Becoming a Christian
Is there a prayer to become a Christian?
No set form of words makes someone a Christian. But you can tell God in a simple prayer that you are turning from your sin and trusting Jesus, and here is one you can use.
A prayer you can use
A prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you that you love me. I am sorry for the things I have done wrong and for living my life without you. Thank you for dying on the cross so that I could be forgiven, and for rising again to give me new life. Please forgive me. I turn away from my sin and put my trust in you. Come into my life by your Holy Spirit and help me to follow you from now on. Amen.
You can say it aloud or silently, wherever you are. You can also use your own words. God is listening to your heart and not marking your grammar.
What the prayer is saying
- Sorry: you admit that you have sinned and you turn away from it.
- Thank you: you believe that Jesus died for you and rose again.
- Please: you ask him to forgive you and to lead your life from now on.
What makes it real
The words have no power of their own. It is Jesus who saves, and the prayer is simply a way of coming to him. In one of his stories, Jesus described a man who prayed just seven words and went home right with God:
But the tax collector, standing far away, wouldn’t even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’
The promise attached to that kind of prayer is clear:
For, “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Is this prayer in the Bible?
You will not find this exact prayer in the Bible. It is often called “the sinner’s prayer”, and it is a modern summary of what the Bible says about responding to Jesus: turning from sin, believing in him and saying so.
If you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Do I need someone with me?
No. You can pray on your own, at any time. Many people do find it helpful to pray with a Christian friend or a church leader, and it is a very good idea to tell someone afterwards.
What if I’ve prayed it before?
Some people pray a prayer like this many times because they are not sure it “worked”. You don’t need to keep starting again. Jesus promised that he will never turn away anyone who comes to him. What matters now is to go on trusting him.
All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.
After you have prayed
Praying this prayer is a beginning. The next steps are to tell someone, start reading the Bible, find a church and ask about being baptised.