Who is Jesus?
Article 9 - What Then Should I Do With Jesus?
by Bryan Gibson
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This was the question Pilate posed to the Jews, after they had requested that Barabbas be released instead of Jesus. Their answer, of course, was “let him be crucified” (Matthew 27:15-22). Let’s take this same question and direct it to you—“What then shall YOU do with Jesus?” You’ve got several choices.
You can put Jesus off like Felix did. Felix was moved when he heard Paul preach about faith in Christ, but he said, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you” (Acts 24:24-25). There is no record that Felix ever found that convenient time. Putting Jesus off is not a good option. When He calls (through His word), you don’t say, “Let me first go and...” (Luke 9:59-61).
You can ignore the mountain of evidence and choose not to believe in Jesus. You can ignore all the Old Testament prophecies He fulfilled, all the eyewitness testimony, His resurrection from the dead, etc. Just be aware that if you take this route, you will die in your sins (John 8:21-24). You will acknowledge Him as Lord one day (Philippians 2:9-11), but it will be too late then.
You can believe in Jesus, but refuse to confess Him, verbally, or otherwise, just like the blind man’s parents in John 9, and the rulers in John 12. They believed Jesus was who He claimed to be, but they wouldn’t say so, because they were afraid of what their peers would say and do.
You can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess Him (at least verbally), but not abide in His teachings. That won’t get you to heaven, according to Jesus: “Not everyone who says Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). A true believer, a true disciple will abide in the teachings of Jesus: “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
You can choose the world over Jesus, just like the rich young ruler did (Matthew 19:16-22), and like Demas did (2 Timothy 4:10). That’s not a smart decision, because the world and everything in it is passing away (1 John 2:15-17). What Jesus offers will last forever.
You can choose to follow Jesus, but then deny him when the going gets tough, just like Peter did (Matthew 26:34ff.). If you do that, just make sure you do what Peter did afterward—return to the Lord and follow Him faithfully again.
You can choose to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost may be, no matter how difficult the road may become. You can choose to follow Him all the way to eternity -- take the first steps right now!
“What will you do with Jesus, my friend? Neutral you cannot be: someday your heart will be asking, oh friend, ‘What will He do with me?’ ” (What Will You Do With Jesus?, Alton Howard).
Please go on to the series of articles on Following Jesus -- Click Here
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?
You can put Jesus off like Felix did. Felix was moved when he heard Paul preach about faith in Christ, but he said, “Go away for now; when I have a convenient time I will call for you” (Acts 24:24-25). There is no record that Felix ever found that convenient time. Putting Jesus off is not a good option. When He calls (through His word), you don’t say, “Let me first go and...” (Luke 9:59-61).
You can ignore the mountain of evidence and choose not to believe in Jesus. You can ignore all the Old Testament prophecies He fulfilled, all the eyewitness testimony, His resurrection from the dead, etc. Just be aware that if you take this route, you will die in your sins (John 8:21-24). You will acknowledge Him as Lord one day (Philippians 2:9-11), but it will be too late then.
You can believe in Jesus, but refuse to confess Him, verbally, or otherwise, just like the blind man’s parents in John 9, and the rulers in John 12. They believed Jesus was who He claimed to be, but they wouldn’t say so, because they were afraid of what their peers would say and do.
You can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, confess Him (at least verbally), but not abide in His teachings. That won’t get you to heaven, according to Jesus: “Not everyone who says Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). A true believer, a true disciple will abide in the teachings of Jesus: “If you abide in My word, you are my disciples indeed” (John 8:31).
You can choose the world over Jesus, just like the rich young ruler did (Matthew 19:16-22), and like Demas did (2 Timothy 4:10). That’s not a smart decision, because the world and everything in it is passing away (1 John 2:15-17). What Jesus offers will last forever.
You can choose to follow Jesus, but then deny him when the going gets tough, just like Peter did (Matthew 26:34ff.). If you do that, just make sure you do what Peter did afterward—return to the Lord and follow Him faithfully again.
You can choose to follow Jesus, no matter what the cost may be, no matter how difficult the road may become. You can choose to follow Him all the way to eternity -- take the first steps right now!
“What will you do with Jesus, my friend? Neutral you cannot be: someday your heart will be asking, oh friend, ‘What will He do with me?’ ” (What Will You Do With Jesus?, Alton Howard).
Please go on to the series of articles on Following Jesus -- Click Here
What are the conditions of salvation given by Jesus?