Believing Is Obeying

Do you believe in Jesus?  How do you know you believe? The Gospel of John has a clear answer.

John 3:16 is an often quoted verse in the Bible.  “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16; NASB).  How do we have eternal life?  The answer is believing in Jesus as the Son of God for the salvation of our soul. But, what does it mean to “believe?” The Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines believe as “to expect or hope with confidence; to trust.” Webster defines trust as “Confidence; a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person.” To believe in Jesus is to put our complete trust in his Way, his Truth, and his Life (John 14:6). When we rely totally on him as the way to Truth, we find life.

            By aligning our thinking, feeling, and actions with the teachings of Jesus, we can rest assured we believe in Him. Obeying is the way to believing as John chapter 3 is summed up in the last verse, “The one who believes in the Son has everlasting life. And the one who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36; RSV). This also tells us when we’re NOT believing. If we are not obeying Jesus, we are not believing, and therefore, will NOT have eternal life.

            Even the Old Testament links the idea of showing one’s devotion to God by submission to his ways. Prior to Jesus’ arrival on earth (as the ultimate sacrifice), the Jews following God’s commands, used animal sacrifice for remission of sin.  The Bible also says, “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). The purest tangible offering to God, is not as valuable as the intangible devotion of heart. Our affections,  motivations, and attitudes toward his ways, reflect what God really means to us. We esteem God by showing our submission to His divine order for all things.

Believing is Jesus shows our gratitude for what He accomplished as the Savior from our sin and shame condition. Not all people believe, and therefore, not all will have eternal life. The reason why is also mentioned by Jesus, “ … men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God” (John 3:19b-21, NASB).

            Aligning our hearts with the Truth is a process. We are all born with a broken (unbelieving) heart. Only Jesus can put our hearts together to become whole (believing) persons. We are born into darkness, but believing in Jesus brings us into the Light.  “He who practices the truth, comes into the Light.” Being “born again” (described at the beginning of John 3) starts the process. As we “practice” our believing, more and more of the dark, broken pieces of our hearts come into the Light.  As we obey more, we trust more, and our belief becomes stronger.

             The daily, sometimes moment to moment decision to obey Jesus, is the only path to believing. Whether we were born again yesterday or many years ago, believing is obeying, and obeying is believing.  And if you’re not born again? Why not start believing right now.

by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Born Again - Part 2

            You can read Part One to see the difference between false hopes and the real deal experience of being born again.  Born again is an event to surrender control of your life to God, but it also includes an ongoing commitment to inner person change in becoming a disciple of Christ.  Being "born from above" is a journey of radical and continuous transformation that cannot be fully explained in the natural realm. 

            In the natural realm, we consider maturing into adulthood a positive thing.  In the spiritual, however, "adulthood"  becomes a hindrance to transformation.  The better off we think we are, the less open to change.  The more we think we know, the less likely to be open to renewing our minds with God's truth .  The more mature we are in our own understanding, the less likely we are to choose God's wisdom over our own.  I think Jesus had this in mind when he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter  the Kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 18:3; NIV). 

            Jesus didn't say we must become better adults.  He said we must become children.  Being "born again" means we must consider ourselves babies, and continue the process of "growing" and learning the remainder of our lives.  There is no "full grown" adulthood in spiritual life.  We grow, and the spirit part of our being has a greater influence on our character, but never reach an "old age" phase in spiritual life.   Growing spiritually means we surrender more and more of our natural (physical) being over to God's control.  

            Spiritual re-birth doesn't automatically fix the problems we face in our natural world existence.  Struggles in a marriage, for example, always involve two people, and only one person changing will not automatically make the marriage better.  Relationship problems are generally complex, and may even be aggravated by oversimplifying with a weak claim of God's intervention.  If you have a bad habit before you "meet Christ," you still have the bad habit (or at least the tendency to revert) after you "come to the Lord."   A pastor friend of mine says, if you're a dummy before you "get saved," you're still a dummy after you're "saved."   "Believing in Jesus" is not a once and done thing.  Believing the message of the gospel includes entrusting your life to the Author of the message for daily application to your circumstances.  Some phrases in quotes above, often become expressions people use to hide behind their ongoing need for surrender to God.  

            Sometimes after deciding to surrender to God a particular behavior or relationship issue, it may even appear as though things are going backwards instead of forwards.  Complying with God involves re-aligning our life path with to His wishes.  If we've  stepped into a path that leads further away from God, it may mean a short backtrack to get on the right path.  The natural world principle of sowing and reaping may apply to our physical circumstances (see Galatians 6:7-9).  But if things seem to be betting worse instead of better, take heart in the promise that, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  He chose to give us birth through the word of truth ..." (James 1:17-18).

            For most of my life I thought of born again from the conversion "event" perspective only.  Recently, I've been challenged with "accepting Christ as Savior" to be a day to day, moment by moment context of continual surrender.  In my counseling I work with many people who have experienced great pain because of false beliefs and expectations about being born again.  I've watched many Christians flounder with lack of identity and purpose in life because they haven't fully embraced the need to surrender more and more of their heart to the Holy Spirit's work to change.  The prophet Isaiah describes them as "who have eyes but are blind, who have ears but are deaf" (Isaiah 43:8).  Spiritually opened eyes and ears are just the beginning of a journey of newly inspired action on what is seen and heard.  Born again means your vision and perspective are ever aligning more and more with an outlook from above.  When this alignment happens, seeing and hearing more clearly will produce more positive results, or at least better responses, to your natural world existence. 

            The prophet Isaiah prophecies of rebirth in his writings. Isaiah continues, "See, I am doing a new thing!  Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?  I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland" (Isaiah 43:19).  Think of your heart as the wilderness and your mind as the wasteland.  Being born again is for the purpose of restoring your connection with God at core of your being and for the refreshing waters of life to renew your thinking processes and belief systems so that your resulting actions bear "good fruit" (see Galatians 5:22-23).    The Apostle Paul reiterates this theme many times in the New Testament.  He plainly says that born from heaven into life in Christ is, "to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness" (Ephesians 4:23-24; NIV).  This change begins as a Holy Spirit work in your heart and continues as a Holy Spirit work throughout your life time. 

            Hell is real.  Believing in Jesus will save you from hell.  But that is the LEAST it will do.  We are put on this earth to enjoy God and worship Him by surrendering to the wonderful gift of life he gives.  Our eternal life, begins at conversion, and the "forever with God" part starts then.  The "living forever" part includes the rest of our earthly lives to give new invaluable  purpose and meaning on a daily basis. 

            Are you facing challenges that don't seem to get resolved no matter how hard you try?  It could be that you're trying TOO hard.   Or perhaps you're at the other end of the spectrum feeling powerless to do things you know are right, so you don't take any action at all in the direction of godliness.  In either case, the root issues are the same.  True change can only happen through surrender of control to God.  The messages that converts the heart is the same message that empowers the ongoing conversion.  The gospel that saves from sin is the same gospel that mends brokenness that still lies within.  Come to Jesus and keep coming.  Never stop coming.  That's what you've been born to do!  
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry

Born Again - Part 1

            This article is written particularly for those who consider themselves Christians, although anyone desiring truth might find it helpful.

            Jesus himself used the term "born again" in John 3.  Jesus instructed Nic that following God has  nothing to do  with a particular family of origin, religion, culture, or belief system.  Scholars believe the term "born again" can be more accurately translated in English as "born from above."   Jesus explains, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.  Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.  So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it wants.  Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit” (John 3:5-8; NLT).

            We exist in a physical (natural) realm, but the spiritual realm (supernatural) cannot be understood in the same way.  Heavenly Truth is not always understandable with earthly paradigms.  The earthly paradigm of birth is event driven, human effort intensive, and results subject to natural laws of earthly existence.  When a baby is discovered in his mother's womb, he is given a due date.  Pregnancy is a labor intensive process with a climax of the new born breathing on its own.  The new life is now part of the family of origin and human race made of the same stuff as the very first human created in the natural world. 

            The heavenly paradigm of birth from above, however, is much different.  It has no earthly timetable, all effort is God's, and the changes are mostly in the inner invisible realm (likened to the wind).  Each individuals response to God is unique in terms of a conversion experience.  The Holy Spirit reveals the Light of Jesus to a darkened spirit part of our being.   Being born from above is predicated on acceptance of God's love as demonstrated through Jesus Christ dying on a Cross and being raised from the dead.  The Spirit of God continues to breathe life into our spirit to renew and recreate our being from the inside out.  This inner change of heart comes as a result of surrendering the natural body, mind, and soul to the supernatural power of God.  Spiritual growth occurs with an increasing compliance with this process of surrendering to the ways of God.

            The birth of a baby is nothing short of a miracle.   As I witnessed the birth of our three natural-born children, I was each time reminded of the absolute wonderment of God's gift of life.  Natural birth is a miracle.  How much more then, is spiritual birth a supernatural process.  We are each born with a personal spirit, but the spirit part of our being is not fully awakened until it is born from above.  When we surrender to God the right to rule our being, the rebirth of our spirit begins.  In order to reach the maximum potential as the person we are meant to be, this rebirth process must continue throughout our lives (discussed more in a Part 2 article).

            If you’ve been around the Church for any length of time, you’ve heard someone talk about “decision for Christ”  in reference to a “conversion “ experience.  But, being born again is more than acknowledging a need for a Savior.  A decision of a natural mind is not enough.  You may also have heard someone talk about “accepting Christ into your heart.”  Although the heart is where the action is, mere acceptance of a message of truth is not enough for rebirth of spirit.  Accepting and deciding may be a good starting point, but in order for the spiritual realm to intersect with the natural realm, it always requires yielding of the natural.  Surrendering control of your inner person is the key issue. 

            What might surrender look like?  Again, the finer details of surrender may look different for each individual, but here are some possibilities.  It means submitting beliefs and values to a higher power and being willing to re-align to a God-defined standard of Truth.   It means giving up control of the ability to decide for yourself right from wrong.  It means letting go of a self-made identity in exchange for God reshaping of who you are as a person.  

            The transformation is somewhat of a mystery, but over time the practice of surrendering control will become evident in the natural realm.  For example, you may come to an understanding of family that includes a desire to grow your relationships closer without feeling like you are losing your identity as an individual.  Your value for healthy life recognizes the harmful affects of smoking cigarettes, so you give them up without it becoming a sacrifice.   Your concepts of love, happiness, and fulfillment become more in line with what God has already outlined in the Bible.  Your employment, standards of sexual morality, living arrangements, or consumer habits may need to change;  not simply because you made a decision to change your behavior, but change occurs because the "wind" of the Holy Spirit is working a change of heart.  It is also not a result of "trying harder," but surrendering at and cooperating with God's work at a deeper level. 

            The Psalmist penned the following words two thousand years before the message from Jesus quoted above.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God.
    Renew a loyal spirit within me.
 Do not banish me from your presence,
    and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.  ....

You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God"  (Psalm 51:10,11,17; NLT).

The ancient King David cried out for God to change his heart.  He recognized the necessity of supernatural intervention.  We see here that brokenness and repentance are part of what accompanies a cleansing of heart.  Repentance simply means to turn around.  Surrendering to God requires turning away from human control to divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  When a person surrenders internally, the external behaviors follow.  Many people face great frustration because they try to change their behavior without being fully surrendered in their heart.  

            John writes, "Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me" (John 14:6; NLT).  Jesus is the way to be born from above.  Believing in Jesus and following his example of surrendering to the will of the Father is the way to awaken the eternal part of your being and have eternal life (John 3:16).   It is not about trying to become good enough, holy enough, strong enough, or any change of behavior.  Born again is simply believing in Jesus to transform your life.  If you make it more complicated than that, you are likely believing something that is not true.   Adding things that are not true may quickly lead to disappointments, false hopes, and missing the divine call on your life.  It may also lead to falsely believing you are a Christian because of your good deeds rather than having a heart surrendered to God. 

            My experience in Christianity goes back about six decades. I recently came to the conclusion that much of my understanding of "born again" was superficial or incomplete at best.  I had a born again conversion experience in my childhood and served in leadership for many churches over the years.  I even have a doctorate degree in Religious Studies from a conservative Christian school.  However, I recently discovered deeper revelation that being born from above is also a journey of radical and continuous transformation that cannot be explained in the natural realm (discussed more in Part 2). 

            Are you "born again?"  If you are not absolutely certain you can talk to God right now and be sure.  You may wish to read Part 2 of this article to discover the ongoing process of rebirth.  

            If you need another human to talk to about this, please contact me and I would be glad to discuss this more. 
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry