Q:
I really want to find God, but I don't know how. I've tried several religions, and each time I thought I'd finally found the truth, but then I realized I hadn't. Why is Jesus any different?
A:
I’m thankful you want to find God—because God wants you to find Him! He loves you, and He has done everything possible to help you come to know Him personally. Jesus’ promise is for you: “Seek and you will find. … To the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).
How is Jesus different? Jesus is different first of all because of who He was: God in human flesh. So far you have followed people who were trying to reach up to God—but in Jesus, God was reaching down to us. From all eternity Jesus was the divine Son of God, the Creator and ruler of the universe. But on that first Christmas night God came down from Heaven and became a man. As the Bible says, Jesus is “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15).
But Jesus is different also because of what He did: He became the final and complete sacrifice for our sins. Sin separates us from God, and no matter how hard we try, we cannot bridge that gap by ourselves. But Christ took upon Himself the judgment we deserved, and now He offers us the free gift of forgiveness and salvation.
Like any other gift, however, we must reach out and receive God’s gift of forgiveness by putting our faith and trust in Jesus. And when we do, God not only forgives us, but He comes into our lives and makes us part of His family forever. By a simple prayer of faith ask Jesus Christ to come into your life today—and He will.