How does a person become a Christian?

Recently, I was required to give a brief answer to the following prompt (given in the context of teaching at a Christian school):

If you were asked by a student to explain how to become a Christian, how would you respond?

Below is my response:

I would respond that a person becomes a Christian when he or she turns away from sin and self and trusts in the living Lord Jesus, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead so that those who believe in Him will be counted as sinless before God.

Normally, a person will only turn away from sin and self after he or she has come to understand that he or she is a sinner before God, so I would most likely ask the student to explain “sin,” and then I would ask the student to consider a few of the Ten Commandments (as a summary of God’s moral law) to demonstrate how we are all sinners. Then I would urge the student to call out to the Lord Jesus Christ for mercy, forgiveness, and life.

I would also strongly encourage the student to talk over these matters with his or her parents, and I would contact the parents myself to let them know of the conversation.