Many see no need for a religious figure who lived two millennia ago. He did not help them get their first job, buy their first house, or find their first wife.
They ask, “what has he ever done for me?”
He does not provide entertainment, cure sickness, distribute money, grant the wishes of dying children, or lower taxes.
They think, “why would I need Jesus if he does not help with the things most important to me?”
Even Christians who claim his name, appoint him their co-pilot, or use him as Saviour don’t feel they need him once they have him in their pile of possessions. While they express praise for him, they can go days, weeks, and months without a single thought of needing Christ for anything. Even ministry work and Bible study can distract us from the need for Christ if it is done as busywork and not with Christ as the goal.
It is a worthwhile question to ask why you need Jesus Christ. Especially, if you think yourself a Christian who already believes in him. Here are 11 reasons you need the Lord Jesus Christ now and forever.
1. Truth
The truth is in Christ. He is the truth. You cannot know the truth without Jesus Christ. Paul says all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him (Col 2:3; Eph 4:21). To make sense of anything you need Jesus Christ. Your pursuit for truth ends with Christ, and is not exhausted just because you heard the truth of the gospel (1 Tim 2:4).
2. Life
If you are reading this you are alive, and may think that Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it. However, the life you have now was given to you, and it is destined to end. The life that comes through Jesus Christ has no end. If you enjoy life and want it to continue then you need Jesus Christ. There is no life without him. To live is Christ. Eternal life is through him (Rom 6:23).
3. Death
None of us escapes death. The science we have about death tells us we are all dying a little bit each day.There is no science that describes what happens after you die. There is revelation from God who sees the invisible, lives in the immaterial, and knows what happens in secret. In resurrection Jesus Christ defeated death for any man to follow after. Death did not hold him and today he offers this power to all who believe him. Daily life and regeneration is promised to those who live in Christ Jesus.
4. Sin
Everyone sins, including the most self-righteous religionists and church-goers. Without Christ what becomes of our sins? They must be accounted for, and without Christ they are all accounted to you. The judgment has already been made against you, and your sentencing day will arrive when you die. We need the man Christ Jesus to atone for our sins (Rom 5:11). We need Jesus Christ the Son of God to mediate between God and us (1 Tim 2:5). Through Christ’s blood, we have forgiveness. We need Jesus Christ as long as sin is still present, or else it would be unrighteous to forgive anyone for sins.
5. Peace
Peace is allusive in this world where we toil to provide what we need, and there are constantly others who are trying to take what we have. We can have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Rom 5:1). We can also have the peace of God work in us through the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 4:7). Peace is something every man desires, and yet few have consistently without Christ.
6. Hope
Without Christ the best hope anyone has is to seek as much pleasure as they can before their clock runs out. What vanity! This is little more than the last meal of a man on death row! With Christ we have the hope of glory greater than anything we can achieve on our own. It is the glory of God and the promise of inheritance through Christ.
7. Grace
We would have none of these things if it were not for God’s grace giving them to us freely. How can we buy hope, peace, or another 100 years to our life? We cannot. A just man would uphold the principle of giving people what they deserve, but what if you deserve nothing or worse? What is your net worth then? What of the times you fail, sin, or break the law? No one truly wants what they deserve, they want more. If you are a sinner, you need more. Grace is necessary for you to continue, and the grace of God to you is in Christ Jesus providing what you cannot.
8. Suffering
One of the greatest problems in the world is suffering, and without Christ there is no solution for much of it. Modern science can alleviate some pain and suffering, but cannot eliminate it. How do we deal with it? Christ suffered and died with us when he lived, and now is exalted above all things. He now provides comfort to those who will trust him, learn from him, and join him in the fellowship of his sufferings (2 Cor 1:9; Eph 4:21-22; Phil 3:10).
9. Strength
Some people are stronger than others, but there always seems to be someone or some thing more powerful in this life to overwhelm you. Only some of us have great physical strength. Yet, what of the inner strength needed to make right choices, to live each day, and to resist the evil. How does one go on? Jesus Christ provides this strength when all things are done through him (Phil 4:11-13).
10. Prayer
Someone who does not pray does not think they need God for anything. A prayerful man is a man who sees their need for God. Without Christ there is nothing God can do. Without Christ prayers are heard and not answered. Prayers are answered through Christ in us (Eph 3:11-20).
11. Joy
It is amazing how many people think they do not need the Lord Jesus Christ because they find joy in their life now without him. We might as well say we have no need of the sun because we have light bulbs. The sun lasts much longer, is much brighter, has more benefits, and we only need one! Rejoice in Christ, and your joy will be full. Without Christ, we are playing with sparklers.
Conclusion
Perhaps you don’t think you need Christ because you see Christians who live like they don’t. Do not let this fool you. Many Christians have not yet learned all that they need from him, and are busy seeking their own things and not the things of Christ (Phil 2:21).
We preach the Son of God alive and well, not dead Christianity.
We preach Jesus Christ, not every trivia or mystery from the Bible.
We preach the Lord Jesus Christ, not any denomination, preacher, commentary, philosophy, or opinion.
God can supply all you need, when you acknowledge your need for Jesus Christ. Why would you reject Christ and lack these things?
The need for Christ is greater than the need for anything else, but it is easy to ignore your greatest needs when you don’t know how to meet them. What is most important gets reduced to only those needs that you can fulfill: food, money, temporary happiness. The greatest needs of mankind remain unfulfilled, and your life will be too without Christ.
Your need for Jesus Christ can be met by believing the gospel that Christ supplies everything you need for salvation, life, truth, and joy. Christ can be in you today, providing forgiveness, strength, the hope of glory, and grace freely when you believe he provided what you need.
Every man needs the Lord Jesus Christ. Not every man knows it. Now you know. What will you do now?
Trust the gospel, and receive what God has provided for you in Christ from God’s word rightly divided.
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