“Do you believe in Jesus?” seems like a strange question. It sounds like the same question as “Do you believe in Santa Claus?” or “Do you believe in aliens?” But the question “Do you believe in Jesus?” is asking far more than “Do you believe that Jesus Christ existed/exists?” The true meaning of the question is “Do you believe Jesus Christ is who the Bible says He is, and are you trusting Him as your Savior?”
So, do you believe in Jesus?
Do you believe that Jesus is God in human form (John 1:1, 14)? Do you believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for your sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21), for which you deserve eternal separation from God (Romans 6:23)? Do you believe that the sacrifice of Jesus, God incarnate, is the only adequate payment for your sins (1 John 2:2; John 14:6; Acts 4:12)?
Do you believe these things? If so, great, but believing the facts about Jesus is only part of the equation. Biblical faith/belief is far more than believing certain things to be true. Biblical saving faith is also trusting/relying on those facts.
A chair is a good illustration. You can look at a chair and believe it is made of materials strong enough to support your weight, and you can believe that it was assembled correctly. But that is not biblical faith. Biblical faith is sitting in the chair. It is actually relying on the chair to hold your weight off the ground.
Are you trusting that Jesus is your Savior? Are you relying on His death as the full payment for your sin debt? Are you depending on His resurrection as the guarantee that you, too, will be raised to eternal life after death? Not that it could ever happen, but if the “chair” of Jesus Christ were pulled out from beneath you, spiritually speaking, would you hit the ground, or are you also relying on things in addition to the chair?
If you understand and believe what the Bible says about Jesus, and if you are trusting in those truths as the basis for salvation—you are saved! You “believe in Jesus” in the biblical sense.
If you are uncertain if you truly believe in Jesus but you desire to, or if you feel God drawing you to faith in Jesus, the next step is simple. Believe! Trust in Jesus! Rely on Him for your salvation. Allow God to turn you from sin to forgiveness and salvation.
If you would like to verbally express your new faith to God, here is a sample of what you can say: “God, I know that I have sinned. I know that my sin separates me from you. I know that if left unforgiven, my sin will separate me from you for eternity. I believe and trust that Jesus Christ is my Savior, that He died to pay the full penalty for my sins and that He rose from the dead on the third day. I am relying on His sacrifice alone to bring me into a right relationship with you. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for saving me. Help me to grow closer to you each and every day for the rest of my life.”
What a great, simple powerful message Michael. We can never present the absolute simplicity of the Gospel too often can we?
Have a great day in the Lord today
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Wally; thank you for your most welcomed comment. It is always greatly appreciated. I have to agree – it is the simplest of which often creates the greatest impact in our lives and the lives of others. I wish all of them could be so, but they seldom are. Recently I have been engaged in a debate/discussion over the Deutero-Isaiah theory with several skeptics. I have withstood many such debates/discussions over the years and thanks to God and His eternal wisdom I have prevailed in His name. No, I am not boasting of myself, but of Him who works through me. Praise be to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Thank you again, Wally, for your kind words and insight. Both are always greatly appreciated.
Your Friend in Christ;
Michael
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Yessir I have been watching that learning much
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That’s great, Wally; but I was unaware that you could follow my comments and discussions on other peoples blogs.
I encourage you to keep up with your spreading the word of God throughout the lands.
God bless you, my friend.
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I comment follow piles of blogs I don’t even recall which blog it was
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I comment follow a bunch of blogs and can’t even recall the one actually that topic has been on a couple of blogs lately
At any rate I thank you for your always solid teaching
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You’re welcome, Wally and thank you for your support and lasting friendship. It means a great deal to me.
Michael
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I believe my discussions were on “Who Wrote It?” by Beejai. The River Walk actually. It is as follows: https://theriverwalk.org/2016/08/05/who-wrote-it/ . It is a lengthy discussion. Just warning you. smiling.
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Yes! That was the one. He wrote his and a day or two later you wrote yours
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Yes, I believe you’re correct.
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Thank you, Clyde; for the link. It is greatly appreciated.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours.
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