The Most Important Thing About Me
There are a lot of things I could tell you about myself, but the most important thing about me is this:
I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
When I say that, I mean more than going to church, trying to be a good person, growing up in a Christian home, or simply believing that God exists. My hope, forgiveness, salvation, and the way I want to live my life are all found in Jesus Christ.
We Were Created for God
The Bible begins with God. In Genesis 1, we see that He created us and gave us life. We were created to know Him, worship Him, and live for His glory.
But sin changed everything.
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Romans 3:23 (NLT)
Sin is more than the bad things we do. Sin is our rebellion against God. Instead of living under His authority, we choose to live life our own way.
But our sin also has consequences.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NLT)
You see, our biggest problem isn’t that we need to become more religious, disciplined, or moral. Our problem is sin, and we need someone to rescue us from it.
That’s Why Jesus Came
This is what makes the Gospel such good news for you and me.
God did for us what we could never do for ourselves.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world and lived the sinless life we could never live. He willingly went to the cross and took the punishment our sin deserved. Three days later, He rose from the grave.
“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” Romans 5:8 (NLT)
Jesus didn’t come simply to make bad people better.
He came to save sinners.
On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, and through His resurrection He defeated sin and death.
That’s the Gospel.
Salvation Is a Gift
Here’s what we have to understand:
we cannot earn salvation.
Being a good person won’t save us. Going to church won’t save us. Giving money, getting baptized, serving others, or trying harder won’t save us.
Salvation is a gift of God’s grace.
“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”
Ephesians 2:8 (NLT)
We don’t clean ourselves up so God will accept us. We come to Christ because we can’t save ourselves.
Repent and Believe
So how should we respond?
Jesus said:
“The Kingdom of God is near! Repent of your sins and believe the Good News!” Mark 1:15 (NLT)
Repentance is more than simply feeling sorry for our sin. It means turning from our sin and turning to Christ.
Believing is more than simply believing the facts about Jesus. It means trusting in who He is and what He has done for our salvation.
Paul writes:
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 (NLT)
You don’t need perfect words. You don’t need to understand everything about Christianity before coming to Christ.
You simply need Jesus.
You need to turn from your sin, believe the Gospel, and place your trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.
Following Jesus
Becoming a Christian isn’t the finish line. It’s the beginning of a new life. Jesus begins changing us from the inside out.
Following Christ means learning to know Him through His Word and becoming part of His church. It means learning to obey Him, fighting sin, loving others, and becoming more like Jesus.
We won’t do any of this perfectly, but our lives should begin to look different because the same grace that saves us also changes us.
What About You?
Maybe you have been around Christianity your entire life, or maybe you’ve barely opened a Bible and aren’t even sure what you believe.
Either way, there is one question I want you to think about:
What are you trusting in to make you right with God?
If you’re trusting in your goodness, church attendance, baptism, family, accomplishments, or anything else you’ve done, none of those things can make you right with God.
The Bible points us to Jesus, and only Jesus.
“For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved.’“ Romans 10:13 (NLT)
If you’re ready to trust Christ, or you simply have questions about what any of this means, I’d love to talk with you. Reach out and let me know. I would love to answer your questions, encourage you, and help you take your next step in following Jesus.
Keep Running,
Dan
