What does it mean to actually follow Jesus?

This is such a vital and important question. I am often asked things like, “Will, I want to start my journey or relationship with Jesus, but I don’t know what that means!” So what does a relationship with Jesus mean? Let’s start with some Scripture.

Ephesians 2:1–10 (ESV) says:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This passage reveals a couple important truths. The first is that we are naturally against God, or naturally “in” sin and a rebel against our Creator. This is very different from the worldview and beliefs of our culture, which teach that we are all naturally innocent or good and deserving of some kind of “heaven.” But that’s not what the Bible teaches. Ephesians clearly shows us that we have a problem, and that is that we are guilty of sin before a holy God. So how do we overcome this problem? Is it by cleaning up our act? Getting back in church? Being more religious? The Bible says that our “works” (the things we do) cannot save us and that those works are as filthy rags before God (Isaiah 64:6).

Ephesians 2 teaches us that one is saved by grace, through faith, in Jesus Christ. It is only through God’s mercy towards sinful people that they can be made righteous (have right standing or innocence) before Him. THIS is the good news! But what is faith? Is it merely an intellectual agreement with the facts about the Bible or who Jesus is? No, faith involves knowledge (knowing facts), belief (recognizing that said object can actually do what it says it can, that it’s effective), and trust (leaning upon said object, relying upon it). Faith is not just saying something with your mouth, it’s trusting wholly in the thing you say is true, casting yourself upon it. In this case, trusting that Jesus is who he said he is, that his work can actually save people, and casting yourself personally upon what he did in his life, death, and resurrection to save sinners such as yourself. The effect is a confidence before God, and a rest in what he has promised, that those who believe upon Jesus are forgiven of their sin and adopted as sons/daughters and given the Holy Spirit as a down payment and guarantee of the salvation that they’ve been given (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The Good News (aka the Gospel)

An easy way to remember this “good news” is this graphic (seen below)

• Circle #1 (top left) signifies creation, the triune God made everything as an overflow of the love that was shared within the Godhead, and His intentions are to dwell with humanity in a state of peace, love, and relationship.
• As you can see in circle #2, we as humans choose to reject God’s plan and embrace the lies of the deceiver, plunging the world into chaos, sin, and brokenness. Each of us deserve God’s judgment for our personal contribution to breaking the universe through our sin against the Holy God.
• But God provides circle #3. Jesus comes to earth, fully God and fully man, and lives the life we each should have lived (a law-obedient, morally good/perfect life without sin), dies on the cross as a substitute for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21), and resurrects from the grave, defeating the primary consequence of our sin, death/separation from God(1 Corinthians 15:3-4) and leading the way for all those who would believe in him and also be resurrected.

So now what?

Am I supposed to do something? How do I move forward? This is a hard section because it’s ultimately about the heart, it’s intangible, and it’s about a change of belief more than it is just “doing” new things or embracing new habits/disciplines (which is what most people teach). When the Holy Spirit makes us new at the moment of belief and resurrects our heart, transforming us and bringing us new life, he begins in us a process called sanctification. This is a slow, lifelong journey of living more like Jesus.

God desires to make us holy and transform us into people who no longer believe and live in the ways of the world, which bears ugly and painful fruit. So now, you are to engage in the journey (or following) of Jesus through repentance (turning away from the beliefs and ways of the world) and faith (embracing and walking within the truth/Word of God).

What this means Practically:

⛪️ Get plugged into a healthy, Bible-believing, Gospel-preaching local church. Belief in Jesus cannot and should not be a solo sport, you’ve been given gifts to serve and build up the body of Christ (the church) and walk in a community of Kingdom-minded individuals (Hebrews 10:24-25).

📖🙏 Begin to read God’s Word and speak to him in prayer. This is not a legalistic practice to earn salvation or prove something to God, but is a way to hear directly from God (through His Word or “Voice” – the Bible) and speak to Him through prayer in this new relationship.

Remember that God created with a desire to have relationship with human beings. He desires to personally know you, to enjoy you and be enjoyed by you. This brings him glory. When we come to faith in Jesus, our lives are completely reoriented around a new set of priorities and an entirely different understanding of the world, which primarily consists of the fact that this Creator God Yahweh is the most noble, wonderful, fulfilling, and glorious being in existence. That He is the center, the point, the end-all be-all, and deserving of our life and love. Real life is found here, in right relationship with God, through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. Everything else in life is put in its proper place when God is on the throne of our heart and the center of our affections.

A Prayer of Surrender

“Okay, I want to give my life to Jesus and follow him.” If that is you, I would invite you to take a moment personally with God and pray this prayer to Him:

Lord, I admit that I am a sinner and have spent my life  in rebellion against you. I ask for your forgiveness. I believe that you (Jesus) lived the life that I should have lived, that you took my place on the cross as a substitute for my sin, and that you rose from the dead to save me from the consequence of my sin – death and eternal separation from you. I trust you and follow you as my Lord and Savior. I give you my life and ask that you take it & use it for your glory. I follow you as my God & commit myself to you. Amen.

Now, many people have wrongly taken this type of “sinner’s prayer” and relied upon it for their salvation saying something like, “well I prayed the prayer back in the day so I know I’m saved.” That’s not the point, it’s a guide to help you express your heart to the Lord and ask Him to save you from your sin and be your God. So don’t rely on the prayer, rely fully upon the work of Jesus on your behalf. You can have confidence of your eternal destination and God’s unchanging love for you, when you rest in the work of Jesus Christ on your behalf.

Next Steps

If you just prayed, and decided to put your faith in Jesus, would you please input your email address below & press the button! I would love to be in touch with you and send you some free resources as you begin your journey with Jesus. I also want to be praying for you and celebrating with you in your new life with the Lord! I’ll be in touch, and I’m thrilled that you spent the time to read through this & consider your place with the Lord.