Some people think that believing in God and in Jesus is just a crutch. As if believing in God is actually just a sign of weakness because you can't "cope" without it.
What I then ask them is: "If you broke both your legs, you need a wheelchair for a while, right?"
Which most people would then concede.
Then I simply say: "And if you broke one leg, you need crutches, right?"
Again, they would then say "yes".
Then I would further explain: "I have discovered in my life what a broken person I am before a holy God. Perhaps you, too, if you think about it carefully and are willing to be honest, might also have to admit that you are not perfect and are also broken in some ways.
I have never met anyone who is not broken in some sense of the word. That's why I'm so grateful that I can lean on Jesus while He makes me whole and healthy again."
As I've already said, I'm a Christian because I need God's grace and His forgiveness. I'm a Christian because Jesus did something for me - and for you - to pay our sin debt, but also so that God, who is a Holy God, can have mercy on us.
Let me remind you of the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16.
It says: "For God so loved the world..."
Write your own name where "world" is written.
God loved you so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to come and do something for you too.
So many people like to wear a cross around their neck, just because it looks nice to them.
What they don't understand is that the symbol of the cross is actually a horrible symbol if we think about it carefully. After all, the cross was a way in which the Roman authorities at the time made criminals suffer, to punish them for their crimes, and to then execute them in this way. Almost like the gallows where people are hanged until they die. Because they deserved it.
For us as followers of Jesus, the cross is the symbol of what Jesus came to do for us. There He, the totally Innocent, came to give His blood and His life for me and you, who are actually the guilty ones. So that God could forgive our sins, because Jesus had already paid the full price for them.
Therefore, God can absolve me, forgive me, because I believe that Jesus did this for me too.
This is what I personally chose to believe on October 10, 1969, and why I also accepted Jesus as my Personal Savior and Lord in faith.
That day, as John 1:12 says, “received Jesus”.
There, I chose to believe in Him. Chosen to, based on the historical facts about what He did there on Golgotha in April 30 A.D., to accept Him as my personal Savior and Lord.
That day, the Lord regenerated me, made me new, and “reset” my spirit.
That day, something happened in me; new life was turned on in me; God’s Spirit Himself came to live in me, to complete this work that God had begun in me, until the end of my life.
That day I became a child of God, and I know I will not perish, but I have eternal life. Because God says so and promises it in His Word. In verses like John 3:16 to 18, John 1:12, 1 John 5:12 to 14, etc.
We cannot change our past, but we can bring our past to God, and He can cleanse us, make us clean, set us free, and forgive us.
Can I summarize all of this for you?
Why did I choose to become a Christian and to accept Jesus in faith as my Savior?
Because I need forgiveness.
Because Jesus died for me to erase my past and give me new life for today, and hope for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
To tie all this to my heart and yours, the Lord gave us all these wonderful images in the Bible to help us understand who Jesus is to us and what a difference believing in Him can make in our lives. Here are a few examples of this, in conclusion:
• Jesus is the Bread of Life.
• He is the Water that gives Life.
• He is the Light of the World.
• He is the Cornerstone.
• He is the Sun of Righteousness.
• He is the Hidden Treasure and a Pearl of Great Price. — bankers can understand this well.
• He is the Great Physician.
• He is the Good Teacher or Instructor.
• He is the Lily of the Field.
• He is the Eternal Rock.
• He is the True Vine.
• He is the Righteous Judge.
• He and all that He teaches us is truly Wisdom.
• He is the Word of God.
• He is the Good Shepherd.
• He is the Alpha and Omega.
• He is the King of kings.
• He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
All of this is who Jesus is.
Therefore, He is the One in whom I believe and whom I trust and follow with my whole life!