What does it mean to "accept Christ"?
Christians talk a lot about “accepting Christ.” While this term doesn’t come from a specific passage in the Bible, it theologically sums up the concept of accepting a gift from God, which IS in repeated throughout the Scripture.
Using the phrase “accepting Christ” makes the gospel more accessible and easier to understand for people who aren’t super familiar with the Bible. Someone may not know what "salvation" is because they've never heard the term.
But they've likely accepted a gift from someone at some point in their lives, so this is a concept they can understand without any prior biblical knowledge.
What gifts are we accepting when we "accept Christ"?
The Holy Spirit is a Gift
The Bible talks about the Holy Spirit residing in us as a gift (John 14:26). Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10). He's using water as a metaphor commonly used in the Bible for the Holy Spirit.
Basically, He's telling her that if she knew that He (Jesus) was the long-awaited, prophesied Messiah and that He had the Holy Spirit to offer her, then she would have asked him for it.
Eternal Life & Salvation are Gifts
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” —Romans 3:23
God offers us the free gift of salvation. And like a physical present, this gift can be accepted or rejected. God will not force us to accept His gifts; we have free will to make that choice for ourselves (Revelation 3:20). This is what evangelists are referring to when they talk about "accepting Christ."
This phrase is based off the biblical idea that salvation is a gift that we are free to accept or refuse making Jesus our Lord and Savior. Paul talks about Christians having “received Christ” in his letter the Church, and the New Living Translation interprets this as having “accepted Christ” (Colossians 2:6).
How can I accept the gift of Christ?
Another way to think about “accepting Christ” is to think about someone standing at your front door, ringing your doorbell. Say you open the door and see what the person wants to give you, but you refuse to let them into your home to give it to you; that is rejecting the gift. Now, what if you open the door, see the person there, recognize them as someone who loves you, and so you invite them into your home; that is accepting Christ.
“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
You can ignore Jesus' knocking and trying to get your attention (thus rejecting the gift), or you can open the door to Him.
Opening the door to Him and hearing Jesus' message of love and redemption is acknowledging that Jesus is trying to get your attention. Inviting Him into your heart is accepting everything He offers and opening your life to beginning a relationship with Him.
ALSO SEE:
- What is salvation?
- Does the Bible say to ask Jesus into your heart?
- What does it mean to not be ashamed of the gospel?
- A Beginner's Guide to Sharing the Gospel
- How do I get my friend to accept Christ?
- How can evangelize my friends and family without scaring them away?
- Is sharing your faith worth it?
- Too Shy to Share the Gospel
- Why should I talk about my faith at school?
- Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior?
TL;DR
The term "accepting Christ," like many other terms we use in the church, is not found specifically in the Bible. But because it explains a theologically correct biblical concept, it is perfectly fine to use when you're sharing the gospel. Using the phrase “accepting Christ” helps make the gospel easier to understand for those unfamiliar with the Bible. The term "salvation" may be foreign to them, but they have likely received a gift at some point, so this is an easy concept to understand without prior biblical knowledge. If "accept Christ" still confuses the person or is too vague, then, by all means, take them to these passages in Scripture and explain clearly how we can accept or reject the free gift of salvation from the punishment of sin.
Writer: Kathryn Marshall
Kathryn lives with her husband in a small mountain town in New Mexico where she can often be found sipping Earl Grey tea and watching Dr. Who. She has a degree in English from Charleston Southern University and one day hopes to have a personal library in her home. Kathryn has been working in youth ministry since 2015, loves studying the Bible and talking about the Lord with other young women.
