The Bible Verses I Use When I Tell Others About Jesus and
why I like them by Keith Rawlinson
John
3:16 For God so loved
the world that He gave His only Son so that everyone who believes in
Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
I like this first one because it lets believers know for sure that they
are going to heaven. I've had people try to tell me that
there's
no way to know for sure whether or not you are going to heaven, but
this verse tells me there is.
Romans
10:13 Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will
be saved.
I refer to this one when I'm talking to people who try to tell me that
some people are so evil that they couldn't possibly change their lives
by coming to Christ. Or that they are so bad that Christ
would
never love, accept and forgive them. They usually back down
when
I point out the word "anyone."
Romans
3:23 For all have sinned; all fall short of God's
glorious standard.
I have actually had people tell me they had already made themselves
perfect and so didn't need to be forgiven and saved. I use
this
verse to remind myself that none of us is perfect and God knows that;
in fact, that's why He had to send His Son Jesus. I also
bring up
this verse when I talk with people who try to tell me that Jesus'
mother Mary was
perfect and without sin. As far as I know, only Jesus himself
was
perfect and without sin--this verse pretty much proves it. I
hate
it when they try to take away some of Jesus's perfection and glory, and
give it to Mary. I think Satan sometimes uses things like
that to
distract people away from Christ.
John
1:12 But to all who
believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to
become children of God.
I really love this one for when I'm feeling down, depressed, un-loved
or worthless. This verse tells me that in God's eyes, I am
quite
literally one of His kids! Regardless of the many things Im
not and don't have, I always have that! No one can take it
away from me--God
said so!
Romans
6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
When this verse says death, it's also talking about eternal
death. I don't honestly know exactly what hell is like, but I
do
know for sure that it's a place totally
separated from God for eternity. People don't realize all of
the
things God blesses them with every day. Imagine eternal
separation from God with no laughter, no love, no music, no light of
any kind (total darkness), no friendships, no hobbies, no joy,
and no hope of it ever changing. Imagine having eternity to
think
about all of the things you'll never have again. Imagine
having
an eternity in hell to remember all of the times someone tried to tell
you about Jesus and you refused to listen. I love this
verse because after it talks about all of this death stuff, it goes on
to talk about how to avoid it all, and that having our sins forgiven
thorugh Jesus
Christ is how we find eternal life. I guess I like it so much
because it tells me that as one of God's kids, I don't have to worry
about the scary stuff--I can focus on the good stuff. If you
would like to hear more about the good stuff and the scary stuff, then
please read this story about one person who goes to hell, and one who goes to Heaven, and what they each experience.
Titus
3:5 He saved us not
because of the good things we did, but because of His mercy.
He
washed away our sins [by sacrificing his life] and gave us a new life
through the Holy Spirit.
I like to bring this one up when unsaved people, and those from
religions which don't fully recognize Christ, try to tell me that we
just have to be good people and do good deeds to go to
heaven.
People often tell me they're going to heaven because they are a " good
person." This verse tells them that we can't be saved, and be
with Christ for eternity, by the "good deeds" we have done--only
through asking Him to forgive us and accepting His payment on the cross
for our sins. To learn how Jesus' death thousands of years ago still affects us today, please read this article.
Romans
10:9 If you confess
with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God
raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
This verse kind of goes along with the previous one. It shows
how
acknowledging our need for Christ in our lives, and truly believing it
instead of just saying we do, is all that is needed to start a life
with Jesus. It's not
about any particular religion, it's about accepting Jesus' payment for
our sins when he died on that cross. As
with the previous verse, I use this one when people tell me they're
going to heaven because they're good people, or because they were
baptized as a baby. Well, a baby can't confess or believe
anything, so infant baptism obviously can't save you.
John
14:6 Jesus said: I am the way, the truth, and the
life; no one can come to the Father except through Me.
I love this one for when people try to make me doubt what God tells us
in the Bible. People often tell me there are many ways to get
to
heaven and be with God. They hate it when I point out that
this
verse says "no one" gets to God but through Jesus. I love it
because there's just no other way to interpret this verse no
matter how hard they try. No one
comes to the Father except through Christ's sacrifice for the payment
of all the things we have done worng.
2 Corinthians
6:2 ...Indeed, God is ready to help you right now,
today is the day of salvation.
I like this one just because it shows me that God is always there for
me and always available. It also shows that people can ask
Christ
to forgive them for all their sins against God, and get their life
on-track literally anytime, any day.
Romans
8:28 And we know
that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who
love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
This one has gotten me through a lot of tough times in my
life--especially during the four months I spent recovering from a
serious car accident. No matter what happens to me, as a
believer
(and one of God's kids,) I know that God will make sure my
circumstances work to make me a better person and to bring me closer to
Him. It isn't necessarily God who made it happen, but it is God
who will make sure He's there for me. It is God who makes
sure it all works out for my own good.
Proverbs
3:5-6 Trust in
the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own
understanding. Seek His will in all you do and He will direct
your paths.
I bring this one up when people try to tear me down because I don't
know every little thing there is to know about God or His
plans.
Well, this verse tells me not to worry about it. I don't have
to
know everything (no one does anyway.) I just have to trust in
Him
to take care of His own kids. It also lets me know that if I
belong to Him and strive to do what He wants me to do in my life, He
will let me know what direction my life should take. So far
in my
life, I have found it to be true. I enjoy having direction
and
purpose.
Joshua 1:9 Be
strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For
the Lord
your God is with you wherever you go.
This is my all-time favorite Bible verse. It lets me know
that
God is always there with me and for me. It tells me to hold
on to
what I believe and know to be true. I am to hold on to my
relationship with Jesus and with God with courage and
openness. I
also refer myself to this verse when I am afraid or worried about
uncertainties in my life. This verse lets me know that I'm
never
alone no matter what.