Belief
What we believe shapes the way we live. By “believe,” I mean the things we know, where we place our trust, and the actions we take because of that knowledge and trust.
When Jesus surrendered his crown and stepped out of heaven to take on the flesh of man, he came to preach and to teach His people how we might obtain eternal life.
His simple message? “Believe in Me!”
John the Baptist prepared the way with the message, “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life.” (John 3:36)
Jesus, when speaking with the Pharisee, Nicodemus, stated, “… whoever believe in Him… shall have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
Peter’s profession of faith was, “we have come to believe you are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (John 6:69)
Further, when the apostles went out to preach, their message wasn’t complicated. It didn’t change. Believe in Jesus. (Acts 8: 37; 16: 31-32; 19:4; Rom 3:22; 10:14; 1 John 3:23)
Believe*
So, what exactly does it mean to believe in Jesus? Is it just something I know? Should I feel something? Is there something I need to do?
YES, YES, and YES!
God didn’t create us as only a mind to think, or as just spirit to feel, or as merely a body to work. We are made up of all three parts, and He wants to save every part of us—mind, soul, and body.
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” (Luke 1027)
He wants all of you. Not just your thoughts. Not just your feelings. Not just your actions. He wants it all and He wants you to believe with your whole being!
How does one do that? Well, you believe in Jesus, you do so through faith, you do so with hope, and you do so with love.
Faith*
God desires that we be people of faith—to believe with your mind— knowing that Jesus, the only Son of God, lived a sinless life, willingly died on the cross to pay the price for your sin, and rose from the dead to make a way for us to live with God in heaven for eternity.
Hope*
God desires that we be people of hope–to believe with your soul—trusting in Him and having full assurance that He will accomplish the work He set out to do in you… now and for eternity.
Love*
God desires that we be people of love—believing with your service— loving Him and loving others with our words and actions to produce spiritual fruit through Christian service.
Prayer
If you desire eternal life and you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that he died for you to take your place, and that He desires you to live with him in paradise, this adventure into eternal life begins with a simple prayer, voicing the things you have come to understand about God’s love for you and the work He was able to accomplish in His Son, Jesus Christ.
This is your testimony of faith, the knowledge you now posses about the love of God, which is sufficient, when you testify before God and others, to justify you in the sight of God.
But there’s more to living a Christian life that only begins with justification—being saved through faith.
The ultimate end of every believer here on earth comes to pass in glorification—the hope of our future salvation when we stand before God in heaven, having completed the work He has for us to accomplish here on this earth.
The church, the body of Christian believers all around the world, desires that you grow in your faith through sanctification—growing as a believer, in love and the work of the Holy Spirit being exercised through you.
Faith, Hope, and Love. But the greatest of these is love.
As you live out your faith, remember that Jesus left us with these simple commandments:
-Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength
-Love your neighbor as yourself
-Go and make disciples
I have prayed over the work that I pour into writing these stories, and if you are reading this text, I have prayed for you, that you would believe in God—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and live a life that will bring glory to Him in this time, and in eternity to come.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*Universal Church
References
Belief: Whole book of the Gospel according to John… “that you may believe.”
Gal 5:5-6; Eph 3:17-19; Col 1:3-5;1 Thes 1:3; Titus 2:2; 1 Tim 4:12; 6:11; Hebrews 10:19-25
2 Chronicles 20:20; Mark 1:15; 9:23-24; John 1:12; 3:16, 36; 6:69; 9:35-38; 14:1; 17:20-26; 20:31; Acts 8:37; 16:31-32; 19:4; Rom 3:22; 10:9, 14; 1 Thess 4:14; Heb 11:6; Jam 2:19; 1 Pet 1:21; 1 John 3:23; 5:13
Faith: The whole Epistle to the Galatians and Romans 12-16
1 John 5:4; Habakkuk 2:4; 1 Cor 1:24; 4:13; 5:7; 8:7; Eph 3:17; Col 2:6-10; Hebrews 11; 1 Tim 6:11; James 1:3; 2:1; 2:14-26; 2 Peter 1:5; Rev 2:13, 19; 13:10; 14:12
Hope: Job, Lamentations, Psalms
Rom 4:18; 5:2-5; 8:20-25; 12:12; 15:4-24; 1 Cor 9:10; 13:13; 15:19; 2 Cor 3:12; Gal 5:5; Col 1:5; 1 Thess 2:19; 5:8; Titus 2:13; 3:7; Hebrews 6:19; 7:19; 10:23; 1 Pet 1:3; 3:15
Love: The Book of James and 1 John and Psalm 119
(God’s love to us, our love to God, and our love to others)
Jer 31:3; Lev 19:18; Deut 5:10; 7:7-13; 10:12-19; 11:1, 13, 22; 13: 3, 9, 19; 30:6, 16, 20; Josh 22:5; 23:11; Psalm 97:10; Jer 31 :33; Matt 5:43-46; 22:37-39; Mar 12:30-33; Luke 6:27-35; 10:27; John 13: 34-35; 14:3; 15:9-19; 21:15-17; Rom 5:5-8; 8:28; 8:32; 13:8-10; 1 Cor 8:1; 13: 1-13