THE K I N G ’ S B U S IN E S S
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Leader, Way-Shower or Ideal, is not sufficient. The damning sin of the world is that it makes much of Jesus. Does that sound strange in your ears? It is nevertheless true. Because the world makes much of Jesus, it does not feel the need of accepting Him as all that He claimed to be. Accepting the ethics of Jesus as the standard of .con duct, cannot be substituted for accept ing Him as our Saviour from the guilt of sin by His death on the Cross. 3. Believing in Jesus as the Saviour of the World. Personal acceptance of Jesus as my Saviour is the only faith that avails for me. It is possible for one to starve to death while sitting beside a table that is loaded down with good things to eat, unless he himself eats of the food. 4. Being confirmed, being baptized and joining a church. Ceremonies save no one. It ~is a matter of deep concern and regret that so many have, their names on church rolls who are not saved. Saving faith is individual heart- acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. However, one who has truly accepted the Lord Jesus, should be bap tized in obedience to His command, and join a local church that is true to the Word of God where God can bless him and make him a blessing to others. We have noticed several common mis conceptions of what it means to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now let us observe carefully 4. What It Does Mean 1. Believing what God’s Word says about you. You must accept the testi mony of God’s Word that you are a lost, guilty sinner, “ without strength” to save yourself. (Romans 3:19, 23, and 6 : 6 .) If you could live a perfect life from this moment on, which you cannot, it would not cancel the guilt of your past sins, or change your sinful nature. The Holy God must forgive us not only for the wrong we do, but for what we are. We have to be made over on the inside,
and eternity, if we take any one of the numerous “ other” ways now displayed on the world’s religious bargain counter. 2. God’s Way — Believing God’s Word is a unit in its testimony to the fact that believing on the Lord Jesus Christ is God’s way of salvation. He promises the richest blessings, for time and eternity, to those who believe on His Son. On the other hand, He says that the severest penalty and great est loss will result to those who refuse to believe on Him. Let us hear what God says: “ For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have eternal life. . . . He that believeth on Him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, be cause he hath not believed on the Name of the only begotten Son of God. . . . He that believeth on the - Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. . . . Except ye believe that l am He, ye shall die in your sins.” (John 3:16, 18, 36 and 8:24. R.V.) The above quotations from the Word of God indicate clearly the supreme im portance of understanding just what it means to “ Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.” A mistake at this point is fatal. By way of contrast let us first notice 8 . What It Does NOT Mean 1. Believing in Jesus simply as a his torical character. It is not believing that a man by the name of Jesus once lived, the same as Napoleon, Washing ton and Lincoln. Neither is it believing the historic facts of the life of Jesus,— His death on the Cross, His resurrection and ascension. 2. Acknowledging Jesus as the Best Man that ever lived, the World’s Great est Teacher and Our Ethical Guide. To accept Jesus as our Example, Pattern,
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