JESUS
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is also God and shares the same qualities as God. (Read more about God here.) The Bible refers to Jesus with many names such as the Lamb of God, Christ, Lord, the Word, Son of Man, Alpha and Omega, the Good Shepherd, Immanuel, Messiah, Light of the World, Redeemer, Savior, and more.
​
The Background
When God made the universe, He made everything to be perfect. God made Adam, the first man, and his wife named Eve. He placed them in a garden within His perfect creation. He made all of the beautiful things in this world for them (and us) to enjoy. There was one tree in the garden that God told Adam and Eve not to eat from. Adam and Eve obeyed God until Satan came (as a serpent). Satan talked with Eve and changed her way of thinking. He made sin (or disobeying God) seem like a good idea. Adam and Eve broke the one rule God gave them and sin entered the world at that moment. God's perfect creation was no longer perfect. This is sometimes called "The Fall of Man". (Read more about this in Genesis 1, 2 and 3.)
​
Sin is the reason for evil, sickness, suffering, and every other bad thing in this world today. Sin separates us from God. It keeps us from having a relationship with Him and it keeps us from going to Heaven.
​
The Plan
God knew this would happen, and He already had a plan to fix the problem that sin created. As soon as sin brought death into the world, God said He planned to send His only Son, Jesus Christ, to take away the sins of every person to ever live (John 3:16, 1 John 2:2, Genesis 3:14-15). With sin removed, each person can have the choice to enjoy a relationship with God and spend eternity with Him in Heaven.
Why Jesus?
God says the punishment for sin is death (or going to hell) (Romans 6:23). God is perfect and He is also fair. He could not ignore what Adam and Eve did. If He ignored their sin, He would also have to ignore the sins of all people in order to act fairly. Besides Jesus, all have sinned and, therefore, deserve to go to hell (Romans 3:23). God did not want this for anyone. This is why He gave His Son to die in your place. As the only person to never sin, Jesus was the perfect sacrifice.
​
Jesus' Death and Resurrection
About 4,000 years after Adam and Eve, Jesus was born of a virgin so sin would not be passed down to Him. He lived on earth as fully human and fully God. And after He was baptized, He was filled and led by the Holy Spirit. When the time was right, he was crucified (killed by being nailed to a cross). Many were jealous of Jesus and saw Him as their enemy. However, this was fulfilling God's plan from the beginning. Jesus died on the cross and took the sin and sickness away from all people to ever live past, present, and future. Three days later, God raised Him from the dead. Jesus stayed on earth for forty days. He then went to Heaven to prepare a place for each one who chooses to believe in Him. After He left, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell every believer. (Read more about the Holy Spirit.) Read about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
​
Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life
God says Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV). Those who choose to put their faith and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior become children of God. They receive the free gift of salvation from God. We do not go to Heaven by what we do, how we act, what we look like, or what family we are from. It is a free gift that we receive when we believe in Jesus. The Bible says, " If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9 NIV).
WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT HIMSELF
Many religions believe that Jesus existed on earth because of the amount of evidence. However, some believe that Jesus was just a prophet or teacher instead of the Son of God. Below are some things that Jesus said about Himself. If He said the following things, yet He is not the Son of God, how could anyone consider Him "a good teacher"?
Jesus said He is the only way to God.
"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me…” (John 14:6 NIV)
Jesus said He is the same as God.
"The Father and I are one." (John 10:30 NCV)
​
Jesus said that He is God.
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58 NIV) God referred to Himself as “I AM” when He spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
​
Jesus said that He and God are equal.
“that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” (John 5:23 NIV; also see 1 John 2:23)
​
Jesus said He is the Son of God.
“But what about you?” he [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah. You are the Son of the living God.”
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! No mere human showed this to you. My Father in heaven showed it to you. (Mat. 16:15-17 NIrV)
​
Jesus said to see Him is the same as seeing God.
“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9 NIV; also see John 12:45)
​
Jesus said He was with God in Heaven before the world was made.
“So now, Father, give glory to me in heaven where your throne is. Give me the glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5 NIrV)
​
Jesus said God sent Him into the world and He will return to God.
“I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." (John 16:28; see also John 8:42, John 13:3, John 16:5)
​
Jesus said He gives us eternal life.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish…” (John 10:27-28 NIV; see also John 6:40, John 6:47, John 11:25)
​
Jesus said He forgives sin.
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” (Luke 7:48 NIrV)
​
Jesus said He would die and come back to life.
“Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will come true. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will make fun of him. They will laugh at him and spit on him. They will whip him and kill him. On the third day, he will rise from the dead!” (Luke 18:31-33 NIrV)
​
​
It is true that Jesus was a Teacher (John 13:13), a Prophet (Deut. 18:18; Mark 6:4), and a good man (1 Peter 2:22). But He is also God and the Son of God. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to take away the sin of the world so that we may have eternal life.
RECEIVE JESUS AS YOUR SAVIOR
Choosing to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior is the most important decision you will ever make.
​
Sin entered the world after Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden. God is fair and perfect and could not ignore what they did. From that point, every person born is born with sin and is separated from God. The punishment for sin is death (Rom. 6:23). God did not want this for anyone. So He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment for us. Jesus came to earth as a human being and died on the cross, taking sin and sickness (that sin brought into the world) away from every person who would ever live. He died, took our punishment, and then God raised Him from the dead three days later. Jesus is now in Heaven preparing a place for all those who choose to believe in Him.
​
The Bible says, "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9 NIV). Salvation (or being rescued from sin) is a free gift from God. You can never be a good enough person to earn it (Ephesians 2:8). You simply make a choice to believe, trust, and rely on Jesus, making Him the Lord of your life. If you truly believe this in your heart, and then you speak it with your mouth (pray) you will be saved and become a child of God.
​
Pray out loud: Jesus, I declare that You are my Lord and Savior. I believe in my heart that God raised you from the dead. I ask You to forgive me for my sins, and by faith I receive my salvation now. Thank You for saving me.
​
The exact moment you make Jesus the Lord of your life, you are now born again and receive a perfect spirit. You are no longer separated from God and can enjoy a relationship with Him. You also get to spend eternity with Him in Heaven and are made a new creation!
If you have just prayed this prayer for the first time, please contact us and let us know! We would love to rejoice with you and answer any questions you may have.