A Personal Relationship With Jesus Christ
A personal relationship involves more than just a "casual" acquaintance. Think about your neighbors: how many of them are "casual" acquaintances? Do you just wave at them, say the occasional "Hi!", but if you were asked what their name is, you would be at a loss. Maybe you have the occasional curb side conversation, you know their name, you might know where they work, their children's names and a few other things, but don't feel any obligation to them other than to be friendly. Maybe you've had a meal with them, know a little more. Maybe you are like an old work mate of mine, whose favorite saying is, 'There are no strangers, only friends I have not met." But even then, it can be just a casual acquaintance, why, because we are not emotionally invested in their lives. Oh, we would grieve with them if something bad happened in their lives, rejoice for good, but only for a short while.
A "personal relationship" means being willing to be vulnerable with someone, to trust them with some of our deepest feelings, and being willing to sacrifice time, talents, and our lives for the relationship. So to have a personal relationship with Jesus means we are committed to trusting Jesus with our deepest feelings, our lives, being vulnerable to Him, and much more.
A personal relationship with Jesus is desirable, maybe even critical. Jesus said, "Don't fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul; rather, fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Matt 10:28 (HCSB) This verse makes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ critical, it is a must have. Why? Because He is the one who "is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Having a personal relationship with Jesus, means we are "in" with the one who controls where we spend eternity.
One of the most well known attributes of God is that He is LOVE. That is certainly true, yet, if He is God, then He is also much more than just love. He is also just, knows all things, is all powerful, He is perfect in everything He does, and the list goes on. Consider that God is perfectly just. That means, He sees to it that every wrong meets with its "just" deserts. If we do something wrong, there is a deserved consequence. Before we think about what the consequences our actions are, we have to be honest with ourselves. Honestly evaluate yourself; have you always done the right thing, not the right thing in your eyes, but the right thing in God's eyes?
If you are honest, the answer is "NO!"
Not doing the "right thing" in God's eyes is called by another of those words we do not like, the Bible calls it "sin". Simply put, sin is missing God's expectation of perfection. None of us meet that expectation. The Bible puts it this way, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)
"So I've sinned, so what? Everyone has!"
You are absolutely correct in saying that (with one exception, the Bible tells us Jesus never sinned, Hebrews 4:15). But just because so many folks are in the same boat, does not mean it is a good place to be. When the Titanic sank, every one that stayed on board was on the same boat, they all went into the water. The only ones that did not go into the water got into another boat. The consequence of staying on the Titanic was devastating, few survived. It did not matter that some had no choice about staying on board, they faced the same fate.
What is the consequence of sin? The Bible says the consequence is death, "For the wages of sin is death,..." (Romans 6:23)
"DEATH! Now you've depressed me!"
Yes, it is depressing, but there is hope. A very popular atrtibute of God is that He IS LOVE. He is, and He does love you, John 3:16 starts out with "For God loved the world..." He really does not want to send anyone to hell, but He is also perfectly just, there is a consequence and penalty for sin that must be met by His perfect justice. So what is God to do? Justice demands we die for our sins, but God does not want us to die (die is used in a spiritual sense here; spiritual death is eternal separation from God).
God has a plan to satisfy both His perfect JUSTICE and His perfect LOVE. That plan was fulfilled in His Son, Jesus. Because Jesus is God and He lived a perfect life, when He died on the cross, He took on Himself all the sin (and it's consequence) of all who accept the salvation He offers. Yes, the Bible calls it salvation. Salvation from the penalty of sin. The proof that Jesus paid our sin penalty is in the fact that He rose from the dead. He did not stay under the penalty.
John 3:16 says, "For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life." (HCSB) Jesus' life, death and resurrection are God's solution for the dilemma.
Remember the depressing verse – Romans 6:23? When we read the entire verse there is hope. Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus."
God has a gift for you, eternal life through Jesus. What are you going to do with it?
There are 3 options:
- Tell God you do not want His gift (oddly enough most people take this option).
- Decide you don't have time for the gift right now, kind of like putting it on the shelf to open it later (unfortunately most who do this forget the gift is available).
- Say "YES, I want a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Take the gift.
If you choose option 3, here is the next step:
Romans 10:9-10 says, "If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation." (HCSB)
This confession is done through prayer. If you are nervous about praying, just pray this simple prayer; "Jesus, I realize that I have sinned, thank you for taking the penalty for my sin, please forgive me of those sins. I now ask you to be Lord of my life; I want a personal relationship with you. I believe you were raised from the dead and ask you to save me now. Amen."
OK, catch your breath.
Ready?
Did you mean that prayer from your inner most being? If yes, the Bible says that you are now a new creature, your sins are forgiven, you have a personal relationship with Jesus. Being new, you really need someone to come along side and help you grow in your relationship with Jesus.
We can help you, but only if you allow us to. If you live in the Jacksonville, Florida area, we can do that in person. If you live outside our area, we will help you find someone in your area.
Please complete the form in the panel on the right or e-mail us at info@wearefaithbridge.com.
You have an exciting life ahead, welcome to the family.