It is not often that the followers of Jesus Christ, the Christians, ask themselves the question of “Why Do I Follow Jesus Christ?” Even when they do, many may not have a clear answer to the question. So, when this question came up in one of my Bible Study Fellowship meetings, I gave my answer and wanted to share it with you.

Let me begin by introducing some Bible verses which form the basis of my answer to the question: “Why Do I follow Jesus Christ.” 

Matthew 16:13-16: ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.

John 6:68: Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.”

2 Corinthians 5:14-15: ¹⁴ For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. ¹⁵ And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

Romans 8:28-30: ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

Ephesians 2:1-10: ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 1:3-10: ³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. ⁴ For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love ⁵ he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹ he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, ¹⁰ to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

You might say, “Well, do you mean to tell me that the reason why you follow Jesus is because of these Bible verses?” My response is simply this: “Well, what do you do when these Bible verses, in fact, all of the Bible is totally believable to me? Do you ignore them or do you take them seriously?” In this sense, I am literally compelled by the clarity and convincing nature of God Word regarding who Jesus Christ is. Therefore, I am compelled to follow Jesus Christ. 

I know from the conversation between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 16 that the fact that I am a follower of Jesus Christ is because my Father in heaven has revealed to me that Jesus is “the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the living God” (verse 16-17). Yes, it is true that I grew up in a Christian home and my parents played a critical and pivotal role in introducing me to Jesus Christ through the Bible and through various spiritual disciplines at home. I am truly thankful and blessed that God has been gracious, merciful, and loving toward me to guide me to date. There are a plenty of people who grew up in Christian homes who have completely denounced and gone away from Jesus Christ. I am glad to report that, today, I am completely incapable of denouncing or going away from Jesus Christ because God holds me exactly where He wants me.

Apostle Paul often referred to himself as the “servant of Jesus Christ.” The word “servant” that he uses is an original term meaning “bond-slave.” A bond-slave literally is the possession of his master. But for someone who is a bond-slave to another, Paul expressed the most amazing joy and overwhelming sense of satisfaction in following Jesus Christ. With Paul, I am also compelled by the love of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14). I can accurately and truthfully conclude that I am a follower of Jesus Christ because I do not have any choice in the manner but am loving every minute of my being Christ’s follower. To me, following Jesus Christ is compelling. In fact, there is nothing more compelling than the fact Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the living God, came in the flesh and suffered unspeakable pain and shame, and died on the cross to save me. There is no other story in the universe more compelling than the story that I heard from the Word of God since my infancy. All I can say is that all should know and enjoy my joy and happiness in Christ Jesus, my LORD and Savior the way I do!

I am and have been a follower of Jesus Christ but am also convinced that I could not possibly have made myself into being a follower of Jesus Christ. I am convinced that God “chose [me] in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4). If I had a choice, in my un-redeemed condition, I would have chosen to become a follower of Jesus Christ because I would have never known the love of Christ. 

Let me remind you of Apostle Paul’s words in Ephesians 2. 

Ephesians 2:1-10: ¹ As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins…³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast.

Yes, I am convinced that Paul is right and declares truth regarding God’s grace regarding my faith and salvation. Yes, I have no objection to Paul’s assertions. Yes, Paul’s assertions pertain to me. Yes, the Word of God speaks to me directly. Yes, my mind and heart respond to the Word of God with an “Amen” as it has always been a natural part of me. I cannot imagine my life without following Jesus Christ. That would be the worst possibly thing that can happen to me but I am convinced that I will always remain a follower of Jesus Christ. 

Do you know why? It is not because I am strong or smart or wise. Consider the Romans passage that you read earlier:

Romans 8:28-30: ²⁸ And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. ²⁹ For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. ³⁰ And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

God is and will continue to be in control of my status as a follower of Jesus Christ. God called me and kept me as a follower of Jesus Christ. I am never in doubt or should ever worry about my standing before God because He is the one who justified me by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who has become my righteousness totally.  God then takes me to glorification with His Son, Jesus Christ. The Bible tells me: 

Romans 8:14-17: ¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[f] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[g] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

What more can I ask? Where can I go, if I could, to have a life (even an eternal life) like this? Can you say with me that your life is filled with the glory of God? If you cannot say that, can you say with me that your life is filled with meaning and purpose? 

Now, let me turn to something more mundane. Look around you! Be honest about what you are seeing. This world is filled with sin, immorality, violence, and devastation! Look around and see who many people are in depression! Look around and see how many people are captives of drugs, gambling, sex, and everything else that are evil.

This is what I say: I urge you to consider living and having a life that I have in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is my only everlasting treasure! I see nothing more valuable than my LORD. This is why I follow Jesus Christ. I am overjoyed to be His bond-slave because there is no life or feeling better than to be freed from the bondage of sin and your own will in sin. I clearly do not deserve the life I have but am eternally thankful for this AMAZING GRACE. I wish this upon everyone! Blessings to you from the bottom of my heart and depth of my soul! And, thank you for allowing me to share my life with you and for reading my story.