Where to start

One

Who is Jesus?

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:14

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Colossians 1:16

Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

John 14:9

He is God.

The God who made everything — every star, every person, the ground under your feet — came into the world as a man and lived among us. That is who Jesus is.

Read those four verses again. The Word was God. The Word was made flesh. By him all things were created. And when Philip asked to be shown the Father, Jesus told him he was already looking at him.

His name is Jesus, and all glory and honor belong to him.

Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.

Psalms 115:1

Two

Why do I need him?

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Romans 3:23

But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Isaiah 59:2

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23

All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. Not most. All. The best person you know is in that sentence, and so are you, and so am I.

And sin is not simply a mistake to regret. It separates. Isaiah says it plainly — your iniquities have made a division between you and your God, and hidden his face from you. That is what is actually wrong. Not a low score. A distance, with no way across it from our side.

Left there, it ends one way: the wages of sin is death. Wages are what you have earned. But the verse does not stop at wages. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

That is why you need him. He is the way across.

Three

What did he do?

But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

1 Peter 3:18

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

1 Corinthians 15:3

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:4

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Ephesians 2:8

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Ephesians 2:9

He was nailed to a cross, and he died there. A real death, in public, with his mother watching. They took his body down, laid it in a tomb, and sealed it.

On the third day he rose. The tomb was empty. He was seen alive by the people who had watched him die.

He did it in our place. The just for the unjust — the debt we could never pay, paid in full by the one man who never owed a penny of it. Jesus paid it all.

And he did it while we were yet sinners. He did not wait for anybody to improve first.

So there is nothing left to settle. It cannot be earned, it cannot be repaid, and it cannot be lost by failing to earn it well enough. It is a gift, and the only thing left to do with a gift is take it.

Four

How do I follow him?

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Romans 10:9

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 1:12

And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Luke 9:23

And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:42

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Hebrews 13:5

For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

Romans 8:38

Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:39

Believe it, and say so. Confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead. That is the beginning, and it really is that simple.

To as many as receive him, he gives power to become the sons of God. Not servants kept at a distance. Sons and daughters, with a Father.

Then he calls you to follow, and he was honest about the cost: take up your cross, daily. This is not a method for a better life. It is handing your life over to the one who bought it.

And he makes you new. Not improved — a new creature, with the old things passed away. What that looks like day to day is there in Acts: the Scriptures, other Christians, the bread and the cup, and prayer. Not alone, and not all at once.

And he does not leave. He said it himself: I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Not when you fail, not when you forget, not when you wander off. His love endures for ever, and there is nothing in all creation able to separate you from it.

If you want to pray

You do not need particular words, and God is not marking them. But if you would rather have something to say, this is honest, and it is enough.

If you meant that, tell somebody. Say it out loud to a Christian you know, or to a church near you. That is not a formality. It is how this has always worked.

What now