What if everything you’re looking for starts with Jesus?
“Why Jesus?” It’s one of the most important questions you’ll ever ask. Maybe you’ve heard people say, “I believe in God. Isn’t that enough? Why complicate it with Jesus?”
On the surface, that sounds reasonable. After all, isn’t faith in “something” better than nothing? The problem is, not all faith is created equal. What you believe in matters. Faith in “something” might make you feel good for a while, but will it hold up when life gets hard? Will it bring peace in the face of death?
Faith without Jesus is like a bridge that doesn’t reach the other side, something halfway.
Faith without a foundation is empty
A metaphor used by Wilhelm Busch is that faith is like a passport. If you show up at the airport with an expired passport, it doesn’t matter how confidently you hand it to the officer. It’s not getting you through. Faith is the same way. It’s not having any kind of faith that matters, faith that’s valid is what counts.
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (John 10:9). That’s a bold claim, and it’s why faith in Him is different. He isn’t just one of many ways, He’s the only way. Without Him, faith is like an expired passport, it can’t take you where you need to go.
Jesus shows us who God really is
Without Jesus, God feels distant, a mystery hidden behind the fog of our own ideas and assumptions. But Jesus clears the fog. He steps in and says, “He who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).
Without Jesus, you can believe in a version of God that feels comforting but isn’t real. Maybe it’s “the good Lord” who looks the other way when we mess up. Or a distant force that doesn’t care about the details of your life. Jesus reveals the truth. God is holy. He is just. And He loves you enough to make a way for you to know Him personally by sending His only begotten son – Jesus Christ.
The Burden You Don’t Have to Carry
Let’s talk about guilt. Acknowledge it or not, sin weighs on us. It’s like a chain that grows heavier with every wrong thought, word, or action. We might not see it, but we feel it, in our restless nights, our shame, or our avoidance of deeper questions.
Jesus came to lift that burden. “The punishment that brought us peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53:5). Through His sacrifice, the chain is broken. Our sins, our shame, our guilt, it’s all dealt with at the cross.
What Happens Without Jesus?
Death is the ultimate test of what you believe. If your faith can’t hold up when everything else is stripped away, what’s the point? Without Jesus, you face death with uncertainty and fear.
But with Jesus? death isn’t the end, it’s the beginning. His resurrection is the proof. He conquered death, and He offers that same victory to you. Faith in Jesus doesn’t just prepare you for eternity, it transforms how you live right now.
The Only Way to True Peace
Let’s stop pretending the world’s version of peace is enough. It’s fragile, tied to circumstances that can crumble at any moment. Jesus offers something entirely different. His peace doesn’t depend on your performance, your bank account, or your ability to keep it all together.
He says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). That’s not a suggestion to try harder, it’s an invitation to let go.
Everything Comes Down to This
Everything in your life, your purpose, your peace, your eternity, it all hinges on one thing: your relationship with Jesus.
The Bible says it plainly: “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
So, Do you know Jesus? Not as an idea, not as a comforting concept, but as your Savior?
Jesus is the foundation, the way, and the life. Without Him, faith is just noise.
1 Question for You
You’re carrying more than you realize. Maybe it’s guilt. Maybe it’s shame. Maybe it’s the exhaustion of trying to hold everything together on your own.
You don’t have to.
Jesus offers freedom, not just from sin, but from the endless cycle of striving. He offers rest, not just for your body, but for your soul. And He offers life, not someday, but right now.
So, ask yourself:
If I could lay down this burden today, what would my life look like tomorrow?
The question isn’t, “Why do I need Jesus?” The question is, “What’s stopping me from trusting Him now?”