How Do I Begin a Relationship With Jesus?

The phrase relationship with Jesus can sound strange if you have never thought about Christianity that way.

How can you have a relationship with someone you cannot see? How does that relationship begin? What are you supposed to do? And how would you know whether anything has actually happened?

Those are reasonable questions.

Christianity says that knowing Jesus is more than learning about Him or agreeing with His teachings.

It is receiving the life He offers and beginning to live in relationship with Him.

The Relationship Begins With His Invitation

We often imagine that spiritual life begins with us searching for God.

The Christian story begins somewhere else.

God has already moved toward us.

Jesus came announcing that the Kingdom of God had come near. He welcomed people who had failed, people who were searching, people who were doubtful, and people whose lives were far from what God intended.

His invitation was remarkably simple: “Follow Me.”

A relationship with Jesus begins because He has first invited us into one.

You Come to Jesus as You Are

You do not need to repair your life before coming to Jesus.

You do not need to become more religious, eliminate every doubt, understand the entire Bible, or prove that you are serious enough.

You come honestly.

That includes being honest about the ways you have lived apart from God.

The Bible calls this sin. Sin is not merely a list of bad things people do. At its heart is our decision to live on our own terms rather than receiving life from God.

Jesus does not ask us to pretend that this separation does not exist.

He invites us to let Him restore what has been broken.

Receive What Jesus Has Done

At the center of Christianity are the cross and resurrection of Jesus.

Christians believe that Jesus took our sin upon Himself on the cross and that He rose from the dead, opening the way to restored life with God.

This is why becoming a Christian is not primarily about promising God that you will become a better person.

It is about trusting what Jesus has done for you.

The New Testament says: “Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.”

Notice the language: receive.

Life with God is received, not achieved.

Talk to Him Honestly

Relationships involve communication, so one of the simplest ways to begin is to talk to Jesus.

You do not need special religious language.

You can tell Him what you believe, where you still have questions, what you regret, what you fear, and what you hope might change.

If you are ready to trust Him, tell Him that too.

You might simply pray:

Jesus, I want to know You.

I know that I have lived in my own way and that I need the life only You can give. Thank You for loving me and for what You have done through the cross and resurrection.

I place my trust in You. Forgive me, give me Your life, and teach me to follow You.

Again, there is nothing magical about those particular words.

A prayer does not work because you say it perfectly. Prayer simply gives expression to the trust of your heart.

You May Not Feel Different Immediately

Some people have a powerful emotional experience when they begin following Jesus.

Others do not.

You may feel relief, joy, peace, or a strong awareness of God’s presence. Or you may simply know that you have made a sincere decision to trust Jesus.

Your relationship with Him does not depend upon producing a particular feeling.

Feelings can be meaningful, but they change.

Christian faith rests on Jesus and what He has done, not on our ability to create a spiritual experience.

Then Begin Following

A relationship grows as it is lived.

Begin talking with God. Begin reading about Jesus in the Gospels. Spend time with other people who are learning to follow Him. Ask questions. Learn to listen. Allow Jesus to begin reshaping the way you live.

You will not understand everything immediately.

You will make mistakes. You will discover things that need to change. You will have new questions.

That does not mean the relationship has failed.

It means you have begun following.

You have received life in Christ. Now you can begin learning how to live that life with Him.