20/20: God's Vision For My LifeSample

Jesus is the Answer

By Geoffrey Cohen

For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13

As a young Jewish boy growing up in South Africa, I was raised in the rich traditions of my people and heritage. I was circumcised on the eighth day according to the Law of Moses, I learned to read and write Hebrew from the age of seven, and I celebrated my transition into manhood with a Bar Mitzvah at the age of thirteen. I attended private Jewish schools and received training in the Orthodox Jewish traditions. My faith in the one true God—the God of Israel; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—was unshakeable and sincere.

One day, when I was about 14 years old, I was in the car with my father and a large truck drove past us with the words “jesus saves” painted across the back. Now until this point in my life, Jesus had never really been much of a thought or consideration for me; however, as I read those words, I thought to myself: What an interesting statement…if only they had finished the sentence. I figured the poor guy who began the sentence had simply run out of paint and been unable to complete it. Nevertheless, I grew very curious about what the rest of the sentence was supposed to say. I began to think: Who does Jesus save? Why would He save anyone? What does He save us from? And how does He save?

Those two words painted on the back of a truck became the seed in my life that caused me to begin thinking about Jesus and led me down the road towards salvation. Eight years later, Jesus appeared to me as I was walking through the city of Jerusalem, and He spoke a single word to me—hinneni—which in Hebrew means, “Here am I.” In other words, Jesus wanted me to know He was the One I had been looking for. That day, I prayed the first real prayer I had ever prayed from my heart, and God heard me.

Now that I am a “completed” or “fulfilled” Jew through my faith in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, I know that He saved me from everything I need to be saved from. He has saved me from an eternity of separation from God. He saved me from my own sinfulness and wayward ways. And He continues to save me daily from my own weaknesses and shortcomings and from straying from the paths of truth and righteousness.

Paul wrote in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” It is such a simple and powerful message, yet we often make our explanations about Jesus much longer and more complicated than they need to be. Because of this, I think we sometimes miss opportunities to share our faith in a clear and understandable way…we miss the simplicity and power of the gospel message. The truth is that the Scriptures say, “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Whatever your questions may be, Jesus is the answer.

You might think this message is too simplistic for this intellectual and philosophical generation that struggles to grasp truth and doesn’t believe in absolutes. But take a moment and try personalizing Romans 10:13 for yourself by putting your own name in place of the word “whoever.” Whatever your need is—whether spiritual, physical, emotional, or financial—when you call on the name of the Lord, He will hear you. He will send help and meet your need. It may not be in the timing you like or in the way you hope, but He will save you.

Over the past 26 years of my walk with the Lord, I have called on His name thousands of times, and I continue to do so on a daily basis. As I look back at the day when I read a sentence on the back of a truck that I thought was incomplete, I now realize that the sentence didn’t need any more words to complete it. When the name of Jesus is in any sentence, it is complete!

What do you need to be saved from? I don’t know your circumstances, struggles, or personal needs, but I do know this…Jesus saves! Call on the Lord today. He will save you from whatever you need to be saved from. More importantly, because of His death on the cross, Jesus saves you so that you can belong totally and completely to Him. Only in Him will you find true fullness, contentment, and satisfaction…only He can meet your every need.

Jesus is the answer, for the world today. Above Him there’s no other. Jesus is the way.
~ Andraé Crouch

Memory Verse

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8–9