Becoming a Christian

You may have realized while your life may be OK, something is just not right. You may have tried many ways to fix it, but nothing seems to work for very long. Perhaps others have suggested ways to help. But they just don't - at least for very long. How about a new plan -Have you tried to listen to what God has to say to you?

Do you believe in God?

There are many who seek proof that God exists. There are also many notions of of God. You can see more about our notion of God here. We do not debate that one's belief in God is a personal choice. We believe God creates each of us with the ability to choose. Ironically, that means we can choose to believe in Him. It also means our choices have consequences.

Do you believe in life after death?

We believe each person is created by God. Our total being is the aggregation of both a physical and spiritual self.  The former is a part of the natural world while the latter exists from one's creation onward forever. We encourage you to think about your eternal existence.

If you were to die today, where would you spend eternity?

We believe that becoming a Christian starts with a personal relationship between you and God's son, Jesus Christ. No one else can make this choice for you. The salient question is, "Where or what is eternity?" We believe heaven and hell are real places. We believe heaven is the domain of God and his believers. Conversely, we believe hell is devoid of God's presence.

In your opinion, what does it take to get into heaven?

We believe once one passes from the natural realm, the spiritual self, the soul, continues to exist in the spiritual realm. We believe in the spiritual realm each of us is compelled to stand before a perfect God as He judges us according to His standard of perfection. The Bible tells us Jesus intercedes, or represents, us at our time of judgment - if we have placed our trust in Him as our personal Savior. Those for whom Jesus does not intercede must make their own case before God. But we are all sinners and fall short of God's perfect, uncompromising standard.

So, falling short of God's standard on our own,  we believe there is only one way to heaven, and it is through our personal acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Savior. We believe you can be the best person possible but still not good enough to get into Heaven on your own merits. Good works are admirable, but they alone simply aren't enough to meet God's standard.

Please carefully consider the following important points as you think about your own life.

1. God Loves YOU.

"For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16)

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

2. Everyone is a sinner.

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

"As it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one.' " (Romans 3:10)

3. God has a price for sin. But he has a remedy, too!

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

"Yet all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
(John 1:12)

4. There is only one way to God.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6)

So, how does one become a Christian. What is the cost?

The Bible tell us it is God's desire that ALL are are saved from an eternity absent from Him. God created people with free will to understand his offer. We can choose to accept or reject Him.

The really great thing about salvation is the price has already been paid by God's son, Jesus Christ. The price to you, me, and everyone is FREE. That's right! About two thousand years ago, Jesus paid the price for the sins of all people, those alive then, all of us today, and tomorrow. If you believe as we do, a Christian regrets or REPENTS past behavior. A Christian is a CHANGED person, sometimes called "born-again." A Christian is different. A Christian is a follower of Christ, and as Christians, we all desire to be more like Him.

In short, Christians believe in a God of second chances. Only He can turn around any life.

If you want to become a Christian, read on...

You can be saved right now - Right where you are!

Saved from what?

The Bible says that the payment for sin is death, or eternal separation from God - in a place called hell. Through His love for you and me, however, He provided a way to be saved from a certain separation from Him. Contrary to popular belief, we don't know much about hell. But knowing hell is beyond God's glory seems to indicate it will be very unpleasant. Forever.

The Good News is the price for an eternal existence with God has already been paid bu Jesus! All you need is a willing, submissive heart that is ready to change.

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

"For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Romans 10:13)

So what do I need to do?

This is the easiest part. If you can agree to the points made above, all you have to do is to earnestly pray to God and ask Him to save you from an eternal separation from Him. Here is a sample prayer for you:

Dear God,

As I come before you, I realize that I am a sinner. I realize that I cannot save myself from a certain death. I believe that your son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for me and was raised, victorious over death. Because of the sacrifice He made for me I now confess that He is my personal Saviour, and I now ask you to forgive me of my sins and willingly receive Jesus into my life.

In the name of Jesus Christ I pray,
Amen

That's all there is to it! As we have mentioned before, as a Christian, we believe that we are CHANGED people, doing our best to live our lives as Christ would. A popular saying recently was 'What Would Jesus Do?'  Without much of a frame of reference, the answer is harder for new Christians to understand. So we recommend that you find a local Christ-centered Church in your area and attend. Through your regular attendance and association with other Christians, you will begin to more fully understand the kind of person God expects us to be as His ambassador. There are different Christian denominations to reach various types of people. We want you to find the place that best suits you. Setting doctrinal differences aside, Christian denominations all agree that Christ is the head of the Church. If you are in the Oconee - Clarke county area of Georgia in the United States, we invite you to our services. Check out our service times here.

Also, read part of the Bible each day. Mars Hill has a downloadable schedule on our homepage to help you read the entire Bible in a year by committing a few minutes of time each day. If you don't have a Bible, get one today or check our links page to an online Bible. There are a number of translations, so pick one that seems to be most comfortable to you. We encourage you to try as many as you like. Try looking up some verses in different translations. We believe God provided the Bible to mankind as the means to understand His ideal of our relationship with Him and with each other. In our opinion there is no better way to understand your place in God's kingdom than by getting to know Him through His Word.

What's the rush? Can't I just take care of this anytime?

While it is true God welcomes ALL people of any age, race, or background into His body of Believers, one cannot know the future. This very moment may be your last chance to settle your relationship with God. In a very real sense, we are only a single heartbeat away from eternity - after which the decision is no longer our's. Mars Hill wants to make sure everyone has a chance to make a decision that determines whether they spend eternity in the presence of God, or forever separated from Him and His believers. Remember, forever is a long time...

Anything else?

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