Belief is a Miracle

Most of the people living on earth don’t believe the good news of the Gospel. They tend to think that the unbeliever must simply have confidence in the invisible God. The truth is that most people already have some kind of faith in God. Simply believing is not salvation. Every born-again Christian has had a great miracle happen inside. It is the miracle of a new birth that happens when our spirit becomes connected to the Spirit of God. 

Believing is an intellectual activity that we control. But believing in the active Gospel of Jesus always takes a miracle. God does a miracle that humans cannot explain. We can only testify to the change in our nature and thinking. Many Christians have said that it seemed as though a “switch of belief” had been turned on inside of them. New Christians will usually ask “What do I do now?” Our part is to yield mind and body to the leading of God’s Spirit.

When Paul was a young religious leader he accomplished everything by his own power. But when God knocked him down into the dirt he learned that God is in control of salvation. Paul preached that the Gospel message can be explained to people but that it still takes the miracle of a special belief. This type of belief will change a person dramatically and their desire to obey God will increase amazingly. 

Part of the reason God uses a special “miracle of belief” is to keep people from entering Heaven by using their own power. On one occasion the disciples were rejoicing that they had been saved and Jesus said: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way. Luke 10:21 (NLT)

In other words belief is a miracle. The Old Testament prophets spent a lot of time telling us that a Savior would come to the world. Then Jesus revealed that He was the special one that people all over the world had been waiting for. Paul wrote: And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Eph 3:6. Salvation is about those who can “believe” the Gospel! 

Remember that we cannot do it ourselves. The Bible says: This Good News tells us how God makes us righteous in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. Romans 1:17 (NLT). Once again, this verse is talking about the miracle of faith. As creatures of earth we have absolutely no way of knowing for sure if another person is truly a Christian. However the words that people speak allows us to know what is in their heart. 

Living as a Christian is a very specific profile. We must follow the path of our savior. One of the disciples asked Jesus the way to Heaven. Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” John 14:5-7 (NLT). No person will ever find another way in to God’s family.  

To follow the path of Jesus requires a desire to be like Him. The longer we follow our Savior the more we understand our new life. The Bible says: …grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance. Eph 1:17-18 (NLT). The wonders of Heaven await the faithful few. 

The opportunity for salvation is available to all. Paul said: This message about Jesus Christ has revealed his plan for you Gentiles, a plan kept secret from the beginning of time. But now as the prophets foretold and as the eternal God has commanded, this message is made known to all Gentiles everywhere, so that they too might believe and obey him. Romans 16:25-26 (NLT). In order to enter the family of God, we must find our miracle of belief. 

To know more about belief, the plan of God and walking as a Christian, check out a book called Pillars, by Phillip Lloyd, available on Amazon.  Even if you’ve been a Christian for a long while, this book uses the Old Testament Tabernacle to explain God’s plan for mankind from a beautifully visual perspective.