Believing in Christ

There is no verse in the Bible that has gained so much of attention and popularity as John 3:16. It is the most memorized, recognized, loved and quoted verse in the entire Bible. Perhaps, its allusion to God’s love in giving His Son as a ransom to deliver man from sin, is appealing to many Christians. For others, it may be the promise of eternal life that captures their attention. Still, there are others who will attribute its popularity to repeated attempts to recite it by heart in Sabbath Schools or Sunday Schools. Whatever be the reason for its sheer popularity, I believe that this is not a matter of mere coincidence. God has ordained it to be so because this verse, though simple as it may be, outlines the vital elements of truth that define the true relation between the Father and the Son.

But popularity does not necessarily mean that when this verse is quoted or recited, that many would grasp and comprehend the message that the verse throws at the listener or even the reciter. I cannot speak for other Christian groups, but as far as the OTG movement is concerned, our focus is mostly directed to the first part of the verse which states, “For God so loved world, that He gave His only begotten Son”. Our obsession over this verse stems from the fact that these words highlight the truth that God is a singular, personal Being, who not only had a Son, but rather, THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON to give to this dark and dying world.

We back our belief by other verses such as: “This is life eternal, that they may know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent”, and, “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by Him.” (John 17:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6). Though much have been said and broadcast about God’s true identity, and many “mysteries” have been unlocked as a result of understanding this vital truth, yet the road does not end here! Notice what the Bible says about the fallen angels.

“Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (James 2:19)

“And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And He rebuked them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.” (Luke 4:41)

Like many of us, the fallen angels also know exactly who God and Christ are and yet they are lost. Therefore, it stands to reason that, though God’s people are destroyed because of a lack of knowledge, it is also equally true that knowledge alone is powerless to save us. This knowledge may also include knowing the truth about salvation, or otherwise christened as, “the message of righteousness by faith”. Whereas, knowledge is good and vital, in and of itself, it becomes worthless if it does not have a practical bearing on our daily lives. This condition is not unique to modern day Christianity; this problem is as old as Christianity itself.

Through the aid of the Holy Spirit that was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the followers of Christ preached the message of salvation to those who were in Jerusalem and across the length and breadth of the Roman Empire. Like Thomas, some of them even ventured beyond the borders of the “civilized world” to carry the gospel which also included the truth about God and Christ. Through the concerted efforts of the apostles and the evangelists, and the divine power that assisted them in their work, many souls were won to Christ. Among these new converts, were the priests.

“And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” (Acts 6:7)

The book of Acts also makes mention of “the Pharisees which believed”, without a doubt, that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Acts 15:5; Matthew 16:16). However true and genuine their conviction was that Jesus was the Saviour, these men were not truly converted. They only manifested a conversion of religion as opposed to the conversion of the heart. In Acts, chapter 15 and verse 1, we read the following:

“And certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised in the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1)

The Pharisees were among these “certain men” from Judea who stressed on the need to observe the Levitical laws as a means to attain salvation. They even commanded that all converts to Christianity, both Jew and Gentile, should observe the laws and statues given by God through His servant, Moses.

“But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.” (Acts 5:5)

Because Moses was highly esteemed in Jewish society, and anything pertaining to this man was dogmatically held sacred, the opinions of the Pharisees with regards to salvation by the observance of the Mosaic laws gained a lot of support. These men embarked on a course that was contrary to the teachings of Christ. The tone of their message was aimed at undermining what Christ had done for them and the entire human race; and they sought to replace this with human efforts and abilities as means to augment and supplement that which Christ had already accomplished for them. Whereas, they believed, with all their hearts, that Jesus was the Messiah who came to deliver man from sin and its problems, yet this knowledge did not have a real and practical impact on their lives because true faith was lacking. Consequently, they not only sought for other avenues to acquire salvation but also taught and coerced the believers to submit to their misguided ideas.

The impact of the fallacious attempts of the Pharisees and their supporters to draw away the believers from Christ as the only way to salvation was devastating. The power that initially attended and assisted the church in its march towards its goals and aspirations was beginning to wane and, within no time, it disappeared into obscurity. The church sank into a state of spiritual lethargy and apathy that the triumphs of the former days, when miracles were wrought and souls were won to Christ, were but memories of a distant past.

While, many today have come out in the open to declare their belief about the one true God and His Son, most of them are too caught up with this issue that they fail to believe in Them. But just as John 3:16 does not begin and end with the message that God has a Son to give, even so, our journey, and the journey of those before us, does not begin and end with the knowledge we have about God and His Son.

After pronouncing the love of God in sending Him to this world, Jesus went on to say, “…. whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” This is the part that attracts very little attention and, as a consequence, it is overlooked and inadvertently being shoved into the background as a secondary and not so essential part of our spiritual walk with God. Little do we know, however, that this is the part that actually deserves most of our attention because it holds the key in ushering in a significant transformation in our lives. If only we begin to believe more in Christ, and not just more about Him, that miracles will once again be wrought in us and through us.

It is no surprise, therefore, that in certain pockets of this world, God’s people do not witness the same power that is demonstrated in other groups. Perhaps, by trusting self and in man’s abilities and capabilities, we are belittling Christ and His power to transform our lives and experiences. We only see the problem that is before us as a Herculean task and we shrink away from meeting it head-on. If such an attitude persists, we are worthy to be numbered with those whom Paul describes as people who only have “a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof”. (2 Timothy 3:5).

Jesus urged His disciples to have faith – faith that could move mountains. He is also urging His people today to have that same kind of faith. I reckon that, the first step towards experiencing this faith is to believe in Him.

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