3 Reasons Why Jesus is Worth Following

Christians don’t follow Jesus for the perks. Christians follow Jesus because He is the risen Son of God. The truth of His resurrection compels us to trust in Him as He is God and is worthy of our love, worship, and obedience. Yet still, the beauty of the Gospel is that in trusting Jesus, we find that He pours into us more than we could have expected or hoped for.

I used to believe it was wrong to think, “What’s in it for me?” when I thought about my faith. But notice how Jesus actually invites us to count the cost. 

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?
Luke 14:28 

Jesus was talking about the importance of fully understanding what it will cost you to follow Him. In this mental exercise, you will measure the cost against what you stand to gain in following Jesus. Let’s observe three specific reasons (among many) why Jesus is worth following. 

1. Jesus Has the Words of Life

In John 6, we find Jesus giving a hard teaching that caused many people to turn away from Him. He turns to the disciples and asks them if they're going to turn away as well. 

Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:68-69

Peter’s response is profound. We see that it is in the identity of Jesus that we find the main appeal of Jesus. 

Jesus is God. Peter saw in that powerful Truth everything he needed to know in order to follow Him to the end. If Jesus is God, then His words are more than words. His words are eternally insightful. As He said, His words are “Spirit and Truth” (John 6:63). 

This powerful encouragement shows us that every word of Jesus pierces the depths of our souls and binds our lives in Truth. This cannot be found anywhere else. Others can offer words of wisdom and words of truth (with a small “t”), but Jesus alone gives the words that can be trusted for an eternity.

2. Jesus Gives us the Gift of Grace

There is a phenomenon called semantic satiation. This is when you say a word out loud so many times in repetition that it temporarily loses its meaning in your mind. The word grace has suffered from a sort of semantic satiation for Christians. 

Grace is a very specific thing. By definition, it's receiving what we do not deserve because God gave His love first (1 John 4:19). Theologically, it refers to the undeserved mercy that God gives to us.

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:16 

God’s throne is a throne of grace. He is a loving and merciful God—not cruel and vindictive. When we approach the throne, we find mercy and grace as the response. How do we receive this grace of God? 

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 

Jesus came not simply as a man full of wisdom and knowledge, as most other religions would attribute Him. Jesus came with grace and truth. And the grace He came to give is freely given as a gift when we trust in Him.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

This grace is made possible by Jesus—it was finished on the cross and sealed when He rose from the dead. We are to be eternally grateful that our sins are forgiven by His grace, which is found only in Jesus. 

3. Jesus’ Path of Purpose

There is probably no more frequent question asked by humanity than “Why am I here?” In the beginning, there was no need for this question because humanity enjoyed a clear vision of purpose. We had an unbroken relationship with God. Our purpose was connected to the relationship we had with God and the assignment we had been given. We were to enjoy and honor our relationship with God and be good stewards of creation.

It’s apparent that the world today suffers from an absent relationship with God and a total lack of clear assignment for our lives. People thrive when they have valuable relationships and a sense of duty. Without those two, the result is confusion and hopelessness. Jesus came to set things straight. He makes it clear that He is the Way. 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6 

If we are to return to our original purpose, we must have a way back to God. That is only found in Jesus, who is the only way. He is not one option among many. And it's through Him alone that we are given a path to our purpose. We no longer have to wander or wonder since we can find our purpose restored in Jesus. In the beginning, we had relationship and duty. Now, in Jesus once again, we have relationship and duty. Our duty this time is found in the great commission. 

Peter knew that Jesus’ identity is the foundation of everything trustworthy. Jesus is God. If He weren’t, then we would still be lost and hopeless. But we see today even more than what Peter saw when he first uttered those words. We see the risen Jesus, who conquered death, vindicated His claims, and proved once and for all that it's only in Him that we find everything we truly need. 

It is in Jesus alone that we find counting the cost results in us receiving far more than we could ever repay or earn. That is the beauty of the Gospel. That is the reason Jesus is always worth following.

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