The question is not "do you have a relationship with Jesus?" The question is "are you saved?" There is a very common and popular teaching these days coming from many churches and pastors, even independent fundamental Baptist churches, that says in order to get saved and have eternal life you must have a relationship with Jesus. Many say "begin a relationship with Jesus." It is true that we must know Jesus to be saved. In that sense it is okay to say we must accept Jesus as our savior personally. So it is okay to say, do you know Jesus? John 17:3: And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent. But you don't begin a relationship with Christ to get saved, you simply put your trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross and receive the gift of eternal life that was paid for by him. Romans 6:23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And the bible also puts it this way: You must receive Jesus. John 1:12: But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: It is very misleading to tell unsaved people that they need to have a relationship with Jesus to get saved. An unsaved person has no idea how to have a relationship with Jesus. What they need is to get saved first by believing on the name of Jesus, trusting in his shed blood, and receiving the free gift of salvation.
It is also a dangerous teaching because it can lead to people thinking they are saved when they are not. Some people when they hear all you need to do to be saved is have a relationship with Jesus, they will start praying and think they are saved because they supposedly pray and talk to God. Many unsaved people pray. Just praying alone does not save you, you have to come to a place in your life where you admit you are a sinner and deserve to go to hell for eternity, and then call upon the name of the Lord to save you. Romans 10:13: For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. You must put all your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross to pay for your sins. That is how you get saved, not by starting to pray and trying to have a relationship with Jesus. In fact, in Matthew 7:23 it says this: Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast our devils: and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23: And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. These people thought they were saved, but Jesus said "I never knew you", so they ended up going to hell. Even though they did all those things in Jesus's name, they were still unsaved. The only prayer that God will hear from an unsaved person is in Luke 10:13:... "God be merciful to me a sinner" or something similar to that, where you admit you are a sinner and can only be saved by God's mercy when you put your faith and trust in what Jesus did for you on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again the third day.
Nowhere in the bible does it ever use the term relationship or anything close to that in regards to salvation, but the one word used to describe salvation is believe. In the book of John the word believe or believeth is used over 85 times. This is the main book in the bible that talks about how to get saved; that is why it uses the word believe, believe, believe over and over again. And also in the book of Acts is where a man asked what he needed to do to be saved and the apostles said to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:30: And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31: And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
There are many saved people who never read the bible, never pray, never go to church, never do anything for God, but they know in their heart that they have definitely trusted in the name of Jesus for salvation and have been born again. These are the people who are saved, but do not have a relationship or close communion with Christ. They are missing out on all the joy and happiness that being an obedient child of God brings, but they are still saved and will go to heaven when they die. That is the difference between having a relationship with Christ and salvation. We should walk with Jesus and talk with him by reading the bible, applying it to our life, and praying and being filled with the Holy Spirit, but not all saved people do. It is like sometimes when a child grows up and moves away from home, they will go for years without speaking to their parents. They still know their parents, they are just not having a relationship with them. They are still their parents child, just like a saved person is still a child of God, even if they never pray or read the bible.
It is much better to be saved and to be in fellowship with the Lord. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with him AFTER we get saved so that he can bless us and use us, but saying you have to have a relationship with Jesus in order to be saved is getting the cart before the horse. We get saved FIRST and then grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and get to know him better and learn to obey him if we want to follow him and live for him.
II Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever Amen.
Jesus wants us to follow him and be close to him and to be our friend, but that's not what saves us. A wonderful passage of scripture about this is in John chapter 15.
John 15:14: Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
15: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Did you notice how it says the word "if". There is a condition to being Jesus's friend and that is to keep his commandments. The only condition for salvation is faith. That is the difference.
To follow Jesus and keep his commandments the best we know how, as we learn and grow, brings so much joy. 1 Peter 1:7: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:8: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.:
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John 15:10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Living for Jesus is definitely the most joyous and rewarding life that any saved person could possibly live here on earth and it will be even better when we get to heaven and receive the rewards for our labor and the works we did for the Lord. Even when we suffer for Christ's sake, and especially when we suffer for him, we will have great joy.
I Peter 4:12: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
So it is one thing to be saved and it is another thing to have a relationship with Christ. Salvation is free, having a relationship takes work. It involves being in God's word and learning more and more about Jesus and striving to please him. Of course, we are not perfect and all of us have sin in our life, and also we are all in different stages of growth in our walk with the Lord. We fail many times and fall into sin, but Jesus will forgive us and cleanse us if ye confess our sins. He is still our friend, though.
I John 1:3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6: If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
It is much better to be saved and to be in fellowship with the Lord. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with him AFTER we get saved so that he can bless us and use us, but saying you have to have a relationship with Jesus in order to be saved is getting the cart before the horse. We get saved FIRST and then grow in grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and get to know him better and learn to obey him if we want to follow him and live for him.
II Peter 3:18: But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever Amen.
Jesus wants us to follow him and be close to him and to be our friend, but that's not what saves us. A wonderful passage of scripture about this is in John chapter 15.
John 15:14: Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
15: Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
Did you notice how it says the word "if". There is a condition to being Jesus's friend and that is to keep his commandments. The only condition for salvation is faith. That is the difference.
To follow Jesus and keep his commandments the best we know how, as we learn and grow, brings so much joy. 1 Peter 1:7: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.
I Peter 1:8: Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.:
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John 15:10: If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11: These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
Notice, it doesn't say to believe on him for your joy to be full, but to keep his commandments for your joy to be full. Salvation is free, but after we are saved we should try to keep Jesus' commandments so we can have the full joy of our salvation. We should try to obey his commandments just like he obeyed his Father's commandments.
I Peter 4:12: Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14: If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
So it is one thing to be saved and it is another thing to have a relationship with Christ. Salvation is free, having a relationship takes work. It involves being in God's word and learning more and more about Jesus and striving to please him. Of course, we are not perfect and all of us have sin in our life, and also we are all in different stages of growth in our walk with the Lord. We fail many times and fall into sin, but Jesus will forgive us and cleanse us if ye confess our sins. He is still our friend, though.
I John 1:3: That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4: And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5: This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6: If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If you are reading this and you do not know Jesus as your own personal savior, you do not need to begin a relationship with Jesus in order to be saved, you only simply need to believe on Jesus and trust him with your heart as the one who died on the cross to pay for your sins and rose again the third day.
To any saved person who is reading this, I would like to encourage you to love Jesus, walk with him, and be his friend (having a relationship with him), so that you will know all the abundant joy that he has in store for you, and that you will lay up treasures in heaven and receive great rewards there. It will be worth it when you come to the end of your life and you hear Jesus say "Well done, thou good and faithful servant".
Matthew 25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
Matthew 25:21: His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
For more information on how to trust Jesus as your savior, please click here for a clear presentation of the gospel.
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