Depend on Jesus to Give You Eternal Life
by | Posted January 22nd at 5:48am
January 11 is my deceased mother’s birthday. Had she lived on, she would have been 96 today. She was a devout believer in Christ. I know she has gone to be with Jesus, to a special place prepared explicitly for her. In her long time in long-term care, she loved singing hymns with the Pastor, who visited frequently and the facility’s community,
Her favourite scripture was quoting Jesus from John 14:2 NLT: There is more than enough room in my Father’s home… I am going to prepare a place for you…
In addition to knowledge of the facts of the gospel and approval of those facts, to be saved, I must decide to depend on Jesus to save me. In doing this, I move from being an interested observer of the facts of salvation and the teachings of the Bible to being someone who enters into a new relationship with Jesus Christ as a living person.
Therefore, we may define saving faith in the following way: Saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God. This definition emphasizes that saving faith is not just a belief in facts. Moreover, believing faith is a personal trust in Jesus to save me.
Much more is involved in salvation than simply forgiveness of sins and eternal life, but someone who initially comes to Christ seldom realizes the extent of the blessings of salvation that will come. Moreover, we may rightly summarize the two major concerns of a person who trusts in Christ as “forgiveness of sins” and “eternal life with God.”
The main thing that concerns an unbeliever who comes to Christ is the fact that sin has separated him or her from the fellowship with God for which we were made. The unbeliever comes to Christ seeking to remove sin and guilt and enter into a genuine relationship with God that will last forever.
The definition emphasizes personal trust in Christ, not just belief in facts about Christ. Because saving faith in Scripture involves this personal trust, the word “trust” is a better word to use in contemporary culture than the word “faith” or “belief.” The reason is that we can “believe” something to be true without personal commitment or dependence.
I can believe the sky is blue or one plus one is two, but I have no personal trusting commitment or dependence on anyone when I simply believe those facts. On the other hand, the word faith is sometimes used today to refer to a commitment to something despite strong evidence, to the contrary, a sort of irrational decision to believe something that we are pretty sure is not valid! 2
The word trust is closer to the biblical idea, since we are familiar with trusting persons in everyday life. The more we come to know a person, and the more we see in that person a pattern of life that warrants trust, the more we find ourselves able to place trust in that person to do what he or she promises, or to act in ways that we can rely on. This fuller sense of personal trust is indicated in several passages of Scripture in which initial saving faith is spoken of in very personal terms, drawn from personal relationships. John says, “To all who received him who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12). Much as we would receive a guest into our homes, John speaks of receiving Christ. 3
John 3:16 tells us that “whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” Here John uses a surprising phrase when he does not simply say, “whoever believes him” (that is, believes that what he says is true and able to be trusted), but rather, “whoever believes in him.” There is a sense of trust or confidence that goes into and rests in Jesus as a person.
Faith, for John, is an activity which takes men right out of themselves and makes them one with Christ.” There is a significant indication that New Testament faith is not just intellectual assent but includes a “moral element of personal trust. 1 Such an expression was well suited to express that personal trust in Christ is involved in saving faith.
Jesus speaks of “coming to him” in several places. He says, “All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out” (John 6:37). He also says, “If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). In a similar way, he says, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matt. 11:28–30). In these passages we have the idea of coming to Christ and asking for acceptance, for living water to drink, and for rest and instruction. All of these give an intensely personal picture of what is involved in saving faith. 3
The author of Hebrews also asks us to think of Jesus as now alive in heaven, ready to receive us: “He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 7:25). Jesus is pictured here (as many times in the New Testament) as one who is now alive in heaven, always able to help those who come to him.
With this understanding of true New Testament faith, we may now appreciate that when a person comes to trust in Christ, all three elements must be present. There must be some basic knowledge or understanding of the facts of the gospel. There must also be approval of, or agreement with, these facts. Such agreement includes a conviction that the facts spoken of the gospel are true, especially the fact that I am a sinner in need of salvation and that Christ alone has paid the penalty for my sin and offers salvation to me.
It also includes an awareness that I need to trust in Christ for salvation and that he is the only way to God and the only means provided for my salvation. This approval of the facts of the gospel will also involve a desire to be saved through Christ. This personal decision to trust Christ is made with my heart, a commitment to believe with my whole person.
The beauty of this is that the Holy Spirit will lead you into a deeper trusting faith. You can be sure from the very beginning:
…everyone who believes will have eternal life in Him. John 3:15
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life… And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life … (John 3:36)
These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:15)
For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” …Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who believes has eternal life. (John 6:40, 47)
1 Leon Morris
2; Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
3 Ibid
4 Ibid
Article posted by Glen R. Jackman, founder of GraceProclaimed.org
Glen has optimized his eldership role to teach the full scope of the New Covenant of Jesus Christ without
boundaries.
You can read his testimony.