When a person becomes a Christian, there are several different ways to describe what has happened. One might say, “I gave my life to Christ,” or “I was immersed into Christ.” We might say, “I made Jesus the Lord of my life,” or simply “I was saved.” A term we hear mainly among denominational groups is, “I accepted Jesus.” I don’t hear members of the church I attend using that phrase. Radio and TV preachers often say that. Nobody in the Bible ever said, “I accepted Jesus,” but that does not necessarily mean it is an bad expression. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says, “For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.” To accept Christ or accept His cleansing or accept His Word for what it truly says, describes in part what takes place at salvation. It is like most of the expressions we use. Whether it is good or bad depends more on what you mean by it than what you state. If by saying “I accepted Jesus” you mean, “Nobody else will accept you, Jesus, so I’ll go ahead and accept you,” then you are misinformed about what happens when we are saved from our sins. You or I becoming Christians doesn’t do Jesus any favors. He is the one doing something for us. He doesn’t need someone to accept Him because He is lonely or desperate. We need HIS cleansing and HIS forgiveness. Another problem with the word “accepted” is that it understates the commitment that is being made when one marries themselves to Christ in baptism. “Surrendered” or “committed” better describe our conversion. Hopefully one does more than just accept Jesus. Christ is looking for a life-long commitment to His Lordship, a yielding to Jesus as the Master of your life.