Why should I accept Jesus?
Bible Study Network

     Yes, accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior is absolutely essential to
obtaining eternal life in heaven.  But, let’s first talk about life here and
now.

The Abundant Life.

     Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may
have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10.)  Wow, what a great promise!

     We don’t need artificial stimulants or material possessions to try to
be happy—those things don’t work anyway.  Once a person turns his life
over Jesus and becomes filled with His Spirit, personal joy inevitably
results.  A sense of purpose in life follows right away.

     In Ephesians 5:18, the Bible tells us, “. . . And do not be drunk with
wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.”  Why?  
Because—no matter who or what we are—only when the empty place
inside us all is filled with God’s Spirit can we truly experience a sense of
completeness and well-being.  A state of being which only comes from a
personal relationship with our Creator.

     No amount of things, no amount of the “good life,” no amount of
anything this world offers can bring a person true joy.  Jesus said,
“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and
that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11.)  Further, no religion or other
“spiritual” pursuit will do the job, either.  Jesus tells us, “I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”
(John 14:6 NASB.)

The Answer to Life’s Difficulties.

     Jesus said “I am the bread of life.” (John 6:35.) We should go to
Jesus not because He provides answers to life’s problems, but because
He is the answer to life’s problems. Jesus said, “Come to Me, all you
who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke
upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is
light.” (Matthew 11:28-30.) Clearly, Jesus is not speaking of some
detached intellectual acknowledgment of who He is, but a real, personal
relationship with Him—a relationship that goes beyond the material
world and into an unseen realm.

     Jesus calls each of us out of this world and into the spiritual realm.
He calls us to a personal relationship with Him. The question becomes:
Will the cares of this world prevent us from seeking and obtaining this
relationship? What Jesus is telling us in the passage from Matthew
quoted above is that—if we turn to Him and turn our cares and concerns
over to Him—He will give us rest.

     Jesus challenges us to stop trying to conquer life’s difficulties on our
own and to turn things over to Him. In return, He will bear our griefs
and carry our sorrows.  He will give us rest. What a fantastic bargain . . .
if . . . we will only believe in Him and receive Him. (John 1:12-13.)
     
The Hope of Heaven.

     The statistics on death remain the same: 100% of us are going to die.
(Hebrews 9:27.) The question, however, becomes who will “perish” and
who will have eternal life? (John 3:16.) Who will suffer eternal
separation from God due to sin and who will have his or her sin removed
so that he or she may have eternal fellowship with God?

     “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23.)  
If you think that you are not a “sinner” and that you will somehow get a
“pass” from God, be careful.  You are staking your eternal destiny on an
assumption! (Read,
The Ten Commandments: How Do You Measure
Up?
)

     Surely, there is a Judgment Day waiting for each of us. (Revelation
20:15.)  Unless we are saved, each of us will stand before God to
account for all we have done wrong.

     While God is a god of love, He is also a god of judgment.  His
righteous judgment must be fulfilled and we must be judged for our sin.  
Fortunately, God Himself came here to take the punishment for the sins
of anyone who accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. (John, Chapter 3.)

     By God’s grace, Jesus took our punishment for us so that God’s
righteous judgment could be fulfilled.  “Christ has redeemed us from the
curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed
is everyone who hangs on a tree’).” (Galatians 3:13.) Jesus “who gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and
purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
(Titus 2:14.) “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians
5:21 NASB.)  

     Jesus’ substitutionary death provides eternal life to those who believe
and accept Him. This is a message of hope, but not a message which is
well received by the world. “The message of the cross is foolish to those
who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is
the very power of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:18 NLT.)

     The Bible tells us that those who are born again through a saving
relationship with Jesus have the hope of heaven: “All praise to God, the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have
been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now
we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an
inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond
the reach of change and decay.” (1 Peter 1:3-4 NLT.)

     God earnestly desires us to come into an eternal relationship with
Him.  “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11.)

      
How can I be saved?

Back to FAQs.          Back to top of page.