Believing in Jesus
"For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day." 2 Timothy 1:11-12
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who believes." Romans 1:16
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36
"Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." John 4:41-42
"He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." John 3:36
Many believe that Jesus has saved them and promised them an eternity with Him in heaven, yet don't really know Him, His redeeming work, or His ways. Like rebellious Israel, they believe He thinks like them and love what they love, ignoring His warnings in Isaiah 55 and Psalm 50:21. Believing in Jesus includes knowing and trusting Him. It's not enough to believe today's positive, non-offensive views of Jesus -- those feel-good visions used to promote Christianity in the world and "grow" churches in the postmodern era. Unless His true nature is taught -- including His uncompromising holiness, He zeal for righteousness, His wrath toward pretension and evil, His divisive world with regard to sin and repentance -- people will believe an illusion, not the Truth. They will walk in futility, not share in His victory.
When the whole truth is told, the world doesn't flock to Jesus. To the contrary! As He warned His disciples long ago,
"If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.... If they persecuted Me they will persecute you... for they do not know the One who sent Me." John 15:19-21
"Do not be deceived: 'Evil company corrupts good habits.' Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame." 1 Corinthians 15:33
"Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience." Luke 8:11-15
"...the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ [it exposed our sin and our need for redemption (ransom), mercy, forgiveness and cleansing], that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor." Galatians 3:24
"...as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
"He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God." John 3:14-21
"For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 1 Corinthians 1:22-24
Even the rebellious can believe, but "not unto salvation."
"Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him." Matthew 27:41-42
"You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble!" James 2:19
"...the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things..." 2 Timothy 4:2-5
"Jesus... said to them, 'Does this offend you? ... It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you who do not believe.' For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, 'Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father."
"From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
"Then Jesus said to the twelve, 'Do you also want to go away?'
"But Simon Peter answered Him, 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
"Jesus answered them, 'Did I not choose you, the twelve, 'and one of you is a devil?' He spoke of 'Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of the twelve." John 6:61-71"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways...." Jeremiah 17:9-10
"For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance,
but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7"...to the wicked God says: 'What right have you to declare My statutes, or take My covenant in your mouth, seeing you hate instruction and cast My words behind you? ... You thought that I was altogether like you; but I will rebuke you....'" Psalm 50:16-21
"I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, and seeing you will see and not perceive; for the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed...." Matthew 13:13-15
"Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness....
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought....
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart; I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:5-10"Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand." Matthew 24:23-25
"Believe unto salvation"
"He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures." Luke 24:45
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17
"Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world." John 4:41-42
"Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him. " Psalm 2:12
"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." Colossians 2:6-8
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ." Philippians 1:9-10
"Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8