Explore the ABCDs
A: Admit and Repent
Acknowledge that you have sinned and turn to God in repentance, seeking His forgiveness.
Admit Your Need
The Bible tells us:
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, ESV)
Sin is more than the wrong things we do. It includes the attitudes, desires, and choices that separate us from God. None of us has lived a perfect life, and none of us can earn God's forgiveness by trying to be good enough.
The first step toward a relationship with God is recognizing our need for His forgiveness.
Repent and Turn to God
The apostle Peter declared:
“Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out.” (Acts 3:19, ESV)
Repentance means more than feeling sorry for our sins. It means changing our minds about sin and turning toward God. We acknowledge that we've been going our own way and choose to follow His way instead.
God doesn't ask us to clean up our lives before coming to Him. He invites us to come as we are, confess our sins, and allow Him to begin changing us.
God's Promise of Forgiveness
The Bible gives us this wonderful assurance:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, ESV)
God's forgiveness isn't something we can earn. It is a gift of His grace, made possible through Jesus Christ.
Are you willing to acknowledge your need for God's forgiveness and turn toward Him?
B: Believe and Receive
Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again. Receive Him as your Savior and become a child of God.
Believe in God's Love
Jesus said:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)
God loves you! He demonstrated that love by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to make salvation possible.
The Bible tells us that Jesus died for our sins and rose again on the third day (1 Corinthians 15:3–4). His death and resurrection are the foundation of our salvation.
Believing in Jesus means more than accepting these events as historical facts. It means trusting Him personally as the Savior who gave His life for you.
Receive Christ Personally
The Bible promises:
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, ESV)
God's invitation is personal. Jesus Christ came to save the world, but each of us must respond to Him individually.
Receiving Christ means welcoming Him into your life, trusting Him as your Savior, and beginning a new relationship with God.
Become a Child of God
The Bible declares:
“For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” (Galatians 3:26, ESV)
When you receive Jesus Christ by faith, something wonderful happens: you become a child of God.
You are no longer simply someone who believes God exists. You belong to His family.
This new relationship isn't earned through good works or religious accomplishments. It is God's gift, received through faith in Jesus Christ.
Will you believe in Jesus Christ and receive Him as your Savior?
C: Confess Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord
Acknowledge your faith in Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord of your life.
Confess Your Faith in Christ
The Bible promises:
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, ESV)
Confessing Jesus Christ means openly acknowledging that you believe in Him and trust Him as your Savior.
It is more than repeating religious words. It is expressing the faith in your heart and personally acknowledging Jesus as the One who died and rose again to save you.
Confess Jesus as Your Lord
Jesus said:
“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 10:32, ESV)
Receiving Jesus Christ means welcoming Him not only as Savior but also as Lord.
To acknowledge Jesus as Lord is to recognize His rightful place in your life. You are choosing to follow Him, trust His guidance, and allow His teaching to shape the way you live.
You don't have to understand everything about following Jesus before beginning that relationship. As you grow in faith, you will learn what it means to live under His loving leadership.
Call Upon the Lord
The Bible gives us this wonderful promise:
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:13, ESV)
You can turn to Jesus Christ right now. You don't need special words or a particular place to approach Him.
Simply come to Him sincerely, acknowledging your need for His forgiveness, believing in His saving work, and confessing Him as your Savior and Lord.
Are you ready to call upon Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?
An Invitation to Receive Jesus Christ
Jesus said:
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20, ESV)
Jesus originally spoke these words to a church that needed to renew its relationship with Him. But His gracious invitation reaches beyond those who have wandered from Him to those who have never known Him.
Whether you need to return to Christ or come to Him for the first time, His invitation is open to you.
Jesus takes the initiative. He comes to us, offering forgiveness, fellowship, and new life. He does not force His way into our lives. He invites us to respond.
Are you ready to take that step of faith?
You can respond to God's invitation right now, wherever you are. You don't need special words or a particular place. What matters is that you come to Him sincerely, with a heart willing to trust and follow Jesus Christ.
If you are ready to receive Christ, you may express your faith through a simple prayer like this:
A Prayer of Faith
Heavenly Father,
I believe You love me and sent Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me. I admit that I have sinned, and I am sorry for the ways I have disobeyed You. I turn from my sins and ask for Your forgiveness.
I believe Jesus died for my sins and rose again. I receive Him as my Savior and confess Him as Lord of my life.
Thank You for forgiving me, making me Your child, and giving me new life in Christ. Help me to follow Jesus and grow in my relationship with You.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
What Happens Next?
If you have sincerely placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you can trust His promise:
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” (John 1:12, ESV)
Welcome to the family of God!
Receiving Christ is the beginning of a wonderful new relationship. Now you can begin learning what it means to walk with Him each day.
D: Dwell in Christ
Continue in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ.
Abide in Christ
Jesus said:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” (John 15:4, ESV)
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, you begin a wonderful new relationship with Him. But that relationship is not meant to be a single moment in your past. It is a new way of life.
Jesus used the illustration of a vine and its branches to describe our relationship with Him. Just as a branch draws its life from the vine, we depend upon Christ for our spiritual life and growth.
To abide in Christ means to remain in a close, continuing relationship with Him, trusting Him and depending upon His presence in our lives.
Walk with Christ
The apostle Paul wrote:
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith.” (Colossians 2:6–7, ESV)
Your relationship with Jesus Christ grows as you spend time with Him each day.
You can talk with Him through prayer, listen to Him through His Word, and learn to follow His teaching in your everyday decisions.
You will not understand everything immediately, and you will not always get everything right. But as you continue walking with Christ, you will discover His patience, forgiveness, and faithfulness.
Bear Fruit Through Christ
Jesus said:
“Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)
God wants your new relationship with Jesus Christ to transform your life.
As you continue to trust and obey Him, the Holy Spirit works within you, developing Christlike attitudes, desires, and actions.
Christian growth is not simply a matter of trying harder to become a better person. It is allowing Christ to work in you and through you.
Follow Christ in Full Surrender
Jesus said:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, ESV)
Following Jesus Christ involves more than believing in Him. It means surrendering our lives to His will.
Jesus told His disciples:
“Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22, ESV)
And the apostle Paul instructed believers:
“Be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:18, ESV)
When you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within you. But God also calls you to surrender yourself completely to Him, allowing the Holy Spirit to fill and govern every part of your life.
As you yield yourself fully to God, the Holy Spirit cleanses your heart, fills you with His love, and empowers you to follow Jesus in wholehearted obedience.
The Christian life is not simply about having Christ in your life. It is about allowing Christ to have all of you.
The Christian life begins by receiving Christ and continues by dwelling in Him.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.