How the Gospel Makes Christians

1 Thessalonians 1:1–10

Paul’s letter to the church in Thessalonica talks about what it means to become a Christian. It’s not just about saying the words, but experiencing a real change in your life because of the Holy Spirit and a strong belief. This change involves leaving behind things that aren’t important in order to serve the real and living God. It’s a message for both new Christians and those who have been believers for a while to really understand and trust in their faith. It also asks people who aren’t sure about Christianity to think again about what they believe.

1. Becoming a Christian means accepting the gospel

“Gospel” is a really important term. It’s a big message full of words, ideas, and statements we need to agree with. Becoming a Christian isn’t just about learning about love or right and wrong, it’s about understanding and accepting this gospel message. Figuring out if you’ve really become a Christian because of the gospel is a very important question to ask yourself.

2. You can tell you’re becoming a Christian when the gospel message starts to change your life

The gospel isn’t just a bunch of words, it’s a powerful force that can really change people. It makes you think about the deep questions of life that you might have been avoiding. Being a Christian isn’t just about agreeing with what the Bible says, but really feeling the power of the gospel and giving your whole self to Jesus. Real faith in Christianity comes with a sense of conviction and the feeling of God’s power, focusing on what Jesus wants for us rather than what we want for ourselves.

3. You can tell you’re becoming a Christian when you realize you’ve been looking for rescue in the wrong places

The gospel tells us about how Jesus came to save us from the bad things that are going to happen and changes how we think about what’s important in life. Everyone feels guilty sometimes and wants to be saved. Often, we try to save ourselves by doing good things or having good relationships. But the gospel tells us that we can only be saved by Jesus. Depending on anything else for salvation will only make us worried and scared. Only Jesus offers true love and rescue.