But do you really know Jesus?

Maybe you have heard some of the Bible’s stories about Jesus — or watched a movie about Him.

Perhaps you even attend church regularly or pray to God.

But do you really know Jesus?

A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is possible because Jesus is not an ancient dead historical figure.  Jesus Christ did die but He also Resurrected, and today He exists as the Living Son of God. The Bible explains that Jesus desires to be intimately involved in the details of our lives. Jesus Himself said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any man hear My voice, and will open the door, I will come in to Him, and sup with Him, and He with Me.” (Revelation 3:20) The mental picture is that Jesus stands knocking on the door of our hearts and lives, wanting both friendship and influence in your life.

Exactly what kind of relationship can someone have with Jesus?

The Bible explains that Jesus has the ability to fulfill all of our deepest spiritual needs.  Jesus said, “Behold, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.”

Jesus wants to be our Savior from the Righteous Judgment of God.

The Bible makes it plain that we will never be accepted by God if we trust in our own merits and goodness.  Even the best and most accomplished humans are sinful people and every one of us has disobeyed some of God’s commands.  We’ve all done, said, and thought things that fall short of God’s standard of holiness as outlined in the Word of God. In Hebrews 9:27, the Bible tells us there is an appointed time when each person dies, and “after this the judgment” where a man or woman stands before God to be judged. You may be surprised to hear that God will not be weighing our good deeds versus our bad deeds. As a Perfect Judge, He must punish even for small sins.  Yes, even one sin would be enough to receive a “Guilty” verdict from God.  The Bible says, “…that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.”   Every person in the world has a guilty verdict waiting for them– and what follows a guilty verdict is an eternity of separation from God, in Hell (the Lake of Fire).

However, the Bible also describes Jesus Christ as the world’s only Hope & Savior, sent by a loving God who did not want the world of mankind to plunge themselves to destruction. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. Jesus was the only man to live His entire human life perfectly in obedience to God’s Law. In the time period He lived, Jesus was recognized and accepted by some, but rejected and ridiculed by many others. Ultimately Jesus was crucified. His death was no accident; God accepted His innocent Son’s death as a sacrifice and a substitute payment for the sins of mankind.

In the death of Jesus, God proves His justice — that all sin must be punished ; and in the death of Jesus God also proves His mercy — that He allowed a substitute (His Son) to be punished in our place.

Jesus also wants to be our Living Lord and and change our lives away from sin and towards righteousness.

Jesus Christ did not remain dead. He was buried in a sepulchre, but He rose from the grave on the first Easter Sunday morning and showed Himself alive to many witnesses.  He later ascended to Heaven. Now Jesus sits at the right hand of God the Father, and He works as an Advocate on our behalf.    There is a promise that He will return one day. It could be soon!

If we want to receive God’s offer of salvation, we must place our complete trust in Christ as both our Savior and our new Living Lord. We must repent from sin, which means we decide to turn away from sin and turn towards God.  Salvation is not intended to be a one-time prayer ritual; instead, salvation is a life-changing decision to follow Jesus. As a result of salvation, we will be different. Old habits and sins will begin dying away; everything in our lives will have new form and new meaning.

Jesus wants to lead us into a close relationship with Himself, with God the Father and with God the Holy Spirit.

John 1:12 says, “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name.”  When we accept Jesus as our personal Savior, we have the power to become the children of God. We can begin a new, life-long family relationship with Jesus, with God the Father, and with the Holy Spirit.

Christ desires for us to start communicating with Him every day in constant prayer, and to start seeking His guidance for our daily decisions.  We hear from Jesus, God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit through prayer, through meditation, and through Bible reading. We can enjoy a very fulfilling life journey as we follow Jesus here on earth, and look forward to an eternal life in a future home in Heaven.

Why not confess Jesus as your Personal Savior today?

This is certainly the most important relationship you can begin. There is no other Savior. Why not turn from your sins to trust in Jesus Christ, and ask God for His forgiveness and salvation?

The following “steps to salvation” are taken directly from the Word of God:

1. Admit your sin to God. “As it is written, there is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). “…For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
2. Acknowledge the punishment (an eternal Lake of Fire) waiting for you because of your sin. “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23a). “And death and hell were cast into the Lake of Fire…this is the second death.” (Rev. 20:14)
3. Believe that God will accept Jesus’ death and resurrection as payment to cover the penalty for your sin. “But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23b).
4. Ask God to forgive your sins. “If thou shalt confess…thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9, 10).
5. Submit to Jesus Christ being the Lord of your life. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

Perhaps you would like to pray the following simple prayer. You don’t need fancy words, just an honest and open heart. Pray something like this:

Dear God, I know I am a sinner and I will face Your Judgment for my sins.   I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and through faith in His death and resurrection I can be forgiven.  I confess my sins and I am turning away from them.  I ask You to save me and become my Savior and Lord from this day forward. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

If you are making this decision to follow Jesus, you should immediately get involved in a good, Bible-preaching church. This will help you grow as a Christian, by surrounding yourself with Christian friends, learning all you can about the Bible, and finding opportunities to serve God. If you’re in the Madison, Wisconsin area, we invite you to visit our church fellowship, meet the friendly people, and find encouragement from God’s Word. If you’re outside our area, still feel free to contact us for a church recommendation.