The Biblical Path of Life

Tag: Believe

  • A New Creature

    “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
    2 Corinthians 5:17

    Have you ever heard something that scared you? I mean really scared you?! What do you think of the following?  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Believing in Jesus, having eternal life sounds wonderful! But did you notice the second part of that verse? If one does not believe in Jesus, they won’t see life (won’t live with Him for eternity). However, the worst part is the final part of that verse. If one doesn’t believe in Jesus, the “wrath of God abideth on him.” What an awful thought!

    If that doesn’t scare you, try this one. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). There is so much more to believing in Jesus than just saying you believe in Jesus. Notice that in that verse it said the Gospel was preached (the Gospel message is that all are sinners and Jesus died on the cross to take away that sin). Did you also notice that the same Gospel that was preached did not profit some of them? What made the difference? In some of them, it was not “mixed with faith in them that heard.”

    One problem is that many say, and really think, that they believe in Jesus. However, one must really understand what that means. Hearing and saying one believes is not enough. The missing part is that it has to be mixed with faith when one hears. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 reveals people who pleased God because of the faith they had in them (the faith of the Gospel message). That faith was revealed in their lives. The people listed in that chapter had forsaken the old way of life (living according to the world) and had lived a new life pleasing God. This change is revealed in the following verse: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). One who has the faith to be saved must completely forsake the old life in every way. That one can then live a new life in Christ.

    Have you believed the Gospel message having it mixed with faith?

    Are you a new creature living a new life in Christ?

    How to be Saved

  • Faith Comes by Hearing

    “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.”
    Isaiah 55:11

    God called many prophets in the Old Testament to go forth and declare His Word to people. They mostly went, no matter what happened to them. We all remember one particular prophet who chose to disobey God. He chose to go the opposite direction God wanted him to go. The way he wanted to go. Remember him? Jonah, forever known as the prophet who was swallowed by a whale. Why did that happen to him? Because he chose to do what he wanted, instead of obeying God. But only after he was in the belly of that great fish for three days and three nights, praying, was he willing to go deliver the Word of the Lord to the people of Nineveh. Even with his begrudgingly behavior, thousands of people repented before God, and God spared the people and the city.

    Have you ever considered any of the other prophets God sent forth? Remember Isaiah. God asked who He could send, who would go tell the people. Isaiah said, “Here am I; send me.” God told him to go and tell the people, but Isaiah was warned that the people would hear him, but would not listen to him. They would not understand what he was telling them. They would not take any of the counsel of God’s Word that he gave to them. It might sound good for somebody else, but not them. They would not get it. Isaiah had God’s Word, yet the people would not receive it. When Isaiah asked God how long he would have to tell this people who wouldn’t really listen to anything he said, God told him to continue to tell the people until there was no one left to tell.

    Do you think that would have been a hard thing to do? Isaiah was given more prophecies concerning Jesus, the Messiah that was to come, than any other prophet. He was instrumental in helping the people understand that salvation is of the Lord – not of anything man can do. Isaiah’s name even signifies this, for his name means “Salvation is of the Lord.” Nevertheless, tradition declares that King Manasseh had him sawn in two.

    Many other people declared the truths of God’s Word. One cannot help but think of Peter as he told of Jesus, and many thousands of people give their hearts and lives to Jesus. Paul gave his life telling people about Jesus, and establishing churches to teach the apostles doctrine. He also spent much time in prison. Stephen preached the Gospel message of Jesus, and he was stoned to death. However, these men were faithful to the end.

    Today should be no different. Each Christian is called to go and tell the Gospel message of Jesus. To tell the difference that God’s Word has made in that Christian’s life. No one may hear. No one may understand. They might believe that it is good for someone else, not for them. They might not receive it. Nevertheless, we are called to go and tell – even when people don’t want to hear about Jesus. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). People must hear before they can believe. “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?”  (Romans 10:14). The word preacher here means “to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the Gospel); preach, proclaim, publish.” This means anyone can declare or “cry out” the Gospel message. “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). We are just required to declare God’s Word to people. God will take care of the rest.

    However, no one will know the Gospel message of Jesus if we do not tell it. Have you told anyone about what Jesus has done for you?

  • Good Work

    The only good work one can do in and of themselves is explained simply by Jesus, Himself, when He was asked by the people. “28. Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29. Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent” (John 6:28-29). So the only good work anyone can do is to believe on Jesus. And when someone believes on Jesus, their life is forever changed. A new life in Christ begins. One begins to learn what the Bible teaches and applies those things to their life. Titus chapters two and three are a great place to read to understand some of the ways a Christian is to live. And as we choose to life a life pleasing to Jesus, we are to watch for His coming. “11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, 12. Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; 13. Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14). Notice that not only did Jesus come to redeem us, but we are to be zealous of good works. Remember what the only good work is that we can do? Believe upon Jesus, God’s Son. Any other good we do is because we have done that – for it is an outflow of appropriating our faith in Jesus into every aspect of our lives.

    God sent Jesus into the world to “seek and to save that which is lost” (see Luke 19:10). Who is lost? Anyone who does not believe that Jesus is God come in the flesh to pay the penalty for man’s sin with His death on the cross. Why is this so hard for people to believe? “3. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4. In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

    The grace of God that brings salvation is available to anyone.

    The invitation is simple. But it must be received.

    Are you ready to do the work of God?