Jesus Christ? Who is he and why do I follow him?

Recently, a friend asked me to reflect on the ministry of Jesus Christ and share five beliefs/life principles that tug at my heart and compel me to be His disciple. And, he added, please base it on scriptural references and life lessons I’ve learned.

Let me share with you now just three beliefs for why I choose to follow Jesus Christ—for life.

Jesus—The Creator

I accept Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the second person of the godhead. (Jn 1:1-5.)

I accept the biblical account of creation. Jesus created the earth in six literal days. (Ge 1-2.)

On the sixth day, after God had created living creatures according to their kinds, God created mankind—male and female—in His image. (Ge 1:24-31; Ge 2:7.)

Then sin entered in and spread to all humankind. But!!! There was already a plan in place to rescue humanity. The plan formulated by the godhead in advance required that Jesus be the perfect sacrificial substitute for mankind. A perfect sacrifice was the only thing that would satisfy the righteous requirements of the law. (Ge 2:15-17; Ge 3:1-24; Ro 3:21-26.)

Jesus—The Savior

Christ came willingly to take my place and your place. He gave up His life and died on a cross so that you and I would not have to die in sin. He loves us and does not want to be separated from us. In fact, He wants to be with us for eternity. (Jn 3:16; Jn 14:2-3; 1 Pe 2:24.)

When Christ died on the cross, that was not the end of the story. As prophesied, on the third day Jesus rose from the tomb. (1 Co 15:1-8.)

Jesus’ disciples had not understood when He tried to tell them what He would have to go through. But when they went to the tomb, His was not there. Why? Because He had risen from the dead!!!! (Mt 20:17-19; Jn 20:11-18; Ac 10:34-43.)

Death could not hold Him, because He holds the power over life and death. (Ac 2:24.)

Jesus offers each one of us the opportunity to benefit from His victory at the cross. (Ro 8:1-2.)

What does one have to do to take advantage of Jesus’ victory at the cross? Believe Him and accept what He has done for all humanity. (Jn 15:1-27; Ro 10:8-10.)

So, you see, I belong to Christ by both creation and redemption. He redeemed me by giving Himself up for me at the cross. Then, when He was raised from death, after proving that He was alive, He returned to Heaven to intercede for me at the Father’s side where He now serves at High Priest and Intercessor for you and for me. (1 Ti 2:5; He 7:25; 1 Jn 2:1-2.)

Jesus—The Intercessor

I have not lived a perfect life by any means. At one time I was deep in sin. But Jesus did not throw me away like refuse. He pursued me and would not let me go. Then when I came to my senses and turned toward Him, He warmly received me and welcomed me home. 

Forgiveness of sin is available at the cross of Christ. Jesus has come to my rescue many times, including two times when I should have died because of foolishness on my part. (2 Chr 7:13-14; Lu 15:11-32; Ac 3:19; 2 Co 7:10.)

By accepting Him into my life, He came to live with me in my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. I gained the victory over temptation and sin. (1 Co 10:13; Ja 4:7.)

Even though I have surrendered my life to Christ, I still have the sinful nature within me. When I let my guard down, sometimes my sinful human nature gets the upper hand. But Jesus is continually advocating for me before His Father in Heaven. When I fall into sin, I can appeal directly to the God of Heaven—the Ruler and Sustainer of the universe—for forgiveness. I have appealed to Him many times and He has responded to my pleas. My God is faithful, merciful, and full of compassion. He wants us all to know the truth so that we will not be lost. That’s why He gave up His life. (1 Ti 2:1-7; 2 Pe 3:9; 1 Jn 2:1-2.)

Your Response

If you have not already done so, Jesus wants to come into your heart to live with you. He wants to be your personal Savior and Lord. (Re 3:20; Jn 14:23; Ro 8:38-39.)

Do you want to surrender to Him today? If so, join me in this prayer. 

“Lord, I admit I am a sinner. I need and want Your forgiveness. I accept Your death as the penalty for my sin and recognize that Your mercy and grace is a gift You offer to me because of Your great love, not based on anything I have done. Cleanse me and make me Your child. By faith I receive You into my heart as the Son of God and as Savior and Lord of my life. From now on, help me live for You, with You in control. In Your precious name, Amen.”

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I was born into an intact, Christian family with both my biological father and biological mother present. But life was challenging for our family from the beginning. 

We were poor, and my father was not a good provider. Dad also had a terrible temper, which included lots of yelling and sometimes hitting. He was unpredictable. He was also a womanizer and unfaithful to my mother.

Later, Dad and Mom were separated and then divorced. He was gone before I was a teenager. 

Until my early/mid–20’s, I lived as if my father’s absence had no impact on me. I was making my way through school, going to church, working, playing, and just living what I thought was a “normal” life. 

But then, I began realizing how my “backstory” was affecting me. 

Impact of My Father’s Absence

I never really had a healthy, long-term relationship with my biological father—I missed out on having a loving bond with him.

And I became really sad as I watched my beloved late mother struggle to raise our family as a single mom. By the time of her death, she had raised four generations of us.

I came to a point where I hated my father because of how he treated my mom and us and because of how he lived—different at home than how he was at church. I was cordial with him, but there was not much respect or genuine love.

But as time passed and I grew into my teenage and young adult years, I realized that I was exhibiting some of the same characteristics that my Father displayed when he was still living with us. It was like he modeled it and I adopted it. 

And I realized that I had a distorted view of marriage and family, and I had no real model from my dad of what being a loving husband and father looked like.

What’s the Point?

So, why am I telling you all this?

The key point here is that your backstory—the people, the places, the events, and the experiences of your past, both the good and the bad—can affect you today and into your future.

And more to the point is this. Good mental health includes completing your past—unpacking the unwanted emotional baggage you still carry around with you, finding healing for the wounds you experienced, processing the regrets from your past, and attending to unfinished business. 

Completing Your Past

Am I suggesting that you need to live in the past? No! That will only keep you from living well in the present.

Am I suggesting that you obsess over your past? Again, no! Living well in the present requires focusing on the present.

What I’m suggesting is that living well in the present will sometimes require bringing some closure to some aspects of your past so you can be more fully present in the here and now.

What Does That Look Like?

Let me share three principles for living that have helped and continue to help me complete my past.

First, learn, grow, and change. 

• Adopt the mindset of a lifelong learner—ever be on the alert for opportunities to learn, grow and change.
• Part of my journey included going to a Father Wound therapy group to deal with the impact of that part of my past.
• And I regularly read, listen, study, and pray to learn about the stuff in my life that still needs attention, both from my past and right now in the day–to–day of my present life. 
• Don’t be passive about the unwanted baggage of your life that you’re still lugging around with you, especially the wounds you’ve experienced, the regrets you have, and the unfinished business from your past. Rather, proactively set aside time to unpack that unwanted baggage—healing from your wounds, working through your regrets, and completing the unfinished business of your past—with a focus on learning, growing, and changing.
• Be intentional and seek help when you need it.

Second, adopt a forward vision for living. 

• Refuse to allow bad experiences from your past to define your identity.
• While I was sometimes told growing up that “You’re just like your father!”, I did not accept that as my identity—who I am.
• Rather, I sought professional help to deal with my anger and other patterns of thinking/behaving that mirrored how my father lived. 
• Don’t accept or settle into an identity deriving from the bad experiences of your past. Rather, affirm yourself as a Prince or Princess of the King of Kings—the God of Heaven who adopted us as his children and heirs to his Kingdom. And look forward to the transformation promised to all who are in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17) and seek also to experience the abundant life Jesus came to give you (John 10:10).  

Third, be in community.

• One of the most important things I’ve learned is don’t go it alone.
• I have three brothers who are my prayer partners. They know my whole story. We meet weekly. We praise together. We pray together. We study together. We support each other and hold each other accountable. And we advise and counsel each other—learning from each other and helping each other on the specifics of our individual lives. And, I’m also part of several Text Chat groups where we share updates, encourage and pray for each other, and celebrate with each other.
• Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) reads: “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” Cultivate these kinds of healthy friendships on your journey through life.
• And become part of a healthy community. It doesn’t have to be huge, just large enough so all can both give and receive loving support and enjoy the fellowship of one another.

Call to Action

“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” (Philippians 3:13–14, NLT) 

Complete your past.

So that you may live more fully in the present.

While, looking forward to God’s future for you.

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Copyright © 2024 Training for Transformation, Inc. All rights reserved.

Welcome to Transformed, Part 3 in a 3-part series, Confronting the Realities of Pre-Marital Sex. For my complete story, check out Part 1 and Part 2, Tangled and Frustrated. There, you’ll learn about a time when my heart and my mind were jumbled up and confused, and I lived a life that was disappointing and inconsistent with beliefs I valued.

Now, let me share how I moved from tangled and frustrated, to transformed.  

Powerless

My sexual behaviors had become unmanageable, and I was powerless to do anything to fix it. 

I was POW-ER-less!!! Repeat after me: powerless!!!

My promises to live consistently with my values were, as one Christian writer put it, like ‘ropes of sand.’  

Change Begins

After several years of engaging in sexual intimacy outside of marriage, I finally dragged myself into a fellowship of other people who were also struggling with unhealthy relationships. In those meetings and conversations with the members, I finally started to believe that God had enough grace, forgiveness, love, and power to change people—even change me.  

Because I am also a musician, song lyrics also reminded me that I could transfer my uselessness-masquerading-as-power to the Higher Power I call God. Divine help was “Just a Prayer Away” (Yolanda Adams).

“If you don’t have a willing heart, ask Him to give you one. If you can’t seem to make a start, trust in His power. For the Lord of love is watching you. He sees what you’re going through. He will make a way—if you want Him to. Do you want Him to? Then tell Him so.” (Willing Heart, Kelly Willard) 

Transformed

I took the challenge. I started to pray. I told God I wanted to do better, but I just couldn’t do it alone—not in my own strength, willpower, education, or culture.  

He came through—God accepted the job of helping me overcome my powerlessness. Now I’m under new management. 

I was transformed—Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIrV) 

This is what it feels like to wake up free and forgiven!

• God gave me a life companion—freedom from hiding; sexual enjoyment God’s way; acceptance of my defects of character; and opportunities to learn, grow and change in a committed relationship. 
• God gave me the joys of parenting—and grandparenting! 
• God helps me believe the things He says about me. 
• God helps me silence nagging self-defeating thoughts and words. 
• “God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again.” (John 3:16–17, MSG) 
• God gives me peace of mind—I marvel at the way this gift transforms my everyday life.  
• God is doing for me what I could not do for myself! 

Let me end this post by sharing a coveted gift from God. 

Knowing how much I love colors, fabrics, creative expressions and beautiful design, God gave me the gift of curating stylish outfits, from thrifted pieces no less! Skillfully choosing interchangeable pieces to create countless looks and outfits! Compliments galore! Wearing my faith! Shining with elegance, not sexiness! What an amazing assortment of gifts!  

A New Me

In Tangled, Part 1 of this series, I told you about some distortions I had about God that led to wrong thinking and behaving that were not consistent with my values.

In Frustrated, Part 2, I revealed some consequences of these distortions, including experiences with sex outside of marriage.

But best of all, in Transformed, Part 3, I share with you just how freeing and joyful it feels to go from Tangled and Frustrated, to Transformed in and with the power of God. TFT!

I was transformed—Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come! (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIrV)  

God has transformed me. God is transforming me. And God will continue to transform me.

He can do the same for you. I wish you well on your journey, dear Reader.

Join Our Email List on our Home page to be notified when new blogs are posted and to receive other TFT updates.

Visit our Online Resource Center for resources on sexuality, wellness, and change.

Contact Us to schedule TFT services: life coaching, communications, or consulting.

Copyright © 2024 Training for Transformation, Inc. All rights reserved.