Know Jesus

Jesus did not describe Himself as simply a good teacher or another prophet.

He said:

“I am the bread of life.”— John 6:35

“I am the light of the world.”— John 8:12

“I am the good shepherd.”— John 10:11

“I am the resurrection and the life.”— John 11:25

Jesus made one of His clearest statements in John 14:6:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”— John 14:6

Jesus did not say He simply knew the way to God.

He said:

I am the way.

Jesus also said:

“Before Abraham was, I am.”— John 8:58

“I and the Father are one.”— John 10:30

Jesus claimed far more than simply being a good man with good teachings.

He claimed an identity that demands a response.

The men who walked with Jesus, heard Him teach, saw His works, witnessed His death, and proclaimed His resurrection were clear about who they believed He was.

Peter said:

“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”— Matthew 16:16

After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter proclaimed Him as both Lord and Christ.

John wrote:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”— John 1:1

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”— John 1:14

John later explained why he wrote his Gospel:

“These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.”— John 20:31

Paul proclaimed:

“Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, he was buried, he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.”— 1 Corinthians 15:3–4

Peter wrote that Jesus:

“bore our sins in his body on the tree.”— 1 Peter 2:24

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the promised Messiah, the risen Lord, and the Savior of sinners.

Romans gives us the problem plainly:

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”— Romans 3:23

All of us have sinned.

Not just some people.

Not just people we consider worse than ourselves.

All of us.

Sin is more than making mistakes. We have gone against God, chosen our own way, and fallen short of His holiness.

Romans tells us the consequence:

“For the wages of sin is death…”— Romans 6:23

That is a problem we cannot solve ourselves.

We cannot undo our guilt.

We cannot perform enough good deeds to erase our sin.

We cannot make ourselves righteous before a holy God.

We need God to save us.

Mercy

Mercy means God does not give us the judgment our sin deserves.

Peter wrote:

“According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope…”— 1 Peter 1:3

We have sinned.

We deserve judgment.

Yet God is merciful.

Mercy does not mean God ignores sin or pretends it does not matter.

The cross shows us exactly how seriously God takes sin.

But because of His mercy, God made a way for sinners to be forgiven.

Grace

Grace means God gives us what we could never earn.

Romans 6:23 continues:

“…but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Salvation is a gift.

It is not a paycheck.

It is not a reward for becoming religious enough.

It is not something God owes us.

Mercy means God does not give us the judgment we deserve.

Grace means God gives us salvation we could never earn.

Both are found in Jesus.

Jesus told us why He came.

“The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”— Luke 19:10

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”— Mark 10:45

Jesus came to save.

Romans 5:8 says:

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

He did not wait for us to become worthy.

He died for sinners.

Jesus was crucified, He died, He was buried, and He rose from the dead.

That is the heart of the gospel.

Jesus said:

“Repent and believe in the gospel.”— Mark 1:15

Romans says:

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”— Romans 10:9

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”— Romans 10:13

The response Scripture calls for is simple.

Repent

Turn from sin and turn toward God.

Repentance does not mean becoming perfect before coming to Jesus.

It means recognizing that your way is wrong and turning toward Him.

Believe

Believe that Jesus is who He says He is.

Believe that He died for your sins.

Believe that God raised Him from the dead.

Trust Him to save you.

Confess Jesus as Lord

Jesus is not simply someone you add to your life.

He is Lord.

To confess Jesus as Lord is to recognize who He is and surrender your life to Him.

Call on Him

You cannot save yourself.

Call on Jesus.

Depend on Him.

Trust Him.

Salvation is not complicated.

But following Jesus is not casual.

Jesus never hid that from people.

He said:

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”— Luke 9:23

In Luke 14, Jesus told those considering following Him to count the cost.

He used the example of someone planning to build a tower who first sits down and determines what it will cost.

Why?

Because following Jesus is more than adding Jesus to the life you already planned for yourself.

It is surrender.

Following Jesus may cost you habits you do not want to give up.

It may cost pride.

It may cost comfort.

It may affect relationships.

For believers throughout history and around the world, following Jesus has cost them their lives.

Jesus never hid that.

But counting the cost does not mean earning salvation.

You are not saved because you sacrifice enough.

Salvation remains a gift of God’s grace.

We follow Jesus because we believe He truly is who He says He is.

The Bible describes God’s saving work in several ways.

Three important words help us understand it:

Justification. Sanctification. Glorification.

Justification — God Saves Me

Romans 5:1 says:

“Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

When you trust Christ, God declares you righteous because of Jesus.

That does not mean you suddenly become perfect.

It means your standing before God has changed.

Your guilt has been dealt with through Christ.

Justification means we are saved from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification — God Changes Me

Salvation does not end the moment you believe.

God begins changing you.

Romans 12:2 says:

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

As you follow Jesus, you learn obedience.

You fight sin.

You repent when you fail.

You grow in love.

You begin to desire what God desires.

You become more like Christ.

This is not how you earn salvation.

It happens because you belong to the One who saved you.

Sanctification means God is freeing us from the power of sin in our daily lives.

Glorification — God Will Complete His Work

There is also a future part of salvation.

Romans 8 speaks about the redemption of our bodies and the future glory of those who belong to Christ.

One day God’s work will be complete.

No more death.

No more corruption.

No more struggle with sin.

Those who belong to Christ will be with Him.

Glorification means we will one day be completely free from the presence of sin.

So the picture is simple:

Justification — God saves me.

Sanctification — God changes me.

Glorification — God will complete His work in me.

You do not need to understand every part of the Bible before coming to Jesus.

You do not need to fix your life first.

You do not need to become worthy.

Believe Jesus is the Son of God…

Believe He died for your sins…

Believe He rose from the dead…

Call on Him.

Talk to God honestly.

The gospel begins with the truth that we have sinned against God and cannot save ourselves. But God, in His mercy, sent His Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus lived the righteous life we could not live. He died on the cross for our sins, bearing the judgment we deserved, and He rose from the dead. Salvation is by God’s grace—not something we earn, achieve, or deserve.

So what do you do?

Repent and believe.

Turn from your sin and turn to Jesus Christ. Trust in Him—not in your own goodness, not in a prayer you pray, but in Jesus, who died and rose again to save sinners.

You might pray:

God, I know that I have sinned against You, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son, that He died for my sins, and that He rose from the dead. I turn from my sin and place my trust in Him. Forgive me and save me by Your grace. Jesus, You are Lord. I belong to You, and I want to follow You.

Those exact words do not save you.

There is no magic prayer.

You are not saved because you said the right words and then went on living as though nothing had changed. A prayer is not a transaction with God, and repeating a prayer does not make someone a Christian.

Jesus saves.

Prayer is simply one way we speak honestly to God as we repent and believe. We call upon Him because we have come to trust in Christ.

Salvation is God’s gracious gift to sinners who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus Christ. You cannot save yourself. You do not need to clean yourself up first. Jesus Christ is the Savior.

Turn to Him.

Trust in Him.

Follow Him.

Jesus saves.

Start Knowing Him

If you have trusted Jesus, begin knowing the One you have chosen to follow.

Start with the Gospel of John.

Read slowly.

Ask:

• Who does Jesus say He is?
• What does Jesus say about God?
• What does Jesus say about me?
• What does He command His followers to do?

Then read Romans and begin learning what Christ has done for you and what it means to belong to Him.

Talk to God.

Read Scripture.

Find other believers who faithfully teach God’s Word.

Be baptized.

Learn to obey Jesus.

And follow Him.