If you're just beginning to consider a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, we want to help. This article is intended to tell you what you need to know to meet Jesus for yourself. If you are wrestling with intellectual issues related to the Christian faith, this essay may help you by addressing the most common questions people ask about Jesus. If you are a believer in search of resources for helping someone else meet the Lord, this essay may be a tool to help explain your faith.

For more in-depth discussion of the topics we'll address here, please consult the "The Top Fifty" and advanced searches within this website. If I can help you personally, please contact me through drdenison@godissues.org. As a fellow explorer of spirituality, it's my privilege to share with you that truth which has helped me along the way.

We'll tackle seven questions I've been asked most frequently regarding faith in Jesus:

1. How do I know Jesus is real?
2. How do I know the Bible is true?
3. How do I know Jesus is really God?
4. Aren't all religions the same?
5. Why do I need Jesus in my life?
6. How can I meet Jesus for myself?
7. How can I know that I have eternal life?

You're welcome to explore each issue, or scroll down to the question which is yours.

So we can know that Jesus existed, and that the Bible is trustworthy. In the Scriptures we find his repeated claim to be not just a religious teacher but Lord and God (see Matthew 26:63-64; John 8:58; Acts 5:29-32). How do we know he was right?

The resurrection is the historical proof that Jesus is or is not God (see 1 Corinthians 15:13-15). We know that witnesses to the resurrected Christ were numerous (1 Corinthians 15:6), intelligent and well-educated (see Acts 22:3), men and women of integrity whose claims were easily validated by others (see Acts 26:26).

So the witnesses were credible. What of the objective evidence for their claims? It is a fact of history that Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, and that on the third day his tomb was found empty. Skeptics have struggled to explain his empty tomb ever since.

Perhaps his disciples stole the body (Matthew 28:11-15), as the soldiers guarding the tomb claimed. But how would sleeping guards know the identity of the thieves? Why would these disciples then die for a lie? Maybe the women stole the body. But how would they make a corpse look alive, and why would they suffer for such a fabrication? If the authorities took the body, why didn't they produce it when the first Christians began proclaiming the resurrection?

Maybe the disciples went to the wrong tomb and found it empty. But Joseph of Arimathea knew his own tomb (Matthew 27:57-61), and the authorities would have corrected the error. Perhaps Jesus didn't really die on the cross. But how did he survive burial clothes which would have suffocated him? How did he overpower the guards, appear through walls (John 20:19,26) and ascend to heaven (Acts 1:9)?

There is only one reasonable explanation for the empty tomb, the changed lives of the disciples, and the overnight explosion of the Christian movement upon the world stage: Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He is therefore who he claimed to be: our Lord and God.

Christians base their faith in Jesus upon the biblical claim that he is the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. But Muslims believe the Koran is the revelation of Allah; Buddhists follow their own sacred writings, as do Hindus and scores of other religions. If every faith has its own "Bible," why should we follow the Christian Scriptures? If we don't, can we find any other evidence that Jesus existed and that we should trust him as our Lord?

In fact, if we had no New Testament we could reconstruct the Christian doctrine that Christ is Lord on the basis of non-Christian writings, nearly all as old as the New Testament books themselves. Here's the story in brief.

Five Roman historians recorded facts which are important to our question. Thallus the Samaritan (A.D. 52) referred to Jesus' existence and death. Mara bar Serapion (writing after A.D. 70) wrote about Jesus as the King executed by the Jews. Suetonius (A.D. 65-135) recorded punishments inflicted on Christians for "professing a new and mischievous religious belief" which threatened the Roman veneration of Caesar.

Tacitus (A.D. 55-120), the greatest ancient Roman historian, wrote that "Christus… suffered the extreme penalty during the reign of Tiberius at the hands of one of our procurators, Pontius Pilatus, and a most mischievous superstition broke out" (Annals XV.44). Pliny the Younger, a Roman administrator, noted in A.D. 112 that Christians worship sing "a hymn to Christ as to a god." And Flavius Josephus, the noted Jewish historian (AD 37/38—97), recorded the early Christians' belief that Jesus had risen from the grave as Lord (Antiquities 18:3:3).

The earliest Christians believed Jesus to be Lord, as their letters and other writings made clear. For instance, the Didache, written before AD 100, repeatedly called Jesus "the Lord." It ends thus: "The Lord shall come and all his saints with him. Then shall the world 'see the Lord coming on the clouds of Heaven'" (16:7-8). Clement of Rome, writing in AD 95, repeatedly referred to the "Lord Jesus Christ." And he promised a "future resurrection" on the basis of his "raising the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead" (24:1). Ignatius (writing between A.D. 110 and 115) and Justin the Martyr (ca. A.D. 150) consistently called Jesus their "Lord" or "God."

Even without a Bible, we can know that Jesus existed, that he was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and that the first Christians believed him to be raised from the dead and worshiped him as their Lord. The enemies of Christianity tried to denigrate Jesus and his followers, but not a single critic ever claimed that he did not exist. The evidence is just too strong.

Faith in Jesus stands on solid historical evidence, but also on the descriptions of Jesus and his teachings found in the Bible. How can we know that what we read there is really true?

Let's consider first the manuscript evidence. Since no original manuscript of any ancient book exists today, we need to know if the Bible we possess today is a trustworthy copy of the original books. So we rely on "textual critics," scholars who compare ancient manuscripts to produce a copy as close to the original as possible. Those who work with biblical texts believe that the Old and New Testaments we possess today are virtually identical to the originals. The only questions which remain affect matters of spelling, punctuation, and isolated verses; none relates to essential doctrine or practice of the faith.

Archaeological discoveries provide a second reason to trust the Bible. For instance, the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2) was once dismissed as non-historical. Now tour guides in Jerusalem point groups to its location in the northeast quarter of the Old City. I've seen the ruins myself. We have a stone inscription documenting the life and office of Pontius Pilate; the ossuary (coffin) of Caiaphas, the High Priest of the crucifixion; an inscription found at Delphi which describes the work of Gallio, proconsul at Corinth (Acts 18:12-17); and scores of other artifacts which document the accuracy of biblical history and description.

Third, the Bible keeps its promises. For instance, the Old Testament contains more than 50 promises regarding the coming Messiah; Jesus fulfilled every one of them. The internal consistency of the Scriptures is evidence that they are inspired by God.

But the best way to know if the Bible is true is to test its claims personally. You know a car repair manual is trustworthy if it works in repairing your car. A recipe is proven by the meal it produces. When we meet Jesus personally, we discover that he is who the Bible says he is. And that the Bible really is the trustworthy word of God.

We can believe that Jesus existed, the Bible is trustworthy, and Jesus is the risen Lord. But what makes him the only way to God, as he claimed (John 14:6)? Don't all religions lead up the same mountain to the same God? Why do we need to trust in Jesus to go to heaven?

Some say that objective truth does not exist, so the claim "Jesus is Lord" is merely personal and subjective. But if I say, "There is no such thing as absolute truth," haven't I made a claim to absolute truth? We don't accept relativism with regard to the historicity of the Holocaust, or our doctor's diagnosis, or the airplane mechanic's assurance that the plane is safe. Objective truth is an intellectual and practical necessity in life.

Others say that all religions teach the same truth. But Buddha taught that there is no "god," despite the fact that some of his followers now worship him. Hindus believe in thousands of territorial deities but no "Lord" of the universe; Brahman is the divine force which sustains the universe, not a personal God to be worshiped. Muslims believe that Allah (the Arabic word for God) is the one supreme ruler of the universe. Jews believe that Yahweh revealed himself through the Laws and Prophets of their Scriptures, that Jesus was not the Messiah, and that the New Testament is not the word of God. And Christians say that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

If any one of these religions is right, the others by definition are wrong. None believes that other religions are equally correct or divinely inspired. The scriptures which the various world religions trust do not describe different paths up the same mountain, but very different mountains.

And no other faith rests on historical evidence as compelling as that which exists for Christianity. No other religious leader was raised from the dead; no other ancient religious book possesses the kind of manuscript, archaeological, and prophetic evidence which the Bible can claim. If Jesus is alive, then he is Lord and God. And we can trust him to be our Lord and our God.

So we know Jesus existed, the Bible is trustworthy, and his claim to be God and the way to God stands on evidence and reason. Now, why do you need him personally? What will he do for you which no one else can?

The Bible diagnoses our problem: "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). If you're the exception, the one person who has never lied or cheated or had an immoral thought, I'd like to meet you and learn how you did it. The rest of us know that it's true, that we've all made mistakes and sinned. So what? "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). God cannot let my sins into his perfect heaven, or it wouldn't be heaven any longer. My sins must be punished, my debt paid.

This is why Jesus came: to die in our place, taking our punishment on himself (see Isaiah 53:5, 12). No one else in all of human history has done this, or could do it. Every other person has sinned, with their own debt before God. Only Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), so he had no debt to pay. He could thus die for us, taking our place and purchasing our salvation. He then rose from the dead to prove his divinity, and to show us that we would live after death with him in paradise (John 14:1-6).

You need Jesus in your life so that your sins can be forgiven and you can spend eternity in heaven. He is the only one who can give you this gift. But every gift, even those which come from God, must be opened.

If you believe that Jesus is real, his word is true, he is the risen Lord, and he is the only One who can give you eternal life, you are ready to meet him personally. You can now open the gift of salvation he died to give you.

These are the biblical facts which make possible your personal relationship with God:

1. God loves you
. He created you and wants to have a personal relationship with you now on earth and eternally in heaven (John 3:16; Ephesians 2:4-5).
2. Sin has separated you from God.
The Bible defines "sin" as choosing our will over God's. We have each made this mistake (Romans 3:23). Our sins have now separated us from our holy God, and he cannot allow us into his perfect heaven. Instead, we are each destined for an eternity separated from God in hell (Revelation 19:11-15).
3. You cannot repair your broken relationship with God.
Many people think we can be good or religious enough to earn God's forgiveness and go to heaven when we die. But the Bible teaches that the only payment for sin is death (Romans 6:23; Ezekiel 18:20). Someone must die for the sins we have committed.
4. Jesus died to pay the debt owed by your sins.
Since Jesus was sinless and owed no debt to God, his death could pay for our sins. He took our place on the cross and suffered the penalty we deserved. His death now makes it possible for a righteous God to forgive our sins and offer us salvation (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24).
5. You must receive the gift he died to give.
Now you must choose to trust in what Jesus has done for you rather than trusting in your own efforts to restore your relationship with God. In faith, rely completely on Jesus to make you right with God. Confess your sins and mistakes to God, and choose to live by God's word and will. Decide that you will make Jesus the Lord and Master of your life.

How can you make this decision? Through prayer you can meet Jesus today. There is no single prayer you must pray to become a Christian, no magic formula. But the following words are one way to trust Christ as Lord. They are the prayer I offered to God on September 9, 1973, when I first trusted in Jesus as my Savior. If you will pray them with the sincere commitment of your heart and life, you will join me in knowing Jesus personally and living for him as your Lord.

If you prayed this prayer for the first time just now, please tell someone about your decision. Christianity cannot be lived alone. A coal by itself goes out—it needs the heat of other coals. Share your new faith with someone you trust, and with a church where you can grow in your commitment to Christ.

If you would like someone from Park Cities Baptist Church to talk with you concerning your relationship with God, please call 214-860-1500. We would be excited and honored to help you follow Jesus personally.

How can we know that we are "saved," that we have a personal relationship with God? What do we do when doubts arise? How can we be sure?

Our salvation does not depend on anything we can do, but only on what God has done for us. If you have invited Jesus Christ to be your Savior and Lord, his word promises that he has done what you asked him to do. He has forgiven your failures and sins, and made you the child of God. You have his word on it:

1. "Whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). From the moment you "believed in him," you received eternal life.
2. "Whoever lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:26). You have eternal life, right now. You will never perish. When you breathe your last breath here, you breathe your first breath in heaven.
3. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-28). You are not holding onto him—he's holding onto you.
4. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are a new creation, the child of God. It is not possible for you to return to where you were before you met Christ.

You are his child, and will always be his child, just as my children will always be my children. No matter how they feel, or what they say or do, they cannot go back and not be my sons, because they were born as my sons. You were "born again" as the child of God, and will be his child forever.

There will likely be times when you don't feel close to God, when you don't feel like going to worship, or reading the Bible, or praying. But the Bible nowhere tells us how it feels to be a Christian. Our feelings depend on many factors besides our relationship with God. They are the caboose at the end of the train of faith, not its engine.

If you're married, there may be times when you feel closer to your spouse than others—but you're still married. An employee's feelings about her employer don't change the fact that she has a job. A student's feelings about his teachers don't change the fact that he's in school. Feelings don't change facts.

Once you have chosen to trust in Jesus, you have become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Now it is impossible for you to choose to lose your salvation. A child cannot choose later not to be born. If a person claims he once knew Jesus but now rejects him, he never really knew him personally.

Unfortunately, we still sin and fall short of the people our Father wants us to be. Fortunately, our assurance is not based on our abilities but God's grace. He says that we are his children. His Son died to pay off our spiritual debt so we could join his eternal family. This is the word of the Lord.

It takes as much faith to believe in God now as it did when you first trusted in Jesus. Faith is a relationship, and no relationship can be proven. No married couple can prove to someone outside their family that they love each other. No friends can prove their friendship to those who have not experienced it. It's impossible to explain love to someone who has never felt it. Relationships are self-validating—the more they are experienced, the stronger they become.

So don't wait until you feel close to God—act as though you are. Read his word, pray, worship him personally and publicly, and get involved in the life and work of a local church. Act on your faith, and you'll find your faith growing deeper and stronger.

You were made by God for this purpose: to know Jesus and make him known. A personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the only piece that will fit the hole in your spiritual jigsaw puzzle. He is the hub into which all the spokes of your life fit, the "true north" on your compass. If you haven't entered a personal relationship with Jesus yet, I sincerely hope you'll pray to meet him today. If you know him, I hope that you'll help someone else know him. Helping people follow Jesus is the greatest joy in life.