Jesus Saves



Who is Jesus? Is God real? Is what we know about Him really true?  The questions we like to ask about God are endless. The Bible may not answer every question about God (and could even lead us to ask more), but one of the areas the Bible answers clearly is the question: Who is Jesus?  Peter, a disciple of Jesus, answered this exact question when posed by Jesus. He said Jesus is “the Messiah, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16).

C.S. Lewis, a well-known Christian author, wrote of Jesus,

“Either this man was, and is, the son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Jesus’ name is the name above all names, and His death-defeating, storm-calming, miracle-working power is second to none. Yet, He is also the human Jesus, the personal friend who knows what we are going through and cares about us. That’s why the Bible also calls Him “Immanuel”, God with us.  

Does Jesus care about YOU?  Yes, He does! How can I be sure? Often we disqualify ourselves from God’s love because of our history, our failures, and our shortcomings. Sin has separated us from God and we can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. So how can we accept what we have not earned? The Bible says that nothing in all of creation can separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And to accept God’s love is to trust His patient, forgiving, and gracious stance towards us. Only He has the power to free us from guilt, shame, and condemnation to give us a life of wholeness. All we have to do is turn to Him.

How can I be saved?  To be made whole (or to be saved) is to submit to God and His purpose for our lives. It is a changing of our mind, a turning from our old ways and a turning to Jesus, to ask Him for forgiveness from our sins and to give us new life in Him. Romans 10:9 says: “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Salvation is God’s free gift to us. It is an irrevocable acceptance into the family of God and it is an empowerment to live a life wholly and fully, with the purpose of reflecting God to the rest of His creation. If you are not sure whether you are right with God or you know in fact that you need Jesus in your life, you can choose to follow Him right now by praying a prayer of surrender to Jesus similar to this:

Dear Jesus, I’m praying this prayer because I know that I have sinned and lived life on my terms. I change my mind about how I want to live my life and how I have viewed you. I ask you to forgive me and I believe you will. I accept Your love and grace for me and ask that You would be my Lord. Help me believe in You and love You every day. Help me to make the changes that you want to make in me. And help me to show the world what You are like and how great Your love is. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Congratulations! Having a believing, surrendered heart to Jesus and speaking these words to Him is the beginning of the amazing journey of following Jesus. Please let us know if you’ve just made a commitment to Jesus and prayed this prayer by completing the short form below.