What does it mean to believe? Is it sufficient to believe that God made us, that Christ saved us? It depends on what you are seeking. Yes, it is enough if all you seek is salvation. If you are seeking more, let's go a little deeper. God has been showing me some interesting revelations about believing.
In 1 Timothy 6:2-3, Paul instructs Timothy, "...because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles."
It is interesting that Paul uses the phrase, "..those who partake of the benefit are believers.."
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:21, "who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."
In 1 Timothy 6:2-3, Paul instructs Timothy, "...because those who partake of the benefit are believers and beloved. Teach and preach these principles."
It is interesting that Paul uses the phrase, "..those who partake of the benefit are believers.."
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:21, "who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God."
So what are we to believe?
The grace of God not only sent Jesus to save the world from darkness and sin but to live inside us. Amen! :-)
John writes in 1 John 5:19-20, "We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life."
Ok. This is good stuff. Since we already know that Jesus is the Son of God and has given us the understanding so that we may know Him (according to John), belief becomes synonymous with trust. We know that God sent Jesus to save the world.
Many Christians spend their lives in disagreement over what to believe and what not to believe. Jesus wants us to trust in Him; to believe in Him. It changes from what do we believe about Jesus, to Him becoming our belief. What do we believe? IN JESUS CHRIST!! Amen!
We trust Jesus with our lives and our will is surrendered to His. We believe in Him, we trust in Him and we experience heaven on earth as a new creation in Him.
Believing leads to receiving, trusting leads to experiencing the rest He desires us to enter.
The only way to understand the Kingdom, to know it and enjoy it is to realize the truth that already exists.
Think of believing as being two-dimensional like a contract or a paper and trusting as being three-dimensional like jumping into a pool of water and being completely consumed by the water.
We have been entered into the greatest union possible by the blood of the Lamb; to be one with Christ. A revelation of the new creation describes the spiritual union that transforms us from the inside out.
The Spirit guided me to Matthew 7:7, Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened."
I have often been puzzled by what this means as people ask for things all the time and it is not given to them.
The Spirit revealed it to me like this, "Ask Me for Me and you will receive Me; seek Me and you will find Me; knock on My door and the Kingdom of heaven will be opened to you."
Paul talked about putting on the new self in Colossians 3. Verse 1: "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth."
We hear the truth of the finished work of Jesus. We choose to believe that we are saved by grace and not of any works of our own (Ephesians 2:8). We acknowledge that Jesus is united with us as a new creation in Him (2 Corinthians 5:17). We receive Him and His will. We knock and the Kingdom of heaven is opened to us while we are still on earth. We spend our lives resting in His will and His works will flow through us as an abundant harvest is produced. This is a manifestation of who we already are. Believing does not make us anything, it releases the truth of who we already are. It is all Him! Awesome! :-)
Thank you, Jesus!
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