Becoming a follower of Jesus is referred to by many terms in the Bible.  This life-transformation is described in such dramatic terms as becoming a “new creation,” being “born again,” and being “saved.” 
For many this conversion happens rather instantaneously; a lot of people can describe the place and time where they experienced this radical change.  For others, it is more like a process—a conversion that is very real and life-changing, yet something that happens over time.

Whether an event or a process, the following are the things necessary to become a follower of Jesus.  You will want to explore this important decision more deeply, but here is a very abbreviated version of what goes into a real conversion to faith in Jesus:
 

• We must turn from those things in our lives that we know are harmful to ourselves and others and displeasing to God.  The Bible calls those things “sin,” and “sin” is anything that doesn’t live up to God’s ideals.  The Bible says that all of us have fallen short of God’s intentions for us and a relationship with God through Jesus usually begins with our bold and unequivocal acknowledgment that we are not who we ought and want to be spiritually.
• We must place our faith in Jesus, trusting our lives here and hereafter to Him and not to our own attempts at being good.  This faith involves believing that Jesus is Who He claims to be—God the Son who became human to demonstrate the love of God.  We must believe that His death somehow makes possible our forgiveness, and that His resurrection from the dead makes possible our abundant and eternal life. This belief cannot be merely an intellectual decision.  It must be a deep belief—belief so profound that we stake our lives, in this world and the next, on it. 
• We must accept God’s gift of forgiveness—His unconditional, undeserved, unlimited love.  A conversion experience depends upon our willingness to accept the new beginning that God offers us through Jesus.
• We must be willing to surrender our wills to the will of God.  That means a humble willingness to follow the promptings of God’s Spirit, as best we can understand them, in both big and small decisions.

Once you have made the decision to follow Jesus there are two important steps.  One is to become part of a Christian community, a church.  Churches aren’t perfect, but you will need the encouragement and enrichment that comes from being in relationship with others on the same spiritual journey.  The other step is to “go public” with your decision.  That certainly means sharing your decision with those close to you.  But it also means identifying with Jesus through baptism.  This is handled differently, depending on the church.  At Bon Air we have baptism services in our regular Sunday morning worship services and twice a  year we have a great baptism celebration at the Robious Landing on the James River.