How does one come to faith?

How does one come to faith? I wondered the same thing—for many years! It may well be one of the enemy’s most carefully guarded secrets, because when it comes to practical matters, few things in this world are as accessible to us as coming to faith.

Below is a link to a video I made for the Mikkeli Evangelical Free Church social media series titled “How Did I Come to Faith?”. In the series, 19 people share their own journey to Jesus. (Yes, He is the key figure.) Unfortunately, the video does not have translated subtitles, but I could provide this passage from the Bible as background:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

This, then, is the basic starting point. Believe it or not, the Bible’s instructions are actually very simple and straightforward; we humans like to dress them up with all kinds of frills that end up covering the core issue itself. As Jesus says here, you really do not get into that famous “Heaven” just by having attended Easter and/or Christmas services for fifty years. After all, you do not become a hamburger either, even if you go to McDonald’s every single day.

So what does what I have just described mean in practice? How does one “give one’s life to Jesus,” or “receive Jesus,” or whatever phrase you may have heard used? Easy as your ABC!

• A) Tell Jesus (you really can speak to Him in the same way you would speak to me or to any friend) that you understand you are a sinner, just like everyone else. (There is nothing dramatic or lofty about that—it is simply the truth.) Ask Him to forgive your sins, and ask Jesus to cleanse you from all sin.
  

• B) Tell Him that you believe that Jesus truly lives and is real. Tell Him that you want Him to come and “dwell” in your heart, that you want to experience the peace He Himself promised to everyone who believes in Him.
  

• C) Tell someone that you have decided to begin following Jesus as your Lord—in other words, you have decided to change sides! This strengthens your own decision and also makes it clear to the opposing camp that this truly is the case. Go to a Christian church (for example, an Evangelical Free Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Pentecostal church, Salvation Army, or Baptist church) so that you can immediately begin to grow in your life of faith.

  
  

So there you have the most important points. After your decision, going to church and being in fellowship with other believers is very important, because no one grows alone.

And one more thing: how do you know for sure that you have, so to speak, “come to faith,” been “born again,” and received the Holy Spirit into your innermost being? With one hundred percent certainty, you will feel in your heart a wonderfully deep peace—something you have never recognized or experienced before! ❤️