sins, and it's only through him that you can get to heaven', they say yes. Yet they don't bother with him, they don't live a life he would approve of, they don't factor him into any decision they make, they basically don't really care. Ultimately, they don't believe.

When I realised the truth, it hit me in the way any kind of reality hits you. I knew it and couldn't un-know it. Once I actually realised it was true, something shifted and I changed because I realised what a sinner I actually was and how great God was to rescue me from Hell. I became a new person and my entire world view shifted overnight.

This meant that I wanted to follow Jesus and that has been the hard part. Once you realise, in your core, that there is no other to Heaven except through Jesus, then its like a domino effect. You are instantly the enemy of the world. You have to stand up for principles you never had before. You have to face things you never did before. But there's no alternative because you can't unknow that Jesus us the King of the universe who humbled himself to die for you. You have to keep going, even when uts hard, and he helps you. And each time he helps you, the relationship grows, which makes it easier to trust him the next time you face challenges, and the next time and the next.

It's East that when you know, you know. It's not easy when you have to walk the walk. It's easy when your spirit tells you that God has your back, but not easy when the enemy tells you he doesn't. You become a kind of foot soldier on this earth risking life or limb, but your love your leader. Its scary but its true liberation at the same time. Its so deep.

That's not to say that we are saved by the good works we do, rather the things we do 9n earth show that we have been saved. The outer life reflects the inner.

That's roughly it, I'll get back to you when I've got a spare minute, but it's a mighty complicated subject!

To add - I've downloaded the New International Version (NIV) Audio Bible in One Year, read by David Suchet. It's split into manageable chunks with a daily portion from the Old Testament, New Testament and Psalms or Proverbs. I got it free with the Audible app.

Only God knows. I think in the end it’s Him that will define who is Christian or not. And I expect there will be surprises at the end - Matt 25:31-46. But each person’s journey is different (eg St Paul vs St Anna in the temple; John 21:22 - Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return,(Z) what is that to you? You must follow me.”). I guess just try to sincerely seek out God and love Him and follow Jesus’ example in our lives?

For me, the question "when do you become a Christian" is like saying "when do you become an adult?"

Is it the second you turn 18? Perhaps when you move into your own home? Or is it when you finally adopt a particular attitude? Of course, there's a legal definition but it does nothing to capture the aging process and the expectations of what it means to be an adult in a social and cultural context.

The "legal" definition of becoming a Christian varies by tradition. For a Baptist church it's when you are baptised. For an evangelical church is probably when you "pray the prayer". In CofE it may be at a Christening or at Confirmation.

But this doesn't accurately sum up the subtleties of the first time you truly experienced God's presence or the first time you cried out to Him in desperation or the first time you truly stepped out in faith.

Ultimately, only God knows who truly knows and has a relationship with Him and who doesn't.

Very true. I do think there is a moment when something clicks internally which can be felt tangibly at the time or only recognised retrospectively. 'Something' happens though, and whether it happens gradually or with immediate profundity, there is a 'before' and 'after' that the person can identify. I think once I finally understood what the crucifixion actually meant, and I understood its magnitude, was my defining moment. It was an intellectual understanding that I had never been able to access before, which led to a subsequent change in everything else.

I don't think you can fully believe and accept the truth of what Jesus did on that cross and not change. That's the moment.

This is an interesting thread.
I am not a christian but have witnessed my mpther and sister become "born again".
It was sudden, and so intense it was actually terrifying to observe.
All rationale and reason left them, and their thoughts became quite obsessive.
It has lead to deep fractues within our famly.

I can understand how this happens. I was pretty much the only real Christian I knew when it happened to me, and was very strange to feel that I had changed very quickly when everyone else was the same. I made sure not to alienate my loved ones even though the internal process was very profound. It was a delicate balancing act but I can't deny the transformative experience.

When I told my husband what had happened he thought I had lost my mind, but admitted that it wasn't my behaviour that made him think that but the mere fact I now believed. As time has gone on, I have done my best to prudent while not compromising on my beliefs, and every single one of my relationships have improved, even ones with decades of toxicity.

I totally get the life changing transformation but can also understand how it looks from the outside in. It looks crazy: I know because I thought the same before it happened to me. I hope that tensions ease and relationships are restored in your family ❤

Thanks Idontknowwhatto but I don't see the tensions easing, in fact they have deepened over the years.
It is decades since my sister was "born again", she has fully immersed herself into a christian life. She had two daughters, both educated at a school owned by the church, as hher kids grew they were not allowed secular friends, or many "evil" secular influences.
My oldest niece is now an adult, and a mother herself.
She started to question her faith as a young adult and is now an atheist.
She thinks her christian upbringing and indoctrination was a form of child abuse.
Although she has come to an intellectual decision about her atheism she still suffers the guilt, fear and shame that was hard wired into her as a child.
She will never forgive her mother for what she did.

I wonder did you sister get involved in a culty church? It says in Scripture that we are to be 'in the world, but not of the world' meaning we are to live among non believers although not necessarily take part in things they do. It's good for Christians to be part of a church community but not good to live like a closed off sect. My friend's pastor joined a 'secular' running club because he felt that he needed to expand his friendship group a bit. My kids go to a secular school and I'm happy with that, as its real life. I read the Bible with them and teach them about Jesus but if they are going to be Christian, a) it has to be their choice and b) they have to learn how to live in real world, Christian or not.

As it happens, I went through a Catholic convent education from the ages of 3-18 and it put me off Catholicism/Christianity for such a long time and actually pushed me away from it. I really get how it turned your niece off. As an adult I encountered the person of Jesus which was so different to the sense of oppression, constant shaming and blind adherence to rules that I had experience for nearly 20 years in my former years. I hate how religion gives Jesus such a bad rep and fully understand how 'church hurt' happens. I'm really sorry for everything that had happened to your family. There are few sadder things than a family torn apart, but I do believe that unless someone takes their last breath, it's never too late to reconcile, if that's what people want.

Sorry, my grammar is awful! You wouldn't think I had any education at all by reading my post!

I listened to it. Loved it. Thank you.

@Naijagal I hope you don't mind; this is a long winded interpretation of the passage in 1 Peter 3:19 by a professor of Christian theology (much more qualified to answer than me!). There are many ways to look at it, but this lines up with what I personally believe:

'...The idea behind this doctrine is the problem of salvation for those people who lived before Christ died on the cross. Classic theology says that Christ’s death on the cross provided the way to escape from hell to heaven. The people who lived before Jesus never had a chance to have faith in his saving acts. The Bible offers hope for them in the book of Hebrews which says that Abraham had faith and his faith was accounted to him as righteousness. Others suggest that people before Christ were saved if they had faith in the coming of the Messiah.

But this doctrine focuses on those three days Jesus spent in the tomb between his death on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. This doctrine says that during those three days Jesus descended into hell and preached to all of those who died before Christ. He preached to them the meaning of his crucifixion, and those who responded Christ took to heaven.

...It is included in the Apostles’ Creed which says, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of Heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, He suffered, died and was buried, descended into Hell, and on the third day rose again and ascended into Heaven.” In recent years the phrase “descended into Hell” has been changed to “descended to the dead". In our text, we find that Jesus is in the business of breaking up death and breaking up alienation and separation from God. Jesus invaded hell to preach the gospel there. My conviction is that we have this life to decide for Christ or not. I believe when we die, our decision is made and our eternal destiny is set...that was a one and only occasion for the benefit of those who lived before Christ came. It doesn’t happen again.

I know this is a message of hope no matter what your definition of hell. If you view hell as a physical place, then this Scripture tells us that Christ disturbs that hell. God does not want anybody to go to there. The first verse of our passage today is the key verse. It says, “For Christ also suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous….”That tells us that Jesus provides the way of escape. He died for our sins so that we do not have to go to that hell.

If you view hell as separation from God, then our text says Christ is disturbing hell. Verse 18 ends with these words, “…that he might bring you to God.” Jesus has declared war on separation from God. He is the bridge that brings us to God. We can walk the bridge of Christ who is the mediator to bring us to God. This obscure doctrine tells us that there is no limit to which Jesus will not go to reach us. If, at least once, he went all the way to the place of the dead to draw people to him, then there is certainly no place that we can go where he will not find us. There is no guilt that we can experience, no hopeless place where we find ourselves that is beyond the love, the care and the calling of God.'

I agree with @CremeEggsForBreakfast that the point you 'become a Christian' is hard to pin down. This is definitely true in my case because I grew up with it. I can't say it was at the baptism (full emersion) because I'd had strong faith long before that time. I see it as a constantly evolving relationship with Jesus. My experience as a young child was the first time I'd felt the power of the Holy Spirit, which you could say was a turning point.

• That should say immersion! 😆There were no boilers involved.

Appreciate your perspective from the “other side” So sorry about how your relationships turned out.

Did they ever explain what happened, why they became Christian etc?

While I understand your points that it is hard to pinpoint when a person becomes Christian, what do you say to someone who tells you right now, I want to become a Christian, what do I do?
@Vincitveritas @Namenic @CremeEggsForBreakfast

Besides I think the Bible as others have quoted states some very specific things on what makes a Christian vs not Christian e.g following Christ, doing what he says. So are people holding to the Bible or Church traditions
Also I think somewhere in the Bible it says people can have confidence now that they are Gods children rather than waiting today of Judgement to find out.

Thanks a whole bunch, I’ve never heard such explanation, but it’s interesting to contemplate. It makes me think hmm Jesus will reach people where they are and reward/judge accordingly.

It can be deep, I need to spend time with your post, deserves rereading, thank you.