What does it mean to receive Jesus Christ?

Answer

Many terms used in Christianity can be perplexing to new believers or those seeking to learn more about Jesus. One particular phrase that is frequently mentioned is: “Receive Jesus Christ as your Savior.” What does it truly mean to “receive” Jesus? Considering that Jesus lived, died, and was resurrected over two millennia ago, how can we “receive” Him in the present day?

John 1:11–12 discusses receiving Jesus and clarifies the concept: “He [Jesus] came to that which was his own, but his own did not accept him. Yet to all who did accept him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” John links “receiving” Jesus with “believing” in Him, which leads to becoming a child of God. Therefore, receiving Jesus is connected to faith. It involves trusting in who Jesus is and what He has accomplished on our behalf.

When we “receive” a package, we take it unto ourselves. When a running back “receives” the football, he brings it to himself and holds onto it. Similarly, when we “receive” Jesus, we welcome Him into our lives and hold fast to the truth about Him.

To receive Jesus as our Savior means we rely on Him and Him alone as the One who forgives our sins, reconciles our relationship with God, and grants us entry into heaven. Rejecting Him as Savior implies that we either do not believe we require salvation or are seeking another rescuer. However, Scripture clearly states that “salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” «Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. », (Acts 4:12).

To receive Jesus as our Lord means we release the lesser gods around which we have structured our lives. We may be knowledgeable about the details of Jesus as outlined in the Bible—we may even acknowledge the truth of those details—without truly being part of God’s.

Family. We cannot accept Jesus as Lord without displacing the idols in our lives—idols such as power, popularity, wealth, or comfort that we rely on to give us purpose and strength. Jesus described the necessity of following Him wholeheartedly in Luke 9:23: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

When Jesus visited His hometown of Nazareth, the people there did not believe He was anything other than the son of Mary and Joseph (Matthew 13:54-58; see also John 6:41-42). They acknowledged Him as a local carpenter but rejected Him as the promised Messiah. Many individuals today do something similar. They recognize Jesus as a good moral teacher, a role model, or even a prophet who can instruct us about God. However, they fall short of accepting Him as their personal Lord and Savior. They do not dedicate their faith to Him.

Accepting Jesus is a crucial aspect of one’s eternal destiny: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son” (John 3:16-18).

To receive Jesus means we affirm that He is who He claimed to be (1 John 5:10; Matthew 27:43; John 20:31). He is the Son of God who assumed human form (Philippians 2:6-8), was born of a virgin (Luke 1:26-38), lived a flawless life «For we have notAn high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15), and fulfilled God’s plan entirely to rescue mankind from sin (Matthew 1:18; 1 Peter 1:20; John 19:30; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21). To accept Jesus is to believe that His sacrifice on the cross fully paid for our sin and to have faith that God raised Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-5, 20; 2 Timothy 2:8).

To accept Jesus is to acknowledge that we are sinners separated from a holy God (Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-3). To accept Jesus is to cry out to Him in faith, trusting that only His blood can purify us from sin and restore us to a right relationship with God (Ephesians 2:4-10; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 10:19-22). Those who accept Jesus by faith are given “the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12-13).

When we accept Jesus as our Savior, God sends us the gift of His Holy Spirit who enters our spirits and begins to transform us to be more like Christ (Romans 8:29; John 14:26; Luke 24:49; Ephesians 1:13-14; Philippians 2:12-13). Jesus referred to this process as being “born again”(John 3:3-8). When a baby is born, a new creature emerges that did not previously exist. Over time, that baby begins to look and act like the parents. Similarly, when we are born of the Spirit by accepting Jesus, we become children of God and start to resemble our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48; 2 Corinthians 5:17; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Ephesians 5:1).

Accepting Jesus Christ into our lives is more than adding Him to an already cluttered priority list. He does not give us the choice of being only a part of our lives. When we accept Him, we commit our allegiance to Him and acknowledge Him as the undisputed Lord of our lives (Luke 6:46; John 15:14). There will still be times when we disobey His commands (1 John 1:8-10). However, the Holy Spirit within us leads us to repentance, restoring our close relationship with God «Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. », (Psalm 51:7). Accepting Jesus marks the beginning of a lifetime of exploration and an eternity of joy in heaven with Him (John 3:36; Revelation 21—22).