God has made the process to become His child very simple, because this invitation is for everyone – the young child as well as the adult.

 

Here are some Biblical references that explain this in more detail.

• We agree with God and acknowledge to Him that we are sinners. 

  • Romans 3:10 & 23 says: There is none righteous, not even one ....  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God

• We agree with God and acknowledge to Him that He is holy, that He hates sin, and that our sin separates us from God. 

  • Isaiah 59:1 & 2 says: Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.

  • Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• We agree with God and acknowledge to Him that He created a way for us sinners to be reconciled to Him, by sending Jesus to be our substitute and to take the penalty of our sin (death and separation from God the Father).

  • Matthew 27:46 says: About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

  • Romans 5:8 says: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

  • John 3:16 says: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

  • John 14:6 says: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:19a & 21 says:  God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, ... He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

• We agree with God and acknowledge to Him that when Jesus died on the cross and took the wrath of God for our sins, He was giving us a gift of salvation and reconciliation with God the Father; acknowledging that a gift is not something we earn; a gift is only something that we have to accept. 

  • Ephesians 2:8 & 9 says: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

  • Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

• We thank Jesus for taking God's punishment for our sins and accept His gift of salvation for ourselves. We make it personal by applying it individually to our lives. This is called "receiving Him" or being "born again".

  •  John 1:12 &13 says: But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

  • John 3:3, 6 & 7 says: Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ... That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

• When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, then God gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit to indwell us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is God's seal that we belong to Him and a pledge to us that we belong to Him and that we will one day live with Him in heaven.

  • 2 Corinthians 1:22 says: who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

  • Ephesians 1:13 & 14 says:  In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

• This is just the beginning of our relationship with God as our Heavenly Father. It is a new life that now needs to grow and develop.

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17 says:  Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

  • Galatians 5:22 &23 says: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

  • Galatians 2:20 says:  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

 

Spending time alone with God through reading the Bible and through prayer is how we nurture this relationship and enable it to grow and develop. Reading the Bible is how God speaks to us. Praying is how we speak to God.

 

Reading the Bible is how we learn God's thoughts, His ways, His character and nature. It is where we get His instructions and learn His promises to us. Praying is our communication back to Him. Prayer involves praising and exalting Him for who He is, thanking Him for all He has done for us, interceding for the needs of others and bringing our own needs and concerns to Him.

 

When we pray for our needs or the needs of others, we need to follow the example of our Lord Jesus, who prayed: Not my will but thine be done. (Matthew 26:39 & 42, Luke 22:42) In other words, we need to align our prayer requests with His heart, His mind, and His ways. One way to do this is to turn Bible verses into prayer requests.

 

I hope these few thoughts and Bible verses help you understand how one begins a relationship with God, and how to help the relationship grow and develop.​