Trusting Jesus

There is no greater question to be asked than for a sinner under conviction to inquire, “What must I do to be saved?” With great anticipation of witnessing a new birth we share with the penitent various Scriptures and encourage them to trust in Jesus.

But what exactly are we asking them to trust Jesus for?

Are we asking them to trust that Jesus died and rose again? Many men have died and come back to life. Granted not after three days, but resurrections happen everyday in surgery rooms in a sense. Just believing that Jesus died and rose again is not what saving faith is all about. Are we asking them to trust that Jesus is God? He is indeed God, but just because He is God doesn’t automatically mean that He is one’s savior. In fact, even though Jesus is God, many people die and go to an eternal Hell every day. There are so many other things that are true about Jesus, but what truths are vital to a sinners’ understanding when coming to Christ for salvation?

In short, a sinner needs to trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Sin and Righteousness: The clearest way to explain this truth is to begin with the definition of sin. Usually a person under conviction already has a firm belief in sin. Keeping it simple, one should explain how that sin is ultimately against God and keeps one from having a relationship with God, either now or in eternity. But we must not stop with the definition of sin; we must explain the definition of righteousness as well. No one truly understands the sinfulness of sin until they understand the righteous demands of God as communicated verbally to Adam and in writing to Moses.

A sinner needs to understand that they are not only guilty of breaking God’s laws but are also completely incapable of being righteous.

Trust in the Life of Jesus: With such an understanding of sin and righteousness, one is now able to understand the importance of the life of Jesus. Jesus lived the righteous life that God demands of us. We fail to live such a life, but Jesus lived it as our substitute. Trusting in Jesus is trusting in the life of righteousness that He lived for us. To “believe in Jesus’ life” is to believe that Jesus was indeed Divine and sinless.

Trust in the Death of Jesus: Furthermore, one should believe in Jesus’ death. Since He was sinless, Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins. A penitent sinner should trust that Jesus’ death on the cross eliminates the guilt and condemnation one has accrued as a sinner. Had Jesus not paid our debt, we would endlessly pay for our sins in Hell.

So when we say “Trust in Jesus” we are literally saying “Trust in Jesus that He died as your substitute and lived as your substitute. In His death He took credit for your sinful life, and by the grace of God He gives us credit for the righteousness of Jesus’ life when we have faith in Him.”

Trust in the Resurrection of Jesus: All of this is possible because He rose again. His resurrection was necessary to finalize our redemption because if Jesus is dead he cannot save anybody. But He was resurrected by God because God approved of His sacrifice for sinners. Thus the resurrection of Christ is the guarantee that God will give eternal life to all who trust in Jesus.