Believing On Christ

Robert Meredith

What does it mean to believe on Christ?  The Bible thoroughly teaches that one must believe on Christ or that individual can not be saved.  Most religious people believe that this is necessary to access God’s grace.  But what kind of belief on Christ saves?

  It is more than just a mere mental accent that Jesus is the Son of God.  Some in Jesus’ day believed that He was, yet were not saved.  In John 12:42 one reads, “Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him: but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the Synagogue.”  Now one knows that these believers were not saved for Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33 that one must confess Him to be saved.  Therefore, to believe means more than just a mental acknowledgment.  Furthermore, Jesus said, “And why call ye Me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say” (Luke 6:46)?  Here some acknowledged He was Lord, yet refused to obey Him.  Too, Jesus spoke of some believers on Judgment day who would be lost because they refused to do the will of God (Matthew 7:21-23).  Jesus said they would respond, “Lord, Lord, have we

not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works?”  These people believed and were active religiously, but not according to God’s ways.

  To believe on Christ not only means to have a mental accent that He is the Son of God, but also to obey Him.  If one does not obey Christ, does he really believe on Christ?  Jesus said, “I am the way…” (John 14:6).  He said, “I am the door” (John 10:9).  However if one refuses to obey Christ then he is not coming by the Way, or the Door.  In John 3:36 Jesus said, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.”  The word believeth shows continuous action and therefore shows us one must continue to obey the Lord to be saved.

  What does Christ say a person must do to be saved?  The Lamb of God says one must believe He is God (John 8:24).  Also, Jesus says one must repent (Luke 13:3).  Now, if a person must repent to be saved (and everyone must), then one is not saved by faith only.  Furthermore, Jesus says one must confess His name (Matthew 10:32), and, my dear friends, Jesus said a person must be baptized (Mark 16:16).  If one refuses, does he really believe on Christ?  Baptism is not the end of the Christian life, but the beginning.  Having been born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5), he is exhorted by Jesus to “be thou faithful unto death” (Revelation 2:10), and then Heaven will be his.

  The Apostle Peter, when asked by a group of believers what they had to do, told them that they had to do something to be saved (Acts 2:37-41).  When they repented and were baptized for the remission of their sins, they were neither earning salvation, nor working their way to heaven.  They were simply accessing God’s grace by coming to the Door (John 10:9).  Jesus paid the price for man’s sin by shedding His precious blood.  We encourage you to obey Jesus and be saved by Him.