You are viewing lesson 17 in the series “Disciples of Christ” which provides 18 lessons especially suitable for new disciples. The lessons are each complete units and may be used separately.
Believing in Jesus Christ is the most important thing any of us will ever do. If we reject or even neglect Jesus and his message, we have done the worst thing possible.
Why put belief in Jesus at the top of the list like that? There is a clearcut reason. He is coming in the future to judge all of us. This might happen in our lifetime, or we might be long dead before it happens. It makes no real difference. We will stand before this Jesus, and he will decide our eternal destiny in the hereafter.
That being true, it makes sense to point our lives toward that ultimate moment, and prepare (1John 2:28). The only way to do that, is through belief (or faith) in Jesus and his message.
There is plenty of evidence to warrant believing in Jesus. Throughout history God has been revealing both the first and second comings of Jesus. The Jewish scriptures (The Old Testament) gave plenty of notice of his first coming (eg Isaiah 9:6-7). People all around the world (like the wise men from the east) believed those prophecies.
The Christian scriptures (the New Testament) begin with four witnesses, which are then supported by other writings. These witnesses tell how Jesus did come as promised, and showed himself to be God. He was the unique Son of God who became one of us (John 1:14).
Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. He arose from the dead and returned to heaven. He will come a second time to judge mankind, choosing those who believe in him for eternal life.
Believing in Jesus, by itself, would be useless. James, one of the special messengers of Jesus, tells us that "belief by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:17-26).
A dead belief is no better than disbelief. A sincere belief (faith) has to be a working and obedient belief. Believing in Jesus involves obeying his teachings and applying them to the way we live our lives.
Believing in Jesus leaves no room for hypocrisy. When a person professes to follow Satan, and does the work of Satan, that is terrible. But at least it is consistent, and gives Satan the bad name he deserves.
When a person professes to believe in Jesus, yet lives like an unbeliever, that is hypocrisy and gives Jesus a bad name which he does not deserve (Hebrews 10:29).
We hope you will think about these things, and keep in mind the words of Jesus himself, "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
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