The Bible says that all people are sinners, and sin separates people from God. One cannot become a Christian without agreeing with God that he is a sinner – Romans 3:10, 23; 5:12.

Any sins of any kind, even little unimportant ones, separate us from God. The Bible says that those sins cannot be ignored, and the penalty for those sins is death – Romans 6:23.

Certainly, society is benefited from good works. Unfortunately, trying to do good things for others and earn favor with God does not impress God and cause Him to overlook man’s sins. Life is not about trying to do more good things than bad things. The Bible very clearly says that we do not become a Christian by our works – Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5. This defies the teachings of almost all religions, but it is what God tells us in the Bible.

To be honest, God wants people to feel hopeless in their own righteousness because that is when people are ready to accept His grace. God graciously offers salvation through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ – Ephesians 2:8-9.

Christians use the terms “salvation” and “being saved” because becoming a Christian saves a person from God’s judgment for sin. The Bible says that after a person dies, he stands before God and faces judgment – Hebrews 10:27. A person’s spirit lives on after his body dies, and that spirit will either go to heaven or hell. God takes Christians to be with Him in heaven, but those who reject God’s salvation face eternal judgment and separation from God in hell – Revelation 20:15.

God does not want people to face His judgment because He loves all people. In His great wisdom, He provided a very simple way for anybody to avoid judgment. Some people have called avoiding judgment, “God’s Simple Plan of Salvation.” God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross in place of humans – Galatians 1:3-4. In doing this, He became the substitute so that people do not have to die for their own sins. All anyone must do is accept Jesus as their personal Savior, and he will be granted eternal life.

There are several steps that a person must agree with to enjoy salvation that leads to eternal life in Heaven: Step 1 – One must realize that he is a sinner and deserves God’s punishment. This was already covered in question 1. Step 2 – One must realize that God loves him or her – John 3:16; Romans 5:8. That is why He provided this simple plan of salvation – to make it available to every person. God loves people more than people can love each other. Step 3 – One must realize that Jesus went to the cross to pay for the sins of man. He died on the cross so that people don’t have to pay for their own sins. However, Jesus did not stay dead. After three days, Jesus rose from the dead and went back to Heaven to be with God. To become a Christian, a person has to believe in his heart that Jesus died for him – Romans 10:9-10. Step 4 – One must receive by faith the free gift of eternal life offered by Jesus through His grace. When a person accepts Jesus as his Savior, he is saved and becomes a Christian – John 3:16; Ephesians 2:8-9. Step 5 – Anyone who accepts the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior will enjoy eternal life – Romans 10:9-10, 13; John 1:12. Simply take a few moments to verbalize these thoughts to God in prayer and ask Jesus to save you.

The Bible has many examples in the New Testament of people accepting Jesus as their Savior. A rather interesting example can be found in Acts 16:16-34 of a Roman jailor who accepted Christ because of the witness of Paul and Silas in jail.

Most people find that they have a different attitude toward life, and many are overcome with joy and happiness. Those initial feelings may fade some over time, but the truths of salvation remain unchanged. A person is saved by grace through faith.

Begin attending a church that teaches these truths. Other Christians can be very helpful in answering questions, and weekly Bible instruction is very helpful in promoting spiritual growth. Start reading the Bible on a daily basis. Some good places to start reading are the following: I John, John, and Romans. However, any Bible reading will benefit every new Christian.

If a person’s faith is genuine, he or she will begin to change in their behavior and lifestyle. The Bible tells us that we become a new person, and we should offer our lives to the Lord in service to Him – Romans 12:1-2; II Corinthians 5:17.