Please pardon the spelling. Not being a registered member I cannot go back and edit my posts.

Let us all be kind and loving to each other in this and every other topic of MSDAOL.

I had to do a lot of editing in another topic, but I do not want to find it necessary to also do the same thing in this topic.

Let us try and focus on one fundamentally necessary belief at a time in order to be called Christians.

It is apparent that we all agree that we need to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be called Christians.

quote:

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Acts 16:30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?
31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

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What does believe on the Lord Jesus Christ mean?

As I said in an earlier post, the devil and the other fallen angels (demons) also believe and tremble, and they certainly are not Christians, therefore, I am asking the above question to ensure we know what we mean when we believe in order to be called Christians.

It is my understanding that the devil and his angels believe because they were there, they know what is true. They don't follow it, "but they have the knowledge" that it is true. So they have to believe it.

But to believe "in" Christ is a whole different issue. They believe yes, but they do not believe "in" Christ. In other words, they know who He is and that what He says is true, but they do not believe "in" Christ for salvation or for anything.

When belief is mixed with faith the Christian does not need to have the knowledge satan has to believe. They know Christ is true because of the change He makes in their life. They also know He is True because of fulfilled Prophecy.

The true Christian will believe "in" Christ's saving power for him/her. And he will have the faith from prayer and study to place "all" on the aulter for Him.

True belief and faith will lead to a great love for Christ and a desire to follow him in all ways.

Jesus said that whoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. You point out, from James, that "the devils believe, and tremble." It is clear that there is a difference in what the devils do and what believers in Christ do. What is that difference?

If we look at the preceeding verses to John 3:16 we see that Christ said that He would be lifted up, as the serpeant was lifted up in the wilderness, that whoever beleived in Him would not perish. He presented a parallel between the serpeant in the wilderness and Himself.

How were those who had been bitten in the wilderness saved? By looking and seeing something. How are we saved? By looking and seeing something. The belief that Christ refers to, the belief that saves, is a belief which involves looking to Jesus, crucified on the cross, and seeing something. Here's how EGW puts it:

How, then, are we to be saved? "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness," so the Son of man has been lifted up, and everyone who has been deceived and bitten by the serpent may look and live. "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." John 1:29. The light shining from the cross reveals the love of God. His love is drawing us to Himself. If we do not resist this drawing, we shall be led to the foot of the cross in repentance for the sins that have crucified the Saviour. Then the Spirit of God through faith produces a new life in the soul. The thoughts and desires are brought into obedience to the will of Christ. The heart, the mind, are created anew in the image of Him who works in us to subdue all things to Himself. Then the law of God is written in the mind and heart, and we can say with Christ, "I delight to do Thy will, O my God." Ps. 40:8. (DA 175, 6)

I could write a lot more, but I'll restrain myself for now.

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I removed the repetition of the quote of my previous post. - Daryl

[ September 14, 2004, 05:16 PM: Message edited by: Daryl Fawcett ]

In my opinion, the key is "believing" not only that Jesus died FOR us but also that we die WITH Him.

If that truly happens, our old man of sin us buried with Christ and the new man arises with Christ.

The whole process we believe in includes something that has to do with US... He took upon Himself our nature and our sins... and we take His righteousness... but this also involves then our "self" dying with Him.

To me that is real genuine "believing". But thats just my opinion, I could be wrong.

1Jn:5:5: Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

1Jn:4:16: And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.

1Jn:5:1: Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God

To me the whole Romans Chapter 6 chapter is what happens when we really "believe" in Jesus


Romans Chapter 6

1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.

8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him :

9: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10: For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17: But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19: I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20: For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21: What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22: But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


---------This to me is what it means to accept Jesus as our "personal" Saviour. He became us so we could become Him, so to speak (not the right wording but you know what Im saying I hope) Otherwise we only believe "about" Jesus and not "in" Him.


"The devils believe" but do they confess this?
1Jn:4:3: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of

God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even

now already is it in the world.

2Jn:1:7: For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is

come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.


Rom:8:3-8:

3: For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5: For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6: For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7: Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8: So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

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You see, Jesus took upon Himself our sinful nature, our flesh, and using no special powers, but rather by faith... overcame all sin and thus by doing that condemns sin in the flesh... meaning we have no excuse, and meaning He gives us power to do the same.

This is truly believing in Christ, and it has to do with Him becoming us and us becoming Him... (once again, poor language on my part, but you know what I mean).

..and the devils "believe" in the same way that false professors of faith believe... but the antichrist spirit wont admit or confess to this part about Jesus coming "in the flesh".

I hope I am right because it's what I believe about what it means to believe.

Claudia

Then a proper kind of belief in/on Christ is one of the true fundamentals of following Christ in order to be called Christians. I think we have adequately established that fact.

What then is the next of the true fundamentals of following Christ in order to be called Christians?

Also, Genuine "Believing" has to do with KNOWING the person we are believing in. How can we truly believe in something if we dont even know what that something really is? If we really do know Jesus we become one with Him and we are crucified with Him. We dont just believe He was crucified for us.


They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Gal. 5:24.


God's Amazing Grace, page 97
Chapter Title: Undivided Occupancy
We are commanded to crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts. How shall we do it? Shall we inflict pain on the body? No; but put to death the temptation to sin. The corrupt thought is to be expelled. Every thought is to be brought into captivity to Jesus Christ. . . . The love of God must reign supreme; Christ must occupy an undivided throne. Our bodies are to be regarded as His purchased possession. The members of the body are to become the instruments of righteousness.


2Tm:1:12: For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

"This is life eternal," Christ said, "that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."

1Jn:2:3: And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jn:2:4: He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Christ's Object Lessons 312,313
"When we submit ourselves to Christ, the heart is united with His heart, the will is merged in His will, the mind becomes one with His mind, the thoughts are brought into captivity to Him; we live His life. This is what it means to be clothed with the garment of His righteousness.

Then as the Lord looks upon us He sees, not the fig-leaf garment, not the nakedness and deformity of sin, but His own robe of righteousness, which is perfect obedience to the law of Jehovah.

It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the name of Jesus is the only name under heaven whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and have our names registered on the church roll.

"He that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us." "Hereby we do know that we know Him if we keep His commandments." 1 John 3:24; 2:3. This is the genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is revealed in works of righteousness. "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." John 1:12. This power is not in the human agent. It is the power of God. When a soul receives Christ, he receives power to live the life of Christ."

To truly believe in Jesus we must KNOW AND RECEIVE Jesus. That's the difference between believing something ABOUT Jesus and actually beleiving IN Jesus.