There seem to be many ways to get to God. When you look at the many religions that exist today, it is no wonder that people have missed the mark. The focus should not be on having a relationship with God, since depending on who you listen to, there are several ways to do it. Instead, we must listen to our hearts that yearn to know God better. The key to finding God is knowing where to look for Him.
It all starts with the recognition that none of us is righteous (Romans 3:10). The standard for having a relationship with God is dealing with the only thing that separates us from Him: sin. IF we didn’t have a sin problem, there would be no problem with our relationship. But since there is a sin problem, how do we recognize our own sin and find a way to avoid it before God?
We have all sinned and failed to meet its requirements (Romans 3:23). There is no person who can say “I sin less than you, therefore I am fairer than you” as if justice were graded on a curve like a test in school. No, their standard is 100% holiness, without exception. It only takes one sin to miss heaven. A little lie, a wrong thought, a wrong word. If we do not have a perfect and sinless life, then we cannot enter the most holy place, the presence of God.
What happens to those of us who are subject to sin: death. Because the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life (Romans 6:23). To be absent from the Lord is spiritual death. No person can be caught up in his own sin and yet hope to win an audience with God. It’s not possible. So when we die in our own sins, we have chosen to live an eternity away from God.
Although there are many religions in the world, only one has an answer to deal with our sins. We can never live holy enough or do enough righteous acts to cancel the sin that is in our hearts. The way to redemption is by accepting the offer of Jesus Christ. He became sin for us who knew no sin, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in him (II Corinthians 5:21).
So what does it take to become a Christian? Accept that you are a sinner, believe that God gave us Jesus to take away our sin, and confess that Jesus is the new Lord of your life. If we believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead and confess that he is Lord with our mouth, we can be saved (Romans 10: 9-10).
Salvation is a free gift for us, but it was not possible to make it free. God gave his son, Jesus gave his life, and the Holy Spirit gives us hope that we can live in heaven with God if we accept him today.