Why do I need Jesus?
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Common Doubts & Misconceptions
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So many feel that they are as good as the next person, better in some cases, and believe God will honor that. If we are to live by the Truth, however, we must look at what the Bible says, rather than what seems right to us. Accordingly we discover that we need Jesus because no matter how good we are, we will always come up short.
When Adam disobeyed God he corrupted the seed of man, and through him spiritual death was passed on to all his descendants. Since Adam was the first and only created man, all mankind is descended from him, and therefore inherit his sin. In order for this trend to be broken, someone would have to be born apart from a man. For absolute purity, the mother must have never even had intercourse. This came about nearly 2000 years ago through a young lady by the name of Mary.
Jesus became the second Adam so that anyone who would accept His gift could be adopted into a new family lineage and be released from the sin heritage.
Scripture References: Romans 3:23; 1 Corinthans 15:22; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:27; 1
Corinthians 15:45; Romans 8:15 CONTENTS
I'm not sure what you may have heard, but for the moment forget it! This will simplify what God has to say about His gift to you. When Jesus was asked this question He gave a simple answer, "You must be born again". In that same spirit of simplicity I wish to present to you how to be saved.
Have you ever received a gift, say, for your birthday or Christmas? If so, someone presented you with a gift they had selected just for you. You were given the gift, opened it, and took it with you.
Salvation is a gift from God. To be saved you must accept the gift (the sacrifice of
Jesus for the elimination of your sins). First you must agree in your heart that God sent
His only born son to die for you. Then you must "open" it, or tell God that you
accept the gift. Then you must take it with you where ever you go.
Scripture References: John 3:3;
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Now that you have accepted the gift of salvation you are just beginning a new life. The Bible often compares that life to natural life, growing from infancy to adulthood. The thing to remember as you are getting started is that as an infant in Christ you have three main responsibilities.
First of all you must feed on the milk of the Word. Don't try to get into deep theological discussions. If some adolescent Christian tries to 'impress' you with how 'spiritual' they are, simply beg off saying "That sounds interesting, but I'm just trying to get a firm grasp on the basics right now." There is no shame in that, and in the long run you'll be stronger for it. Read your Bible, mainly John through Romans. Those three books should be your main diet for the first 6 months of your Christian life. Once you have digested most of the information in those letters pertaining to your new life, branch out to other New Testament books, saving Revelations for last. Exercise caution as you enter the Old Testament. Many new Christians make the mistake of jumping into the Old Testament (often with the ambition of reading the Bible from cover to cover) only to get trapped in a legalistic, condemning snare trying to digest the demands and curses of the Law. Remember, we are no longer under the Law but are under grace. There is nothing to condemn you now except Jesus, and He died to excuse your sins.
Next you must learn to walk. This is exercising your faith legs. Initially the Christian life is very new and exciting. As time progresses you will need to stand the trials and temptations of life as you begin to mature. Allow God to lead you to an area of your life that needs some correction. Don't try to move the whole mountain at one time! God will help you deal with areas of sin in your life as He see's fit. Learn to confess God's Word in challenging situations. As your faith is tested, it will grow stronger and stronger.
Finally it is every believer's duty to share what they have received with someone else. If you're a shy person, this will be an opportunity for you to begin eliminating that carnal attribute. Shyness is a form of fear, and we are not to walk in fear. Don't debate doctrine or character! Many unbelievers run from God's Truth with a smoke screen of doctrinal debate or criticism of Christians. Your response should always be, "I don't know about that, I just know that I was going to Hell, but Jesus saved me. How about you?" In childhood and adolescence you are not ready to debate the Word and should resist the temptation to do so.
Scripture References: Hebrews 5:13-14; Romans 6:14; Romans 8:1; John 3:17; Philippians
2:13; James 1:13; John 4:28-29; Acts 3:6; Hebrews 10:38-39; Revelation 21:8;
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As you grow you will learn more and more about what your salvation means to you. Religion tends to make salvation just a ticket to heaven, but it is so much more. In the original Greek language of the New Testament sozo was the word for salvation. It meant 'deliverance from all peril'. That's a pretty broad statement! Under the Old Covenant, God made provision for Israel to walk in health and prosperity (sometime read Deuteronomy 28) if they obeyed the terms of the Covenant. Our Covenant with God today is far better than the one Israel had with Him. You'll find that many people put more stock in their circumstances than in God's Word. Some believe that after Jesus' sacrifice we were left on our own with no further promise than to one day make it to heaven.
Jesus said He came to give us an abundant life. He provided for our spiritual, physical and mental healing. Financial prosperity is even a part of the covenant! We have a wonderful Covenant with God, but we must learn to grow into it. A covenant is a contract between two people stating the terms both sides must fulfill. We have a responsibility ourselves. It is best summed up in Matthew chapter 6: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Scripture References: Hebrews 8:6; John 10:10; 1 Peter 2:24; Matthew 8:17; John 14:27;
Deuteronomy 8:18; 3 John 1:2; Matthew 6:33
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Common Doubts & Misconceptions
I hear this often from backslidden and non-Christians both. My heart goes out to those who have been overcome by the religious snare that says once you become a Christian you must always and forever thereafter be perfect in all your ways. The Truth of God's Word doesn't change. There is none righteous, not one! While John holds the same wish as all of us that no one would sin, he realistically points out that if you do sin you have an advocate with God to provide forgiveness. Paul tells us to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Any time you renew anything it takes time. Paul goes further by saying that he presses toward the mark for the prize of the high calling. That's the mature Apostle Paul saying that. God knows you're not going to be perfect over night. If man could so readily perfect himself, there would have been no need for Jesus to die.
I agree with you. You can't walk the walk. No one can. That's why we have the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus.
Scripture References: 1 John 2:1; Romans 12:2; Philippians 3:14;
By hypocrite most mean that they preach one thing but practice another. First, let's look at the logic (or lack of logic) in this reasoning. Today there are more non-Christians than Christians in the world. As one who has made a study of human behavior, I have discovered that this type of hypocrisy exists among all people, saved or unsaved. What you are saying here is that you would rather go to hell with the hypocrites rather than go to heaven in spite of them. The logic escapes me.
Let's look at it in a more realistic light. Those who do not understand salvation will use this without realizing that this is the very reason why they should accept Christ's sacrifice for them. By the world's definition of hypocrisy, they are right. The church is full of hypocrites. The truth, however, is that a genuine believer never claims to be perfect, but rather knows all too well his imperfections. The true believer depends solely on the grace of God for the forgiveness of his wrongs. The faithful Christian aspires to be perfect. Is a person aspiring to be wealthy a hypocrite because he has none? Certainly not, but he will let you know of his goals and plans to get there! As a Christian we may not be perfect yet, but we do know that when Christ appears, we'll be like Him. Until then we must press toward the mark, judging no one.
Scripture References: 1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 4:5
Luke 17:1 "Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!"
I don't care if you are in the church or in the world. Sometime, somewhere you will be
hurt by someone. The fact is people are not perfect, not even in the church. The hard
truth, however, is not how other people behave, but how you react to their behavior. In
most cases an offender is not even aware they have caused an offense. They go on with
their lives as though nothing were wrong. You, however, nurture that offense into full
blown bitterness that affects the rest of your life, even into eternity. Paul
teaches that it is more important to guard your salvation. Bitterness can send you to hell
as well as effect those around you. We must pray for those who offend us and not allow the
temporary discomforts cheat us out of eternal glory. If anyone ever told you that the
Christian walk was a sissy walk, they were deceived. Don't you be deceived, and don't
forfeit your salvation because of another's immature, albeit inconsiderate, behavior.
Scripture References: Hebrews 12:15; Luke 6:28
About Bible Helps
Bible Helps programs are Windows compatible hypertext help files. The Bible Helps program titled "2BSaved" is available free of charge.
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The Church On The Net
P.O. Box 70115
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