How To Be Saved

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What Does It Mean To Believe?

Short Answer Version

“Believe” is the action word for “faith”. In the original New Testament language, the word for “believe” was the verb form of the noun for “faith”. You “believe” simply by putting faith into action.

What is faith, and how do we put it into action? Faith is, by definition, a hopeful acknowledgement that something is true without anyone proving it to our satisfaction first. When we hope for something with conviction and have an assurance that our unseen hope will be realized, that is faith.

Faith in something untrue will not make it true. But faith in something true, that you are not able to prove, can result in the needed experience of its certainty.

Long Answer Version

To use faith in asking Jesus to be our Savior, is to believe with saving faith. The same is true when we believe that Jesus died for our sins and will come into our lives to have relationship with us.

It is a one-time decision. We don’t have to exercise saving faith over and over to get to Heaven. However, during our whole lives we can believe as a result of our decision. In fact, faith perpetuates more faith. Faith is something everybody knows how to do. For example, if you sit in a chair, you are having faith that it will hold you up. We all use faith many times a day, often without noticeably thinking about it. When we become saved, faith is something that gets stronger the more we exercise it. We learn gradually how best to apply it in an effective way, and we develop it like a skill. We would be wise to remember, the power initiated by our faith is the power of Almighty God, not that of ourselves.

Faith takes risk. But life is full of risks. For example, if we waited for proof before following our dreams or aspirations, we would never take any risks at all, and none of us would be a success at anything. Take the risk of believing in Jesus and you will be saved even though you had to risk that it was true.

Believing in Jesus is a risk worth taking. Choose the kind of risk that initiates your salvation rather than prevents it. It takes risk to reject Jesus too. That is not a risk worth taking.

As much as people try, they cannot change Jesus by making up their own ideas of what He is or isn't. To be saved, we believe in the real risen Jesus and let Him be Himself.

Here is another way of looking at the meaning of “believe”. In today’s world, if you have a friend who is going for a job interview, you might encourage the person by saying “You’ll do great. I BELIEVE in you.” You do not mean “I believe you exist”. You are expressing a positive, considerate thought about who your friend is. That is also true about believing in Jesus.

By believing in Jesus, you are expressing your support personally to Him for who He truly is. Believing in Him is as easy as being a friend. In our culture we like the saying, “I love you just the way you are.” That phrase is a way of saying, “I believe in you.”

God loves us just the way we are, so why not decide to love Him just the way He is, by faith?

A believer is called a believer because they believe. Believing produces righteousness and peace in us. “By faith we have been made righteous. Therefore, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”. Believing is an ongoing practice of the believer. “The righteous shall live by faith”. We “walk by faith, not by sight.''

However, the element of faith being ongoing, is not what saves us. It comes as a result of being saved.” There are many other words or phrases that basically mean the same thing as believing in Jesus with saving faith, in a biblical sense.

For example, “receiving Jesus” means the same thing and depicts an openness of heart to let Him be in your life. It is a biblical phrase: "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

''Accepting Jesus'' is another term people use that is synonymous for believing in Jesus. Some people say, “Trust in Jesus for your salvation”. It all stands for the same thing. Receive Him, accept Him, trust Him for your salvation, believe in Him, it’s all good.

Can a person lose their faith? We sometimes see this phrase in movies, books, or TV when a person is very downhearted about a tragedy, presumably because they expected God to prevent the disaster.

In my opinion, a true believer will never lose their faith. They might get dragged through the meat grinder of life and lose their excitement about God for a while, but real faith is something that cannot be lost. It can only be ignored by a person based on a personal choice to do so.

When is faith in Jesus ''real faith''? God always knows real faith when He sees it. It becomes apparent to us when we mean our decision to believe for real, and open ourselves to a relationship with Him.

If you are ever so down that you want to ''lose your faith'', please remember that God has compassion on you. He will welcome you back and help you heal. Don't let pride or arrogance stop you from experiencing the blessings God still has for you. Your sense of faith can always be reclaimed.

I've been through many meat grinders in life, and my sense of having faith did dwindle at times, but it was never lost. I predict that yours will never be lost either. You can regain it by saying "I believe in You Jesus, as my Savior". Say it out loud, or quietly in your heart alone. Doing it with understanding helps strengthen you throughout your life in any circumstance. Saying it will prevent you from losing your sense of experiencing faith.

Believe. Exercise Faith. Rejoice in the Lord and His promises of abundant life. He has good plans for you, to bless you, as well as to give you a meaningful future and a bright hope.

The term ''Get Saved'' is a phrase that means a number of very positive things.

Long Answer Version

The promise of heaven is only one part of being saved. In some ways, we can start our experience of heaven here on earth, at least in part.

Getting saved also means being set free in this lifetime from many of the burdens that we humans experience. God can set us free from guilt, shame, loneliness, and hopelessness, to name just a few. He saves us from ourselves and many of the unwise choices we would make without Him. He saves us from behaviors that hurt us and that bring negativity into our lives.

Not only does Jesus save us FROM many unwanted circumstances, but He saves us TO a better life with Him in the picture during this lifetime.

If you choose to believe in Jesus as your Savior, you will experience many blessings afterward. Maybe not all at once, but just wait. You will see the more you get to know Jesus, new clarity will bloom. The Bible will make more sense to you. You will pray and see the results of answered prayer. You will notice a new spiritual side to yourself, that is honed in on Jesus and able to sense things about Him. These things are just the beginning. As time goes on, you'll find your life has more meaning and purpose.

Heaven is a kingdom. ''Kingdom'' means the rule and reign of a king.

When the king is good and loving to His people, the ''Kingdom'' results the wonderful experiences and benefits that the King brings upon those who live under His reign. Jesus is the highest King of all. He brings His kingdom to us here, on earth, in our lives and hearts when we are saved and afterward.

The apostle Peter stated something as one of the central reasons to believe in Jesus. He addressed the crowd after healing a lame man in Solomon's porch of the Temple. He proclaimed the message of the good news of Jesus. Shouting so the crowd could hear, he said, ''turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.''

Refreshing can also come when we serve others and God with an openness to His presence with us. These activities deepen my love and trust for Him. The more we deeply express our love to Jesus, our inner beings will follow suit. We will find ourselves loving Him more. The more we love Him, we will recognize the many blessings He puts into our lives.

Believers can be said said to have "tasted the heavenly gift, become partakers of the Holy Spirit, tasted the good word of God, and tasted the powers of the age to come''. These tastes and partakings might not come to us all the time, but even when they are infrequent, they are blessings nonetheless. They are too precious to dismiss.

I have found that refreshing and foretastes come more often and tangibly to my heart the more I spend time with God in prayer, praise, worship, and tasting "the good word of God".

Refreshing can also come when we serve others and God. These activities deepen our love and trust for Him. The more we deeply express our love to Jesus, our emotions will follow suit. We will find ourselves loving Him more. The more we love Him, we will recognize the many blessings He puts into our lives.

God has His ways and timing for each of us. He made us all to be different, and knows where, when, and how to work in us.

These things are just the beginning. As time goes on, you'll find your life has more meaning and purpose. The benefits and experiences I am describing can come either with, or without special feelings from God. If it seems you are not feeling anything blatantly spiritual yet, please keep in mind that faith is more important than feelings. He will customize your faith to your personal make-up, so you do not base the truth of your salvation primarily on feelings. He will be near to you no matter what you are going through.

You will feel His presence when, and to the extent, He wants you to. When you believe in Jesus as personal Savior, the truth of your salvation will always supercede your feelings. You receive salvation merely by deciding to welcome Jesus into your hearts. That is positive in every way. It is cause for rejoicing.

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Who is Jesus Christ?

Short Answer Version

Billions of people recognize that Jesus Christ has been the most influential human who has ever lived, fulfilling His hugely important mission on this planet.

Jesus came to earth, humbling Himself from His exalted position in heaven to be a human, relate with people, help them, teach them, motivate them, and save them by His sacrifice on the cross and resurrection.

He died in our place, and rose so we too can experience new-miracle-eternal life. He lives on and His importance has never dimished. Neither has His divinity.

Long Answer Version

Billions of people recognize that Jesus Christ has been the most influential human who has ever lived, fulfilling His hugely important mission on this planet.

He died in our place, and rose so we too can experience new-miracle-eternal life. He lives on and His importance has never dimished. Neither has His divinity.

He is completely deserving of all the glory, love, praise, worship, and friendship we can give Him. Of course you also know by now that He is the one we believe in if we want to be saved and go to heaven.

To find out more about who Jesus is in relation to God the Father and the Holy Spirit, click here: More Jesus

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Who is Jesus Christ? (Continued - The Trinity)

Short Answer Version

If we are to examine who Jesus is, it is a good idea to talk about how He fits into relationship with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said "I and My Father are one". He also said, "He that has seen me has seen the Father". He taught both unity with God the Father, and identification with Him.

The people to whom Jesus spoke, already had a concept of God and the Holy Spirit because of the Old Testament passages about them. John the Baptist also taught about the Holy Spirit, predicting that Jesus would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Jesus taught more about the Holy Spirit, saying He is "the Comforter" or "Helper", "the Spirit of Truth", and the one who would glorify Jesus and the Father.

When the time came to reveal it, Jesus had no hesitation calling Himself the Son of God. He admitted it plainly even though He knew it would be considered a statement that would probably get Him killed. It would be taken as a statement that He was God Himself.

The word "Trinity" was conceived by early New Testament scholars to describe the way the Bible portrays God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit as one. The word "Trinity" never appears in the Bible.

Long Answer Version

Here is a rather lengthy examination of the subject of the Trinity for the more curious readers.

In mathematics, the value of one rarely equals three, but not so with God. If you tend to think in mathematical absolutes keep in mind that the laws of mathematics were designed by this same God. They do not govern Him. He governs them. The same applies to the laws of physics and nature.

Here are some insights to help give you a comfort level with the thought of a three-in-one God. You can think of Him as only one God. He is a Father, a Savior, and a Comforter in our lives. He is not bound by time or space. He is not limited to the boundaries of human comprehension. He is omnipotent, which means all-powerful.

Since God is omnipotent (all powerful, all wise, all knowing) it is possible for us to think of Him as beyond our ability to fathom. Because of that, it is possible for Him to be Father, Son (Jesus), and Holy Spirit. He revealed Himself clearly in the Old Testament as both Father God and the Holy Spirit, also known as the Spirit of the Lord.

The first two verses of the Bible say, ''In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.'' Even though this could be interpreted to support the idea that God and the Spirit of God were two names for one God. But that interpretation is problematic. The word "And" points to a difference between ''God'' and ''the Spirit of God''.

Fifteen other times in the Old Testament, the moniker ''Spirit of God'' was used pointedly. Ordinarily it was associated with the Spirit coming in power on an Old Testament believer, such as a king or prophet.

It was a mystery until Jesus came and explained to us that God was not simply one or two but all three. Yet God is also One. He made it clear that we are not to confuse Him with the idea of multiple gods, an idea that was common outside Israel. He is not a polytheistic God, but a monotheistic God.

God once told a man named Moses that His name is YHWH (in the Hebrew language), which translated means “I Am” or “I Am that I Am”. The name “Jesus” also means “I Am”, but with a little more description. The name “Jesus” means “I Am is Salvation”.

The Comforter I mentioned is a real person too. He is often called, “The Spirit of I Am” in the Bible, which gets translated “The Spirit of the Lord”.

Do you see the connection? There are three “I Am” persons. The word “Trinity” speaks of the three persons in unity literally, meaning three-in-one.

Jesus told His followers to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus used the name "I Am" in talking about Himself at least nine times in the first four books of the New Testament.

It is evident in the original language that He presented Himself as the great I Am. For example he said,"Before Abraham was born I Am", "I am the way, the truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through me". He also said many other statements indicating His divinity, such as "If you have seen me, you have seen the Father".

By the way, you don’t have to grasp this information about the Trinity fully, to be saved. I didn't. In fact, I had never even heard that Jesus was God when I asked Him to be my Savior. I thought He was only the Son of God. I had just previously found out I could receive Him as my personal Lord and Savior. But my early knowledge gap did not stop God from saving me and straightening me out later.

What about the Holy Spirit? Who is He? By observation, I can tell you one aspect of Him is that He is a go-between. The Holy Spirit can reveal the attributes of Jesus and the Father directly to our hearts, and He also reveals His own personhood and ways of thinking. The Bible says He leads us into all truth.

The Bible calls the Holy Spirit "the Spirit of Jesus Christ" in Philippians 1:19. That designation further shows His connectedness of identity to Jesus in the Trinity.

Paul the apostle also wrote, "when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Who is the Spirit? "the Lord is the Spirit".

The Holy Spirit reveals truth and frees people from bondage to misguided ways of living.

After believing in Jesus and starting relationship with Him, many of the things not originally understand will start to make better sense. You start to become a spiritual person. Therefore, spiritual things begin to become clear. That is the work of the Holy Spirit.

Even before you are saved, the Holy Spirit can start making Jesus real to you. The night I first heard about receiving Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, I went home and I could feel Jesus on the doorstep to my heart, on the verge of coming in. Out of fear and selfishness, I didn’t let Him come in until three days later.

The Bible mentions a phenomenon of coming to Jesus because the Father is drawing you. I was a person who actually felt that take place three days before I got saved. I didn’t know yet that the Bible had a name for it.

The Holy Spirit is no less powerful than the Father or Son. The earth's creation is partially attributed to Him in the Bible (Such as in the first verse of the Bible, Genesis 1:1). In fact, all three persons of the Trinity were said to be involved when you compare the first chapter in Genesis with the first chapter of the gospel of John.

The Holy Spirit is mighty to do many wonderful things on the earth. He also reveals Himself in a sweet presence that shows God's gentle love for us.

In one of the opening statements to this website, I suggested some words to say in prayer to be saved by believing in Jesus. They included, “Please come into my life and make yourself real to me.” If you really want to know who God is, that prayer will start the ball rolling.

You will be born again by the Holy Spirit dwelling in you. You will also be spiritually adopted by God the Father, and rescued by the atonement of Jesus (found in His death and resurrection). The intimate fatherly wisdom and undying love comfort us. All three are called comforters in the Bible.

We see the Trinity portrayed in many Bible verses, such as Luke 1:35, when the Angel mentioned all three persons to Mary as taking part in the birth of Jesus. In that verse the Angel Gabriel differentiated the persons of the Trinity calling the Father "The Most High", also sometimes translated "the Majesty on High". It was His power and the Holy Spirit who came on Mary when Jesus, the Son of God was conceived as a human.

But Jesus existed previously in the "form of God" (Phillipians 2:6). The Trinity existed for all eternity past, and will always exist. What we have covered here is just the tip of the iceberg about who Jesus is, and how the Father and Spirit interrelate. The Bible has much more to say on the subject, as does the Holy Spirit who glorifies Jesus and the Father to us as He leads us into spiritual truth.

A few years ago, even though I thoroughly believed in the fact that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one and the same, I was having a difficult time when I prayed, trying to sort out to whom I should address my prayers.

I usually prayed to the Father, in Jesus' name. Sometimes I prayed to Jesus, and sometimes I spoke with the Holy Spirit. But it became a little confusing and frustrating to me, knowing whether I was doing it correctly. I expressed this to God one time when I was feeling especially close to Him. He gave me an answer, a way around my concern. I heard Him say, "Just call me Trinity."

I was totally aware that He was providing me with a wise solution, but I also knew that it was found nowhere in the Bible. I did what He said and it removed my blockage whenever I started to feel the frustration I had experienced before.

Now, I feel free to picture Him as Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. I address Him in any of these ways, as well as "Trinity", "Lord", "God", and other fond names, knowing He understands my heart is inclined toward Him.

What Does Savior Mean?

Short Answer Version

“Savior” means a special person who rescues in a big way. Jesus will rescue believers from going anywhere other than Heaven after the body dies, and He will be glad to rescue and help us in many big ways during our present lifetimes. He is high above all others we look to for help.

If you have ever experienced someone saving your life, that is an example of what a human savior does. I was with a friend, as a teenager, and my dog was with me as we walked along a railroad track.

Tony yelled down at me from an elevated mound of dirt next to the track telling me a train was coming. Its horn was blaring, but I was not paying attention. I looked up and saw it coming. I immediately got my dog off the track, which was a challenge, and then stepped off it myself just in time.

I know what it is like to be physically saved, and to save my dog. As Savior Jesus saves many lives from death, and into heaven. But also from many negative outcomes here on earth.

Long Version Answer

A Savior brings Salvation. Salvation means the state of being saved or rescued. Once we “get” saved, we “are” saved, and we are in a state of salvation. Jesus is not just the Savior of the world. He wants you to make Him your personal Savior. Accept Him as being just that, Your Personal Savior.

Our English words for salvation and salvage have the same root word. Imagine you find an item in a trash heap that you know you can clean up and enjoy. Then, you offer to buy it so you can make it a prized possession. When you do so you have salvaged the item.

When you experience salvation, it is a bit like a valuable item being saved from the trash heap, cleaned up, fixed up, and made better than new. You are a valuable person, even if others don't see you that way.

When you are saved, you are placed in the hands of Jesus, the Master Craftsman. You are being salvaged. You are being made better than new. You are given new life.

When you start relationship with Jesus, you are in the process of being cleansed, fixed up, and filled with purpose. He makes your life a beautiful thing. Some have said He is making each of us His masterpiece.

Some people think they don’t need to be rescued or salvaged. They don’t want anyone to try and help them. These people are not as wise as those who recognize everyone sometimes needs others to come along and offer some assistance.

The same is true of letting Jesus be your personal Savior. Let Him, through His Holy Spirit, come along and be your Helper.

It was in the lyrics of ancient praise song where the first mention of the word "Savior" appeared in the Bible. David sang to the Lord the words of this song when the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.

David wrote: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation. He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior." -2 Samuel 22

The word "savior" was used many times after that for God's intervention in difficult situations. Before God came to earth embodied in Jesus Christ, He consistently showed Himself to be a savior.

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How Did Jesus Already Do the Work to Earn My Entry into Heaven?

Short Answer Version

Jesus removed from you the burden of earning your way to Heaven. Instead He earned Heaven for you. He did this by paying the price Himself.

In contrast to other religious paths, which require good works as the way to Heaven, Jesus said of Himself, "I am the way". No one comes to the Father in Heaven any other way.

Jesus did the work for you by an insurpassable display of love.

This work was good enough, powerful enough, to be applied to you, me, and everyone else who believes in Jesus.

In His sacrificial death He completed the task of taking the punishment of all our sins and shortcomings on Himself, thereby SAVING us from them.

The only work on our parts is, in actuality not a condition at all. It is effortless non-work. Faith requires no effort because it is a gift from God. He provides the gift of faith to believe in Jesus as your personal Savior. Ask and you will receive.

Long Answer Version

Jesus did something that stands as the most important event in history. He substituted Himself for you. He died in your place, when He was 33 years of age. It was just outside Jerusalem on a Roman cross. He did it so you wouldn’t have to die. He did it in an act of sacrificial love that was powerful beyond measure.

Jesus died on the cross in our place and rose from the dead on the third day later.

His substitutionary death was not for only you but was powerful enough to cover the whole world of people needing a Savior, throughout time. It was powerful enough to do the work of earning the way into Heaven for everyone who believes.

That is why you can consider Jesus not only your personal Savior. He is also called the Savior of the world.

When Jesus took our place on the cross, it was to fulfill God the Father's desire to reconcile as many as would believe to Himself. Unfortunately, those who refuse will not have that honor, as far as we can tell from what we know here on earth.

Here, "reconcile" means to take away the emotional and spiritual separation between a person and their Heavenly Father.

Unfortunately, those who refuse will not have that honor, as far as we can tell from what we know here on earth.

Jesus experienced the agony of all the wrongdoings that ever happened or will happen. He did this “in our stead”. Today we don’t use the phrase “in our stead” very often, but we do use the words “instead of us”. The two phrases mean the same thing. He died instead of you dying, and instead of me having to die. He paid for ALL our penalties, Himself.

This means you do not have to work your way into heaven or earn points for doing good things.

God is not waiting to count all the bad things and all the good things you did and decide your future based on which number was higher. When you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can rejoice because your name is written in heaven. Jesus said that. You are on the guest list.

Not only His sacrificial death, but also His resurrection are both part of the deal. He died as a substitute for us and so we are united with Him in death. We are also united with Him in His resurrection. He applies resurrection power into our lives as we are born anew, and it carries over all the way into the next life. It is a “package deal”.

You don't have to do good works to live forever. But you certainly can do good works, and try to be as good a person as you are able. God likes that. He is good, and appreciates it when we let Him transform us to be more like Him in those ways.

When we get to know Him personally, He puts the desire in our hearts to do good things, and become better people. He give us the ability to live out the lives of saved and Spirit-filled individuals. This is because we wouldn't otherwise be able, not at the heart level, due to our limited abilities. He improves our hearts.

One way of explaining this is that He ransomed you. The word picture is like He paid the ransom for you after being kidnapped. Then He brought you home as part of His family. He bought you and placed you in His large family of believers. He paid a high price to be close to you. He welcomes all who believe to be part of His close, loving family. Salvation is a gift, not a burden.

A Few Old Testament Passages foretelling about Jesus Doing the Work that Earned Our Entry into Heaven

We see foreshadowed in several of the Old Testament prophecies that Jesus would die in our place. His death would defeat satan and break his hold from our lives. The defeat of satan proved to be our victory, pretold from the beginning.

In Genesis 3, just after Adam's fall, God gave a prophecy that the serpent would “bruise the heel” of a descendant of Eve, but that descendant would "crush the serpent's head.'' Many believe this descendant was Jesus and the serpent was satan. Jesus was not defeated. He resurrected alive and well. But satan’s head was crushed because the cross brought victory and sealed his fate, satan's ultimate demise.

Jesus was not defeated. He resurrected alive and well. But satan’s head was crushed because the cross brought victory and sealed his fate, satan's ultimate demise.

In Genesis 22, the near-sacrifice of Isaac was symbolic of Jesus. Abraham, said, ''God will provide Himself a lamb.'' It is easy to look back on that account and see the symbolism in which Abraham represented God the Father, Isaac represented the Son of God, and the lamb (aka the ram) represented Jesus the ultimate sacrifice.

The fact that Isaac lived while the lamb died, might represent the ongoing life of Jesus after being slain and resurrecting.

Later, in Exodus 12, we are introduced to the concept of a lamb to be offered in sacrifice to save God's people from sin and death. It was unblemished, and its blood protected the children of Israel.

The Passover lamb most likely also foretold of Jesus, our unblemished sacrifice. If we consider the passover as not only an historical fact, but also a typological prophecy, the meaning indicated God would triumph over death to save God's people later as well, probably in Jesus. The death of Jesus stands as continually and utterly effective through all generations.

Then, in Exodus 22, the sin offering was set up. A bull and two lambs would be sacrificed. The lambs would be slain, one in the morning and one in the evening. This was to be a continual burnt offering throughout all generations of Israel to cover their sins.

In Leviticus 4, a lamb without blemish was again a sin offering assigned by God. When Jesus was 30 years old, He was called “the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” by John the Baptist. Jesus was unblemished in that He was without sin his entire life.

Many other prophecies foretelling the substitutionary death of Jesus were made. The most famous is in Isaiah 53. The entire chapter is remarkable, but the following statement stands out.

''Surely, he has borne our griefs and has carried our sorrows. Yet, we esteemed him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his wounds, such as through being whipped, we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way, but despite such failures, the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted. Yet, he didn't even open his mouth; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter.'' In the field of theology (the study of God) the word “vicarious” means the same as “done in the place of”, also known as “substitutionary”. The word “Atone” means to completely make amends. The noun form is "Atonement." The phrase “vicarious atonement” is the idea that Jesus Christ experientially took the place of mankind, being punished for our faults. In so doing, He paid for the sins we commit. Thereby, He brings reconciliation between the believer and God.

Paul wrote about Christ's sacrifice, saying "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them''.

The Lord, who is all-wise, has laid on Jesus the iniquity of us all. When Jesus from the cross said, “It is finished,” it was this act of which He spoke. It was this work that earned your way into heaven.

This quote is attributed to James MacDonald: "Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, because we owed a debt we could not pay."

When I received Jesus into my heart, I knew He was my Savior. Over a year later I started to grasp what it meant. I had many questions, and deeply studied these concepts in Bible College. It deepened my love for Jesus immeasurably just to know the extent of His demonstrated love.

I have laid this out for you in the beginning of your journey, hoping you will start to understand how this good message of Jesus, though simple, is deeper than all other profound statements ever known to humanity.

Scriptures On This Topic From the New Testament

These verses are for those who are interested in seeing what the New Testament says about the work of Jesus dying in our place. To save time, you can read the verses by copying each line below and pasting it into the search field of biblegateway.com or a similar Bible search site or application.

John 11:49-51
Acts 5:29-32
Romans 5:8-11
Romans 6:3-7
Romans 6:9-11
Romans 8:1-2
Romans 8:32
1 Corinthians 15:1-7
2 Corinthians 5:14-19
Colossians 3:3-4
Romans 6:9-11
1 Timothy 1:15
1 Peter 3:18
1 John 2:1-2
Revelation 1:5-6

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Additional Evidence for Believing (Fulfilled Prophecy)

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"Overwhelming Evidence"

Short Version Answer

This page, and the pages in the links and menus at the bottom embark on a long journey in exploring the mountains of findings on why a person ought to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In fact, it becomes rather book-like.

Admittedly, It can be overwhelming to encounter so much substance. It can also become physically or mentally tiring from the sheer length.

For that I apologize, and let you off the hook, if you become confused or even bored. Feel free to take it in short reading sessions, or just read as much as you are comfortable with. Of course if you are already convinced by the evidence so far, I've done my job.

Long Answer Version

The Evidence From External Sources

There is more evidence for why you should believe in Jesus than any of us could absorb in a lifetime. Some of it is so well known and easily taken for granted that people don't grasp the evidence-value it holds. To start, you are probably aware that Jesus is such a significant figure in history that our calendar starts on the date people considered to be His birth. It was the beginning of our current age. That should give us a clue as to His positive impact on the world.

Starting with only 12 believers, now more than 2.7 billion people consider themselves followers of Jesus as He is depicted in the Bible. Jesus currently has more followers than any other human being has ever had, by far.

Belief in God is in the same category of evidence as believing in Jesus, and reveals a worldwide majority of people. If you believe God does not exist, or you are a committed agnostic, you might want to consider how far in the minority you are. About 79% of the world's population believe in a Most High God and claim to follow his ways.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_religious_populations
https://www.christianity.com/wiki/christian-life/how-many-christians-are-there-in-the-world.html

I have met a large number of people who are shocked to hear that the vast majority of people believe God exists. Why are they shocked? Because throughout their lives, they have been sheltered and exposed mostly to people who are unbelievers or, are negative about the God they imagine might exist.

Those who identify as atheists, believing God does not exist, are in an extremely small minority. An astounding statistic is that a mere 0.32% of people living outside China or Russia do not believe in God. Stated another way, 99.7% of people living outside China or Russia identify themselves either as believing in God or not shutting the door to believing.

About 3% of the world's population are atheists. Of that 89% live in China or Russia. That amounts to 2.68% of the earth's population. In Russia, only 13% of the 36 million people are atheists. In China, the percentage not believing in God or religion is 67%. That leaves up to 462.6 million possible believers in China.

Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_atheism

(Wikipedia's statistics appear well-documented as of the date posted.)

Similarly, very few people outside China and Russia, can be counted as agnostics. An agnostic is a person who holds that it is unknown whether God exists, at least to them personally.

Although agnosticism is a well-known stance, there are so few agnostics in the world, that a trustworthy record of their numbers does not exist. Ironically, the few that do exist seem to have a very large voice, especially in certain influential circles, in my opinion.

I have experienced an elevated presence of agnosticism among professors in secular universities, their students, and influencers in secular media industries. When small groups like this have wide-scale influence, it seems they are not made up of so few people.

Of course, a truth is not determined by how many people believe it. However, the facts indicate belief in the Most High God is by far the most prevalent of choices. It indicates most people find belief in God credible.

Another compelling, yet widely overlooked, piece of evidence is this: The book that tells Jesus' life story is the book that has sold the most copies of all time, namely the Holy Bible. This should indicate that many people read it and give it great value.

The Bible demonstrates God's existence thousands of times in various ways. It portrays the life of Jesus from many human witnesses. It tells His habits, His unique oratory acumen, His sense of humor, His sarcasm against deceptive evil-doers, His friendship, His empathy, His compassionate emotions (crying, lamenting, healing the lepers), and many other intimate and intricate personal details.

Nearly everything we see that indicates a strong anti-Jesus sentiment in modern western culture, is ironically evidence of Jesus. Why? Because if Jesus wasn't real, nobody would be so militantly trying to discredit and disrespect Him!

If Jesus wasn't real, there would be no Easter Bunny to subtly obscure the real meaning of Easter, or Santa Claus to rob Christmas of its main character. All Saints Day would not be superseded in our culture by Halloween as a holiday.

The Evidence of Impact on Other Religions

Several major world religions made a place for Jesus in their set of beliefs after Christianity became popular. It is not necessarily the Jesus portrayed in the Bible, but it indicates Jesus had an impact.

Hinduism became inclusive of Jesus by changing His theological persona to fit with existing Hindu theology and religion. Hindus accept Jesus as a real being, who existed on earth as an avatar of divine origin and meaning. They have great respect for Jesus in this context, though it is obviously far from the biblical Christian way of thinking

Islam depicts Jesus as their coming messiah and a great prophet. Again, it is not the Jesus of the biblical Trinity, but a lesser Jesus contrived humanly, just as the Quran's stories of His birth were creatively altered from the original accounts. However, Islam recognizes Jesus was born of a virgin, performed miracles, had twelve disciples, and was raised into heaven.

Perhaps Mohammed had a great respect for Jesus and understood a form of Christianity but wanted to create a religion for his special culture. To me it is sad Mohammed left out the very center of the good news that Jesus died on the cross to save us from sin and give eternal life to each person who believes in Him as their personal Savior.

I point out the differences not to engender strife, but to underline the impact of Jesus on the world, even on the second and third largest religious groups.

Let's take a quick detour, and return momentarily to show mathematically, how the majority of people on earth, believe Jesus exists. I am not naive to the negative aspects, in which satan can manipulate counterfeit teachings, to lead people away from the truth, and can even stir up jihadists to persecute Christians in mass numbers. However, not enough Christians see the future positives, in which God may have moved in other religions, to include some endearing aspects about Jesus. It is not out-of-the-question when I look at this as potentially, God providing an opportunity to impact the adherents of these religions bringing them closer to openness about a truer understanding of our Savior.

To group the inclusion of a positive view of Jesus in other religions to add to our evidence, we could add 3.2 billion to the 2.4 billion I mentioned for Jesus followers, summing to 5.6 billion. In other words, that is a lot of people who believe that Jesus exists. It is the majority of people on earth. Would a person be blind not to admit that Jesus has made a big splash in history and world culture? It is evidence of why people should believe in Him, the real Jesus of the Bible.

I must show some respect to the major world religions, knowing that some of the ways of including Jesus involved sincerity for different mindsets to embrace Jesus as they saw Him fitting with their cultures. Of course, they were remiss in stripping out the central and crucial messages of salvation by faith in Jesus, His atoning work on the cross, and His resurrection.

The Evidence in Historical Documentation

Much history-related evidence points to the reality of Jesus. An example of an historical proof is that of Flavius Josephus. He was a foremost historian of the first century and was not a follower of Jesus. The portion of his writing that is most considered to validate the historicity of Jesus, is this:

S"Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or, some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the law, he delivered them to be stoned: but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and such as were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified;" - Josephus Antiquities 20.9.1 (bracketed info mine)

The above was written about James the brother of Jesus on His mother's side. James wrote the book of James in the New Testament. This passage is the earliest non-Christian historical documentation of Jesus "called Christ" appearing authentic to scholars. It is considered to have been written in 93-94 AD.

"Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God as a just punishment of what Herod had done against John, who was called the Baptist. For Herod had killed this good man, who had commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, righteousness towards one another and piety towards God. For only thus, in John's opinion, would the baptism he administered be acceptable to God, namely, if they used it to obtain not pardon for some sins but rather the cleansing of their bodies, inasmuch as it was taken for granted that their souls had already been purified by justice. Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best to put him to death. In this way, he might prevent any mischief John might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly, John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Machaerus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death. Now the Jews thought that the destruction of his army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure with him." - Josephus Antiquities 18.116-119

These accounts by Josephus correlate historically with New Testament passages. Josephus added insight about the political aspects and Herod's suspicious temper. These additions, are from Josephus's own interpretation of the occurrences. They may have been true, while not reflecting the biblical insight about John's imprisonment and death. However, they support the New Testament accounts that John the Baptist was truly an historical figure, a preacher of righteousness, imprisoned, and put to death in the time frame biblically depicted.

Original disciples of Jesus were still alive at the time Josephus wrote. Personally, I am sure New Testament writers like Luke, a historian himself and a doctor, are just as credible. Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John are considered to have written their histories earlier than Josephus.

Josephus was the earliest and most respected non-Christian historian validating the presence of Jesus, his followers, and his influence on earth. More historians, archeologists, and scholars later added credence to the historicity of Jesus.

The Evidence of Apologetics

Historically, since the time of Jesus until now, much has been learned and written showing evidence and persuasive cases for becoming a born again Christian by believing in Jesus as your Savior. In fact, a whole genre of writing is devoted to it, and is called "Christian apologetics". It has no relation to our word "apology" in modern terms. "Apology", in ancient times, meant a case to support a fact. For example, a lawyer's case on behalf of his client was called an apology.

If you do a search for "Christian Apologetics" in your favorite book-sales website, you should find many to choose from of the popular variety, and a number that border on scholarly apologetics.

More serious scholarly books on the subject are found in the libraries and bookstores of Christian theological seminaries and universities. In books on apologetics, you will find a seemingly endless array of evidence and persuasive ideas leading an engaged reader toward acceptance of Jesus.

The Evidence of Personal Experiences

I have found that the various external sources of evidence for Jesus, as convincing as they are, have not been as impressive as the many ways He proved Himself to me personally. He met my needs, and not only in the beginning when I first believed. As new needs arose, He met those too, and I can say that in His timing He fulfilled my true needs above and beyond anything I could have expected before I first believed.

After you are in a strong relationship with Him, I would be surprised if He does not prove Himself to your heart over and over. There is no greater evidence for Jesus than when He makes Himself real to you. It is undeniable. It is need-meeting.

Even though every believer can experience God's presence and His evidence differently, we all have the same promises from scripture to tap into. Pray that God will reveal the answers to His promises of relationship with Him in a way that meets the needs of YOUR heart.

The many accounts of answered prayer in the name of Jesus are prevalent wherever He is believed in to meet needs. Many thousands of incidents considered miraculous have taken place and associated with Jesus. I have been the recipient of too many to count.

The list of need-meeting evidence of Jesus continues to increase every day. What are your needs today? Are you aware of what they truly are? Start asking God to meet your true needs now. Once you are saved, watch Him work on your behalf to meet those needs and more - even needs that you never realized you had. You may not see it start happening immediately, but you will see it has happened when you find you no longer have needs you once had. This applies to problems, or obstacles you ask God's help for as well.

Use wisdom when praying for God to meet your needs. Refrain from stipulating how your needs must be met. For example, if your need is loneliness, pray for healing of loneliness, not a hot date. It is possible God will give you a wonderful date. More likely He has something better in mind. Similarly, do not put time limits on God as if you know better than Him.

When I was undergoing a great deal of emotional suffering due to a previous marital separation, I had to be healed of the related depression and strong impulses to try prematurely to solve my own problems. I knew, I would not be a good match for any woman in my then current state. I decided to go to a special place once a week by myself, spending an hour praying for my future spouse, whom I had not yet met. I prayed that God would prepare her for me and prepare me for her. I did this faithfully for about a year. When the day arrived that she was ready for me and I was ready for her, God brought her into my life in a miraculous way. She turned out to be the hottest date I could imagine! We have been happily married for decades and have raised two wonderful daughters.

Over the course of time a person's needs change with the season. God provided for my needs in many incredible ways in each season, whether it was an easy or difficult season to make my way through. Financially, He blessed me beyond my expectations time and again.

I now see positive outcomes are the result of our good God meeting needs. We might not have realized it when we had a particular need, but a positive outcome by God reveals what the true need was. If you become a lifelong believer, you will look back on many God-given positive outcomes. You will see He was good at meeting the desires you thought were needs, but also the needs that He knew were the true, deep needs.

Fellowship with Good Christians

If you are hesitant to experience the evidence found in relationship with God, consider the next best thing, finding the perspective of good Christians as to the benefits they have experienced from their relationships with Him. Make friends with people who have been in relationship with God long enough to be friendly mentors to you. ‘’Fellowship’’ is a bit of a Christian jargon word for spending time with friends.

No human alive on earth today is perfect. However, some are better representatives of Christianity than others. I have known several non-Christians who attended churches, Bible studies, and home worship groups, for the purpose of learning about Jesus, and observing the people who love Him. I knew one, who came for a year before accepting Jesus into his heart. But he kept coming back because of the people and, "that something different" about them.

Many times, I have heard about a person saying to a believer, "I want what you have." But this only comes from getting to know believers. You might have heard the expression that something is "better caught than taught". That is definitely true about knowing Jesus and seeing His Holy Spirit alive in people you know.

Look for people like that, without expecting them to be non-sinners, non-hypocritical, or non-judgmental. Expect them to be fallible human beings that care a lot about Jesus. Be forgiving with them if it seems they are ever being difficult. See what happens.

Longer Answer Version

What Are Not-Good Reasons for Believing

So many good reasons exist to believe in Jesus that, it might take a lifetime recounting them all. There are some less-than-good reasons to believe in Jesus. But if they result in a better life and salvation, the seemingly not-good reasons worked! For instance, my most immediate reason for believing in Jesus, was so that I could play guitar before a crowd when the Christian band took a break.

I was in my own band at sixteen years old, named Pegasus, and the band members had been invited to go to a concert at Corona Del Mar beach in Southern California. The band we saw was named Agape, an evangelistic Christian hard rock group, the first of its kind. When Agape took a break, I had an idea. Talking to my band members, I told them I could ask the band's manager if we could jam during the intermission. They agreed. Some other people were listening to us talk. One was a singer we'd never met, and he volunteered as well. So I approached the manager, and asked if we could jam with the group's instruments. He asked me if I had asked Jesus into my heart.

I said Yes! Simultaneously I was sincerely making a split-second decision to ask Jesus into my heart. Were my motives pure? Was it a lie?

This is the story of how I became saved. Christians like to call what I am about to write "giving your testimony" Three days prior to the beach concert, I had attended a young person's ''Christian Party'' at a home near the park I frequented. I was not yet saved. When I entered, there were perhaps twenty- five young people sitting around chatting, mostly about Jesus. The place had a sweet feeling in the air. The lady who lived there asked me, ''Have you received Jesus Christ into your heart as your personal Lord and Savior? The room quieted. I responded with something like, ''I didn't know I could do that''. Then people started telling me about Jesus.

It felt like I had become the focal point of their activities for the rest of the night. Most of that was good, but some of it was quite unpleasant when one guy started arguing with me. As the party came to a close, one of the nicer young men asked if I needed a ride home. I was thankful because I had walked there. We got in his Volkswagen Beetle and drove the two miles to my place. Before I got out, he handed me a small pamphlet and asked me to read it. I thanked him for the ride, went inside and read the pamphlet. It was called ''This Was Your Life.'' It was quite gripping. At the end it quoted Jesus saying, ''Behold I stand at the door and knock: if anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.'' At that moment, I felt Jesus as an intense energy beaming into my chest, as if to say ''I am at the door of your heart. Will you let me in? It was a little scary. For selfish reasons, I ignored it and went to bed.

So, three days later at the beach, it felt like I was being asked the same question that had recently been asked twice before. I was put on the spot. This time I said yes, and I meant it, but my decision was in the split second when I had time to respond. The manager asked me to make sure we sing about Jesus. So, my group, along with the volunteer vocalist, took the instruments and played extemporaneously for about fifteen minutes, singing about Jesus.

Then the band was done with their break. They came back and played their next set. At the end, their manager got up and gave an exhilarated message about accepting Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. He then asked everyone to bow their heads and pray as he led us through a prayer to become saved. I took my time and sincerely asked Jesus into my heart for good. I saw a short vision of the face of Jesus as I did. When the prayer was over, I knew I was born again and Jesus was my Savior. Then as I talked to my band members, I found out one of them, our bass player, had also become a believer. He had come to the party three days before as well, but arrived after I left. Both of us are still vibrant Christians and walking with Jesus after all the decades.

Getting back to the question of this subsection, the answer is this. When a person looks back at why they chose Jesus as their Savior, any reason no matter how questionable producing the result of starting a life-long love relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior, is a good reason.

Of course, many people decide to believe in Jesus for ignoble reasons. These reasons do not always result in their becoming saved. Only God knows the deepest intents of a person's heart. He knows the end result and the details that lead up to it.

The apostle Paul told us to examine ourselves to see whether we are really in the faith. The apostle Peter meant the same thing when he told us to give diligence to make our calling and election sure. This is good advice, even though we are saved by God's grace through faith, not by our own good works.

What Are Good Reasons for Not Believing?

(as opposed to "What Are Not-Good Reasons for Believing?" )

Many of the reasons people have for choosing not to believe in Jesus after hearing the good news, only seem like good reasons. But they are at least worth questioning. Some reasons only seem wise based on the season and situations of the moment.

Postponing a decision is something most people tend to do in everyday life. It can become a habit. But it can end up being disastrous. Such is the case with postponing a decision for Jesus.

If people understood the importance of the decision to become saved by Jesus, If they could get a glimpse of how insignificant their excuses or justifications are. If it occured to them that experiencing physical death and seeing eternity without salvation, they would have an eye-opening experience and immediately be shocked into deciding believing is the best thing to do, right now!

I only ask you to imagine these scenarios to let you understand that a seemingly very good reason to reject Jesus as your Savior, even temporarily, is potentially the worst mistake a person could make.

Instead of allowing an excuse like fear, apathy, selfishness, repulsion, illogic, or spiritual ignorance guide a person, they should let faith guide them into a beautiful relationship with Jesus.

If the evidence presented so far still has you wondering, you might find this page very enlightening:

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What is the Meaning of Life?

Answer

If you research this question, either on the internet or in libraries, you will find a significant number of attempts to analyze the question, and even more to try and answer it. I’m writing rather informally here, but I’m going to try my hand at answering this question without repeating the many ideas already out there.

The reason the question is so elusive to most people is that they erroneously think of themselves at the center of life, and all their feelings, thoughts, experiences, dreams, and hopes are at the heart of the question about the meaning of life. All those things are good, but most people are going about this all wrong.

We should not put ourselves in the center and think about our lives as the thing we want to find the meaning for. Life exists outside us much more than it does inside us. If we want to find the real meaning of life, consider this: What is the meaning of life to the One who created it? All the real answers will stream from that.

I might think something different tomorrow, but today I think that the meaning of human life is to give joy to God. There are probably other things, but I think that answer eclipses all others.

If it concerns you that I might be skirting the issue of the meaning of YOUR life, please be patient. We’ll get to that shortly.

If any of you readers have children and love them, you might understand a little of the concept of finding joy and meaning in loving your offspring.

When my kids were little, when I could simply sit and watch them, I didn’t need TV, movies, music, sports, or any other past time. They gave me such a kick, just by looking at them doing all the things they did. They were so sweet and cute, I just drank it in, and felt joy to be around them. (I’ll tell you a secret. My kids are in their twenties now, and I often still get the same feeling when I look at them.)

If you don’t have kids, think about people in your life that have given you joy without them even knowing it. Take that kind of feeling and multiply it in your mind to the point where it is joy of great magnitude, and you might be able to understand that as God's children, WE are the meaning of life!

In the eyes of our Heavenly Father love abounds beyond our ability to comprehend. Since our life provides joy and meaning to Him, we mean something. Life means something. I am not saying God would feel empty and meaningless without us. That would be absurd. But I am saying He is overjoyed with us and has a purpose for this planet that includes us. We help fulfill His worthwhile purpose, which gives our lives purpose.

God loves life. If He didn’t, then why did He make so much of it? Over five billion species have existed on earth. These are examples of life that began with God. All life has meaning to Him. But I’ll tell you what kind of life has the most meaning to Him.

We get a hint in the scripture where Jesus said, “Or if there is a woman who has ten silver coins, and loses one, won’t she light a lamp and sweep and search the house until she finds it? And when she does, she will call her friends and neighbors together. ‘Come and celebrate with me’, she will say, ‘for I have found that precious coin I lost.’ I tell you, it is the same in Heaven—there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who turns to God.”

Not only does it give God and the angels intense joy when one person is saved, but that heavenly joy echoes back from Heaven on to the person who chose to receive the gift of salvation. And it doesn’t end there. The Holy Spirit brings to the person love, joy, peace, and other blessings as lifetime benefits of knowing and communing with Him. The Bible calls these the fruit of the Spirit.

Contemplate that for a while. We bring meaning to God, for Him to enjoy. God brings meaning back into our lives for us to enjoy.

This brings us back now to answer the person looking for the meaning of life with self at the center. Understand this cycle, the meaning of life comes to you and you understand it, when you step into the circle of love in relationship with Jesus. The circle continues into the future. The two of you are in the center together. Joy, meaning, and significance together increase in you personally.

And that is the meaning of life.

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Why Should I Believe in Jesus?

Short Answer Version

There are many good reasons to believe. We will look at them in several general categories. They include Benefits Offered, Overwhelming Evidence, Needs Met, and other similar topics.

After reading about them, if you wish to delve deeper, you will find a large number of menu items at the bottom of this page.

There are so many good reasons and answers to why you should believe in Jesus, that they are impossible to count. But they are possible to experience with just a little faith.

Long Answer Version

We approach the question, ''Why Should I Believe in Jesus?'', from various angles customized to various individual concerns.

For example, is your main focal point analytical, emotional, intellectual, historical, scientific, cultural, or familial? Many avenues exist, some more atuned to a given individual than others.

The evidence is overwhelming in sheer quantity as well as depth of meaning. We are aware that reading all that is written in this website can also be overwhelming to read and digest. Please feel free to leave these pages if they are overwhelmingly tedious or if you are already convinced.

We'll start with Benefits Offered, because it is the most fun. Next we will examine some sources of evidence external to the Bible and Christian literature. Other parts of this website will be devoted to more comprehensive topics like science or philosophy.

You will see links to each category at the end of each page for other questions you may have.

Category 1:

Benefits Offered.

The reasons to believe in Jesus start with these:

-His promises to believers
-His track record of fulfilling His promises
-Knowing Him
-He makes a really good friend
-Eternal life, inheriting God's kingdom
-New purpose and meaning
-His practical guidance and solutions to your problems and issues
-Forgiveness of sins
-His presence, which combats loneliness and comforts us

The benefits of salvation also include many other blessings, like lifelong help from God, and royalty as a child of the most royal King. You will have an improved sense of identity and belonging that will lift your spirits.

New and great value is placed on you. You become a partaker of God's nature so to speak. When you spend time with Him, His nature rubs off on you somewhat.

Innumerable believers have attributed their high level of success to Him.

You are given availability to peace that passes all understanding. You are given a future and a hope. There is an immense sense of freedom that comes.

I could list a hundred more benefits, but I'll confine it to these:

You are set free from sin and emotional bondage. Your past sins are cleansed off of you, and your future sins are paid for. You can feel cleansed from present sins as well by confessing them to God, when you realize they have occurred, and turning back to Him.

Perhaps the most powerful reasons for believing are that He always loves you for who you are, and also sees your potential to grow more into your better self.

He provides spiritual power for you to overcome temptation, side with Him in spiritual light against the influences of spiritual darkness, turn away from harmful thinking patterns, experience freedom spiritually and emotionally, and be healed of past hurts.

He sees you living in the realization of your great potential during this lifetime, and shining with even greater potential eternally in His kingdom.

I have heard many people tell about miraculous things that Jesus did in their lives.

If I were to name the large number of wonderful things He has done so far in my life, it would bewilder you.

I realize it is intriguing to hear the juicy details of such a claim, but I would prefer to keep your mind on the main point.

It is that YOU can experience many positive and miraculous experiences in your own life when you believe in Jesus and put your trust in Him.

You will not experience them all in the beginning, but with time you will look back on your life and see He was there all along doing incredible things for you, starting with one of the greatest miracles of all: you becoming born again from His Spirit.

You get a new nature growing within you, kind of like a seed. It is full of joy, love, and peace. You can tap into all these things by seeking to be close to God, trusting Him, and living in His ways.

The popularity of self-improvement books, seminars, websites and videos indicate people, even those who are ''comfortable in their own skin'', want to become better. Believing in Jesus is the best way possible to improve yourself.

He can change your life for the positive in a better and more powerful way than any human teacher can.

One thing to remember is that God gives spiritual tools to those who believe in Jesus. So after you choose to believe in Him, use your tools! If you don't use them, they won't help you.

You can grow in the use of those tools, including faith, believing prayer, trust in God, teaming up with His Holy Spirit in you, and operating with confidence and authority to use your God-given talents and giftings. The Bible itself is a powerful spiritual tool, and is full of insight on how to use specific tools God gives.

The Gospel is Positive

When it comes to telling people why they should believe in Jesus as their Savior, it is pointless to resort to overblown negativity, such as scaring them about Hell, brow beating them, imposing peer pressure, arguing with them out of anger, deceptive sales tactics, or threatening to cut off their allowance (if they are your kids).

The gospel of Jesus Christ is 100% positive. We will soil it if we resort to rejecting it for anything less positive. We need not blind ourselves to the possible outcomes from refusing to believe in Jesus. People are by nature prudent to avoid danger. Understanding the good news results in safety, positivity, and a wonderful life. That is reason not to fear, but rather believe and enjoy.

There are many other benefits of becoming saved that I could list, but it is better for you to experience them yourself. He is calling you in a gentle way to come to Him and be saved.

If you would like to explore the evidence further, click this link:

Next: Overwhelming Evidence

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