It’s common for Christians to say they are believers. It is also typical for those who do not believe in Jesus to say they know God. Even atheists are believers: they just not believing that there is nothing to believe in. Everyone believes in something. All human beings are servants of something or someone. Bob Dylan, during his “Christian” phase, wrote some lyrics that ring true. “You’ve got to serve somebody. It may be the devil, or it may be the Lord, but you’ve got to serve somebody.”
Even those who say they believe in God may miss out in the end. Jesus said to His disciples just before His crucifixion ” Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1) Peter, James, John, and the other members of Jesus’ personal staff had been with him since the beginning, and they all believed in God. They knew Jesus was the Messiah. Why did Jesus find it necessary to tell them to “believe in Me”?
THE ONLY WAY
Jesus understands the heart of man. Created by God in His image, man craves to believe. Even those who say they believein nothing have an innate desire to believe in something. Jesus knew that acknowledging God was not enough to experience eternal life. He told his disciples to believe in Him personally because that is the ONLY way into eternal life and the Kingdom of God. John 14:6 tells us “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Based upon Jesus’ statement, the definition of a Christian believer is one who not only believes in God, but also believes in Jesus and what the Bible says about Him. In John 9:35-38, we read that Jesus healed a man blind from birth. Scorned by the Jews, he was kicked out of the synagogue for acknowledging Jesus as Messiah. “Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” The Bible defines a Believer as one who believes in Gof, has a personal relationship with Jesus, and worships Him as Lord.
SINCERITY
Most people are sincere in what they believe, but sincerity alone cannot save us. We can be sincerely right or sincerely wrong. Sincere belief in Jesus as Savior and Lord guarantees our future in heaven Jesus asks the same question of us today that He asked of the man born blind. Do you believe in the Son of God? Something to think about!
