Believing Unto Life Eternal

Faith is the key word in determining one's relationship with God. Without faith, true faith, saving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). But what does it mean to believe in Him? The Biblical word includes the ideas of trust, confidence and reliance. The only reliable basis is the Word of God. The personal object of faith is the Son of God and what He alone provides to save us from our sins. Unger's Bible Dictionary defines saving faith as "such belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as leads one to submit completely to the authority of Christ, and to put complete and exclusive trust in Him for salvation." Since our eternal welfare depends upon a thorough understanding of the complete teaching of the Word on this subject, not a verse here or there, we ought to think through the matter. Consider the following verses carefully. Look them up to convince yourself.

WHAT HINDERS SINCERE FAITH?

• Willful, sinful refusal to respond to God.
• "He wondered at their unbelief (Mark 6:6).
• "Why do you not believe Me? He who is of God hears the words of God" (John 8:46-47).
• "How often I wanted to gather your children together...and you would not" (Luke 13:34).
• Rebelling against God and His Word (Isaiah 1:2, 20, 63:10, 65:2).
• Resisting the Holy Spirit continually (Acts 7:51).
• Stubbornness (Psalm 78:8).
• Lack of repentance (Romans 2:5).
• Disobedience (Romans 10:21).
• Loving darkness rather than light (John 3:19).
• No love for the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10).
• Self-willed, despising authority, indulging the flesh (2 Peter 2:9-10).

The problem is with you, not God, or your circumstances.

GOD'S EFFORTS TO BRING YOU TO SAVING FAITH

God has always been the initiator in salvation. From the time when man first sinned, God has been the Great Seeker (Genesis 3:8-9). He desires that every person be saved (2 Peter 3:9); 1 Timothy 2:4) and has made provision for all (1 John 2:2).

• He sends His messengers to tell you the good news that you might come to Him (Rom. 10:13-15).
• He invites "whosoever will" to come (John 3:15-16, Revelation 22:17). He is sincere in that offer.
• He reasons with you in your stubbornness and resistance to His love, warning you of your sins which need cleansing (Isaiah 1:18).
• He calls on you to be willing to turn from wrong in order to do what is right in His sight (Isaiah 1:16-17, 65:7).
• He pleads with you to listen to Him that you might live (Isaiah 55:3).
• He warns you to seek Him while you can and not delay until too late (Isaiah 55:6).
• He reminds you that there is a Creator to whom you are responsible. You are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20) and one day you will realize that.
• He speaks to your conscience in order to bring you to acknowledge your need (Romans 2:15). Every man has a conscience, even though in time it becomes calloused by the sin of resisting God.
• He seeks to pierce your heart with conviction (Acts 2:37-38). He reminds you that Christ suffered and died for you, then rose again in a stupendous sacrifice of love to save you (Acts 2:22-24, 36). Do you care?
• He invites believers to pray for all men because He wants all men to be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4). Prayer is vital in spiritual warfare.

HOW DO YOU EXERCISE SAVING FAITH?

It is more than saying a certain prayer of words, asking forgiveness, raising your hand, mental agreement with Bible facts. There is no verse that says, "Just ask Jesus into your heart". It is something that involves mind, will and emotions (total being) in a decisive, sincere, life-changing act. It is a personal, transforming entrance into a new life with the Lord Jesus Christ.

You hear the Gospel message, believe it (depend, trust, rely upon its truth) and God gives you the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13).

You understand and are convinced that Jesus paid for your sins by His death on the cross, rose from the dead and is alive today to call you to Himself (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).

You abandon hope that your own "goodness" can recommend you to God (Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 2:16) so that you will not be under the curse of trying to come to Him by your own efforts (Galatians 3:10). Christ alone is able to cleanse you. Salvation is the undeserved favor of God to sinners (Ephesians 2:8-9).

You enter the Door of salvation which is Christ Himself (John 10:9), not by looking to the church, the rituals, or good deeds to earn your way.

You bow the knee to Jesus as Lord and Savior, without knowing all that this may mean in the future, just as everyone must do eventually, including the doomed and damned (Philippians 2:10-11). You are prepares to confess Jesus as Lord before others (Romans 10:9, Matthew 10:32).

You enter into a personal relationship with Christ Himself (Romans 7:4), just as when you marry someone. Marriage illustrates the relationship between Christ and the believer (Ephesians 5:22-30).

You are born into a new spiritual life through the entrance of the Holy Spirit into your life (John 3:6-7). This is what enables you to live a changed life through God's power. You become a new creation and old things pass away (2 Corinthians 5:17). You are not yet perfect in life on earth, but you begin a new life which will gradually change as you let Christ control your life and mold your character.

You recognize that Christ has saved you for a life of following Him on earth, not just handing you a ticket to Heaven, leaving you free to live as you please here. Jesus is Lord, not you. He is the new owner (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

CONCLUSION

God loves you, Christ died for you. The Spirit calls you. Why will you die without Jesus as your Lord and Savior? What else can God do while you ignore Him, put Him off and think you can make your peace with God sometime in the future? Are you prepared to meet your God today (Amos 4:12)?