“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

2 Corinthians 5:17

                   Have you ever heard something that scared you? I mean really scared you?! What do you think of the following?  “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him” (John 3:36). Believing in Jesus, having eternal life sounds wonderful! However, did you notice the second part of that verse? If one does not believe in Jesus, they will not see life (will not live with Him for eternity). Further, the worst part is the final portion of that verse. If one does not believe in Jesus, the “wrath of God abideth on him.” What an awful thought!

If that doesn’t scare you, try this one. “For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). There is so much more to believing in Jesus than just saying you believe in Jesus. Notice that in that verse it said the Gospel was preached. Did you also notice that the same Gospel that was preached did not profit some of them? What made the difference? In some of them, it was not “mixed with faith in them that heard.” Some of them were not true believers. They heard, but lacked faith.

One major problem is that many say, and actually think, that they believe in Jesus. However, one must really understand what that means. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). It is through faith – not of yourself. Hearing and saying one believes is not enough. The missing part is the faith that is the gift of God’s grace. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). One who comes to God must receive the Gospel message of Jesus – by faith. What is that Gospel message? The simple Gospel message is that all are sinners, and Jesus died on the cross to take away that sin. Understand this with the following two verses: “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The whole chapter of Hebrews 11 reveals people who were able to please God because of the faith they had within (the faith of the Gospel message). That faith was then revealed in their lives. The people listed in that chapter had forsaken the old way of life (living according to the world) and had lived a new life pleasing God. This change is revealed in the following verse: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). One who has the faith to be saved must completely forsake the old life in every way. That one can then live a new life in Christ.

Only God and each individual person can see the heart. It is then up to each individual person to do the following: “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Only you can look inside to check your own heart to see whether you truly are in the faith.

Have you believed the Gospel message having it mixed with faith?

Are you a new creature living a new life in Christ?