What Do You Believe? 11/09/25
John 20:30-31 So then, many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that by believing you may have life in His name. Is that all we have to do to be saved?
James 2:14-17 What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
Biblical faith and belief is a lot more than just believing certain things to be true. Biblical, saving faith, is also trusting and relying on those facts. Faith is a matter of evaluating the evidence and making a choice.
There’s also a thing called commitment involved in our belief or faith. Biblical faith or belief is never simply saying; yes I believe in a certain set of facts. Biblical faith leads to trust and commitment as well as a change of behavior.
Does the fact that millions of people who have gone before us over the last 2,000 years made the choice to exercise their faith and believe in Jesus, matter? Does the fact that untold numbers of Christians have willingly faced death rather than deny their faith in Christ matter?
W.C. Fields was a skeptic who died in 1946. Someone saw him reading the Bible and said – “Mr. Fields, I didn’t know you believed the Bible!” He said, “I don’t; I’m looking for loopholes.” If you read and study the Bible looking for loopholes, you’ll probably go to your grave without hope.
Romans 10:9-10 if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.