Start here · Meet Jesus

Who is Jesus?

If you read one page on this site, read this one. Not a religion, not a self-improvement plan, not a set of rules. A Person. The most important question you will ever answer is the one He asked His own friends: “Whom say ye that I am?”

“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Matthew 16:15–16
I

Who He is

Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem about two thousand years ago, to a young woman named Mary, in a stable, under an occupying empire. He grew up in a carpenter’s home, walked the roads of Galilee and Judea, taught, healed the sick, fed crowds, calmed storms, raised the dead, and was executed on a Roman cross outside Jerusalem. Three days later His tomb was empty, and more than five hundred people saw Him alive.

That is history. Here is the claim behind it: Jesus is God the Son. Not a prophet, not a good teacher, not a moral example. The eternal Word who made everything, who put on flesh and came to us. Fully God. Fully man. Without sin. He said so plainly, His enemies understood Him perfectly, and it is the reason they killed Him.

He is alive right now. He reigns at the right hand of the Father, He is praying for His people, and He is coming back. Every knee will bow. The only question is whether you bow now, gladly, or later, too late.

“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

“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.”

Hebrews 1:3

“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Philippians 2:9–11

Seven I am statements

In His own words

Seven times in John’s Gospel Jesus says “I am” and finishes the sentence. Read them slowly. This is Jesus telling you who He is.

The Bread of Life

“And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.”

John 6:35

The Light of the World

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”

John 8:12

The Door

“I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.”

John 10:9

The Good Shepherd

“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.”

John 10:11

The Resurrection and the Life

“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.”

John 11:25

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

John 14:6

The True Vine

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”

John 15:5
II

The problem

Here is the part nobody likes and everybody needs. God is holy, and we are not. Every one of us has sinned: lied, lusted, hated, taken what was not ours, put ourselves on the throne that belongs to God. Not just the people on the news. You. Me. All of us.

Sin is not a mistake to be managed. It is a debt and a death sentence, and it has cut us off from the God who made us. No amount of good behaviour pays it down. You cannot be good enough, because the standard is perfection, and that ship sailed the first time you knew better and did it anyway.

If that sounds harsh, it is also the most honest thing you will hear today. And it is the reason the next part is the best news in the world.

“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
III

What He did

God did not leave us in it. The Son of God came down, lived the perfect life you and I could not live, and then walked to a cross on purpose. On that cross He took your sin, all of it, and the full punishment for it, onto Himself. The Judge stepped down from the bench and took the sentence. The innocent One died for the guilty.

Then He was buried. And on the third day He got up. The resurrection is not a metaphor. It is the receipt. It proves that the payment was accepted, that death is beaten, and that everything He said about Himself was true.

This is the Gospel, the good news: Christ died for our sins, He was buried, and He rose again. Nothing added. Nothing you contribute. He did it all, and He did it for you.

“For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”

1 Corinthians 15:3–4

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

Romans 5:8

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Isaiah 53:5

“For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

2 Corinthians 5:21

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

John 3:16
IV

What He asks of you

Two words: repent and believe. Repent means turn. Stop running your own life, admit you have been wrong, and turn around to face Him. Believe means trust: not that He existed, the devil believes that, but that He died for you and rose again, and that He alone can save you. Lean your whole weight on Him.

You are not saved by being baptized, by going to church, by cleaning up your act, or by praying a formula. You are saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ. It is a gift. You receive a gift; you do not earn it. And when you receive Him, He gives you the right to be called a child of God.

Then you follow Him. Jesus is not a Saviour you add to your life. He is a King you surrender it to. That is what the word Lord means. He asks for everything, and He is worth it.

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.”

Mark 1:15

“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

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8–9

“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

Respond

Talk to Him. Right now.

There are no magic words. God is listening to your heart, not grading your grammar. But if you do not know what to say, say this, out loud if you can, and mean it:

Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I have lived my own way and I have fallen short of God’s glory, and I cannot fix it myself.

I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You died on the cross for my sins, and that God raised You from the dead.

I turn from my sin and I turn to You. Forgive me. Wash me clean. Come into my life and be my Lord and my Saviour.

From this day I am Yours. Teach me to follow You. Make me the man or woman You made me to be. Thank You for saving me. Amen.

If you just prayed that and meant it, then hear this clearly: you are saved. Not because you said the right words, but because He promised that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved, and He does not lie. You did not earn it, so you cannot lose it. You are in His hand and no one can pluck you out.

You will not feel different every day. Feelings are not the proof. His Word is. Welcome to the family. Now do the next thing: tell somebody today.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

Romans 10:13

“And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”

John 10:28

“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

What now

Your first seven days

A new believer is a newborn, and newborns need to eat. Read one of these a day, in order, and do the one thing beside it. Check them off as you go; this page remembers your progress on this device.

0 of 7 days done

  1. Day 1 · John 1

    Tell someone

    Tell one person today that you have given your life to Jesus. Out loud. It makes it real, and it is the first act of obedience.

  2. Day 2 · John 3

    Born again

    Jesus explains to a religious man why being good is not enough. Read it twice.

  3. Day 3 · Luke 15

    The Father runs

    Three stories about lost things being found. The last one is about you. Notice what the father does when the son comes home.

  4. Day 4 · Romans 8

    No condemnation

    What is now true about you. Read verse 1 and verses 38–39 until you can say them from memory.

  5. Day 5 · Ephesians 2

    Grace

    Dead, then alive. By grace, through faith, not of works. Write verses 8–10 on a card and put it where you will see it.

  6. Day 6 · Psalm 51 and 1 John 1

    When you blow it

    You will sin again. Here is what to do when you do: confess it, be cleansed, get up. Do not hide from Him. Run to Him.

  7. Day 7 · Matthew 28 and Acts 2

    Sent

    The marching orders and the first church. Find a church that preaches this Book and go this Sunday. Ask about baptism.

Then keep going

Six habits of a new believer.

  1. Pray every day

    Talk to Him like He is in the room, because He is. Morning is best. The Pray page will show you how.

  2. Get in the Word every day

    Start with the Gospel of John, then take the Warrior’s Week plan. The How to read the Bible lessons will keep you from getting lost.

  3. Find a church

    A Bible-preaching, Jesus-exalting local church. Not a perfect one; there are none. Show up, join, serve, and let them know you.

  4. Get baptized

    Jesus commanded it and the first believers did it right away. It does not save you; it tells the world Who did. Ask your pastor.

  5. Find your people

    You were not built to fight alone. Join a Look Up community, or start one, and read the Word with brothers and sisters who will not let you quit.

  6. Armor up

    You have a real enemy now, and he noticed. Learn the whole armour of God and put it on every morning.

Honest answers

Questions people ask

Am I too far gone?

No. Paul called himself the chief of sinners; he had hunted Christians down and watched them die. The thief on the cross next to Jesus had hours to live and nothing to offer, and Jesus told him, “To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” There is no sin bigger than the cross. The only way to be too far gone is to refuse to come.

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”

1 Timothy 1:15
Do I have to clean up my life first?

You cannot, and He does not ask you to. Come as you are; He will do the cleaning. A sick man does not get healthy before he goes to the doctor. Jesus came for the sick, not for people who think they are well.

“They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:31–32
How can I know I am really saved?

By His promise, not by your feelings. God wrote the Bible so that believers could know they have eternal life. If you have turned from your sin and trusted Christ, He has saved you, and His Spirit will bear witness in you over time: a new hunger for Him, a new hatred of sin, a new love for His people. When doubt comes, go back to the Word, not to your emotions.

“These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life.”

1 John 5:13
What happens when I sin again?

You will, and the enemy will tell you it proves nothing changed. He is lying. A child who falls is still a child. Confess it, plainly, to the Father, receive the forgiveness Christ already paid for, and get back up. You have an Advocate in heaven who never loses a case.

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:9
Why did Jesus have to die? Couldn’t God just forgive?

Because God is just. A judge who lets the guilty walk is not good; he is corrupt. Sin had to be paid for. The wonder of the cross is that God paid it Himself. Justice was satisfied and mercy was poured out in the same moment, on the same hill.

“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
Is Jesus really the only way?

He said He was, and He rose from the dead to back it up. Nobody else has. If there were another way, the Father would not have sent His Son to die. Jesus is not one path up the mountain. He is the One who came down it to carry you.

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

Acts 4:12
What about baptism?

Baptism is the first thing Jesus tells a new believer to do. It is a picture: going under the water is being buried with Christ, coming up is being raised with Him to a new life. It does not save you; faith in Christ does. But a believer who refuses it is refusing a direct order from his King. Find a church and get it done.

“Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

Romans 6:4
What is the Bible, and where do I start?

Sixty-six books, written over fifteen hundred years, one Author, one story, and it is all about Him. Start with the Gospel of John, one chapter a day. Then come back here and take the ten basic-training lessons on how to read it.

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

2 Timothy 3:16

Read it yourself

Go to the source

Do not take our word for it. Read what He said and did. These are the places to start, in the King James Version; any good translation will do.

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