You said yes to Jesus—and we’re really proud of you. There are a lot of ways you might hear people talk about saying yes to Jesus. You might hear phrases like “committing your life to Jesus,” “becoming a Christian,” “getting saved,” or “choosing to follow Jesus.”
Following Jesus means becoming like Him. But who is Jesus, and why would we want to be more like Him?

To answer that question, we need to go to the first book of the Bible, Genesis. It tells us that in the beginning, God made the world, humanity included. He gave us the job of enjoying and caring for what He made. But humanity made choices that hurt us, others, and the world. These choices—what the Bible calls sin—separated us from our perfect God and limited our ability to do the job He had given us.

Centuries later, God’s Son entered the world as a baby named Jesus. Jesus lived around 33 years on Earth and spent that time showing us the best way to live—by loving God and loving others. Then He closed the separation between us and God, His Father, by dying on a cross and rising from the dead. Why would Jesus, fully God and fully man, have made this kind of sacrifice for us? Before His death, Jesus sat down with a person named Nicodemus late one night. Nicodemus had lots of questions about what it meant to follow Jesus. As part of His response to Nicodemus’ questions, Jesus shared some of His most famous words:

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 NLT

Salvation is a gift from God. You are saved from the eternal consequences of your sin and given eternal life. Salvation is about what God has already done for you – not what you can do for Him. ‍

Ephesians 2:8 says "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith –and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." You have been saved by the grace of Jesus through faith; not because of anything you have done but rather, because of what he did for you when he died on the cross and rose again.‍

You said yes to Jesus. Now what’s next?

Romans 10:9 says, "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Salvation is when you turn away from sin, repent, and believe and confess that Jesus is Lord. You don’t have to work for salvation, you can simply believe for salvation.

Salvation begins the process we call sanctification. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17

This means that your former way of life has ended and a new life with Jesus has begun. No longer are you bound to past mistakes and failures; you now live in the freedom that Jesus brings. Sanctification simply means becoming more like Jesus through the disciplines of spiritual formation.
In order to gain a deeper understanding of God’s heart, will, and purpose not just for your life, but for all of humanity - you have to become a student of His Word.‍

Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. ***That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:1-3

The Bible is the living word of God. Every part of it is divinely inspired and written. It is how He speaks to us. It tells us His story – and our part within that story. You can pick up a free copy of the Bible at our Information Center in the lobby. Or, download the Bible app here: INSERT LINK TO BIBLE APP