Who is Jesus?
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) It was a beautiful, perfect paradise. And then sin entered and put mankind on the pathway to destruction and death. Century after century passed and corruption and evil remained in the hearts of men. God gave his Ten Commandments to the people, but try as they might; they were unable to keep them. Because God is pure and holy he cannot accept sin. And because he is also a just God, wrongdoing has to be punished. Sadly, each and every one of us stands guilty of sin; therefore each of us deserves justice.
Who doesn’t love the wonderful story we hear every Christmas time? The great company of angels, praising God at the announcement of the baby Jesus, is awe-inspiring. “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)
Our hearts are filled with joy at the miraculous birth of God’s son. We decorate Christmas trees, buy gifts for our loved ones, and eat turkey and drink eggnog. Yet do we ever stop to dwell on that word Savior? What does it mean?
What Do I Need to Do to be Saved?
Because we are lost and helpless, God gave us his only son, to take on our sins and to die in our place. Can you grasp the magnitude of that gift? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)
Jesus was very much a man. He lived his life like everyone else did – yet he lived it without sin. When he began his ministry, he walked the dusty streets, teaching people the good news. He said he had come to “seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
What Do I need to do to go to Heaven After I die?
One day there will be a judgement when all mankind will enter eternity. There is nothing more important than knowing for sure that you will not be lost but will be entering heaven. So what must you do?
- Believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God. John 11:25-26, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
- Confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9-12, “That 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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”
- Be born again. John 3:3, “In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- Repent of your sins and be baptized. When the crowds realized that they had crucified Jesus, who was both Lord and Christ, they were deeply convicted and said, “What shall we do?” Acts 2:38-39, “Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
If you have never studied the Bible before, the four points above may give you more questions than answers. Following is a brief summary of these points.
Belief is just that; it’s knowing something to be true and believing it without reservations. We are called to believe that the birth of baby Jesus, born so long ago, was in fact something miraculous. You can read about it in Matthew 1:18-2:23. He came into this world as God’s only son and our Savior. Three days after he was killed, he rose again. It is because he conquered death and rose again to life, that those who believe in him will also live again.
How Can I Be Born Again?
We must not be closet believers, but make our belief known. When Jesus said we must be born again, it means in a spiritual sense – We start over, we are new inside, and we change direction. The apostle Paul explains it clearly in Galatians 2:20 – “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, (he means here that the old Paul, with his sinful ways is no more) but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body (here and now), I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Repentance simply means to change your mind, to turn around and walk the other way. You are sorry for your past deeds and won’t be living that way any more. If you question why you should also be baptized, Peter gives us the reason we want to do it. 1 Peter 3:21,
“And this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also – not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Throughout this website we have encouraged our readers to be with other people. We all need relationships to live full and satisfying lives. It is also true when it comes to your faith. It is important to have other believers to interact with, both for questions and support. We want to invite you to contact us through email with any thoughts or questions you may have. We know there is a lot to learn and we have just given you a taste of God’s word here. To continue your study, contact us at: info@joyofhope.org