“Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;” Jo11.25 NKJV
At what level does one trust Christ in order to be a Christian? Most presentations of the gospel encourage people to trust Christ by standing on His record, not their own, so they can be accepted at judgment. We may be told to put trust in His death as payment for our sin or perhaps we are told a combination of both of these. The famous words of the thief, “Lord remember me,” express faith in Christ, but at what level? Was he looking to Christ simply for life beyond death? I am sure this man didn’t understand the virgin birth, or all the dynamics of the crucifixion.
We know that believing in Christ is more than just an intellectual belief. The Testament warns us, “even the demons believe and they tremble.” But what about those who do not have a fully developed understanding of Him, who look to Him for daily bread, for forgiveness, for healing or for protection? Is a person in Christ, if they continue faith in Him at any of these levels? Perhaps a trucker seeing another broke down on the side of the road remembers the words of Jesus and stops to help. Is repentance and faith conveyed in this action? It certainly can be. I fear that too much emphasis is placed on understanding certain doctrines as the test of true faith. A person may understand the finer points of the atonement yet, not be trusting Christ. Conversely, a fireman may have little understanding of it but in simple faith makes a cross over his chest before running into a flaming building. In the end it is God who will determine the genuineness of our faith in His Son. At what level are we trusting Christ? The sure bet is to trust Him in all things. 12/7/07 ts
Just me trying to be honest with God.
