I Believe in Jesus Christ. What is it All About?
Study No. 100
In dealing with the above divine topic, I do not intend to go beyond the foundation already laid. I wish rather to throw more light to the less informed and less devoted, so they may know the actual meaning and implications of "I believe in Jesus Christ" our Lord and Savior.
Often times I come across people who publicly say they believe in Jesus Christ. Others, if questioned, will say they believe. Some would even go as far as tell you that they have heard of Him since their youth and have ever since believed in Him.
The Scripture will set us straight on this issue of "I believe in Jesus Christ our Savior." Let’s look into the Scripture which reveals this. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" John 1:12. Let us look at another revelation in the holy Scripture. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:13. Let us go into this article with a plain mind of understanding to achieve the holy will of our Lord in whom we believe.
Who is Jesus Christ, Our Savior?
It is a divine joy to know whom Jesus Christ, our Savior, is. Unless we know whom He is, it is impossible for us to believe in Him, or to be happy with Him, or even to please him.
To throw light on what I have in mind, let us consider two areas of the Holy Scriptures. "In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God . . . . And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:1, and 14, first part. With the above light from the Holy Scriptures, we can now clearly see and know that CHRIST is the Word of God, and that He was in the beginning with God. We can also see that this very Word of God, Jesus Christ, was made flesh, and the very Word left His throne and came down to this earth and dwelt among us. Jesus Christ, being the Word made flesh through the divine power of God, is what a real believer should know.
The Scriptures have made us to know also that Jesus Christ is the totality of the Word of God, and it is this very Word of God that created all things that exist in the heavens and earth. He even created the heaven and earth themselves, the sea and all that is in the sea. It is a name we should consider very mightily in our lives. So when we say or mean Jesus Christ, our Savior, we mean the totality of the Word of God who created all things, The one that has saved us from the bondage of Satan, men of the world, principalities and powers of darkness.
"I Believe in Him"
Now that we have shown whom our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ is, we must now consider the statement, "I believe in Him." Let us remember the Scriptures already quoted in the introductory chapter of this article: "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe in his name," John 1:12. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
You see the high command associated with the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. That whosoever believeth in Him, the totality of the Word of God made flesh, shall be saved; and when you receive Him and believe, you are then, through the power of the totality of the Word of God made flesh, made the true child of God.
The above Scriptures show us that "I believe in Him" means all the words spoken to mankind by our Almighty Father in heaven. All the words spoken to mankind by our Almighty Father has been revealed by this — His Word made flesh, and called Jesus Christ, our Savior. When we say we believe in Him, it then means we believe in the totality of God’s Word made flesh. Remember denying a word spoken by God means denying our Savior Jesus Christ whom we always say that we believe in.
Implications of "I Believe in Him"
Consider the following Scriptures from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ to help us review the above statement. "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great," Luke 6:46-49.
With the above statement we can deduce a lot of understanding of the implications of "I believe in Him." Here our Lord Jesus Christ was putting to light those who say they believe in Him and call on His name often. Here our Lord was telling them as well as us the implications of "I believe in Him."
In another place in the Scriptures we are reminded of this very statement of our Brother Paul. "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" Romans 2:13. Think over the above holy Scriptures very carefully my dear reader, and you will see quite clearly what is meant by "I believe in Him." So, the phrase "I believe in Him" means that I shall obey the totality of the words and commandments of laws of God. Then when we really believe the mighty WORD shall come unto us and overtake our life as long as we continue to abide and do the will of God, the Father Almighty.
But if we only say "I believe in Him," but fail to DO the WORD we believe, then we are not true believers and something is to be done if we really are to be saved. We have to appeal to the mighty WORD made flesh to come into our life and re-bear us again. "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," Romans 10:13.
"If you love me, keep my commandments," John 14:15. "And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. This is the commandment, That, as ye have heard from the beginning ye should walk in it" II John 6. We can clearly see what is implied in believing in Jesus Christ. We should keep the whole commandments of God, as God gave them from the beginning. We cannot say we believe in Him if we do not obey His commandments. Then, if we love what we believe, we have to keep the words and commands of what we believe.
Do You Really Believe in Him?
This a serious question that each and every one of us has to consider and answer for himself. If your answer is no, you still have a chance to believe in Him and walk as He walked. If you shall only call upon His name, the mighty Word. We should consider most of His words before we answer this question for ourselves. Hence, believing the WORD means believing the totality of God’s word and doing His word and commandments. What are the commandments of God that was heard from the beginning.
In the book of Exodus, chapter 20, verses 1-17, God gave His commandments to men to obey and live by them, but what are we seeing today? Many say "I have Jesus Christ as my personal Savior." But when you ask them, "Do you keep God’s Commandments?" they will simply say that the law or commandments have been nailed to the cross by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In contradiction to the above statement by many, we hear our Lord Jesus Christ say, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled," Matthew 5:17-18.
I ask one question here; Has this earth and heaven passed away? The above consideration shall help us to answer the question of whether we believe in Jesus Christ or not. The key meaning of ‘believe’ is to obey the word of the one in whom you believe.
SUMMARY
We have seen clearly that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Word of God, and that through Him all things were created, and without Him there is no life. Believing in Him means believing in eternal life. We should summarize it this way: when we say that we believe in Jesus Christ, we are saying that we believe in the totality of the Word of God Almighty. If we really believe in the Word of God, "Jesus Christ," we should demonstrate this by keeping the whole commandments of God.
If we then say that the laws or commandments of God have been nailed to the cross, we deny Him because Christ never said that in any place in the Bible. What we can see in the Scripture as some quote and interpret to their own understanding is in Colossians 2:14, "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross." I ask one question here, "Is the commandment 'don’t steal' against us as disciples of Christ?" No! God forbid! Likewise any of the Ten Commandments and non-sacrificial laws are not against us.
Remember that the above statement of the scripture is not talking of the Ten Commandments of God as so many preach and believe in them today. So, accept our Lord Jesus Christ in a true stand, and He will teach you all things. His major purpose of saving you from the penalty of your past sins is to rebear you to be a true child of God by obeying Him and keeping His Commandments. This includes the fourth Commandment, "Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it Holy." This is not Sunday or the first day of the week as most preachers teach and believe. The seventh day of the week falls on Saturday and is a command of God.
And this is love, that we walk after His commandments. That, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it. May GOD BLESS YOU, as you obey Him.
— written by John I. Ajalli, Nigeria West Africa W