Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior?

Question: "Why do people reject Jesus as their Savior?"

Answer: There are perhaps as many different reasons for rejecting Christ as there are people who will reject him, but these four serve as general categories:

(1) Some people do not think that they need a savior. These people consider themselves to be “basically good” and do not realize that they, like all people, are sinners.

(2) The fear of social rejection or persecution deters some people from declaring Christ to be their Lord. The unbelievers in John 12:42-43 would not confess Christ because they were more concerned with their status among their peers than doing God’s will: “Nevertheless many even of the rulers believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they were not confessing Him, for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the approval of men rather than the approval of God.”

(3) For some people, the things that the present world has to offer are more appealing and important than eternal things. Read the story of such a man in Matthew 19:16-23. This man was not willing to lose his earthly possessions in order to gain an eternal relationship with Jesus. (see also 2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

(4) Many people are simply resisting the Holy Spirit’s attempts to convert them to faith in Christ. Stephen, a leader in the early church, told those who were about to murder him, “You men who are still-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit...” (Acts 7:51). The Apostle Paul made a similar statement to a group of gospel-rejecters in Acts 28:23-27.

Recommended Resource: Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper.