What Must a Person Believe to be Saved by the Gospel of Christ

That the gospel of Christ must be believed (as well as obeyed) to receive Christian salvation is made abundantly clear by the apostle Paul in one of the best-known passages found in the Bible--Rom. 1:16: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Rom. 1:16 NAS) It thus becomes essential that we learn what it is that an individual must believe in order to be saved if we seek the salvation of our souls. What is included in the gospel that must be believed?

Paul helps us out and gives us a good start in defining the gospel in 1 Cor. 15:1-4: "Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (NAS)

We learn from this passage two things found in the gospel, thus things that must be believed. (1) Christ died for our sins. (2) He was resurrected from the dead. We will discuss each.  We will not discuss his burial for that has never been an issue.

One must believe that Christ died for a purpose, to accomplish a goal--he died for our sins. He died as a propitiation for our sins. "He himself is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John 2:2 NAS) Or, as some other translations put it, “he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins” (NIV, CSB, NRSV). Jesus was "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29 NAS) He “appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” (Heb. 9:26 NKJV) He was God's sacrificial lamb who died to make atonement for the sins of mankind.

God cannot be a God of justice nor can he maintain his honor if he allows man to violate his law and run amok without consequence. No one respects a law or its author if the law can be broken without a penalty for doing so. "Sin is the transgression of the law" of God. (1 John 3:4 KJV)

God cannot be glorified by men who show disrespect by violating his laws at will. When men violate God's law by sin it shows disrespect for God and dishonors him. It displaces the natural order of things and puts man over God, man’s will over God’s will, man over his maker. God will not allow that to happen. "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." (Gal. 6:7 NAS)

"The wages of sin is death." (Rom. 6:23 NAS) One could almost say God, by definition of what it means to be God, has to punish sin. His nature demands it, and justice calls for it.

While God will uphold his honor and his glory the Bible also teaches that God loves man, "for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son" (John 3:16 NKJV), and does not desire that any man perish for he is "not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) As far back as Ezekiel we read the words of God, "'I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies,' says the Lord God. 'Therefore turn and live.'" (Ezek. 18:32 NKJV) "God is love." (1 John 4:8 NAS)

God's desire for man is man's salvation, but "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23 NAS) The question then became one of how God could save man and, at the same time, be just? Sin had to be punished if justice was to exist.

The answer was to punish sin through his son's death on the cross. "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by his wounds you were healed." (1 Peter 2:24 NAS) Christ took man's place. He took man's punishment for sin. Thus, one thing man must believe, that is absolutely essential to salvation, is that Christ died for our sins just as it is stated in 1 Cor. 15:3 and that he obtained atonement for them in his death.

A second thing Paul says we must believe is that Christ was raised from the dead. He says in Rom. 1:4, in speaking of Jesus, that he was "declared with power to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead." (Rom. 1:4 NAS) Jesus' resurrection proved that he was who he claimed to be, proved him to be God's son, which meant he had the power to forgive sins and save man. His resurrection was essential. Paul goes so far as to say, "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless." (1 Cor. 15:17 NAS) Why would that be true? Because without the resurrection, it would have shown Jesus to be an imposter.

Think about it as follows. If Jesus was lying all the while he was on earth about who he was and what he was doing that would make him a liar and a deceitful man. Would a righteous God resurrect such a man and join in the deception? Not if God is good and just. If Jesus is not resurrected, it shows God wants no part of him. However, Jesus was resurrected, which showed that God placed his stamp of approval on Jesus' life and teaching and his sacrificial death, to provide a means for the forgiveness of sins.

In believing Jesus was resurrected, one is thus accepting of the fact that Jesus was and is the Lord and Savior of man and the Son of God. Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection (see Matt. 16:21, 17:22-23, 20:18-19 and other similar scriptures throughout the other gospels) and taught the necessity of his own sacrificial death (John 3:14-15) in order for man to be saved. His resurrection provided proof that his word was good in all that he taught and that man can have faith in him.

What else must one believe to be saved by the gospel of Christ? One good way to find out is to examine the preaching of the apostles and evangelists as recorded in Acts as they went out into the world attempting to convert people to Christ. First, a couple of premises need to be laid down for if you do not accept the premises you will not accept the apostle's and evangelist's inspired teaching on the subject. Premise one is that they preached the gospel. Premise two is that what one taught by inspiration as essential all taught by inspiration as essential, whether the item is mentioned or not. If this were not the case, then you would have multiple gospels being preached with one apostle preaching one thing and another something different.

In Peter's gospel sermon in Acts 2, the first such sermon ever preached after Christ's ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles, Peter preached repentance and baptism for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). Was one required to believe him? Was this something a person had to believe to be saved? Was what he preached a part of the gospel? Did he preach by inspiration that day? Is a man required to believe he must repent of sins? Is a man required to believe he must be baptized for the remission of sins? If a man is not required to believe it, why preach it to people? Why preach it to people who need the gospel if it is not a part of the gospel?

Sadly, most of the world is not willing to accept Peter's gospel preaching in Acts 2, but 3,000 that day did. "So then, those who had received (does the word "received" mean believed?--DS) his word were baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand souls." (Acts 2:41 NAS) The truth is deep down people know Peter preached by inspiration; they know he preached the gospel, but their religious tradition will not allow them to accept the part about baptism.

Philip in Samaria (Acts 8:12), Philip also in preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:35-38), Ananias in preaching to Saul of Tarsus (Acts 9:17-18 and Acts 22:16), Peter in preaching to Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:48), Paul in preaching to Lydia (Acts 16:14-15) and to the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31-33), Paul again in Corinth (Acts 18:8) and then later to the 12 at Ephesus (Acts 19:1-5) all preached baptism in preaching the gospel. How do we know? We know because in each account at the end of the preaching, we find those who were receptive to the preaching being baptized. It is impossible to be baptized if you are ignorant of baptism which is the case if it is not being preached, preached as a part of the gospel in those conversion accounts. Thus, we see that one must believe there is a need to be baptized after repentance and then do it.

Well, what else? Well, a man must believe he needs to confess Christ and then do that as well. "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." (Rom. 10:9-10 NAS)

The only scripturally qualified candidate for baptism is a person who believes and has repented of his sins. One can only know a person is a believer if they tell you, which requires a confession by the mouth of the Lord Jesus. The fact that some religious groups sprinkle those too young to know or believe anything and call it baptism does not make it so. Scriptural baptism has prerequisites. Without those, you just have someone getting wet. Even worse, those people grow up believing a lie, believing they have been baptized. Bible baptism requires a penitent believer in Jesus Christ, which disqualifies infants, toddlers, and young children.

In John 3:16, we are told that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (NAS) Who is this person one must believe in? The text teaches it is the only begotten Son of God. It is "he who believes in the Son” who has eternal life (John 3:36 NAS). One must believe Jesus was and is the Son of God.

John, near the end of his gospel, speaking of things that had been written, says, "These have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in his name." (John 20:31 NAS) Jesus said, "Unless you believe that I am he, you shall die in your sins." (John 8:24 NAS)

When Jesus asked his disciples in Matt. 16 who men said he was, they told him, but then he asked a more specific question, "But who do you say that I am?" (Matt. 16:15 NKJV) Peter responded, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt. 16:16 NKJV) Upon this fact, Jesus built the church (Matt. 16:18) of which he is the Savior (Eph. 5:23). This foundational truth that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God, is the confession men need to make out of believing hearts to obtain salvation. Men must believe Jesus was/is the son of God and be willing to confess the same.

The faith we hold must lead to an "obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5, 16:26), which is to say it is not just a conceptual faith held inactive in the mind but one that leads a man or woman to act according to that which they have come to believe. As James says, "faith without works (obedience--DS) is dead" (James 2:26 NAS).  Dead things do not bring life (salvation). If one's faith stops at the point of intellectual faith alone, and leaves out repentance, confession of Jesus, and baptism, then it is dead. It is dead for two reasons. One, it stopped short of full faith in the gospel message, which required these things, and two, it was never "obedient to the faith." (see Acts 6:7 NAS)

The last thing that must be believed is that God is a rewarder of those who seek him. "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Heb. 11:6 NAS) When one believes and obeys the gospel, he has been a seeker after God. We must then believe, having done that, that God has forgiven us of our sins. They are cast off, done away. We are forgiven. This is the gospel that we must believe.

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The Heart of Man from a Biblical Perspective

The Bible has much to say about the heart of man. The word “heart” in the New King James Version of the Bible is found 835 times in 775 verses, according to the E-Sword concordance for the NKJV. The study of the human heart is thus a massive study and, from a human point of view, a complex one. God knows all of our hearts, “For you alone know the hearts of all the sons of men.” (I Kings 8:39 NKJV) The question is, do you and I know our own hearts?

How many times has each of us questioned ourselves over the years? I suspect those who have never doubted themselves are a tiny minority. When we read passages in the Bible about men deceiving themselves in places like Gal. 6:3 and James 1:26, it causes us all the more concern, for the question becomes am I being honest with myself, or am I self-deceived? We obviously need to learn all we can about our hearts with the hope being that we can come to know ourselves better and improve our hearts. Who is the real me? Who am I? What is the true state of my heart, not what I think about it, but what is its true state in reality?

When the Bible speaks of the human heart, it is speaking of man's intellect, man’s will, man’s emotions or feelings, or a man’s conscience, or any given combination of these. However, the word may also refer to the whole inner being of man, combining all these elements into the whole that makes up the man. Each of these aspects of the human heart is worth looking at.

(1) The heart is the thinking aspect of man. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Prov. 23:7 NKJV) Jesus asks, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?” (Matt. 9:4 NKJV) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” (Matt. 15:19 NKJV) “If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming.’” (Matt. 24:48 NKJV) The evil servant says this, in his heart, because that is what he is thinking. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19 NKJV) Mary thought about these things and mulled them over in her mind. One could go on and find verse after verse in the Bible teaching the same thing about the heart being the center of thought, reasoning, and understanding within a person.

The question that necessarily comes to mind when one thinks about this aspect of the human heart is, “Am I responsible for the way I think?” The Bible answers in the affirmative. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.” (Rom. 8:6 NKJV) “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.” (Phil. 4:8 NKJV)

I readily admit it is tough to change the way you think, but is that not what every person does when they repent? Yes, repentance is certainly a change of the will but is it not also a change of the mind, a change of our thinking? When a man comes to accept the Bible and its teaching, is he not committing himself to a new way of thinking about the world and his relationship not only with God but also with his fellowman? When one accepts the gospel, they are saying I am going to let the Bible guide my thinking, and I am not going to think about things the way I used to. While we will never be perfect, we can change our attitudes and the way we think.

(2) The heart is the will of man. I have already spoken about repentance, which God requires of man (Luke 13:3, Acts 17:30) in the paragraph above, how the will of man is involved. It is hard to separate the will from thought, but there is this much difference in it--the will provides man with the determination to carry through with his thinking. Daniel was told in a heavenly vision, “From the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard.” (Dan. 10:12 NKJV) Daniel willed or determined to understand and to humble himself. “Set your heart” means to will in your heart, as used in this context.

“Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a willing heart.” (Exod. 35:5 NKJV) One cannot obey God whose heart is unwilling. There were rulers who believed in Jesus (John 12:42) but were unwilling to confess him lest they be put out of the synagogue. The widow who put in two mites into the collection did so because she willed to do so. (Mark 12:41-44 NKJV) No man has obeyed the gospel who did not first find it in his heart to do so, will in his heart to do it.

It is good to be a strong-willed person, provided the will has been guided by proper knowledge and correct thinking. Only the strong-willed can go on a diet and stick with it. Only the strong-willed can successfully train for and run a marathon. The list could go on and on of things that require a strong will to succeed. Christianity is one of those things for, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 4:12 NKJV) Paul could never have succeeded in view of all the things he had to suffer (see 2 Cor. 11:23-27 NKJV) had he not had a strong will.

A strong will is good if directed properly by correct thinking and proper knowledge. Without such guidance, the will can become a man’s worst enemy for oftentimes it can be said of strong-willed people that they are only stubborn people. Pharaoh is an excellent Bible example. Pharaoh hardened his heart time after time. The will in his heart was to do his own will, not God’s. It is difficult to convert a strong-willed person who has been brought up on false doctrine. (A radical Islamist would be a good example.) Samuel, speaking to Saul, said, “Stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” (1 Sam. 15:23 NKJV) We must have the will to do God’s will, but we must be certain it is his will and not our version of what we would like his will to be.

(3) The heart is a man’s feelings or emotions. “The Lord was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.” (Gen. 6:6 NKJV) Grief is ascribed to God’s heart on this occasion but is also ascribed to man’s heart, “Your heart should not be grieved.” (Deut. 15:10 NKJV) The heart sorrows, “Even in laughter the heart may sorrow.” (Prov. 14:13 NKJV) Joy resides in the heart, “My servants shall sing for joy of heart, but you shall cry for sorrow of heart.” (Isa. 65:14 NKJV) Rejoicing takes place in the heart, “Your heart will rejoice.” (John 16:22 NKJV)

In fact, all of the following emotions can be found in the heart: gladness (Psalms 4:7), desires (Psalms 20:4, 73:7, Prov. 6:25), is troubled (Psalms 25:17), trusts (Psalms 28:7), is broken (Psalms 34:18), suffers turmoil (Psalms 38:8), fails one (Psalms 40:12), is pained (Psalms 55:4), is proud (Psalms 101:5), hates (Psalms 105:25), is wounded (Psalms 109:22), is distressed (Psalms 143:4), despises (Prov. 5:12), is anxious (Prov. 12:25), is bitter (Prov. 14:10), is merry (Prov. 15:13), is haughty (Prov. 18:12), is proud (Prov. 21:4), envies (Prov. 23:17), delights (Prov. 27:9), anguishes (2 Cor. 2:4). This list is not meant to be exhaustive of all the emotions of which the Bible speaks that are attributed to the heart. The reader can readily see that I went through the books of Psalms and Proverbs to come up with the list, with one added from 2 Corinthians. That leaves a lot of other books and verses that need to be seen before one can say his research has exhausted all the available biblical sources.

One will readily notice that the word “love” as an emotion of the heart is not found in my listing. Does not the Bible teach we are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart? Yes, it certainly does. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matt. 22:37 NKJV) Human emotions are a part of the Bible heart (“all your heart”), and so love as a tender longing emotion toward God is commanded. But did you know that the word love, when traced back to the Greek, does not often mean affection?

The Greeks had 4 words which, when translated into English, were all translated by the one English word “love.” When we talk about sex, friendship, affection, etc., we generally lump it all together into one word, the word “love,” and let the reader decide for himself what we are talking about. The Greeks were much more precise in their language. The Greek word found behind our English word “love” most often in our New Testaments is the word agape (noun) or agapao (the verb form).

The reader may be surprised to learn (speaking of this Greek term) that, “Christian love…is not an impulse from the feelings, it does not always run with the natural inclinations, nor does it spend itself only upon those for whom some affinity is discovered.” (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, page 693) “Christian love has God for its primary object, and expresses itself first of all in implicit obedience to his commandments.” (Ibid) “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV)

The Greek word “phileo” is also translated in our Bibles as love (though used far, far less frequently), and it “more nearly represents tender affection.” (Ibid) “Phileo is never used in a command to men to love God; it is, however, used as a warning in 1 Cor. 16:22.” (Ibid) All of this is according to Vine, a recognized authority on the Greek. However, when you read 1 Cor. 16:22 there is no doubt one must love God with the tender affections for the verse reads, “If anyone does not love (phileo--DS) the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed” (NKJV) thus while it may not be a direct command it has the force of a command and all the authority of a command. (Matt. 10:37 teaches more or less the same thing using the word “phileo.”)

I have gone through this to make an application to today. How many times do we hear people talk about loving God yet not understanding that love for God is not all about my emotions (or yours) but about keeping God’s commandments, “For this is the love (agape--DS) of God, that we keep his commandments.” (1 John 5:3 NKJV) “He who does not love (agapao--DS) me does not keep my words.” (John 14:24 NKJV) “He who says, ‘I know him,’ and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2:4 NKJV) They live their lives dedicated to God (they think), but the reality is they are dedicated to their religious emotions and what the word of God actually says is only of secondary importance to them. Their emotions tell them they love God, so with them, that settles the matter; forget what the word of God says.

Yes, we must love God with our emotions (1 Cor. 16:22), but to make the emotions alone the whole heart of which the Bible speaks is not honest scholarship and easily leads to destruction. Paul’s religious emotions toward God were doing just fine while he disbelieved and persecuted Christians. He would have told you with sincerity that he loved God while he was doing those things.  False doctrine taught and believed, while it may well be emotionally satisfying, will never be made into what it is not--truth. So, yes, love God with your emotions, but never set emotions on a throne and allow them to rule as king in your relationship with God, for there is far more to a man’s heart, according to the Bible, than just emotions, and emotions alone can lead one astray, as proven in Paul's case prior to his conversion experience.

(4) The heart is a man’s conscience. When Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost, the Bible says of many who heard him that they “were cut to the heart.” (Acts 2:37 NKJV) They felt guilty. Their conscience was bothering them. See also Acts 23:1 and John 8:9 for other passages teaching the same. One cannot separate the conscience from the heart.

Finally, and this is important for the Bible student, when we read about the human heart in the Bible, we can clearly see, as shown above, that oftentimes, maybe only one aspect of the heart is under consideration in a passage. In other places, sometimes more than one aspect of the heart is under consideration, but not all. For example, in Matt. 22:37, where we are told we must “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (NKJV), we can see that the mind (the thinking aspect) is separated from the heart in this passage. The context will often make these things clear as we read. However, oftentimes the word simply refers to the entire inner being of the man himself. My heart reflects (or is) all I am in my thinking, my will, my emotions, my conscience--to the totality of my being wrapped up into one package. Again, we must read carefully the context.

It is time to ask the question upon which all of our fortunes depend. Upon what treasure has my heart set itself upon? “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21 NKJV) It is really all up to us for “The preparations of the heart belong to man.” (Prov. 16:1 NKJV) God has empowered us, and now it is up to us what we will do with that power. We can prepare our hearts if we are willing to do so. Pharaoh was not willing. Will we be? He heard God’s will but was not of a willing heart to obey it. Am I? Are you?

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They Loved the Praise of Men

Most of us, given a choice, would like to be well thought of and spoken well of rather than to be reviled, criticized, and despised. This is natural and easily understood, but there is danger that this natural desire leads us into sin. When one gets to the point where one cares more about what people think than what God thinks and commands, they are in trouble, in trouble with the Lord and Savior.

We find a group of such men in John 12, men who wanted the praise of men above God’s praise, men in trouble with God.

“Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.” (John 12:42-43, NKJV)

Sometimes we want to please people too much. While it is good and proper to want to have a good reputation among others and be well spoken of it is but folly to sell one’s soul for it. Paul says, “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ.” (Gal. 1:10 NKJV) Our duty in life is not to seek to please men but rather to please God, our creator. We live for God, not man.

We have been purchased with the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28, Eph. 1:13-14). We have been bought by him, and we are his; he owns us, “For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Cor. 6:20 NKJV) We are the sons, the children of God (1 John 3:2), “his own special people.” (1 Peter 2:9, NKJV)

The praise of men is vain. It cannot keep the sorrow out of our hearts when death strikes our families, it cannot keep the pain away that hits us when a son or daughter goes wrong or becomes alienated, it cannot keep us from growing old and feeble, and it cannot take our place at the grave. In the really important things of life, it is vain, even worthless. It changes nothing.

Those whose praise we so often seek are those whom we see as being more important, or powerful, or influential than ourselves. We seldom seem concerned with being praised by the poor man or one whose circumstances are humble. We do not care about the opinion of the man with the eighth-grade education, or the janitor, the trash man, or the cleaning lady. We are arrogant, proud, and self-important. We are only interested in what you think about us if you are one whom we value as a person whose praise seems to better us in the eyes of others. At a very minimum, you must be one of our peers, as we see it, before we are interested in your praise. This attitude itself is a sin.

All men stand equal before God. We are to show partiality to none. James speaks of this in James 2:1-6, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, ‘Sit here at my footstool,’ have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man.” (NKJV)

Peter tells us “honour all men” (1 Peter 2:17 KJV) or, as the ESV states it, “honor everyone.” With God one man is as valuable as another and we are to have that attitude as well. We are to be followers of him who shows no partiality and who desires that all men be saved. Indeed, of those who are more powerful and influential, God has said, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Cor. 1:26 NKJV) The words “are called” are supplied words in the New King James version to complete the thought. All men are called by the gospel, but the meaning is that not many of this class of people--the wise, the mighty, the noble--will respond to God’s call. And yet, this is the class of people whose praise we so often desire.

If we are faithful and obedient, we will in due time receive honor, honor from God. Paul tells us God will mete out tribulation and distress to every soul of man who does evil, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 2:10 NAS) Glory and honor from God in the last day should be the praise we seek. It is an honor that will not die with men nor fade away with time, but will be eternal.

We learn from the rulers who loved the praise of men more than the praise of God (John 12:42-43) that truth is not always the determining factor in the way people live and conduct themselves, even when they know the truth and are not deceived. A man can know the truth, as did these men, as did the rich young ruler, as did Demas, and yet it does not make enough difference to them to get them to alter their lives and bring them into accord with the truth.

The second sin ever committed was of this very nature. Paul says of Adam that he “was not deceived” (1 Tim. 2:14). Adam knew the truth; Adam believed the truth; Adam willfully disobeyed the truth. Temptation was to him greater than the truth he knew and greater than his faith and love for God.

There was a time in my life (when I was much, much younger) when I had the idea just teach a man the truth so he would see it and know it, and he would most certainly obey it. WRONG! The examples of men already mentioned provide the proof.

There are things that motivate men over and above truth. Adam’s desire and love for his wife, a desire to please her, won out over truth. Remember, he was not deceived. The rulers who believed in Jesus but would not confess him found the praise of men more important, a greater motivating factor, than truth. While it is easy to be very critical of them honesty of heart would compel most of us to admit similar guilt in our own lives on occasion. We have held our peace when we should have spoken up, for the desire to be well thought of among those whom we were with, at the time, was greater than our desire to take a stand for Christ and the truth. Is there any who can honestly say they have never been guilty of such conduct?

The word “fear” is not mentioned in reading about the rulers who believed in Jesus but would not confess him. It was there nonetheless. The fear of being put out of the synagogue, the fear of bringing down the displeasure of man, the fear of no longer being spoken well of, the fear of being ostracized, was foremost in their mind. As it was with them, so it often is with us, when we refuse to speak out. We desire the praise of men and to be well thought of more than we desire the praise of God, and yet we know that this praise is only for a time, transient.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus warned us all when he said, “Woe to you when all men speak well of you.” (Luke 6:26 NKJV) A man who has not incurred the disfavor of at least some is a man who has never taken a stand. Jesus says the blessed man is not the one all speak well of but rather “blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake.” (Matt. 5:11 NKJV)

Paul told Timothy, “All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” (2 Tim. 3:12 NKJV) If a man is being persecuted, he is not being praised by all men. Yet, we find in looking at the qualifications for elders that a man “must have a good testimony among those who are outside.” (1 Tim. 3:7 NKJV) How do we deal, then, with what appears to be a contradiction?

That can be answered by considering who the persecutors of Christians will be. If you are an honest person who works hard, most people will honor that. The ordinary person who is fair appreciates the good others may do. If you are helping the poor, the homeless, the elderly, your neighbors, about everyone will consider those things to be good works and be pleased to see you working at that. These are the things the Bible teaches that Christians ought to be doing.

In the book of Ephesians, Christians are said to be God’s “workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” (Eph. 2:10 NKJV) Peter says that we are to have our “conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” (1 Peter 2:12 NKJV)

Those who speak evil of the faithful Christian and are persecutors usually do so based on their disdain for Christianity itself. They do not want to be brought under the control of Jesus’ teaching. They do not want to be seen as sinners and so scoff at the Bible and are willing to persecute vocally those who believe and uphold its teachings. They love their sinful lifestyles and resent any teaching that would imply they are in error or cast them in a bad light. In America, they want a secular society where God is cast out.

Christians are also persecuted by those of certain other religions, such as the Islamic religion. You see this especially in Africa and more and more in parts of Europe. All you need to do is listen to the news coming out of those parts of the world.

Christians who try and live by God’s word are also persecuted by those who claim to be Christians but want the Bible to be interpreted in such a way as to allow them to live and do pretty much as they please. To this group, the Bible does not actually mean what it literally says. It was never meant to be taken literally is their idea. They resemble the Pharisees of Jesus' day. They have deep religious feelings, but not according to knowledge, and have come up with their own set of commands that set aside God’s. They are very liberal minded and progressive.

Thus, those who speak evil of the Christian usually do so for their own religious reasons, even atheism is a form of religion. Paul, in talking about the qualifications for an elder, when he says he must have a good report from those on the outside, was speaking about the man’s character and honesty, his good works, etc. No man can live a faithful Christian life and have all men speaking well of him continuously as it pertains to his religious beliefs and practices. Jesus did not; Paul did not. The Bible does not contradict itself.

When a man wants the praise of men above the praise of God there is no end to the concessions he is willing to make. He will concede eternal life itself as did the rulers in John 12. He most certainly will concede on doctrinal matters. Is it not true that the desire for the praise of men is behind much of the extremely liberal views of the Bible? The New Testament is clear in its teaching on subjects such as baptism, the role of women, homosexuality, and yet it makes but little difference to many. We must be politically correct and pleasing to the culture of the time. To teach against things such as homosexuality is considered hate speech by many who oppose God's teaching on the subject.

How do we overcome the tendency we all have to want to be well thought of and liked by all? We need to measure the cost. What is the price of seeking the praise of men over the cost of seeking the praise of God? Which pays better? Which pays longer? Which brings greater honor and glory? Each must make a decision. Our hearts will lead us to choose one way or the other. The choice is one of free will. What will you decide? In the words of Joshua, “choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV)

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Though He Slay Me

The title for this article comes from the Old Testament book of Job, chapter 13, verse 15, where Job makes the statement, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (NKJV)

The story of Job as told in the Old Testament is one of pain, suffering, and sorrow, of the loss of loved ones (sons and daughters), of possessions, of health, and very nearly of hope. His state got to be such that his wife’s advice was, “Curse God and die!” (Job 2:9 NKJV) Death was seen as preferable to life as it was. While Job agreed that his death was preferable to life yet the idea of cursing God was anathema to him (Job 2:10).

In the next chapter he expresses a sentiment I became very familiar with in my own father’s last days when life became more of a burden and a trial for him than a treasure to be held onto. Job says, “Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter of soul, who long for death, but it does not come, and search for it more than hidden treasures; who rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave?” (Job 3:20-22 NKJV)

There are questions we can ask that we will never have an answer to in this life; this is one of them. I have sometimes wondered if, in cases like my Dad’s, life was not prolonged for the testing and maturing of the caregivers, for our benefit, but who can say? None of us can. We only make wild speculations, but it is certain God has his reason.

God had a reason in the case of Job and while the whole reason was never completely revealed to Job we are given a glimpse of what was going on behind the scenes and out of human sight. Who can say today what is going on behind the scenes and out of sight?

James talks about Job in James 5:11 where he says, “Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord--that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.” (NKJV) We say, as I did, that James said this. So he did. However, these were truly the words of the Holy Spirit speaking through James about Job.

Hundreds of years after the fact, God saw fit to use James as his mouthpiece and reveal more of the purpose behind suffering that seemed without reason or purpose, even unjust at the time. Job was to be an example for mankind (along with the prophets--James 5:10-11) of the kind of patience and endurance we are to have and it is made known to us that the end result of all such godly endurance is to be blessings from God who is “very compassionate and merciful.”

I am reminded of Paul’s words in Rom. 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (NKJV) He is speaking to Christians.

Do you ever despair in your life? I know Paul did at least once. He said in 2 Cor. 1:8-9, speaking of the trouble he had in Asia, “we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life. Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.” (NKJV) Paul speaks as though he was prepared to die at that point in time.

We can get to that point, to a point where we basically have given it all we can give, done all we can, and have come to the end of our rope. It can be in any area of life, not just concerning the matter of physical life.

Perhaps you have struggled financially, done all you can do, and have gotten nowhere, and now wonder what you will do, perhaps even reaching a point of desperation. You find no answers. In an article in a recent edition of the local area newspaper, I read of a woman who had been living in an alley with her two children, eating out of garbage dumps, until finally someone was made aware of her plight and came to her aid. Yes, we have desperate people living among us in despair, not knowing where to turn or what to do, who, like Paul, have nearly given up.

With others, it may be in family relationships. Every year, hundreds of families are deserted by a mother or dad, a husband or wife, through no fault of the innocent party (yes, there are some innocent parties). Desperation, fear, and despair set in. How will we go on becomes the question.

One could list figuratively a thousand things that can happen in a person’s life where it looks like hope is gone, and we have no options, and the point I want to make here is that there is no use in trying to smooth things over and say it does not get that bad, or it is just our imagination. Things can literally get that bad. Ask Paul (2 Cor. 1:8). Sometimes we just find ourselves in a situation where it is beyond any control or ability that we have to effect a positive change.

The question then becomes, what am I to do if I find myself in a situation that seems to be nearly unbearable and yet it is beyond my control to bring about change, as was the case with Job (and with Paul)? Paul said trust in God (2 Cor. 1:9). Job said the same thing (Job 13:15). We can trust in God no matter what comes, and we can pray.

I knew a lady once, a Christian woman, who said she prayed regularly, all of the time, and it did not do any good. I am convinced she prayed sincerely and was telling the truth about her supplications to God. Do we get to feeling the same way? Job did. He was praying fervently, and it did not seem God was answering him.

One thing we can learn from Job’s experience is that while we may think God is not hearing our prayers, that is not the case. God is well aware of what is happening to us and what we are going through. He knew Job’s situation. We also learn that he will respond in his own time and in the way he sees best, and taking the long view of things, we can be assured his way is the best way for us, even though at the time it may not seem that way.

Things may well not get better for us as far as our earthly plight goes. Paul spoke of his thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him, that he prayed three times that it would be removed from him, and perhaps would have continued on praying indefinitely about the matter had not God spoken to him. God’s answer was, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Cor. 12:9 NKJV) This also may very well be the answer we must accept in our own lives.

In Hebrews 11, the Bible says, “Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented--of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth.” (Heb. 11:36-38 NKJV)

Do you wonder if any of these people ever prayed for a change in their life’s circumstances? Jesus did for his. We remember his prayer in Gethsemane, “if it is possible, let this cup pass from me” (Matt. 26:39 NKJV). Yes, I suspect many prayers were offered by those mentioned in Hebrews 11. God’s people are praying people by definition. Would you have prayed had you been in their shoes? You know you would have, and thus you know they did also.

James tells us, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 NKJV) Here is good that can come from our suffering.

Although I consider the New Living Translation a paraphrase, if I think it accurately reflects the meaning of a passage to make it clearer, then I sometimes use it. This is one such case as found in 1 Peter 1:6-7:

“So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold – though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

We can, if we are not careful, get to the point that we feel God does not care, but there is always a reason behind our suffering, even if unknown to us, as was pointed out earlier in reference to Job’s suffering.

We may have to suffer much in life, but if we remain steadfast through it, as Christians, then we will receive our reward, an inheritance eternally with Christ in heaven--life everlasting.

No, we do not understand. We know why Jesus had to die and what God’s purpose was behind that, but why did Stephen have to die so soon after the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the church? Why did Paul have to suffer so much? Jesus had said he would, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name’s sake.” (Acts 9:16 NKJV) We have to believe God is being active behind the scenes and trust him, believe it will all work out in the end, even if we die getting to that end.

All of this brings us back to the beginning, to Job. What is going on? He did not know, did not know why. He did know God had the power to intervene if he was willing. But it all came down to this in the end, “though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” (Job 13:15 NKJV)

So, how about me, how about you? What do we do when our world has fallen apart, and it seems as though God is not listening, and hope is almost a thing of the past? First, we remember we were not the first and only ones to be in that state. Others have been in the same boat as we, and many were not rescued other than by death itself. There is no guarantee that what we think is best is what will come to pass. We are in God’s hands. His will will be done, just as Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ prayer, in that respect, has to be our prayer, “not as I will, but as you will." (Matt. 26:39 NKJV)

Secondly, as Job said, even “though he slay me, yet will I trust him.” To whom else can we turn? Who else can bring us out on the other side? We must be resigned to his will in our life, trust and obey, and believe that in the final settling of accounts, God will be merciful to those who love him, no matter what may come. “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (Peter, John 6:68 NKJV)

I remind the reader that death is not an unmitigated evil. For the righteous, it is the end of suffering and the entrance way into glory. If that is the way God chooses to rescue us from our trial, so be it. He is taking us to a better place where there is no more sorrow or suffering. That is a pretty good answer to prayer, even if it is not what we were seeking.

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