Why do I believe in Jesus? Why do I follow after Him and read His Word? My answer is quite simple. I believe in Jesus because I am a sinner and because Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
I am a sinner – there’s no doubt about that! I haven’t kept all of God’s commandments perfectly as He demands. I haven’t loved God with all my heart, soul and mind; and I haven’t loved my neighbor as much as I have loved myself. I haven’t always put God first in my life, and I haven’t always used God’s name in an honorable way or eagerly listened to God’s Word. I’ve disobeyed my parents. I’ve hated and spoken evil of others rather than loving and helping them in their needs. I’ve had evil thoughts and desires, and I’ve desired things which were not mine to have.
God’s Word is right when it says of me: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”; and, “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 3:23, 6:23a). I know that I am a sinner and, in God’s judgment, deserve to be condemned to eternal punishment in hell for my sins!
So, why do I believe in Jesus? Because He came into the world to save sinners!
The Bible says: “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). All of us are sinners, and God provided a way for sinners like me to be saved when He sent His only begotten Son into the world as a true man to keep God’s commandments for us and then to die upon the cross and bear the punishment for my sins and the sins of the whole world of sinners. Again, the Bible says that “Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures … He was buried … He rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4); and that “Jesus Christ the righteous … is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1, 2).
Jesus’ resurrection from the dead on the third day is proof that He paid in full for all my sins – for the sins of all people – for He was suffering there, not for anything He had done amiss, but for our transgressions and disobedience to God’s perfect law. The Bible says of the Lord Jesus that He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification” (Romans 4:25).
I believe in Jesus because God has forgiven all my sins and made me, a sinner, acceptable in His sight through Christ Jesus. The Bible says: “He hath made us accepted in the Beloved. In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:6, 7).
Because of Jesus’ life and death for me, I know that God will not condemn me to eternal suffering in hell for my sins, but will, instead, grant me a place with Him in heaven! Jesus Himself says: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.” (John 5:24).
Yes, I am a sinner and have come short, but I am “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
When I stand before God in His great judgment on the Last Day, I need not be afraid. Though a sinner, Jesus shed His blood for me! His cleansing blood will be my only plea!
I pray that you, too, will believe in Jesus, for He came into the world to save sinners like me and like you!
Pastor Randy Moll
