August 6th 2017
Has Your Faith In Jesus Saved Your Immortal Soul?
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
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.
What is faith? The Bible does not give us a description of what faith is. It does tell us we must have it, but it does not give a description of just what it is. At least, I have not found a description that helped me understand it. We are told that faith has nothing to do with the things of Creation by the writer of Hebrews. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) This is one of my favorite Bible verses, as it tells me not to look for objects of faith in the things we see.
Following are descriptions of faith taken from a dictionary:
1. Belief without evidence
4. A doctrine or system of doctrines, propositions, etc., held to be true: the Christian faith
I selected these two descriptions, from many given, as these two are good examples of separating believers from non-believers! The (1 Belief without evidence) description seems to describe what non-believers think about having faith. This is describing a “blind faith.” Unfortunately, some professing Christians think of faith in this way too, because they “really” do not believe the Biblical stories to be true, believable, and understandable. The key to the second dictionary description is the part “held to be true!” Our “Christian faith” must be based on the Biblical truths, and only on such truths! Of course, God’s Word is more then just the Bible, as everything around us is The Word of God. Remember, God spoke everything in Creation into existence!
If your faith is based on the things you see, then when you die, and leave this earth, you would leave your faith behind! That is way as Hebrews 11:1 tells us; our hope is based on “what we do not see.” Jesus tried to tell His followers that “seeing is not believing,” in John 6:46-47! No-one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. So our belief in God is not based on seeing God, although Jesus’ disciples saw Jesus, and he was God, but He was seen by them as a man!
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16-17)..Yes, it is true; some of His disciples did see Jesus after He was raised from the dead. Some of them also saw Him ascend into heaven, but even then there were those disciples who Matthew writes “they worshipped him; but some doubted.” Can you imagine that at this point some of the disciples still doubted?
In the selected verse from Hebrews the statement, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists,” certainly should get our attention. How can anyone call out to God, if they do not believe He exists? When you pray do you call out to the unknown god, as the Greeks did, until Paul told them about the only real God? Believe it, there is only one God, and He had only one Son, and only the Bible describes this God. Your faith is the only connection you have, through The Son, to God our heavenly Father.
No-one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, (see Numbers 21:8-9), so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 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. (John 3:13-16) Your eternal life is contingent upon believing the fact that Jesus died for your sins, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, then your immortal soul will be saved, and you, will spend eternity with God. Aren’t you glad someone told you about Jesus, so that you were born again into the eternal reward Jesus has planned for you? Paul tells us about our salvation in (Romans 10:13). "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." However, he goes on to ask us about people who have not been told, or who still have not believed. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14)
Is there anyone you can tell about Jesus, so they may develop a faith that will result in their salvation?
What about you, have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and been baptized into the family of God? If not, a great resolution would be to do it, as soon as possible! No one is guaranteed tomorrow, and salvation is available today! If you desire help in any way, please contact me!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
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.
What is faith? The Bible does not give us a description of what faith is. It does tell us we must have it, but it does not give a description of just what it is. At least, I have not found a description that helped me understand it. We are told that faith has nothing to do with the things of Creation by the writer of Hebrews. Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1) This is one of my favorite Bible verses, as it tells me not to look for objects of faith in the things we see.
Following are descriptions of faith taken from a dictionary:
1. Belief without evidence
4. A doctrine or system of doctrines, propositions, etc., held to be true: the Christian faith
I selected these two descriptions, from many given, as these two are good examples of separating believers from non-believers! The (1 Belief without evidence) description seems to describe what non-believers think about having faith. This is describing a “blind faith.” Unfortunately, some professing Christians think of faith in this way too, because they “really” do not believe the Biblical stories to be true, believable, and understandable. The key to the second dictionary description is the part “held to be true!” Our “Christian faith” must be based on the Biblical truths, and only on such truths! Of course, God’s Word is more then just the Bible, as everything around us is The Word of God. Remember, God spoke everything in Creation into existence!
If your faith is based on the things you see, then when you die, and leave this earth, you would leave your faith behind! That is way as Hebrews 11:1 tells us; our hope is based on “what we do not see.” Jesus tried to tell His followers that “seeing is not believing,” in John 6:46-47! No-one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life. So our belief in God is not based on seeing God, although Jesus’ disciples saw Jesus, and he was God, but He was seen by them as a man!
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. (Matthew 28:16-17)..Yes, it is true; some of His disciples did see Jesus after He was raised from the dead. Some of them also saw Him ascend into heaven, but even then there were those disciples who Matthew writes “they worshipped him; but some doubted.” Can you imagine that at this point some of the disciples still doubted?
In the selected verse from Hebrews the statement, “without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists,” certainly should get our attention. How can anyone call out to God, if they do not believe He exists? When you pray do you call out to the unknown god, as the Greeks did, until Paul told them about the only real God? Believe it, there is only one God, and He had only one Son, and only the Bible describes this God. Your faith is the only connection you have, through The Son, to God our heavenly Father.
No-one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, (see Numbers 21:8-9), so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. 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. (John 3:13-16) Your eternal life is contingent upon believing the fact that Jesus died for your sins, “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, then your immortal soul will be saved, and you, will spend eternity with God. Aren’t you glad someone told you about Jesus, so that you were born again into the eternal reward Jesus has planned for you? Paul tells us about our salvation in (Romans 10:13). "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." However, he goes on to ask us about people who have not been told, or who still have not believed. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14)
Is there anyone you can tell about Jesus, so they may develop a faith that will result in their salvation?
What about you, have you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and been baptized into the family of God? If not, a great resolution would be to do it, as soon as possible! No one is guaranteed tomorrow, and salvation is available today! If you desire help in any way, please contact me!
Your brother in life through Adam, your brother in eternity through Jesus,
Bob Moak
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