It is sometimes hard to say, "I am a Christian." However, to do so is liberating. There comes a point in everybody's faith journey when what may have happened secretly in their heart must be declared openly. In fact, telling somebody that we now believe is an essential part of becoming a Christian. Jesus also warns,
Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 10:32-33)
- "JESUS IS LORD"
Choose to worship Him as God and follow Him as your Lord.
Admit that you have sinned against Him. Ask Him to forgive you.
There is rich meaning in these three words. The word "Lord" is used all over the New Testament as a name for God. At the heart of Christianity lies the belief that Jesus is God, and following His triumphant resurrection, He is the ruler of the universe who will one day return to earth to reign as King.
The Christian God is three in one: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Apostle John begins his Gospel by saying that Jesus, who he calls, "The Word," is God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1).
Christians explain this by the concept of the Trinity: God has always existed as three persons, but one God, and we worship them all.
Perhaps one of the clearest demonstrations of their personhood was at Jesus' baptism, when they each had distinct roles. The Son was the one getting wet, the Father spoke from heaven, and the Spirit appeared in the form of a dove (Luke 3:21-22).
The Bible tells us that "God is love" by His very nature (1 John 4:16). This was true even when only the Trinity existed, and there was no one else to love.
God has eternally been a community of three people, and so we should never foolishly imagine that He was lonely before the universe was created.
From eternity past the members of the Trinity have loved and indwelt each other. Jesus said, "The Father is in me and I am in the Father" (John 10:38).
There are several illustrations commonly used to describe God. While these are all helpful to some extent, they all have weaknesses which help us realize what God is not like.
The Trinity is often compared to water, which can exist in three forms: liquid, steam, and ice. However, God is not sometimes the Father, sometimes the Son, and sometimes the Holy Spirit. He is all three all at once. Another illustration that is used is a man who may be simultaneously a husband, a father, and a son. However, the man is only one person, who functions in different ways. In contrast, God comprises three persons, rather than three manifestations of the same person.
Ultimately, God is incomparable and all we can finally do is worship Him. The three persons of the Trinity are distinct from each other, yet together they make up one God.
This truth has been expressed for centuries in a diagram we include on this page. This is a profound mystery. Yet it is a simple truth.
Calling Jesus "Lord" also declares that He is in charge of you and that you will live for Him. Many today do not want to surrender the control of their lives to anyone, let alone to Jesus.
The Bible is clear: you cannot be a Christian and carry on living for yourself. If Jesus is your Lord, you must obey Him and give Him your total allegiance.
How you choose to respond to Jesus is the most important decision you will ever make. Some say, "He was a great teacher, the best the world has ever seen." Even secular historians recognize that Jesus was the most influential man in all of history.
Others go further saying, "He was a great prophet." But Jesus claimed to be God, accepted worship, and proclaimed that He would rise from the dead.
Good teachers don't claim they are the only way to God; instead, they point to their teachings. What He said was either true, or else He was foolish, or a liar. Jesus, it is often said, was either bad, mad, or God.
If you are not yet a Christian, recognizing Jesus as God and choosing to worship and follow Him as your Lord is the crucial turning point.
Declaring Jesus to be your Lord and meaning it requires the help of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). It is crucial that you admit to Jesus that you have sinned, and ask Him to forgive you, and help you to follow Him from now on.
Tell Jesus about your life: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Recognize that you have lived your way with no reference to Him. Specifically list and repent of all your sins. Thank Him for promising to forgive you, even for the sins you have forgotten to confess. Invite Jesus into your life. Ask Him to take full control, not coming as a friend but as your master. Surrender all authority to Him.
- "BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD."
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