SUGGESTED READING
This passage of scripture is one of the most powerful and informative in the whole Bible. If you’ve never read the Bible, but you are now reading these two verses, you have just acquired the knowledge that is the key to your eternity.
Of course, it doesn’t mean squat to you if you don’t believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But what if it is? What if God really has revealed Himself and His will in something simple, this book we call the Bible?
If you don’t already believe, consider the possibility that the Bible is true, and read the remainder of this article with that in mind.
For those who believe, the book of John contains some very good news: There is a way to the Father! Most people believe there is God. A large percentage of those who believe in God also believe in a place called Heaven, where Father God resides, and most who believe that believe also that it is a place to which certain people go when they die. Where disagreements really start cropping up is when people speculate from the standpoint of purely human wisdom to answer the deep heart-cry of humanity: How do I get to be with God?
John the disciple records his Master’s own answer to that question: “No one comes to the Father except through Me.” It could also be said this way: Through Me, you come to the Father. Through Jesus, you and I have access to the Father! That’s good news! But Jesus precedes that statement by saying He is THE Way, not one of several ways. He is THE Truth, not one of many truths. And He is THE Life, the only source and sustainer of all that is alive. That makes Jesus a necessity, doesn’t it?
Who is this Way, this Truth, this Life anyway? Who is this Jesus? Jesus told His disciples that because they knew and had seen Him, they also knew and had seen the Father. If we want to know who God is, then we need to know who Jesus is.
In the first chapter of John, we are shown that Jesus and the Word are the same thing. Jesus is the flesh version of the Word. If we want to know who Jesus is, we will find Him in the Bible.
But wait, there’s more! In Hebrews chapter 1, we’re told that Jesus is the exact representation of God the Father Himself! If we can know who Jesus is and what He is like, then we also can know what God is like. We can get all this important information from that book called the Bible.
But you and I both know that knowing about someone is not the same as knowing that person. Jesus, using the term “through Me” as the way to the Father, implies the need for a relationship. To get to be with God, we need a relationship with Jesus.
Spending eternity with God is all about family. God intends to spend eternity with His family. The Bible asserts that Jesus is just the firstborn of many brothers (Romans 8:29). By accepting the truth of the Bible and receiving Jesus into your life, you are essentially birthed into the family of God. That is what is meant by the term “born again.” This is truly a wonderful thing. Just like being a member of an earthly family entails certain rights, so does being a member God’s family. Being brothers and sisters with Christ means being entitled to everything that Jesus is entitled to, including life forever with God.
This is one gang you can join where there are no entrance requirements, save one: you just have to believe in Jesus and in what He did. You don't have to prove yourself first. There are no rules, no games to play, no secrets to keep. You don't have to quit all your bad habits and "spruce up" your life in advance.
When Jesus walked on the earth, He was limited by his body to be in one place at a time. But just before He rose into heaven after His resurrection, He promised to send the Holy Spirit to us, so that in this way He could be with each of us all the time, through His living "in" us. It is the indwelling Holy Spirit who helps believers to change and grow to be more Christ-like, because people cannot do it by themselves.
A curious person might ask this question: “How do I establish a relationship with Jesus so that I can be born again and become a part of God’s special family?” I’m glad you asked. The answer is found in the book of Romans.
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. (Romans 10:9,10)
Originally, man was not separated from God. Adam and Eve enjoyed incredible fellowship with the Lord--they were with Him in the fullest sense of the word, able to enjoy His presence all the time. They lacked nothing.
When sin entered the picture, that easy relationship with God was damaged, and all of Adam’s progeny were cursed with a sinful nature. God desired a reconciliation with His creation, but sin stood in the way. A holy God cannot fellowship with sin. The universal law demanded blood from a perfect sacrifice as the way to clean away sin, which the priests performed imperfectly with animal sacrifices during the times of the Old Testament.
Jesus Christ, the very Son of God, became the God-man and lived the perfect life, that for man was impossible to live. He became the perfect blood sacrifice, paying the ransom for each of our lives, so that we could spend eternity with God. Jesus was crucified on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead to spend eternity with Him. And we who have become co-heirs with Christ, through the “new birth” into God’s family, have this also to look forward to: Though doomed to an eternal death because of sin, Jesus’ shed blood paid the price for us, so God will raise us from the dead too, and we will forever be with the Lord.
Confess.
Believe.
Recieve.
It’s that simple.
It’s God’s grace toward us that by something as simple as faith in what Jesus accomplished for us that we will enjoy eternal salvation in spite of anything and everything we’ve ever said, thought, or done that was wrong.
Maybe you don’t have a good earthly family. Maybe you have no family at all. How would you like to become a part of the best, most significant family there has ever been or ever will be?
Pray with me: Dear Lord Jesus, I ask You now to come into my life. I confess that I have sinned and have not been perfect. I believe that You died on the cross and were raised from the dead in order that I may be washed clean of my sin and brought back to God. I thank You for making a way for me to the Father, so that I can be a part of Your family forever. Thank You for all that You’ve done. I will do my best to learn about You and to serve You with the rest of my life. Amen.
Welcome home!
G.D.
SUGGESTED READING
The Bible (the New International [NIV] and New King James [NKJ] Versions are perfect choices for beginners and for anyone who has found the old King James Version tedious to understand.)
Dressed to Kill (spiritual warfare and armor--very important book on overcoming), by Rick Renner
From Faith to Faith (feminine cover) (daily devotional) OR From Faith to Faith (masculine cover) by Kenneth and Gloria Copeland
No Wonder They Call Him Savior (excellent, excellent, excellent), by Max Lucado
How To Discipline Your Flesh (breaking wrong habits), by Kenneth Copeland
Destined For The Throne (who you are in Christ and eternal impact), by Paul E. Billheimer
Don't Waste Your Sorrows (suffering in the life of the believer), Paul E. Billheimer
Combat Faith (cracking the "faith barrier"), by Hal Lindsey
Point Man (for men; filling your role as a leader in your home), by Steve Farrar
Greater Health God's Way by Stormie Omartian (7 steps to vibrant health)
Love is a Decision (marriage), by Gary Smalley with John Trent, Ph.D.
Dynamic Truths For The Spirit Filled Life (in depth study of the two natures of the believer), by C.S. Lovett, Personal Christianity, Box 549, Baldwin Park, CA 91706, (818) 338-7333
