Take the Big Step Toward God!
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. You roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:17 NLT
What does it mean to “put our trust in Christ”?
First, let’s look at what it means to trust! According to my Merriam-Webster app, to “trust” means to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of someone; to place your confidence in or rely on; to hope or expect confidently; to commit or place in one’s care or keeping; to permit to stay or go or to do something without fear or misgiving; to depend upon.
Wow, a definition like that shows us “trust” is a big deal! I’ve learned from experience that I can’t really trust someone who doesn’t care for me. I only really trust people that I know love me. So in order to truly trust God, we first need to understand how he feels about us!
1. God loves us!
God loves us so much! He is pure and excellent and a magnificent administrator of this earth that he created. And best of all, he created us (mankind) and longs for us to walk in deep friendship with him. We were made to know God and be filled with his love for us. However…
2. Bad news: our sins have separated us from God.
We inherited a sin nature from our parents, who inherited it from their parents and so on. Sin is a default part of our human makeup. Because of our sin nature we make both unconscious and deliberate choices to turn against God.
Of course, some people may sin more than others, but the fact remains that all people have sinned against God. I tend to look at it like this: If I have one end of a string in my hand and you’re holding the other end, how many cuts in it do I have to make in order for the connection to be broken? The answer: only one! The same with sin. It doesn’t matter if we’re Squeaky Clean Church Girl or Hooker Jo—we are both separated from a holy God by our sin.
“It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.”
Does that concern you? It should. It concerned God so much that you were in danger of perishing eternally that out of love he came up with a remedy to save you! Out of love—because that’s how he feels about you!
3. Jesus paid for our sins.
Jesus, the very Son of God left heaven above to become a man. He lived a perfect life, fulfilling all of the commands of God that we never could. Because he never sinned, he was perfect before God. In his perfection, he obeyed his heavenly Father and laid down his life to pay for our sin. Because of his perfect sacrifice for sin, Jesus bridged the gap between God and sinful man. He is the bridge that brings us to God. In John 14:6 NIV Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
So how does God feel about you? Romans 5:8 sums it up: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
So how do we trust in Christ? It starts by understanding how very, very much he loves us! And then we respond to his love!
4. We must receive Jesus.
If I was holding out a gift to you, it isn’t really yours until you reach out and take it! You can believe I want to give it to you and stand there looking at me without taking it. You can say, “Aww, shucks, you shouldn’t!” But the truth is—you actually have to reach out and receive the gift for yourself! Jesus offers you the free gift of salvation! He shed his blood to pay for your sins on the cross—receive it!
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NLT
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. I John 1:9 NIV
So how do I put my trust in Jesus? How do I receive Christ?
To receive the free gift of eternal life, you must believe that your sins were paid for when Jesus Christ died on the cross. Acknowledge your sinfulness to him, be remorseful, and receive God’s forgiveness and his righteousness. Make him your boss and live to please him. Get to know Jesus through prayer reading the Bible, and going to a church that teaches following the Bible. Build relationships with other believers who will help you walk with God. If you have questions, talk to a pastor or another believer who is more mature than you. Don’t wait—your eternal destiny may be at stake!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
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