How important is belief in Jesus being Son of God? It is so important that our eternal destiny depends upon it. Jesus once said, Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins (John 8:24 NKJV). To die in your sins means that you die in an unforgiven state, and thus you will land in hell and be punished forever and ever. On the other hand, belief in Jesus as deity and confession of that belief leads to salvation (Romans 10:10). We see this in the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch: Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him (Acts 2:36-38). Faith is a requirement for salvation, along with repentance, confession, and baptism. Let's look at another situation in which Jesus wanted to gauge the belief of some individuals. Then let us consider our own faith in Him.
When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened (Matthew 9:27-30b). Why would Jesus ask them this question? Surely, we can conclude that Jesus thought it was important that they had faith in Him. The blind men answered, "Yes, Lord." The word translated "yes" is used as an interjection in this sentence. An interjection communicates a burst of emotion. They most assuredly believed he was able! Jesus healed them accordingly.
Why is it important that we believe with all of our hearts that Jesus has the power to save us (cf. Acts 8:37; Romans 10:9)? Because trusting in him completely means that we give up our lives to him - that we stop trusting in ourselves doing our own will, and obediently, without question, follow His will. This is what Abraham did: He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform (Romans 4:20,21). To waver means to hesitate, or to doubt. If we do that, then our wavering faith will cost us heaven. For James wrote: If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord (James 1:5-7).
What if, for illustrative purposes, Jesus said to us today, "According to your faith let it be to you?" What would you have? The answer is in what you have put your faith. Is it in an idol, or in Him? Is it in your wealth? In that case you may have it for a while, but you can't take it with you. Then what will you have? Is your faith in your strength? You may be able to glory in your physical strength for a time, but you will not defeat death. Then what will you have? Is it in your education? You may be able to get a good job with it, but eventually you will have to retire. Then what? You need to realize that the only thing you can have in this life and keep for eternity is Christ. Is your faith in Him? Then prove it (see Hebrews 11 and James 2:14-26).
Brotherly, Jamie
