I'm just going to quote from the Christian Forum's official thread on "How do I become a Christian" here, which states that becoming a child of God follows receiving Christ in faith:
"Salvation Is a Free Gift
- "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast." --Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV)
The word grace means "undeserved favor." It means God is offering you something you could never provide for yourself: forgiveness of sins and eternal life, God's gift to you is free. You do not have to work for a gift. All you have to do is joyfully receive it, Believe with all your heart that Jesus Christ died for you!
Christ Is at Your Heart's Door
- "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." --Revelation 3:20 (NIV)
Jesus Christ wants to have a personal relationship with you. Picture, if you will, Jesus Christ standing at the door of your heart (the door of your emotions, intellect and will). Invite Him in; He is waiting for you to receive Him into your heart and life.
You Must Receive Him
- "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." --John 1:12 (NIV)
When you receive Christ into your heart you become a child of God, and have the privilege of talking to Him in prayer at any time about anything. The Christian life is a personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. And best of all, it is a relationship that will last for all eternity.
Receiving Him Now
If you want to receive Jesus now, and accept His gift of salvation, it's a matter of believing in Jesus Christ, repenting of your sins, and turning the rest of your life over to Him. This is not a ritual based on specific words, but rather, a prayerful guideline for your sincere step of faith."
It's one thing to debate whether or not the heart needs regenerating or the eyes opened by special grace prior to being able to understand the gospel or receive it in faith, the theory that Jesus just gives some people faith, or other such theological questions.
It is quite another to claim our new birth in Christ by the Spirit that allows us to enter the kingdom of God precedes faith!