Accepting Christ, Accepted by Christ

By Rod Anderson, CP Cartoonist Thursday, January 30, 2014

The idea of "accepting Christ" sounds mystical and mysterious to some people. What is this "born again" stuff all about anyway? What am I supposed to "feel" if it happens to me? And am I even someone God would consider to bless in this way?

Let's break it down. Let's get beyond the semantics and talk about what it actually means to "accept Christ" as your Savior.

To begin with, it is necessary to understand that Jesus Christ is fully God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. A person who accepts Jesus is accepting "Immanuel," which means "God with us." (Matthew 1:23) Jesus is the "Mighty God," (Isaiah 9:6) and "God over all, forever praised!" (Romans 9:5)

In addition to this basic understanding of God's nature, it is also necessary to repent of your sin if you are going to accept Christ. The word "repent" literally means "change of mind." So you change your mind about the direction you are going. Rather than continuing to chase after sin, you now want to follow Christ and His will for your life. That is repentance. And without it, a person is unable to accept Christ.