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BELIEVE
1)
John 3:16 -
For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (KJV)
2)
John 3:36 -
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the
Son will
not see life, for God's wrath remains on him."
3) 1
John 3:23
- And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus
Christ, and
to love one another as he commanded us.
4) 1
John 5:1 -
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and
everyone who
loves the father loves his child as well.
5)
John 6:28-29
- Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God
requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in
the one he has sent."
6)
1 John 5:13
- I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God
so that
you may know that you have eternal life.
7)
Acts.
16:30-31 - He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what
must I do to
be
saved?" They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved—you and your household."
The Bible
is very clear that if we believe in Jesus, we will certainly go to
heaven. Because the word "believe" can have several different
meanings, we must examine other scriptures in the Bible in order to
figure out exactly what it means to "believe" in Christ. If
Jesus taught that anyone who wants to follow Him "must deny himself and take up
his cross daily," then this must be a part of "believing"
in Him (Luke 9:23).
Another example is Paul's statement that "Those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires"
(Gal. 5:24).
If someone thinks that he believes in Jesus, but
is still held captive by the sinful nature, then he cannot truly
believe in Jesus, because it would contradict this verse.
There are hundreds of other verses in the New Testament that also shed
light on what it means to believe in Jesus Christ. Based on
all of these scriptures, "believing" in Christ cannot simply mean
"think to be true," like many people believe, but must refer to a
wholehearted commitment to follow Him.
Another
concept to consider is "which Jesus does a person believe
in?" In 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, Paul tells the Corinthians that
they are "putting up with"
individuals who are preaching about a "different Jesus"
than the one in which Paul had introduced them to.
2 Cor. 11:3-4
- But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's
cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and
pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a
Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different
spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one
you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
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If some people preached about a "different
Jesus" during Paul's time, it is very reasonable to
believe that this is still happening today. Many preachers
teach about a "Jesus" who "understands" that people cannot help living
sinfully and therefore, forgives people even though they continue in
their sins. Some preachers also teach that Christians are
"still in the flesh" and are unable to escape the sinful
nature. These
teachings, as well as the
"Jesus" in which they
describe, are clearly contrary to the Jesus depicted in the Bible and
His teachings described therein. The Jesus of the Bible
taught people to "stop
sinning" (John 5:14)
and to "leave your life
of sin"
(John 8:11).
He also taught that "A
good tree cannot bear bad
fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not
bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire"
(Mat. 7:18-19). The apostle John taught about Jesus
accurately. In 1 John 3:6, John said, "No one who lives in him keeps on
sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him."
Although many people think that they believe in Jesus and are convinced
that they are following Him, Jesus clearly taught that many who believe
this will find out that they did not truly know Him (Mat.
7:21-23).
In Mat. 7:21-23,
Jesus also gave a distinction
between His true followers (he
that doeth the will of my Father) and those who did not
know Him (ye that work
iniquity). This distinction is the same one that
exists between what many preachers teach about the false "Jesus" (that
Christians are still sinful) and what the true Jesus taught (A good tree cannot bear bad fruit).
Mat. 7:21-23
- Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in
thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. (KJV)
In conclusion, the Bible clearly shows that believing in Jesus is much
more than merely thinking that He exists and believing that He died for
our sins. The Bible also shows that people can believe in a "different Jesus"
than the true Jesus depicted in the Bible (2
Cor. 11:3-4). In 2 Cor. 13:5,
Paul asks the Corinthians to examine themselves "to see whether you are in the
faith." We can do this by comparing our own
lives and beliefs with the teachings of Jesus to see if we truly
believe in Him and are following His teachings. Jesus told
His disciples, "If you love me, you will obey what I command"
(John
14:15). This statement was not an order to His disciples that
they'd better obey Jesus if they really love Him, but rather Jesus was
simply stating that obedience to His commands will naturally result
from
having true love for Christ. |
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