Beginning the Journey of Faith
(Believe in Christ)
There's a difference between "believing" Christ and believing in Christ. There are many who believe He was and is the Son of God but they have never put their faith in Him. To "believe in" Christ means that you:
- recognize He is who He says He is the Son of God and God the Son.
- recognize your condition. The bible says that all have sinned and all fall short of God's glory. It says that no one is righteous, not even one! Even the nicest of persons has done something wrong so even the nicest of persons falls short. It may be hard to imagine how a loving God could be so exacting. Well, God is Love for sure. But that's not all He is. He is Just and Holy also. Holiness means purity. His purity keeps us at a distance because of our sin.
- know that God offers us a relationship with Him through the hard work of another Person. That Person is Jesus Christ! His sinless life and death on the cross paid a penalty we couldn't pay. His death was a full payment for OUR sin!!
- turn around and stop living your life for you. If you recognize He is who He says He is and you recognize your condition and you see what was accomplished on the cross the only appropriate response is to let Him be Lord of your life. Following Him means that you're no longer in charge.
Thankfully, His death was not the end of the story. See, even death could not conquer Christ and He walked out of a sealed tomb on the Sunday morning after His burial!! If you place your faith in Him and believe in Him, you left that tomb with Him!! If you let Him take charge of your life, your victory over death is as real as His!!!
There's lots more to learn and know about Jesus but these are the essentials for believing. The place to learn and continue growing is in a church body. They will help you understand your bible and know Jesus and walk with Him daily. To put it bluntly, you won't make it on your own. You need others to help you on the journey.