When Jesus died on the cross, where was he the three days before he resurrected?

Wow! That’s an awesome question! And it is a question that Bible scholars have debated for years!

The Bible does not specifically state what happened during those three days. Many biblical scholars have offered different theories based on Scripture. Some say He went to Hades; others say he went to “Abraham’s Bosom” to preach the gospel. They base this on 1 Peter 3:18-20 and Luke 16:22-23.

Others claim Jesus did go to Heaven because he told the thief on the cross that, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But, there are some Bible scholars that challenge that by quoting John 20:17. In fact, those same Bible scholars claim that “Paradise” is another name for “Abraham’s Bosom,” a place in the earth for those who were redeemed (saved) before Jesus came to earth.

One thing we are certain of is that Jesus was not giving people a second chance at salvation. The Holy Bible is very clear in that we face judgment after death, not a second chance. Hebrews 9:27 reads, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.”

So, all of that to say, the truth is we just don’t know. I’m sorry, but there just isn’t a definitive answer to that question.

If you are in Hell, can you actually see what Heaven looks like?

Yikes! Great question! The Bible doesn’t say outright but we do get a slight glimpse of the possibility of being able to see Heaven from Hell from the story of the rich man and a man named Lazarus. In the story, the rich man dies and ends up in Hell and sees Lazarus in Heaven with Abraham. The rich man asks Abraham to give him some relief because he is in agony and Abraham say that he cannot because, “…Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26) In this story, we know that the rich man can see towards Heaven and can see partially into Heaven but we cannot know for sure that he can see all of Heaven. What we do know is that, once you are condemned to Hell, you are stuck there for eternity.

So, how can a person avoid the same fate as the rich man and live in Heaven with God like Lazarus? Honestly, there is only one way to get to Heaven and the great thing about it is that it doesn’t involve you or me having to be good! The truth is: Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He makes this quite clear in John 14:6, when He says, “I am the truth, the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s not about being good because we can never be “good enough.” It’s about being forgiven and being saved through the grace of Jesus Christ.

When you get to Heaven, do you come as a … baby, kid, teen, grown up, old person?

That is a very interesting question! And, it’s also a very hard question to answer because we really don’t know! We can get an idea from reading the Holy Bible, but even then it is hard to know for sure.

Here’s what we do know: According to Paul, in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, our heavenly bodies will be very different from our natural earthly bodies. Our earthly bodies eventually die but our resurrected bodies cannot die. Also, our earthly bodies get old and weak but our resurrected bodies will be perfect!

Another big difference is that we will have a spiritual body rather than a natural body. That doesn’t mean we’ll be like ghosts just floating around; it means we will have a body like Jesus’ resurrected body (1 John 3:2). If you remember, after Jesus’ resurrection, He showed that He could be touched and that He could eat (Luke 24:37-43). We get a little bit of a glimpse of what our bodies will look like when we read Luke 9:28-36. Jesus went with three of His disciples up to a mountain. There he changed incredibly as His divine nature shone through His human nature. Moses and Elijah came from Heaven to talk to Him and their appearance was just as wonderful! In fact, the Bible says they, “appeared in glorious splendor” (Luke 9:30).

The Bible also says we will know each other. This tells us that somehow we will be recognizable. The Bible clearly shows that Jesus was recognizable after His resurrection (John 20:16, 20; John 21:12; 1 Corinthians 15:4-7) so that would lead us to believe we will somehow be recognizable in our new bodies. How that will be is uncertain. We may just know or we might look like our old selves; the Bible doesn’t really say.

Whatever our bodies look like and however we will able to recognize each other is an amazing mystery of Heaven. But, remember, Heaven is far more about God and far less about us, so maybe it won’t really matter anyway!

Did God play any sports?

That is very interesting question! So, let’s look at this from what the Bible tells us. If you are referring to God, the Father, there is nothing in the Bible to indicate He played sports. Same thing goes for Holy Spirit.

However, let’s look at God, the Son, who we know better as Jesus Christ. While there is no certain proof that he played sports, we do know that He was born as a child and grew up into a man. We know that He had a childhood because in the Book of Luke, chapter 2, there is a passage that starts at verse 41 that indicates that every year, per Jewish custom, His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph, took him to Jerusalem for the Festival of Passover. In fact, verse 42 says, “When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom.” (Luke 2:42) This is the only time we hear about Jesus as a boy in the whole Bible.

So, we know Jesus had a childhood so he most likely played games with other children his age. Probably not organized sports as we know them but he probably ran or played other games of that day. Again, the Bible does not specifically tell us this, but we can assume that Jesus grew up like any other child during that time period.

Where did Jesus’ spirit go when He died?

The Bible does not specifically state what happened during those three days. Many biblical scholars have offered different theories based on scripture. Some say He went to Hades; others say he went to “Abraham’s Bosom” to preach the gospel. They base this on 1 Peter 3:18-20 and Luke 16:22-23. The truth is we just don’t know. I’m sorry, but there just isn’t a definitive answer to that question.

Can you go to Heaven when you are in Hell?

Wow! That is an awesome question! Sadly, the answer is no. Once you are condemned to Hell, you are stuck there for eternity. There is a story in the Book of Luke, Chapter 16, about a rich man and a man named Lazarus. In the story, the rich man dies and ends up in Hell and sees Lazarus in Heaven with Abraham. The rich man asks Abraham to give him some relief because he is in agony and Abraham say that he cannot because, “…Between us and you a great chasm has been fixed so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross from there to us.” (Luke 16:26)

But, here’s the truth about Hell. It was never intended to be a place for us. It was created for Satan and his demons. Jesus tells us that in Matthew 25:41. Furthermore, God doesn’t send us to Hell; we choose to go there by turning our backs on God.

Honestly, there is only one way to get to Heaven and the great thing about it is that it doesn’t involve you or me having to be good! The truth is: Jesus is the only way to Heaven. He makes this quite clear in John 14:6, when He says, “I am the truth, the way and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” It’s not about being good because we can never be “good enough.” It’s about being forgiven and being saved through the grace of Jesus Christ.

In heaven the souls look different so how do you know who's who?

Wow!! That is an amazing question! This is also a question that has been debated between biblical scholars. The Holy Bible makes it pretty clear that we are able to recognize people even in their glorified bodies. Remember when Jesus reappeared to His disciples after He was crucified? Look at what the Bible has to say about that:

“On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” (John 20-19-20)

It appears, by this passage, that the disciples recognized Jesus and were overjoyed. Next, look at what it says in the Book of Acts:

“After his suffering, He (Jesus) showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3)

Obviously, Jesus was recognizable to everyone He came into contact with after He had risen.

There is also the story of the rich man and Lazarus in the Book of Luke, Chapter 16. Look at these passages:

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire. But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony.” (Luke 16:22-25)

It appears that the rich man, while in Hell can see and recognize Abraham and Lazarus, the poor beggar, in Heaven. It also implies that Abraham can recognize the rich man in Hell. Also, Abraham tells the rich man to “remember” the things in his lifetime which tells me that the rich man will have the memories of his life.

In Mark 9:4, the disciples somehow recognize Moses and Elijah when they were with Jesus on the mountain. Moses and Elijah presumably were in their “glorified” forms.

But, according to scripture, we also get “glorified bodies.” These are new bodies and are called “Heavenly bodies” according to 1 Corinthians 15:40 which says, “There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another.”

After Jesus died on the cross many of the saints of God who had died before his crucifixion, rose in their bodies from their graves and were seen and recognized, presumably before they were taken up into heaven. They arose because their graves had been disturbed by what seems like an earthquake at the moment of Jesus’ death.

Jesus also said that we would be like the angels of heaven; well, what did they look like??? For one, they appeared and disappeared like Jesus. They appeared in human form like us; they ate, drank and talked like mankind. (Genesis 18 & 19) Sometimes they appeared in radiant garment like Jesus when He appeared on the mount of transfiguration. In the book of Revelation angels some times appear as giants standing astride great masses of land. (Am I confusing you yet?)

The Bible only gives us glimpses of what is to come and what our heavenly bodies will be like, and it remains one of the mysteries of our faith. But it seems to me from the little evidence we have in the Bible, we can rest assured we will know each other in heaven!

Why do we do offering?

We do an offering because it is a way that we show God that we love Him. It is a practice that was established way back before the time of Moses. Abraham, the father of the Jews, gave back to God in Genesis 14:20 when he gave God a tenth of everything he had. In fact, the word “tithe” (which is another name for an offering) means “a tenth.”

Look at what it says in Leviticus, "A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:30) “The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod—will be holy to the LORD.” (Leviticus 27:32)

Jesus continued to preach and reaffirmed the value of tithing in the New Testament when He said, “Woe to you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices — mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law — justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (Matthew 23:23)

Did you know that by faithfully tithing, God promises you a blessing? In fact, God says it this way in Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” This is the only place in the entire Bible, Old and New Testament, where God says to test Him.

But, here’s the key: You must do this joyfully. Don’t do it begrudgingly. Don’t do it because you feel you are forced to do it. God would rather you didn’t give at all. He wants you to do it because you love Him and want to give back to Him. Remember what it says in Proverbs 3:9, “Honor the Lord with all your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.” And here’s what it says in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, your heart will be also.”

What’s an easy way to explain baptism?

That is very good question! Baptism is simply the symbolic way of demonstrating to friends and family that you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior. It is a ceremony that imitates symbolically what John the Baptist did to Jesus when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. It represents the “washing away” of your sins and compares it to the burial of Jesus’ death when He died on the cross and took the sin of the world on Himself. Then, when you are lifted from the water, it represents Jesus’ resurrection and His overcoming of sin and death. That’s why we declare that you are to “rise again and walk in the newness of life,” because through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are forgiven and given eternal life with Him in Heaven! Pretty cool, huh?

There are many people who believe that baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, which, in turn, gets you into Heaven. They often quote the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized,” as evidence that asking Jesus into your heart plus baptism results in salvation. Well guess what? Scripture clearly doesn’t support that view.

For example, when the thief on the cross placed his faith in Christ, Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), even though the dying thief had no chance of being baptized. Jesus assured the thief he would go to Heaven. The book of Acts demonstrates that baptism is a sign of becoming a Christ Follower, but not the way we become a Christ Follower.

When the jailer asked the Apostle Paul, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31) He didn’t say anything about having to be baptized.

Baptism isn’t the way we’re saved. It is merely the symbolic way we show our friends that we’ve turned away from our sin and have asked Jesus into our life. It’s a symbolic gesture to show everyone that we’re no longer our own – that we’ve been adopted into the family of Christ.

Why did God come to earth in the form of a baby?

This great question has been asked by many people, who put it this way, “Hey, if God can do anything, why didn’t he just appear as Jesus, the adult, instead of being born?”

Part of the answer to this question is Biblical. Jesus’ birth and the way He was conceived had to fulfill the Old Testament prophesies. The biggest part of those prophesies was the Virgin Birth, which clearly shows His divinity. He comes to the earth from outside, pure and clean, and He is in no way a product of this world.

More important though is that by coming as a baby, we can see the sign of his humanity. He is one of us in every way. He arrives from heaven with perfection and godliness of which no man or woman is capable - yet he takes the full human journey, which even God in heaven had not taken. How could we follow his footsteps as a man if we hadn't seen him crawl as a baby? How could we believe he had undergone all the temptation we have faced if he had bypassed the most difficult years in which we struggle to earn our adulthood?

It’s tough being a kid, right? But, Jesus experienced it. To make the full sacrifice on our behalf, Jesus had to make the full commitment of being born and growing up, facing all of the struggles and temptations that you and I struggle with. It wouldn’t have meant very much to us if he had sprung from heaven fully formed, bathed in heavenly glory, but never lived through the things we have to.

Thankfully, we see him first as a child in a manger. Then, we see him at the Temple as a boy on the verge of maturity, already about his Father's business. We see Mary and Joseph wondering at him, trying to understand, as he grew "in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people" (Luke 2:52). Finally, we see Him as a young man, quietly beginning a ministry that will change all of human history. We see him in the desert, wrestling with temptation and the matter of his destiny, and we know he is fully human. We see his love for children, and we can believe it because he, too, has been a child. And then, when He is crucified, we know He feels the pain that any man would feel. We are bought with a price that could never have been paid without the full burden of humanity having been accepted.

If He had been God only, His sacrifice would have been cheap and unconvincing. If He had been man only, His sacrifice would have had no power; He would have been a martyr like ten thousand others. But He was man and He was God, and therefore He was all in all. He came as a child to confront and conquer every challenge and every temptation common to humanity. We trust Him with our lives because He was God. We love Him with our hearts because we know that once He was a tiny baby, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

If you steal and give back, is that good or bad?

We all know that stealing is not good. It is one of the Ten Commandments. “You shall not steal” Ex. 20:15. But what about if you steal and give it back? Does that make everything okay? - Good question!

A couple of examples in the Bible of where stealing is mentioned is Exodus 22: verses1, 3-6, & 14 and Luke chapter 19. These examples show us that if there has been stealing then the person who has stolen needs to take steps to try and make things right, to pay back what has been taken. We call this restitution.

Let’s look at Zacchaeus the tax collector in Luke chapter 19. As a tax collector Zacchaeus had cheated people by taking more money or possessions than he should have. The first thing Zacchaeus had to do is recognize he had been stealing and confess it, which he does in verse 8. But, in addition to confessing that he had stolen he also promises to pay back four times the amount he stole from anyone. He was committed to making things right with those he had stolen from. In other words, Zacchaeus brought about restitution. One of the things that I think is interesting is that Zacchaeus was promising to pay back four times the amount he had stolen. Zacchaeus was eager to make things right with those he stole from. His offer to pay more was a reflection of his heart.

If I steal, God wants me to recognize my sin. He wants me to be sorry that I have stolen and confess what I did. Then He wants me to do all I can to make things right with the person from whom I stole.

Personally, when someone has stolen from me, I have had to ask God to help me forgive them. With God’s help, forgiveness wasn’t hard to give, but being able to trust that person again may take some time.

Is bringing back the dead a sin? If it is, it doesn't harm anyone or does it? Why is it a sin?

Wow…now that is a very interesting question. Let’s look at this Biblically, okay? First, there is only one person who has the power to create life and that is God. Nobody else can do that, not the angels, not the disciples, not Moses, not Abraham…not even Satan. Jesus was a man and He was also God. I know that is a very difficult concept to understand but it’s the truth. So, because Jesus was God-in-flesh, He had the power to bring back the dead.

There are several examples in the Bible where Jesus raises the dead: In Matthew 9:18-23 Jesus brings back a little girl who had died. In Luke 7:11-15 Jesus brings back to life a widow’s son as he is laying in his coffin. And, my favorite, is in John 11:1-43 where Jesus brings back to life Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha.

Now, it is very important to remember that Jesus lived His entire life without ever sinning. He lived a perfect life. Because Jesus is God and God hates sin, Jesus was incapable of sinning. Therefore, His miracles of raising people from the dead cannot be seen as sin.

Remember, God is the only person who can create, or give, life. No one else can do it and no one else will ever do it except God and Jesus.

What is the best book in the Bible to look up?

Hmmm, well, there is no "best" book. In every single book of the Bible, God has something incredible to show us about who He is and who we should be in reference to Him.

It might be good to start with one of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) because they are fairly easy to understand all on their own. The book of Psalms is like that too and it’s FULL of verses that will make our God grow much bigger in your heart.

If you’d like to start reading your Bible on your own, please know that many parts of it can be difficult to understand. So never feel like you’re dumb for not getting certain parts of it and ALWAYS ask a grownup you trust to help you understand. I STILL get stumped on some things I run across in God’s Word and I’ve been reading it for a LONG time!! When I get stumped, I go for help.

If you are not baptized, will God treat you different from those who are baptized?

Great question! The answer is God will not treat you differently from those who are baptized. The important thing is that you are saved, which means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and have turned away from your sins.

Do you remember the part in the New Testament, in the Book of Luke, Chapter 23 where Jesus is crucified and there are two criminals that are also crucified with Him? One of the criminals mocks Jesus and says to Him, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Verse 39)

But, the other criminal rebukes the first criminal, which means he sternly disapproved of what he said. Instead this criminal says to his former partner-in-crime, “Don’t you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But, this man (referring to Jesus) has done nothing wrong!” (Verse 40-41)

Then this criminal turns to Jesus and says to Him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus says to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Heaven).” (Verse 42-43)

This criminal wasn’t even baptized and he got to go to Heaven because he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. So, you see, it’s not about being baptized; it’s about believing that Jesus is who He says He is and then turning from your sins and choosing to follow Him.

Baptism is merely a symbolic way of showing everyone publicly that you have chosen to accept Jesus. It is simply a step of obedience to the Lord following your repentance and confession of sin.

God looks at your heart not what you do. If people make baptism a requirement for God to treat you differently from those who aren’t, then they are adding another requirements to salvation by grace. Remember, the Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved…through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God not by works so no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Adding anything to the work on the cross demeans Jesus’ sacrifice for us.

If you’ve never heard of God, why do you go to Hell?

This is a good question with which many people have wrestled. Here are just a few remarks on what God’s Word tells us about God’s judgment on people, and those who go to heaven and those who don’t.

We do not know how God will judge those who have never heard of Him or His Son Jesus Christ. That’s the short answer to your question. We do not know for certain that they will go to hell. We simply do not know the mind of God with regard to those who do not know Him. But read on about what we do know …

God is a just God, a God of justice. We do know that He will judge each person uniquely and fairly and the only reason people are going to hell is because they have told God that they can live without Him. On Judgment Day God will allow people to continue to live with the decision they have made. Not everyone who hears the truth about God will be saved, only those who believe in Jesus and obey. Read Luke 8:1-15. Also read John 3:18, John 8:24, 1 John 5:11-13, Deuteronomy 32:4.

The only reason anyone will be in heaven is because Jesus bled and died on the cross to pay the penalty for human sin. Nobody will be in heaven because they lived a good life or because they were sincere. Rather they will receive eternal life as a result of God’s good gift to them in Christ. Read John 14:6, Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5, John 1:12, Acts 4:12, Romans 3:22-24, Romans 5:6-8.

Those who have heard about Christ will be held accountable for how they responded to Him. To reject Christ is to reject God’s offer of forgiveness and eternal life. To choose not to decide about Jesus is to reject Him. Love demands a choice. A loving God invites us to come to Him. Romans 10:9-10.

Have confidence in Christ. Keep asking great questions. But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander 1 Peter 3:14-16.

Should I get baptized right away after I trust Jesus as my Savior?

That is very good question! There are many people who believe that baptism is necessary for salvation and they often quote the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized,” as evidence that asking Jesus into your heart plus baptism results in salvation. Well guess what? Scripture clearly doesn’t support that view.

For example, when the thief on the cross placed his faith in Christ, Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), even though the dying thief had no chance of being baptized. Then, as the book of Acts demonstrates, baptism is a sign of becoming a Christ Follower, but not the way we become a Christ Follower.

When the jailer asked the Apostle Paul, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31)

Baptism isn’t the way we’re saved, but it is the symbolic way we show our friends that we’ve turned away from our sin and have asked Jesus into our life. It’s a symbolic gesture to show everyone that we’re no longer our own – that we’ve been adopted into the family of Christ.

Bottom line, God knows your heart. He loves you because you are fearfully and wonderfully made! And, He knows you love Him. Whenever you’re ready to show your faith to your friends and family and you want that symbolic washing of the water, that’s when you should get baptized?

When people do bad things, is there anything (sin) unforgivable for God?

The answer for is – absolutely not! And that is great news.

I want you to do something. Go grab your Bible and read Luke 12:1-12. Read that right now, and then come back and finish reading this e-mail.


In verse 10 it said, “…anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.” That doesn’t sound exactly like my answer to your question, does it? Well, here’s the deal - In Luke chapter 12, Jesus asks that his disciples keep focused on God, and not be distracted, so they can walk confidently with him. So what’s the deal with blasphemy? Start by looking up the word blasphemy in the dictionary.

Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is more than just cursing God, even though that is what the dictionary says. It refers to a total rejection of God. This is not so much a sin of the moment as it is of one’s entire life, a rejection of God’s message and testimony. That’s a good way to understand it. Thoughts may pop into our head without our control or desire, we may say things (in anger or confusion) that are against God, and we may even intentionally do things against God that can be called blasphemy BUT BUT BUT that is way different than rejecting the Holy Spirit with your ENTIRE LIFE!!! If you have never given your heart to Jesus, and you reject him for your whole life, and then you die, then you have not received God’s forgiveness.

Did I explain the difference well enough between God forgiving any sin you ask him to forgive, and God not being able to forgive your sins because you refuse to ask him? He WANTS to forgive any and all sins, but he doesn’t if you don’t ask him.

Here’s a passage from Romans 5:18-19 from the Message (which reads a little bit different than our NIV Bibles). It captures the meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice for us really well. Check this out …

18-19Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it. But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right.

You see that? Even though Adam got humanity in trouble, Jesus died for us, and got us out of the mess we were in. That can’t be undone. You follow Jesus and if you have questions about your own sins, boldly ask Jesus for forgiveness, and he will forgive you.

Why didn’t Jesus know His purpose on Earth when he was born?

Wow…that is a very interesting question! In order to answer that we have to remember two things about Jesus: He was God and He was man. I know, I know! That is a hard concept to grab!

But, since He was born a man, He was first a baby, right? Unfortunately, the Bible doesn’t say a whole lot about Jesus as a baby but we can assume He was like most babies and couldn’t talk and needed to be fed, held, loved and watched. So, based on those assumptions we could probably say that when He was born Jesus didn’t know His purpose on Earth.

BUT, the Bible clearly shows that, at some point in His adult life Jesus fully realized who He was and that He had been here since the creation of the Earth because he told His disciples and followers, “I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!" (John 8:58)

We also get a hint that He might have known about His purpose when He was a young boy and got separated from His parents, Mary and Joseph, in Jerusalem. They were frantic and began looking for Him and found Him in the temple talking with a group of religious leaders. When Jesus’ mom, Mary, asked Him why He would disappear like that and make them worry, do you know what Jesus said? He told His parents, “Why were you searching for me? Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49) At the time, Mary and Joseph didn’t know what Jesus was trying to tell them but He knew that He was the Son of God at age 12!

So, to answer your question, Jesus probably didn’t know His purpose when He was born but sometime later in His life, He did realize who He was. We just can’t pinpoint the exact time He realized it.