Belief
We hear people saying “I can believe what I want to believe”, but our belief is our
conviction based on testimony that something is true or that someone is reliable.
There is a big difference between believing of and believing in Jesus. Believing
includes action. The Word reveals who you really are! The Bible shows you who
the new man is. You are going to have to renew your mind to the Word of God
(Romans 12:1-2) so you can live the way you are supposed to live. What you see,
say and hear will affect the spirit man. Feed yourself the Word of God on a daily
basis. The Bible is the mirror (James 1:22-25) and shows us who we are. James 2:
19 says “you believe that there is one God, you do well; the devils also believe and
tremble”. James speaks against those who confuse mere intellectual assent with
true faith. True faith involves a commitment of your whole self to God. When we
decide to believe in God, we must also decide to follow His ways. What we do
shows what we really believe. “Obey the Lord Yahweh your God by keeping all
these commands and laws that I am giving you today” (Deuteronomy 27;10).
Believing is a confession from the heart. Romans 10:5-13 answers the question,
how do I become a Christian? These verses give you the beautiful answer –
salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. If we believe in our heart and
say with our mouth that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved.
Jesus spent a lot of His ministry, talking about believing, and the importance of our
belief. Starting with the famous John 3:16 “for God so loved the world, that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
everlasting life” verse 18 says “he that believes in Him is not condemned, but he
that believes not is condemned already”. Over and over He says “if you believe in
God, believe also in Me”. In Mark 9:23 He says “if you can believe, all things are
possible to them that believes”. This verse shows our responsibility in believing
what the Bible says. All things, leaves out nothing. This is plain in today’s society,
some people don’t believe in miracles, healings etc., and they limit God in the areas
they have unbelief in. Remember Jesus in His own home town could do no mighty
work, because of their unbelief. This was the same Jesus who raised the dead,
healed all kinds of illnesses, opened blind eyes, loosed the tongue, drove out
demons. In Mark 11:23-24 we see the key is believing then speaking. Jesus said
“for verily I say to you, that whosoever shall say to this mountain, be you removed,
and be you cast into the sea and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that
those things which he says shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he says.
Therefore I say to you, what things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that
you receive them and you shall have them”. God uses the same principle in
salvation as in receiving anything from God. Believe in your heart and confess with
your mouth.
People say they believe the Bible, however, they pick out things, that they can’t act
upon. The Bible reveals the Living God to us. The Bible is a dependable guide (II
Peter 1:19-21). The Bible is infallible (John 10:35) Jesus said “the Scripture cannot
be broken”. The Bible works effectually in them that believe (I Thessalonians 2:13).
Study by: Harriet Bond
Date: November 28, 2006