What It Means to Believe
J. Allen Blair
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Do you know what it means to believe on Christ? It is much more than giving mental assent and acceptance.
In the 16th chapter of Acts, we read about the conversion of the Philippian jailer. Paul and Silas had been arrested for preaching the Gospel. At midnight, they prayed and sang praises to God. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake. All the doors of the prison were opened and the heavy iron chains binding the prisoners fell from them, as though they were made of paper. When the jail-keeper awakened, he was ready to kill himself because he would never be able to explain the escape of the prisoners to his authorities. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. The jail-keeper was astonished. Calling for a light, he went in and saw Paul and Silas, and fell down trembling before them! Once outside the jail, he asked, Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? Listen to their reply. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. Nothing could be clearer than this. This is God's way of salvation. In fact, this is God's only way of salvation—Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. No matter what a person's past has been (irrespective of how many sins he has committed), if he believes on the Son of God, Jesus Christ, he can be saved.
What does it mean to believe on Christ? It means to put confidence in Christ and all that He claims to be. What does He claim to be? First, He claims to be our sin-bearer. The son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). This was His basic purpose for coming into the world: to die for your sins and mine.
Second, Christ offers Himself to us as the deliverer from the power of sin. Notice John 8:36, If the Son therefore shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. When one truly believes in Christ, he is no longer under the control of the Devil but under God's control.
Third, Christ claims to be an infallible teacher. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake (John 14:10). The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, He doeth the works. You may rely on all that Jesus Christ says. His words are true. They are the words of God.
Fourth, Christ is our Master and has the right to control our lives when we believe on Him. In John 15:14, He says, Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. To believe on Christ is to put confidence in Him as the controller of our lives.
Fifth, believing on Christ is to trust Him as our guide. In John 8:12 Jesus said, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. To believe on Christ is to be willing to follow Him wherever He leads.
Sixth, Christ offers Himself to us as Lord of all. In John 13:13 He says, Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. To believe on Christ is to acknowledge Him as the Lord of our life.
Thus, we can say when one truly believes on Christ that he puts confidence and trust in Christ as his sin-bearer, his deliverer from the power of sin, his infallible teacher, his master who has the right to control his life, his guide to lead him wherever God chooses, and as His Lord, the Lord of all. With this in mind, let me ask: Have you believed in Christ? Is this what belief means to you? If it is, your belief is scriptural.
What happens after one believes in Christ? First, he has the assurance that his sins are forgiven. To everyone who trusts in Christ for salvation, our Lord says, Thy sins are forgiven. Thy faith has saved thee. Go in peace. Now, you may not feel forgiven. But, according to the word of God, you are forgiven.
Secondly, the saved sinner will trust Christ for a continual victory over sin. Being a Christian does not mean that you will not be tempted. Being a Christian does not mean that you cannot sin. But, being a Christian does mean that, day by day, you will trust Christ for the power He gives to overcome all temptation and sin. Christ possesses all power on earth and in Heaven. He can do all things. He can deliver from drink and drugs, as well as the drudgery of all sin. The true believer will trust the Lord Jesus Christ to do this, looking not to self but to Christ at all times.
Thirdly, when one is definitely saved, he will look to the Bible as God's authority in everything. This means that he will spend time each day studying the word of God. If a man says he is a Christian and has no time for the Bible, his salvation is doubtful.
Fourth, if one is genuinely saved, he will no longer try to run his own life but will yield himself to the control of Christ completely. Since believing on Christ is to put full confidence in Him, can we say that one is a believer who does not entrust his life to Christ?
Fifth, belief in Christ will result in daily obedience to Him. In Luke 6:46, Christ says, Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Unsaved people are not commanded to obey Christ, but His own blood-bought children are.
Sixth, if one is truly saved, he will be a witness for God. He will have no hesitation to confess Christ to men. We read, in Romans 10:9-10, That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
To you who have never professed to believe on Christ, I urge you to put your confidence in Him right now. The very moment you do, you will be saved—eternally saved. Put your confidence in Christ. He longs to save you and transform your life. How wonderful it is to know that, even if you are a vile sinner, if you call on Jesus Christ for salvation, you can be saved immediately. God will perform a miracle in your life. He will transform you and take away the desire to continue in sin. Thank God for the Gospel of Jesus Christ that can save to the uttermost. If you never have, will you trust Christ at this moment as your Savior and Lord?
J. Allen Blair
Shift The Gears
J. Allen Blair
There is a common misunderstanding among evangelical Christians regarding scriptural truth. It centers on two prepositions, to and from. It is important to know what we were saved from, but it is also important to know what we are saved to. You can dwell on things you were saved from and keep the letter of the law. But you will know nothing of the Holy Spirit until you move into the realization of having been saved to some very important responsibilities. Too many testimonies bear the list of things done in the past.
This is well and good, but it is only half of the story. Paul said, Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. But, these believers did not stop there. They began to serve the living and true God. We are saved from the wrath of God and from past sins, but these are the negatives. We must move on to the positive values. A runner looking back over his or her shoulder will never win!
As believers, we are not to get stuck in the gear of the past; rather, we are to press toward the mark of the high calling of God, as Paul said in Philippians chapter 3. Live for today and for your future in Christ. God has given us new life, new hope, new enjoyments, new interests, new purpose, new opportunities, and new goals!
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ARE YOU HURTING?
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Like most of us, I am sure there have been times when you felt misunderstood. You shared your thoughts with others, but no one seemed to quite understand. Even some of your closest Christian friends had nothing more to offer than, "Just trust the Lord."
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