Following Jesus isn't about suddenly becoming religious, going to church every Sunday, or using different language around your friends. It's something more disruptive — and more freeing — than that.
First, let's clear up what it isn't
A lot of people carry a mental image of what "a Christian" looks like — and it's often shaped by the worst examples they've encountered. Before anything else, here are some common myths:
Myth
It means becoming a better, cleaner, more put-together version of yourself first.
Reality
You come as you are. The transformation comes after the decision, not before it.
Myth
It means adopting a political identity or joining a particular cultural tribe.
Reality
Jesus followers are found in every culture, country, language, and political tradition on earth.
Myth
It means checking your personality — your humor, your questions, your edge — at the door.
Reality
Jesus didn't make his followers bland. He made them more fully themselves.
Myth
It means you'll have to stop asking hard questions and just accept things by blind faith.
Reality
The most rigorous intellectual tradition in Western history is Christian theology. Doubt is part of faith, not the enemy of it.
What it actually is: a relationship
At its core, following Jesus is entering into a relationship — not signing up for a religion. The difference matters. A religion is a set of obligations you perform in hopes that a distant God will be pleased with you. What Jesus offers is something fundamentally different: he says he already came to you, already paid the price for what separates you from God, and now invites you into a relationship where you actually know him.
The word Jesus used for this is "eternal life" — and he defined it himself: "This is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." Not a destination you get to after death. A quality of relationship that starts now.
"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
— Jesus, John 10:10What actually changes
If you decide to follow Jesus, something changes — but it's less about your behavior and more about your identity and orientation. Here's what early followers of Jesus described:
-
1
Forgiveness — real forgiveness
Not just a feeling, but an actual change in standing before God. The guilt you carry — whatever it's from — has somewhere to go. That weight doesn't have to stay.
-
2
A new sense of purpose
Knowing that your life was made for something — not just random chance or personal ambition — reorients how you make decisions, spend your time, and treat other people.
-
3
A community you didn't expect
Nobody follows Jesus in isolation. You become part of a group of people from every background imaginable, held together not by shared demographics but by a shared relationship with God.
-
4
A long, often slow transformation
You don't become a different person overnight. But over time — through prayer, scripture, community, and experience — most followers of Jesus describe becoming more of who they were meant to be.
How do you start?
The earliest followers of Jesus described the entry point in simple terms: believe and receive. Believe that Jesus is who he claimed to be, that he died for your sins and rose from the dead. And receive the forgiveness and new life he offers — not as something you earned, but as a gift you accept.
This isn't a formula that has to be performed perfectly. It's a turn — a decision to stop moving away from God and start moving toward him. Many people express this in a simple prayer. Something like this:
A simple prayer to start
Jesus, I want to know you. I believe you are who you said you are — that you died for me and rose from the dead. I've been living life on my own terms, and I'm done with that. I ask you to forgive me. I want the life you're offering. Come into my life and start making me the person you made me to be. Amen.
If you prayed something like this and meant it, something real just happened. The next step is to tell someone — a friend who follows Jesus, or reach out to us below.
If you're not ready to pray that prayer yet — that's okay. Keep asking questions. Keep reading. Keep having honest conversations. The God Christianity describes is not threatened by your skepticism. He can handle your doubt.
Ready to talk about this?
Whether you just prayed that prayer, you're still working through it, or you just want to talk — FaithBot is here. Or reach out and we'll connect you with a real person in Richmond.