It’s tough to say how far back our memories go. I have some memories that are very vivid to me, and I know that I was no more than a toddler, but the pictures in my brain are clear as day, even 47 years later.

One such memory for me was when I was about 4 years old. That would have been 1981 if dates were the kind of thing that excites you. It was 1981 and I was 4 years old. I was in the car with my grandma, listening to worship music. I was always in church, but I remember distinctly on this day, even at 4 years old, feeling like I needed to know Jesus. I asked my grandma what to do, and she told me about believing and having faith. I was a curious young man with a stellar memory, so of course I asked what faith was. She explained it to me and then read to me Hebrews 11:1.

Sitting in the carport in the car with my grandma, I prayed to accept Jesus as my savior. Even at 4 years old, I knew what I was doing. The experience solidified my understanding of my need for a savior. I went inside with her, and I memorized Hebrews 11:1.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

At that moment, even as a kid, I knew that Jesus was my savior and I trusted in Him. I had a childlike faith that was strong enough to propel me into the arms of my savior. My transformation, however, was not complete at that moment, it continues to this day as I believe and trust Jesus anew every day, even as a 47-year-old man.

Becoming a Christian, or a Christ follower, is not merely adopting a new label for yourself; it’s a transformation. It is embracing that childlike faith in a way that causes you to see your need for a savior, and then live life in that new capacity.

There is only one step to becoming a Christian or follower of Jesus Christ, and that is recognizing your need, or acknowledgment of your natural, sinful state, and placing your belief in Jesus as your Savior.

Ephesians 2:8-9 beautifully sums it up this way, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works so that no one can boast.”

I love this scripture because it beautifully encapsulates the Christian experience. Having faith in an entity that you can’t touch, see, or feel with your natural eyes, and full reliance on a Grace, from this same God, understanding there is never anything you can do to earn it.

There is only one step to becoming a Christian or follower of Jesus Christ, and that is recognizing your need, or acknowledgment of your natural, sinful state, and placing your belief in Jesus as your Savior.

WHO IS JESUS

Well, the truth is, our part is very simple, but can often be the hardest part. It involves the admission and confession of sin. Mark 1:15 tells us that “the Kingdom of heaven is near, repent and believe the good news.” Like I said, simple, but not easy. Often, confessing and repenting, or turning away from our sin, is the hardest part of this process, because we have been so entrenched in our sin, for so long. The devil loves to remind us of our sins and keep us stuck and unwilling to confess and repent because we believe we aren’t worthy of God’s grace and forgiveness.

Regardless of what the devil might want you to believe, we have this promise from Romans chapter 8, which states, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So, that’s it, simple but not easy. We must first confess our sin and our need for a savior, and then we choose to believe the promise of God, that our worth is tied to His sacrifice and not ourselves or anything we can physically do. Repent and believe the good news!

I want to leave you with a quote by Brennan Manning, from a book called, The Ragamuffin Gospel, which I believe describes the simplicity of the salvation experience, as we throw ourselves into the loving arms of our creator and heavenly father.

“To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side, and the dark. In admitting my shadow side, I learn who I am and what God’s grace means. My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ, and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.”