Do you actually know Jesus?
Whether you grew up in church or not, you may have heard the phrase “born again.” But what does it actually mean? Jesus said unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God (John 3:3). The implication is that when you are born again, you can see his kingdom.
Born again is an illustration that points to a starting point for a new life in Christ. No other image quite captures the dramatic truth of how God transforms us from the inside out. Knowing Jesus is about living a new way of life with a new nature from a new identity because of this new birth (click here for more about knowing Jesus).
3 ways knowing Jesus builds a foundation for our faith to grow:
1. BELIEVE IN JESUS:
We can know about Jesus by gaining more information, but Jesus invites us to believe. To believe is to have confidence in the knowledge of truth, even without absolute proof. John 1:12-13 says, “to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God.”
To believe in Jesus means we have accepted him as Lord and experienced spiritual new birth. New birth gives us a new identity (click here to learn more about our identity).
How do we find this new identity?
2. FOLLOW JESUS:
We find our identity in Jesus by becoming a follower of him. Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24-25). This simply means turning from our selfish ways and following the way of Jesus. We all search for identity because it is a basic human need. Unless a person finds their identity in Jesus, everything else will leave them empty. Jesus meets that need by giving us a new identity. Identity in Christ leads to a new way of living.
How do we know this new way of living?
3. OBEY WHAT JESUS TAUGHT:
Knowing Jesus is not about obeying a list of rules to get into heaven. It’s about obeying his teaching to build a foundation. Jesus said, “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matthew 7:24). Let the Word of God and the Spirit of God guide us in how we live our lives.
Only Jesus can transform a human heart. To know Jesus is to believe, follow, and obey, which will build a solid foundation of faith for our lives.
P.S. – Check out more about this subject by watching this message, Part 3 of our series Why Church?