I’ve talked about the fact that I am a Christian a lot here on the blog, but I haven’t talked about what it actually means, to someone who has never heard about following Jesus before.
Why do I need Jesus?
I need Jesus because contrary to popular belief, I am ABSOLUTELY NOT a good person. Don’t believe me? Check this out.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, -Romans 3:23
This includes me. I need to repent pretty much all the time.
14 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.[c] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature[d] a slave to the law of sin. -Romans 7:14-25
The same tension that the Apostle Paul wrote about to his friends in Rome is the same tension I deal with too. Another reason I need Jesus.
8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. -Romans 5:8
I wasn’t even born yet, but I would have still been a sinner then. Yet another reason I need Jesus.
It’s not about feeling good. It’s not about entertainment. It’s about what’s true.
Hope is not in me. I’m terrible. God is wonderful. Sin is a big deal. It cost God everything sending Jesus to die and be resurrected to conquer sin AND death.
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
God isn’t going to take all my troubles away like a magic genie. He will be with us through it. Being rich in God is not about money.
What does it mean for me?
“If you love me, keep my commands. -John 14:15
So what does that mean?
And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
-Exodus 20:1-17
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. -Deuteronomy 6:5
It’s not about performance, it’s about doing what God wants here on earth just like in Heaven.
No matter what others think.
- God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (The Trinity) are all equally God. They have different functions.
- All three were involved in Creation and were around before Creation.
- God speaks through scripture. I don’t hear voices.
- Jesus is fully God and while He was here He was fully Human AND fully God at the same time. I’m never going to understand that fully, but I get it enough.
- Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah. The only one who could save me from my sins.
- I’ll never have it together on my own. I need Him.
- Every word of the Bible is true. Whether I fully understand it or not.
- I can’t fully understand anything. I can understand enough though.
- Church is not about making me feel good. It’s not a social club.
- Church is all about Jesus, for the Glory of God.
- My opinions don’t matter like scripture does.
- Sin is a serious deal. It’s why Jesus had to die and be resurrected. He’s the only one who can forgive sin.
- Jesus took all sin on the cross past, present, and future. That doesn’t mean that I can sin as much as I want.
- The grace of Jesus is not something to be taken advantage of.
- Obeying God’s Word and the truth of it is more important than anything else.
- I can’t keep this to myself. Gotta tell people around me so they can have hope too.
- God’s version of prosperity is different than other things you hear these days.
- The Gospel is the center of everything. The power of God for saving faith for all who will believe. Me, and maybe you too.
- It’s not about having my best life now.
- It’s not about entertainment.
- God is changing me and it’ll take my whole life.
- I want to love Him more every day.
- Being a Chirstian unfortunately doesn’t mean that I magically stop sinning. Hopefully I sin less though.
- It’s not about a show.
- God is the one with the plan always, even if I don’t understand it. That’s what being Lord of my life is all about. It’s not about what I want. It’s about what he wants for me.
- The more I love Jesus, the more the world, and even other Christians, might hate me.
- It might be lonely at times, but God won’t leave me or forsake me.
- I absoulutely won’t get it right every single day. That’s why I need the Lord. It’s not something to be meh about. It’s a genuine need.
- I can always put my hope in Him.
- You can have the same hope I do too. No weird gimicks or anything like that.