Believe

But who receives this gift, everybody? The Bible says no.

Like any gift, there must be a response, and the Bible says that the response necessary to receive the gift of eternal life is to BELIEVE. John 3:16 says "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."

But what exactly does it mean to believe? The Bible gives three other terms in order to help define what it means.

The first thing the Bible says about true believing is that it involves REPENTANCE, or a change of mind. This change of mind is basically in two areas:

One, it means that we must change our minds about Jesus Christ and who He is. Remember that one of the characteristics of man was that he was independent and rebellious toward God - not wanting to honor Him as God and give Him the rightful place He deserves. Well, the Bible says that attitude must change. Instead of rejecting Him and pushing Him aside, like Satan did, we now acknowledge Him as God. He's not just one of many prophets and teachers, but the living God and the only one who has the power to forgive us of our sin.

Two, it means that we change our attitude about ourselves. Instead of thinking that we're not so bad and can make it on our own, we agree with God that we are sinners and have lost our right to Heaven. We're guilty and deserve hell.

Repentance is much more than being sorry for what we've done. Repentance is actually changing our mind about Jesus Christ and what He says about us. He is God. We are not. And He is right.

The second thing the Bible says about true believing is that we receive God's gift by FAITH, or TRUST. But again, the way we often use the word is different from the Biblical definition. As a result, there are several things that people frequently mistake for Biblical faith.

We can believe in George Washington or Napoleon. Believe they lived, died, and accomplished certain things in their lives. But our believing really has no great effect on our lives personally.

In the same way many believe in God and Jesus Christ. They believe He lived, died, and did certain things in His life. But it really has no practical effect on them at all. It is just agreeing with a group of historical facts.

If you've ever prayed, you've had more that just intellectual faith. You have actually trusted Him for things.

Some people pray for temporal things; like passing a test, or praying for someone who was in an accident. Then, as soon as it's passed they stop praying. Temporal faith is different than saving faith.

Saving faith isn't just trusting God for problems, it's trusting God for everything - your whole life and eternal destiny. It's transferring your trust completely from you, and what you can do, to Jesus Christ alone, and what He's done at the cross. Saving faith is not resting on what you can do for God, but it is trusting what Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.

The third word the Bible uses to define believe is CONFESS, which means to EXPRESS TO GOD. Romans 10:9 says "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

You may say you need to change your attitude toward Jesus, and to transfer your faith from yourself, and what you can do to get to Heaven, to Christ and what he did on the cross. But if you never express to God, then the Bible says you do not have eternal life. It's not something you grow into or just automatically happens. It is a deliberate choice that must be made.

It's not enough to simply know about Him. A deliberate choice must be made before He can give you the gift of eternal life.