Following JesusSample

What it means to be saved

To follow Jesus, you've gotta know Him. Here’s what placing your faith in Jesus looks like: 

• First, acknowledge that you sin and that Jesus took the punishment for it. 
• Next, confess and believe that Jesus is Lord. This means Jesus has permission to speak into your life. 

When you declare that Jesus is Lord, you’re putting yourself under His authority. You’re giving up on doing what you think is right and instead committing to doing what Jesus says is right. You’re putting your trust in Him and acknowledging that His way of living is better. 

When we do these two things, something amazing happens. Romans 10:9-10 says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” 

Confess and believe. That’s it. That’s how you become a Christian and start following Jesus. 

When you look in the mirror, you won’t see a new face. But the Bible promises that you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have been given a fresh start, a new beginning, and you did nothing to earn or deserve it. That’s grace. 

Grace is God’s kindness, favor, and generosity toward us. Salvation, the starting place for following Jesus, is our first experience of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). But it won’t be the last.  The longer you follow Jesus, the more you start to see His grace in every part of your life. 

Reflect:

• Have you confessed and believed that Jesus is Lord? If not, what’s holding you back?
• If you’ve been following Jesus for a while, think about where you were when Jesus saved you. How is your life different than it was then? What are some ways you’ve continued to see God’s grace in your life?
• Is there any area of your life that isn’t under Jesus’ authority? What would it look like to give Him control of that part of your life, too?