Believe On the Lord Jesus Christ and You Will Be Saved
We’ve come to the end of the book of Joshua where we have learned that by faith the nation of Israel
But belief is a difficult thing to define. How much belief do we need to enter this promised life? Is it enough to simply believe that Jesus existed? Is it sufficient to believe that Jesus was crucified? What is it about Jesus that we need to believe in order to be certain that we are saved?
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
In Acts 16, after being asked the question, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul and Silas are quoted as answering, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” What does that mean? I think we can figure that out by dissecting the phrase “Lord Jesus Christ”:
Lord: Do you believe that Jesus is Lord? That means that He is the boss, in charge of all things at all times. Do you want Him to make the decisions in your life? Do you desire to follow His leading? Do you submit to His Lordship? If you do submit, then you believe He is Lord… if you don’t, that illustrates that you don’t believe that He is Lord.
Jesus: Do you believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, did what He claims to have done, and that He will do what He claims He will do? Jesus claimed to be the only Son of God (John 3:16)… Do you believe that? Though He is separate from God, Jesus claimed to be one with God (John 10:30)… Do you believe that God and Jesus are separate but One? (I know that defies logic, but do you believe it?) Jesus claimed to be the only mediator between God and man, and that everyone must come to Him to have access to God (John 14:6).
Jesus walked on water (Matthew 14:25), healed the sick, raised the dead (Matthew 11:5), fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14), and He claimed to be able to forgive sin (Matthew 9:2)… Do you believe those facts? Jesus claims that He has risen from death and that He will come to earth again to receive those who believe to Himself (John 14:3)… Do you believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, did what He claims to have done, and that He will do what He claims He will do?
Christ: Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah)? Do you believe that He came to earth to die as an atoning sacrifice for your sin, my sin, and the sin of the world—making it possible for those who do believe to have access to God? And do you believe that He rose from death, ascended into Heaven and will soon return to righteously judge the earth and set up His Kingdom?
Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
Those Who Are Not Saved
There are millions of people in this world who say that they believe in Jesus, but in reality do they? Many people and religions believe that Jesus was nothing more than a good man who lived a good life and taught us some good lessons… Let me be bold and say unequivocally, those people, even if they may appear to be saved, are not saved.
Many people go so far as to believe that Jesus is one of God’s sons, not equal to or one with God, just a son of God… Despite the fact that they may be happy and live moral lives, they also are not saved.
Some who convincingly claim to be Christian believe that Jesus was created by God to be God. Others believe that Jesus was bound by the laws of nature, so they try and explain His miracles away with logic. Some very well-intentioned people believe that you can earn salvation by doing good things, by being a good person, and by going to church… If you believe these things, then you need to be told… you are not saved. Salvation is not a birthright. It doesn’t come to you if you are born in the right country, into the right family, or into the right religion. And salvation cannot be earned… even if you try really, really hard. There is one and only one way to be saved; you must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Trying to Make Sense
But that doesn’t make sense to most. So you think, There has to be more than that; it’s too easy. There’s got to be a system or structure that I can follow to find my way into the promised life.
Because you think that salvation has to make sense, you try very hard to use logic and reason to convince others to make some sort of general profession of faith. Then once they make that profession of faith, you try to make Christian living make sense by telling them (if you are a fundamentalist) that they must now work hard to do this, this, and this; work harder to stop doing that, that, and that… and then you encourage them to join you in the uphill struggle of living a holy life.
And if you are a liberal, you tell people that they are now safe and don’t have to exhibit any evidence of being saved because God has to forgive you when you tell Him that you went forward and prayed a prayer at Whispering Valley Epic Revolution Non-denominational Community Outreach Missional church.
Then for many of you, after a few years of going through the motions at your new church, a visiting pastor who is relatable, funny, and a good communicator, makes you and everyone around you feel uncomfortable in your short-comings and hopeful for a better life. Then he convinces you that getting saved again (or rededicating our life) makes sense, so you go forward and pray another prayer… starting again the seemingly never-ending cycle of frustration…
Will, Not Might
But the truth is that salvation doesn’t make sense… It is a supernatural event which, by definition, transcends the natural; therefore, to those who are perishing, it is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). So why do we try so hard to make something that is supernatural, into something that is logical? I know why… it’s because we don’t believe. Acts 16:31 tells us that if we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we will be saved. Notice something here… it doesn’t say believe and you might be saved, or believe and do good works and you can be saved… It simply says believe and you will be saved.
What will happen when you truly believe is that Jesus will come and supernaturally change your life. When that happens, you will yield to His Lordship and begin to naturally seek to live a life that is pleasing to Him. You will find peace, rest, contentment, and joy. Many people are working very hard to find those things before they believe… If that is you, then you’re putting the cart before the horse and your life is probably filled with guilt, indecision, frustration, and burden… You’ve got to believe first—and through that belief, God will change you!
If you are, like I was for many years, stuck on the east side of the Jordan River looking on with longing at the life you’d like to live but don’t seem to be able to live… examine what you believe and ask Jesus to help your unbelief… because when you believe, you will be saved!
