Do you know someone who has questions about believing in Jesus? Maybe they heard about Jesus but don’t know what it looks like to follow him or how to give their life to him.
We need to know how to lead someone to Christ if the opportunity presents itself, as this is God’s desire. It is answering the Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20.
It is the best way to love our neighbor, who we so deeply should be aiming to love. We just need to be a willing vessel to be used by God.
There is no better way to love someone (and Jesus) than sharing the gospel message with them. We all need his love, kindness, and forgiveness.
Bringing someone to Jesus is living as he did and according to his Word.
What Does It Mean to Believe in Jesus?
The story of Nicodemus in John 3:1-21 teaches us about believing in Christ.
Nicodemus asks Jesus questions that others can find helpful if they also are wrestling in believing in Christ.
He is an example of someone who was seeking and could have chosen one way or another.
This conversation shows you how you, too, can share with others about Jesus… to tell them what it means to believe in him. This is getting a new identity of “being born again.”
What Is the Meaning of Born Again in the Bible?
Jesus speaks about the meaning of being born again.
“Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, “You must be born again.”’” (John 3:5-7, ESV)
To be a born again Christian is to be “born of water and Spirit.” Water is seen in this gospel as a means to purify and cleanse… and can also be about the act of baptism.
Vital in being born again is the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit allows us to be born again. It is Jesus giving those who believe in him a fresh start.
If we stay in the flesh, which leads to death, living against God, we continue on that path. But being born again by the Spirit will transform us to be like Jesus.
It is only by way of his power that this happens. We become new through him, getting a “new life.”
Being born again should not be seen or treated as just a single, one-time choice. If we see it like this, then we fail to receive the bountiful new life God has for us.
We need to keep choosing it.
Benefits of Being Born Again
Being born again changes us to be like Jesus. It changes our whole lives in such significant, amazing ways. There are so many benefits of living a new life in Christ. Being born again encompasses the entirety of the gospel message.
It is:
- Experiencing Jesus; encountering him and who he is
- Trusting who he says he is
- Knowing he is the Word become flesh
- That he died on the cross for you and came back from the grave
- Comprehending Jesus in regard to the Father, and their relationship; if you see Jesus, you see the Father
- Jesus giving one a fresh start
- Living life in collaboration with the Holy Spirit
- Knowing you are loved unconditionally
- Living daily in trust and having faith in Christ, despite the hardships in life
How to Lead Someone to Christ
The best way to love people is being open and desiring to lead them to Jesus. We should want to do this even if it feels scary and requires boldness.
The Holy Spirit will give us boldness if we ask. Our hearts will want to do this if we deeply love Jesus, as we wouldn’t care about rejection or anything because this is his desire.
Let’s pray for a deep desire to love him—as loving others flows out of this, as the Greatest Commandment tells us.
The most well known of the Bible verses to lead someone to Christ is John 3:16, and it’s such a powerful verse in regard to sharing the gospel with others.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)
1. God Loves You
Jesus tells Nicodemus firstly that “For God so loved the World,” which is what we should tell others who are searching.
God wants to connect with them, showing them his great love. He wants to connect us all to the love of the Father.
Tell them of his great love, that is he is a loving God who loves them unconditionally… no matter what they did. Go into detail about what his love is like.
2. God Gave His Only Son, Jesus, for You
Then Jesus tells Nicodemus “that he gave his only Son,” which is himself.
This is how vast the Father’s love is—that he did this. He made the greatest sacrifice of dying to himself.
How to lead someone to Christ is telling them what God did for them—giving up his only son for them.
Expand by telling them about the cross. How he died for them, to take their sins away, so they can be forgiven. Then they can have a relationship with the Father.
3. You Will Have Eternal Life
Then Jesus goes on to say “that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
This means they will live forever with Jesus and not get the punishment or judgement they deserve, as sin equals death.
Jesus took their place just because he loves them. Their eternity with Christ starts now on this earth, having him always be with them. Then, they should give him control of their life because living under his reign (with him being in charge) is the best way to live.
If someone makes this choice to believe in Jesus, you then get the great opportunity to disciple them. This ensures that they know they are entering into a long-term relationship with Jesus.
How to lead someone to Christ who is asking questions is teaching them what it looks like to be believing in Jesus to make this choice.
This is the best way to love others: living out the Great Commission. It is sharing the gospel message, as Jesus did, with those asking questions as Nicodemus was.
The way we live also shares the gospel message about Jesus. We need to live as he tells us to, and model it so others see Jesus and come to know him.
It also happens by sharing testimonies from our lives of what he did, showing others who he is, and testifying to the truth of the Bible. Be familiar with scripture and pray for opportunities and relationships to share and show others the gospel.
Brodie, Thomas L. The Gospel According to John: A Literary and Theological Commentary. New York; Oxford University Press, 2023.
Cyril, and David R Maxwell. Commentary on John. Edited by Joel C. Elowsky. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2013.
Ford, David F, and Lee Jagow. The Gospel of John: A Theological Commentary. Unabridged. Solon: BibleTalk Books, 2021.
Foster, Richard. Streams of Living Water: Essential Practices from the Six Great Traditions of Christian Faith. New York: Harper Collins, 1998.
