Next Steps

How to Know Jesus

God created you, loves you, and wants to have a personal relationship with you! But He doesn’t force you to love Him or be in relationship with Him.

He allows all of us to choose our own life journey. Unfortunately, on our own we rebel against God, and our sin—the things we do that fall short of God’s will for us—separates us from Him. We turn away from God and seek love and fulfillment from the world. But sin takes us further from God and the life we truly seek.

Most of us notice this and recognize that something is missing in our lives. We try to earn God’s favor by doing good things like going to church, giving to charity, helping the poor, or being a good person. But the Bible says that no one is right with God, no matter how much good we do. (Romans 3:10). Our good works aren’t enough to repair our broken relationship with God or earn eternal life in heaven.

Here’s the Good News!

Since there is no way we can work our way to God, He came to us. Romans 5:8 tells us, “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Suppose you were in a hospital and dying of an incurable disease and someone offered to take the diseased cells from your body into theirs. If that were possible, what would happen to you? To that person? You would live and that person would die in your place. Similarly, Jesus has offered to take the sin cells that will result in a physical and spiritual death from your body into His.

He took upon Himself the sin penalty that we deserved and placed it upon Himself. He died in our place.

There’s more good news! Three days later Jesus rose from the dead, showing His power to conquer sin and death.

It means that you can be forgiven, rescued, and given a fresh start through faith in Christ! He is the only way for us to be forgiven, have a relationship with God, and have eternal life. Here is a verse to encourage you…
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one should boast.” -Ephesians 2:8-9
Ask Jesus to forgive you of all your sins and tell Him you want to place your trust in Him. Here is a prayer you can pray. It’s not the prayer itself that saves you, but your desire to be forgiven and have a relationship with God.
“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and that I cannot reach you on my own. I admit I deserve to pay the penalty for the wrong I’ve done. I believe that Jesus Christ died for me and rose from the grave. I accept your free gift of forgiveness and invite you to be the leader of my life. Thank you for the gift of a new life and eternal life in heaven. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

You have a new future and relationship with God! Now what?

Now What?

Pray

Begin spending time each day talking with God. This sets the tone for your day and helps to keep your focus on what God has done.

Worship

Worship with other believers at a local church like Scottsdale Bible or contact us to recommend one in your area.

Tell Others

Let people know what Jesus has done for you! When we share our stories we find God at work in others lives and encourages our faith.

Grow

Grow to be like Jesus by studying His teachings. Reading the Gospel of John (fourth book in the New Testament) is a great place to start.

Need More Context

Why should we believe in the authenticity of Jesus and His claims?

Faith in Jesus isn't a blind leap. Here are seven key areas we can examine that support the validity of Jesus' statements about Himself.

Jesus fulfilled documented prophecies that were recorded centuries before His earthly ministry, including His place of birth and type of death.
Had someone been able to produce a dead body of Jesus, it would have been exhibit A that He had not risen. However, the fact that His grave was empty after being guarded by Roman soldiers and sealed with a huge boulder demonstrated His deity. He rose on the third day, just like He said He would.
After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to at least 500 people. He not only appeared to them, but also ate and conversed with them.
The documentation of His miracles confirms that He was God. What kind of a person has complete power and authority over sickness, death, nature and spiritual forces? Only God.
The disciples who had witnessed the execution of their leader went into hiding, fearing for their lives. But something happened that so transformed them that they were willing to risk everything to spread the news that Jesus was risen. What would cause such a paradigm shift? Seeing the resurrected Jesus! Think about it—the disciples believed that the Message was worth dying for and now, 2000 years later, people’s lives are still being transformed by the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.
Unlike other religious and spiritual leaders, Jesus claimed to be God, the Messiah. Furthermore, He also had the supernatural miracles and powers to back up the claim. See Matthew 26:63-64 and John 14:6.
Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. We can have a personal relationship with Him today by seeking His forgiveness of our sins and by placing our trust in Him to rescue us from our wrongs that separate us from God.

Connect with a Pastor

Maybe You Still Have Questions?

If you have more questions about starting your faith journey, we’d love to talk with you! Feel free to contact our Pastor of the Day at 480.334.4102 or email info@scottsdalebible.com.