Of Belief in Jesus
Leonard Ravenhill said,
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen” The sinners prayer is not in the Bible. It shows up somewhere in 1700's America.
There is a problem with the sinners prayer. It can build a sense of false security. To many especially her in North America the sinners prayer is a formula for getting to heaven.
However it is prayer that is not necessary.
Jesus speaking to Martha said,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
The Apostle John speaking of Jesus wrote,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13
John’s Gospel records,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.
The key to getting to heaven is to believe in God. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The writer of Hebrews states,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3.
If you truly believe in Christ. You must believe that Jesus is God incarnate, who died for your sins. Not only that you cannot simply give such a belief intellectual consent. It must be a heart felt consent. An act of faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
Francis of Assisi made two interesting statements we who claim to be Christians must consider. He wrote
The early Church was very much a church that lived its faith in full view of all people. The book of acts records,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47.
If we are truly following Christ. If we truly believe Jesus is all the scriptures tell us he is people around us should be able to see God at work in our lives without us saying a word. As the apostle Peter said,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:9-12.
Please think about it.
Leonard Ravenhill said,
The sinner's prayer has sent more people to hell
than all the taverns in America.
Leonard Ravenhill
For those who are not familiar with the sinners prayer there are variations on it but basically it goes basically like this,“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. In Your Name. Amen” The sinners prayer is not in the Bible. It shows up somewhere in 1700's America.
There is a problem with the sinners prayer. It can build a sense of false security. To many especially her in North America the sinners prayer is a formula for getting to heaven.
However it is prayer that is not necessary.
Jesus speaking to Martha said,
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
The Apostle John speaking of Jesus wrote,
“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” John 1:12,13
John’s Gospel records,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:16,17.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9.
The key to getting to heaven is to believe in God. Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. The writer of Hebrews states,
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:3.
If you truly believe in Christ. You must believe that Jesus is God incarnate, who died for your sins. Not only that you cannot simply give such a belief intellectual consent. It must be a heart felt consent. An act of faith. The writer of Hebrews stating,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for
and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1
“And without faith it is impossible to please God,
because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those
who earnestly seek him.”
Hebrews 11:6
Our belief in Christ must be so deep it is something we would die for. Our faith must be the centre of our lives. Christianity is not simply a philosophy or religion it is a way of life.Francis of Assisi made two interesting statements we who claim to be Christians must consider. He wrote
“Preach the Gospel at all times
and when necessary
use words.”
Francis of Assisi.
“The deeds you do
may be the only sermon
some persons will hear today”
Francis of Assisi.
Simply put we must live our faith in word and deed everyday.The early Church was very much a church that lived its faith in full view of all people. The book of acts records,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47.
If we are truly following Christ. If we truly believe Jesus is all the scriptures tell us he is people around us should be able to see God at work in our lives without us saying a word. As the apostle Peter said,
“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends,
I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” 1 Peter 2:9-12.
Please think about it.
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