>>16273782 (lb)
Sorry for lengthy reply. TL/DR at bottom.
People used to tell anon "You can't get into heaven without saying the sinner's prayer", or "You gotta get baptised, or the devil's gonna get you with his hot poker for eternity", or "If you don't come down during alter call, that guilt's gonna cause things to happen in life that will bring about your destruction!"; shit like that. Others say "You need Jesus in your heart" so anon, being the literal person I am, always wondered how that worked.
Growing up in the south, people had a difficult time explaining to anon that these phrases are allegories for putting yourself into a position mentally, spiritually, and even physically where you come to peace with whatever the challenges are that you face, daily, and how you handle them or "try to make them right". At some point, hopefully quickly if you are of a well adjusted mentality, you have to let that baggage go and keep pressing on in life. Reading the 4 Gospels from a realistic perspective can help with this.
Here's a guy, Jesus, that basically told people "quit being a bunch of dickheads towards each other" and "stop letting the synagogue run your life". Also "money changers are assholes" and "lawyers that use religion to rule over you are the actual bad guys". Fast forward to today. Can any of that relate to anons' current experience? If that message resonates with you, then you might just be a Jesus fan. If you are struggling with legalism in your church/belief system (legalism subjugates the mind of the believer that perfection will still never be good enough), then you are like those "lost sheep of the house of Israel" Jesus spoke of who will always submit to religious authoritarianism.
Now I'm not railing against church. It's doctrine that I have a huge beef with. The truth is, if we are to take other scriptures into consideration "No man cometh to the Father but by me" and "Don't pray in repetition" (as he proceeds to give an example prayer that churches have made repetitious and ritual), then we're left with trying to understand/reconcile that "You have to have Jesus in your heart" from earlier. What does it really mean, then?
TL/DR:
Follow in his example. What does that mean, then? Be a good person. Any system of belief that reinforces the idea of subjugation to outward physical authority is disobedience to the idea that you can have a direct relationship with God. OK, so how do we do that?
Step 1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Step 2. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself .
From here, it's up to you to figure how all these fit together. It's quite simple once you think about it. It's also something most Christians would trip their shit over once the Truth slams them in the face about what these words really mean.