How to Know Jesus
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV
The Bible tells us God loves us and has a plan for our lives—both here on Earth and for eternity. In fact, the Bible says that God is love, which means that His love for us is more wonderful, complete, and fulfilling than any other relationship we could ever experience.
Unfortunately, we’ve all disqualified ourselves from peace with God. The Bible explains that just one sin—a wrong, immoral choice, even a bad attitude like lust, hate, or greed—is enough to sever our relationship with God. This is because God is so perfect and holy that He can’t even look at sin. After we die, we will face judgement for our sins. Apart from God, every human will be found guilty and sentenced to an eternity away from God in Hell. But, because God loves us so much, He enacted a plan to save us. He became a man, Jesus, and did what we could not: He lived a perfect, sinless life. Then, though He was completely innocent, He endured our punishment for us when He died on the cross.
Through Jesus, God has opened the door for us to restore our relationship with Him. Now that Jesus took our punishment by dying in our place, all we have to do to be right with God is believe in Jesus as our Savior and Lord. This means we need to admit to God that we have fallen short of His standard and that we know we cannot make it to Heaven on our own. We need to ask God to forgive our sins and commit to following Jesus.
If you are ready to begin this relationship with the God who longs for a relationship with you, all it takes is a simple, silent prayer. God knows our hearts, and it’s our hearts that matter more than the wording, but here’s an idea of what you could say:
Jesus, I want a relationship with you. I am a sinner, and I’m sorry for the things I’ve done. Thank you for dying in my place on the cross and taking the punishment for my wrongs. Please be my Lord and Savior. I give you my life, and I thank you for saving me from Hell. Amen.
Believing in Jesus is the first step in a lifelong journey—a journey we’re not meant to take alone.
If you’ve made the decision to follow Jesus, get plugged in with other believers who can encourage you and help you with questions and struggles. If we can help you along the way, please call us at (920) 231-8231 or email us at info@plymouthchurchoshkosh.com
