46 Sermon Illustrations on Believe

Christopher Pylant, 4, had a malignant tumor in brain. His parents told Dr. Benjamin S. Carson they knew Lord was going to use the doctor to heal their son. That morning Dr. Carson read Scripture and prayed. He had grown up in Detroit's inner city, went to a Seventh-day Adventist church, and had a godly mom who made him study and read instead of watching TV.

Carson had a violent temper and almost stabbed someone to death once because of it. A verse from Proverbs came to him - "He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls." (25:28). He prayed for God to take away his temper, and the Lord did.

The operation on Christopher showed the tumor had destroyed his brain stem, so Dr. Carson closed it up. Nevertheless, the parents said they were standing on God's promise. The boy improved slightly, so Carson operated again and found a thin brain stem left, flattened by the tumor. This time the tumor came off in layers. He remembered the words of his mother, "If you ask the Lord for something believing He will do it, then He will do it."

Christopher is doing OK today at age 8. Carson was the primary surgeon in another dramatic 22-hour operation on German Siamese twins. He reads Proverbs every morning and night. His middle name is Solomon.

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Update: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/americasbest/science.medicine/pro.bcarson.html

BRAIN SURGEON BEATS THE ODDS OF POVERTY

(CNN) -- Before becoming a world-renowned neurosurgeon, Ben Carson spent his early years in a poor neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan, suffering from low self-esteem. But after years of hard work, the 49-year-old doctor has become famous for his breakthroughs in pediatric medicine.

Carson captured worldwide media attention in 1987 for the successful separation of conjoined twins who shared a portion of the same brain. However, his dream of becoming a surgeon -- difficult work that involves life-threatening operations, long hours and desperate conditions -- did not emerge from the usual refined beginnings.

His parents, Robert and Sonya Carson, divorced when he was 8. His mother scraped by as a domestic worker to support him and his brother, Curtis.

Academics were not a priority for Ben Carson, whose lack of confidence mirrored his family's depressed living conditions. “My initial problem was that I thought I was stupid,” Carson said. “And everybody pretty much agreed. So my nickname was ‘Dummy.’”

Carson's mother had a different agenda for her two sons, choosing education as a way for them to escape poverty. She devised a strict schedule with limited time in front of the television and frequent trips to the library. In addition to their homework, the boys had to turn in two additional book reports each week. Carson recalled that his mother made check marks on the reports although -- unknown to him at the time -- she couldn't read then.

Soon after he began his extracurricular studies, Carson started to excel in class. He discovered he could make good grades but then had to confront another obstacle, his adolescent anger.

“When I was 14, I tried to stab another youngster with a camping knife because he angered me,” Carson said. “And fortunately under his clothing, he had a large metal buckle, and the knife blade struck with such force that it broke.”

Carson said he remembers thinking over the repercussions of this kind of behavior. “Your choices are jail, reform school or the grave. So there aren't any other choices. I didn't like any of those,” he said.

After that day, Carson no longer struggled with anger. He graduated from high school with several honors and would go on to earn his bachelor's degree in psychology from Yale University in 1973. He then received a medical degree from the University of Michigan School of Medicine in 1977.

USING HIS 'GIFTED HANDS'

At 33, he became the youngest chief of pediatric neurosurgery ever at Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore, Maryland. In his work, Carson reaches beyond medicine. His passion to inspire youth led to the founding of a scholarship fund to reward promising young adults.

Carson and his wife, Candy, are the parents of three sons, Murray, Benjamin Jr. and Rhoeyce. The highly regarded doctor is also a respected community and spiritual leader.

But his outstanding work with pediatric medicine is where some observers say he shines the most.

Christopher Pylant is living proof of Carson's so-called “gifted hands.” Eighteen years ago, the 4-year-old boy was given 18 months to live.

“He was a young boy from Georgia who had been diagnosed with a brain stem tumor, inoperable. The parents were told nothing could be done,” Carson said.

Desperate attempts at surgery with other doctors had taken a toll. Pylant's parents then learned about Carson and took their son to him.

Carol Pylant, Christopher's mother, recalls, “When he walked in, it was like we knew in our spirit, that this man was sent to us by God.”

The operation was a success. Nearly two decades later, Christopher Pylant is alive and well, attending college with hopes of becoming a minister.

FEELING THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD

The Pylant surgery was early in Carson's career, but similar stories soon filled his case files.

In 1985, Carson operated on a 4-year-old girl who was suffering from 120 seizures a day. He performed a hemispherectomy, a complicated operation in which one hemisphere of the girl's brain was removed. The patient made a full recovery.

Two years later, the story of conjoined twins Patrick and Benjamin Binder of Germany caught Carson's attention. The boys were joined at the back of their heads, making separation seem impossible without loss of life.

Surgery of this kind had never been successful. Carson, with a team of 70, worked for five months to rehearse the operation. After 22 hours of surgery, the 7-month-old boys were separated successfully; however, they suffered from severe disabilities.

Twins joined at the head occur approximately once in every 2 million live births, according to the John Hopkins Medical Institutions.

In late 1997, Carson traveled to South Africa to face another conjoined twin case. Eleven-month-old Zambian twins Luka and Joseph Banda were joined at the head but were facing in opposite directions.

“There had been 13 previous attempts to separate twins like that, none of which had been successful,” Carson said.

Carson recalled a traumatic moment during this operation while speaking at the 2000 commencement at the University of Delaware. The twins had lost a considerable amount of blood.

“I really felt the weight of the world on my shoulders as I walked back into that operating room,” Carson said. “I didn't have my $350,000 Zeiss operating microscope that I have at Hopkins or my $400,000 3-D wand or my lasers or my ultrasounds or any of that fancy equipment. I just had my loupes and a scalpel and faith in God, and I went in there and said, 'Lord, it's up to you.’”

Carson was successful in separating the boys, and the twins did not suffer from any neurological deficits.

Carson has won acclaim for his work with conjoined twins. However, the modest man doesn't credit himself entirely but points a finger to faith as his guide.

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Sermon, #1 in "50 Day Adventure." 2 Kings 18:17-22

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BELIEVE THERE'S A WAY

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I. Trapped in the maze.

A. The frustration of our lives.

B. Sometimes it's really bad.

C. "On what are you basing this confidence of yours?" 18:19

II. More than one way to believe.

A. Belief as accepting spiritual facts.

B. Belief as daily trust in our Creator God. Eph 3:20

III. Believing against hope.

A. God can make a way, even in desperate situations. 19:7-33

B. Modern Christians have also seen God act in marvelous ways.

IV. Does believing really work?

A. A positive attitude is always good.

B. Trust in God is even better.

C. Ask God for help.

D. Believe he is working for you, even when you don't see it.

V. How do YOU believe?

A. Assess your relationship with God.

B. Remind yourself of what you believe.

C. Tell others.

D. Step out in faith.

As a young social worker in a New York City psychiatric clinic, I was asked to see Roz, a 20-year-old woman who had been referred to us from another psychiatric facility. It was an unusual referral in that no information was received ahead of her first appointment. I was told to “play it by ear” and to figure out what her problems were and what she needed.

Without a diagnosis to go on, I saw Roz as an unhappy, misunderstood young woman who hadn’t been listened to in her earlier therapy. Her family situation was unpleasant. I didn’t see her as disturbed, but rather as lonely and misunderstood. She responded so positively to being heard. I worked with her to start a life worth living - to find a job, a satisfying place to live and new relationships. We hit it off well, and she started making important changes in her life right away.

The records from the previous psychiatric facility arrived a month after Roz and I began our successful work together. To my complete surprise, her records were several inches thick, describing a number of psychiatric hospitalizations. Her diagnosis was “paranoid schizophrenic,” with a comment on her being “hopeless.”

That had not been my experience with Roz at all. I decided to forget those pieces of paper. I never treated her as if she had that “hopeless” diagnosis. (It was a lesson for me in questioning the value and certainty of diagnoses.) I did find out about the horrors for Roz of those hospitalizations, of being drugged, isolated and abused. I also learned a lot from her about surviving such traumatic circumstances.

First Roz found a job, then a place to live away from her difficult family. After several months of working together, she introduced me to her husband- to-be, a successful businessman who adored her.

When we completed our therapy, Roz gave me the gift of a silver bookmark and a note that said, “Thank you for believing me well.”

I have carried that note with me and I will for the rest of my life, to remind me of the stand I take for people, thanks to one brave woman’s triumph over a “hopeless” diagnosis.

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By Judy Tatelbaum, from Chicken Soup for the Soul at Work, Copyright 1996, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Maida Rogerson, Martin Rutte & Tim Clauss

It is a Masai elder who tells the story. It comes from the book, CHRISTIANITY REDISCOVERED, in which the Roman Catholic missionary, Vincent Donovan, shares his discoveries as he worked among the Masai people in Tanzania, just south of Kenya. Donovan had been working among the various communities of the Masai for many months. It was difficult work, and at times, his faith faltered.

At one point, Donovan spoke with a Masai elder about the agony of belief and unbelief. In their conversation, the Masai elder pointed out that the word Donovan had been using in Swahili to convey the word “faith” was not a very good word in their language. The word they were using for “faith” meant literally, “to agree to.” Donovan acknowledged that he knew the word was not a good one to translate the word “faith.”

The Masai elder said that to believe like that was similar to a white hunter shooting an animal from a great distance. Only his eyes and his finger got into it. The Masai elder then said that for one to really believe is more like a lion going after its prey. The lion's nose and ears sense the prey. He sniffs the air and locates it. Then he crouches, and slithers along the ground virtually invisible. We have never seen lions do this, but we have seen our cats. Same lineage, apparently. A cat thinks it becomes invisible as it stalks the prey. The lion gets into position, and when everything is optimum, the lion pounces. All the power of his body is involved and as the animal goes down, the lion envelopes it in his arms, pulls it to himself, and makes it a part of himself. This, said the elder, is the way one believes, making faith a part of oneself!

Donovan nodded in complete agreement, almost overcome with the elder's wisdom. But the elder was not done yet. The old Masai became thoughtful. Then he said to Donovan: “We did not search you out, Padri. We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You told us of the High God. You told us we must search for the High God. But we have not done this. Instead, the High God has searched us out and found us! All the time we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God!”

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From a sermon by Norm Lawson, Central Protestant Church, Richland, Washington

Leslie Weatherhead draws a good distinction between “believe” and “believe in.”

“Let us note the difference between the expressions “believe” and “believe in,” the difference between believing things about a person and believing in a person; the difference between agreeing with what a person says or does and believing in a person’s integrity and character. I have one friend who is outstanding because I hardly agree with him about anything - theology, politics or literature - and yet I believe in him intensely. I don’t believe what he says, but I believe in him. In a word, I trust him.”

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Leslie Weatherhead, “20 Centuries of Great Preaching Vol. XI,” (Dallas, TX: Word Books Inc, 1971) 125

[see also "Quotes on Faith"]

"Whatever you believe with emotion becomes reality. You always act in a manner consistent with your innermost beliefs and convictions."

-- Brian Tracy

"Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret - curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."

-- Walt Disney

"One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests."

-- John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)

"It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative."

-- John Burroughs (1837-1921), naturalist and writer

"Some things have to be believed to be seen."

-- Ralph Hodgson (1871-1962), poet, B&P

"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is."

-- 'Bhagavad-Gita,' Mahabharata, B&P

"Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."

-- William James

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs, as a tree bears apples."

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Man can believe the impossible, but can never believe the improbable."

-- Oscar Wilde

"Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know."

-- Michel de Montaigne

"Every time a child says "I don't believe in fairies" there is a little fairy somewhere that falls down dead."

-- James Matthew Barrie

"The practical effect of a belief is the real test of its soundness."

-- James A. Froude

"Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for--because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

-- Peter Marshall

“If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won’t, you most assuredly won’t. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.”

-- Denis Waitley

“One person with a belief is equal to a force of ninety-nine with only interests.”

-- John Stuart Mill

"The height of your accomplishments will equal the depth of your convictions."

-- William F. Scolavino

Comedian Steve Martin once joked, “It's so hard to believe in anything anymore. If it weren't for my lucky astrology mood watch, I wouldn't believe in anything.”

Mr. Martin's words at once communicate the comedy to be found in nonsensical beliefs. But if it is true, as Shakespeare has said, that jesters oft do prove our prophets, then perhaps Mr. Martin's words also say something alarming of what may now be our nonsensical approach to belief. Are you finding it hard to believe, to express belief, to decide what you believe?

Ravi Zacharias speaks with great insight of the modern difficulties surrounding belief. He writes in JESUS AMONG OTHER GODS, “We are living in a time when sensitivities are at the surface, often vented with cutting words. Philosophically, you can believe anything, so long as you do not claim it to be true. Morally you can practice anything, so long as you do not claim that it is a ‘better’ way. Religiously, you can hold to anything, so long as you do not bring Jesus Christ into it. If a spiritual idea is eastern, it is granted critical immunity; if western, it is thoroughly criticized. Thus, a journalist can walk into a church and mock its carryings on, but he or she dare not do the same if the ceremony is from the eastern fold.”

This is the mood of the century. And Dr. Zacharias reminds us that a mood can be a dangerous state of mind. You see, moods are far too often given the authority to crush reason under the weight of feeling. And alarmingly, it is precisely a “mood” that represents postmodern thought best.

C.S. Lewis did not speak out of our postmodern era, but he knew it was coming and scholars unquestionably agree his mind was ahead of its time. In an essay called “Modern Man and His Categories of Thought,” Lewis ruminates, “Man is becoming as narrowly 'practical' as the irrational animals. In lecturing to popular audiences I have repeatedly found it almost impossible to make them understand that I recommend Christianity because I think its affirmations to be objectively true. They are simply not interested in the question of truth or falsehood. They only want to know if it will be comforting, or inspiring, or socially useful.” [1]

The world has changed since Lewis penned those words, but the truth he diligently pointed to has not. Both C.S. Lewis and Ravi Zacharias remind us that if religion is to be treated with intellectual respect, then it must stand the test of truth, regardless of the shifting moods of time. My prayer for you, dear friend, is that you will arrive at your verdict of Christianity not by pathways of mood but by means of the unchanging road of truth.

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1. Present Concerns: Essays by C.S. Lewis, “Modern Man and His Categories of Thought” (1946), pp. 65.

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Copyright © 2002 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

*

[Original illustration at this number was added to HolwickID #2362]

More than 3,000 fans packed San Francisco's Masonic Auditorium. Many had driven for hundreds of miles to see their idol. Others held up signs reading, "We Love You John!"

Then the man they came to see strode onto the stage -- an unlikely superstar, to say the least. As the Washington Post put it, his New York accent makes him sound more like a cab driver. And the only artistic activity listed on his résumé is his affinity for ballroom dancing. But John Edward is a superstar -- one uniquely suited for our credulous age.

John Edward is America's most famous medium. His nightly television show, Crossing Over, is a staple of the Sci-Fi channel's prime-time programming. Every night, more 600,000 American households tune in to watch Edward and his "guests" -- by which he means spirits -- minister to the loved ones left behind.

The show is such a success that in August it will be syndicated nationwide. Then, even those without cable will be to watch Edward comfort the living by speaking with the dead.

But it's not only television. Edward's autobiography made the bestseller lists. His live appearances, like the one at the Masonic Auditorium, are sell-outs, and there's a two-year waiting list for personal consultations.

Edward isn't the only medium doing a brisk business these days. Belief in mediums and spiritualism has grown markedly in the past decade. Half of all Americans believe that it's possible to communicate with the dead. A third claim to have done so. Just look at the yellow pages or your newspaper for advertisements for psychics.

This isn't the first surge of interest in mediums and spiritualism in the English-speaking world. The first few decades of the twentieth century saw a comparable enthusiasm for séances and psychics. People who wouldn't have been caught dead in a Christian church sat around tables holding hands with their eyes closed, waiting for something to happen.

That surge as well as the present one followed periods in which faith in the biblical God was declared to be untenable. Science, in the form of Darwinism or positivism, promised substitutes for the old beliefs.

What happened in both instances was a rise in superstition. Then as now, occult practice and beliefs began to flourish, even among the most educated members of society. People who dismissed the Resurrection and the Virgin Birth toured the country lecturing about communicating with the dead.

There's no contradiction here. Rejecting the biblical God doesn't change the fact that, as humans, we are incorrigibly religious and need to believe in something. Nor does it mean that questions such as "Is there life after death?" cease being important.

It simply means we've been cut off from the real answers to these questions. And that makes us vulnerable to superstition and irrationality. Paul says, professing to be wise, we become fools instead. C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton, who lived during the earlier age of mediums, understood this well.

Our age is, if anything, even more credulous and needy than theirs. So, we need to help people understand that the answers they seek are not to be found through cable television mediums. Instead, they're to be found through faith in the One who really did cross over -- from death back to life.

For further reference:

"Hot Medium: Prime-Time Spirit Guy John Edward." Washington Post, 30 June 2001.

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Copyright (c) 2001 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

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It started around 1994, when missionary Steve Crane was the Director of the Seminary. In a house, around the corner from the seminary property, a plaster bust of Jesus with thorny crown, started to cry blood, the first of its kind registered in Bolivia. During the past 10 years more than 100 such events have happened around the world. Eventually blood started to run from the wounds of the image as well. It started a great revival. People came from all over the country; the sick, those with family problems, the poor. At first the Catholic Church was hesitant to endorse the mystery; commission after commission arrived from as far away as the Vatican. The DNA showed that it was real human blood oozing from the image. Over time a chapel was added on to the house to serve as a place for pilgrims to pray. The U.S. based FOX TV channel prepared a special on the bleeding Christ a few years ago.

Last week a statue of the Virgin Mary started to cry blood and then a clear liquid followed. The statue had been placed in the chapel of the bleeding Jesus some time ago. A local commission tested the blood and showed it to be human DNA; the liquid was found to be oil with a fragrance of roses; further tests are pending. An official commission of the Catholic Church is on its way.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people stand in line every day to spend a few minutes in the presence of the bleeding images. We see them at almost all hours of the day as we walk the two blocks from our apartment to the seminary. The people come to present a special request to God through this unusual manifestation.

How many people have benefited from this image? We have to admit, we are skeptical. A material offering often accompanies the requests of the pilgrims.

Here in Bolivia, we have found a deep desire of the people to find something in which to put their faith. The popular worship practices to the Pachamama (mother earth), the veneration of images of the Virgin Mary, the attraction of Charismatic preachers promising health and wealth, all have a strong following. Sometimes faith is even placed in political leaders. A faith that triumphs amid difficulties and problems is hard to find. We need a faith that accompanies forgiveness, a faith that brings true peace, a faith that is lasting.

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[Original illustration here was a duplicate in HolwickID 25837-26027]

The nature of true faith can be seen by examining the apostle Thomas’ doubt after Jesus’ resurrection, noted scholar D.A. Carson told students at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Carson is the research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Preaching from John 20:24-31, Carson noted that Thomas’ doubt did not stem from a hardened heart; rather, Thomas doubted from the perspective of one who was a devout believer in God.

“This is not the doubt of a philosophical materialist, someone who thinks that all that exists in the universe is matter and energy and time and space,” Carson said. “...Thomas was a first-century devout Jew. He believed the Old Testament.”

When Jesus died on the cross, Thomas likely felt that the situation was hopeless and his faith had been misplaced, Carson said, and he was reluctant to believe Jesus had been resurrected, not wanting to misplace his faith again.

Modern believers should not consider Thomas an entirely bad example because all Christians must be cautious about placing their faith in people and practices that appear untrustworthy, Carson said.

“This is really a kind of faith that eschews gullibility,” Carson said. “There are all kinds of Christians around that are ready to believe almost anything. Thomas isn’t one of them.”

When Thomas felt the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side, he realized the reality of the resurrection and confessed that Jesus is Lord and God, Carson said.

Upon first consideration, the fact that Jesus rose from the dead does not seem to indicate conclusively that Jesus is God because other people in the Bible rose from the dead, Carson said. But, he said, when one considers Jesus’ resurrection combined with His claims to deity in the Gospels, the evidence indicates that He is God.

Like Thomas, all humans should make a personal profession of allegiance to Christ when they realize His deity, Carson said.

“This is not some sort of a liturgical profession,” he said. “...This is intensely personal, the kind of personal confession we must make again and again and again. We must never distance ourselves from the Christ of the text, but in all of our study still bow before Him and cry, ‘My Lord. My God.’”

Some Christians have argued from the story of Thomas that faith based upon a lack of evidence is morally superior to faith based upon evidence, Carson said. But he described such a view as incorrect because it misunderstands John’s purpose in recording the story of Thomas.

“In our culture the word ‘faith’ regularly means something like, ‘subjective, personal, religious choice abstracted from any truth claim,’” Carson said.

“But of the various ways in which the word faith is used in the New Testament, not once is it used that way.”

Biblical faith must be based on objective truth, Carson said, noting that faith which seems more unreasonable is not necessarily more valuable.

“The Bible never asks you to believe anything that isn’t true,” he said. “Never. Part of faith’s validation is the truthfulness of faith’s object.

“Now faith is more than believing something that is true. After all, the devil believes that Jesus rose from the dead. Faith also includes elements of trust and self-abandonment to God.”

The story of Thomas should serve as a witness to the reality of Christ’s resurrection and drive humans to believe in it as true, Carson said.

“Faith is not a subjective choice,” he said. “It’s a God-given ability to perceive what is true and hang all that you have on it. And here the object of faith is Christ’s resurrection.”

Faith increases as believers seek truth and cling to it, Carson added.

“You increase your faith by increasing the truth,” he said. “You magnify faith by explaining and expounding and living the truth. It is the articulation and defense and living out of the truth that increases faith.”

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Jesus’ saying in Mark 10 is a familiar one: “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” Children show us how to approach Jesus: with wide-eyed belief and unquestioning faith.

One animated film worth seeing again this Christmas reminds us of what it means to have faith like a child’s. Based on the book by Chris Van Allsburg, THE POLAR EXPRESS takes us on one boy’s journey from doubt to belief. On one level, the story can be interpreted as a retelling of THE MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, but for Christians, this film can also be seen as a tale about a return to untainted belief.

In the movie, a young boy struggles with his belief in Santa Claus. He lies in bed on Christmas Eve, hoping to hear the bells on Santa’s sleigh, but his doubt grows. Later, he is awakened by the loud and surprising arrival of a train in his front yard. Walking outside, the boy is greeted by a conductor, who asks, “Well, are you coming?” Boarding the train, we find, is the most important decision he makes.

Along with many other children, the boy travels to the North Pole, where Santa will present the first gift of Christmas. During the trip, the boy continues to struggle with doubt, at one point trying to wake himself up.

There are two messages from the movie that stand out. First, as the conductor later remarks to the boy, “It doesn’t matter where you’re going; what matters is deciding to get on.” Often we allow life’s disappointments to make us cynical. Or we expect to get something for our faith. But life usually doesn’t work out according to our plans. So yes, what’s important isn’t where we end up or what we get, but that we trust God enough to act on faith.

Second, the conductor also reminds us: “The most real things in the world are the things we can’t see.” That’s when we need the faith of a child to ask what Max Lucado calls the “fundamental question”: “Can I afford to believe in what I have never seen?”

Bill Broyles, the film’s screenwriter, notes: “We all go through that passage ... to that world of adulthood where that magic and wonder is gone — or maybe deeply buried.” As we enter the Christmas season, this is a good time to rekindle a sense of wonder and awe of our Creator and Savior. THE POLAR EXPRESS is a great holiday film with a story even the youngest child can understand — and a profound message about faith and belief that no adult can miss.

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The original commentary first aired on November 10, 2004.

Copyright (c) 2006 Prison Fellowship Ministries. Reprinted with permission. "BreakPoint with Chuck Colson" is a radio ministry of Prison Fellowship Ministries.

I believe in Jesus. Growing up, every Sunday without exception, my family went to church. However, until one spring day in April, I never understood the point of attending. I was sitting in my family’s usual pew, paying attention as hard as any 7-year-old can, when I unexpectedly comprehended everything my pastor said. The message finally made sense to me. Jesus died so that I could live. He lived a perfect life and died sinless, so that I could spend eternity with him. The realization was amazing! Jesus sacrificed everything for me! I suddenly felt the urge to rise from my seat and go pray. Quietly, I snuck out of the room and had my first real conversation with God. I knew I was a sinner, but Jesus loved me enough to die for me. For him to live in my heart forever, all I had to do was ask for forgiveness. After praying to receive his gift of eternal life, I was overjoyed! I rushed back into the sanctuary and told my parents about my decision. After church, my family and I talked to my pastor and I was baptized the following week.

Since that milestone in my life, I have struggled with always living a Christian life, yet I am certain that my soul will go to Heaven when I die. By placing my life in God’s hands, I have faith that he will take care of me and lead me along his path of righteousness. As Jeremiah 29:11 says, God is in control, he has “plans to prosper [me] and not to harm [me], plans to give [me] hope and a future.” He has plans for your life too. Regardless of any sin you have committed or any sin you will commit in the future, he loves you. He, the creator of the universe, sent His one and only Son to die so that you may spend eternity with him. You just have to ask for His gift. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior, to live in your heart and be the steering wheel behind your life. It was the best decision I have ever made, and I hope someday you make the same choice. God Bless.

Sermon in Exodus series, #3. Exodus 4:1-5

GIVE ME A SIGN

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I. When words are not enough.

A. It got their attention.

B. Moses felt he needed some backup.

C. What does it take for us to believe God?

II. A gracious God gives Moses some signs.

A. Signs have a clear purpose in the Bible.

B. The first sign is mentioned in chapter 3.

C. The three "proof" signs given to Moses.

III. Do signs work?

A. They worked for the Jews. 4:30-31

B. They did not work for Pharaoh.

C. They did not work for Jesus.

IV. What is in your hand? 4:2

A. The resources we need for faith are not far off.

B. Faith does not have to be hard.

V. Would you have believed?

A danger that is at least as damaging to evangelism as Calvinism is the “Easy Believism” or “Quick Prayerism” that is so prevalent among fundamental Baptists and many other groups. I prefer to call it “Quick Prayerism” rather than “Easy Believism” because the fact is that salvation is by believing (John 3:16) and it is not difficult. Those who practice Quick Prayerism are characterized as follows:

(1) They are quick to “lead people to Christ” even when the gospel presentation has been shallow and insufficient. Consider the following statement on “What is Salvation?” from Saddleback Church pastored by Rick Warren of Purpose Driven Church fame: “Our disobedient nature has eternally separated us from our Creator. No matter how hard we try, we can never earn our way back into God’s presence. Our only hope is to trust Jesus as God’s provision for our disobedience.” This statement is so shallow and insufficient that it is difficult to know where to begin, but briefly, salvation is much more than a vague, undefined decision “to trust Jesus as God’s provision for our disobedience.” There is no mention of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, even though this is how Paul defined the gospel in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. There is no mention of the blood. No mention of repentance. The Saddleback paraphrase of the gospel is no gospel at all, and to lead a person in a sinner’s prayer when this is all of the “gospel” they understand is a crime and a disgrace to the cause of Christ. The shallowness of this type of evangelism is why I could sit next to a church member at Saddleback last year and have him tell me that he has always been a Christian. This was in response to my question, “When were you born again?”

(2) They are quick to lead people in a prayer even when there is no evidence of conviction or regeneration, in contrast to the Apostle Paul who, like John the Baptist, required evidence of repentance. (Acts 26:20).

(3) They are quick to ignore repentance or redefine repentance to have nothing to do with sin or a change of life. The typical soul-winning plan doesn’t even hint at repentance, that there is going to be a change of direction, a submission to God. Many have rejected traditional definitions of repentance as “a change of mind that results in a change of life” and have re-defined repentance, instead, as merely “a change from unbelief to belief.” If a large percentage of their “converts” show no sign of a change of life, it does not greatly concern them, because they do not believe that repentance always results in a change of life.

(4) They are quick to give people assurance even if there is no evidence of salvation. Biblical security is only for those who are genuinely born again and those who are such will give clear evidence of it (2 Cor. 5:17). To give assurance to someone, especially a complete stranger, merely because he has prayed a sinner’s prayer or has walked down an aisle and professed Christ to a church worker is very dangerous, because it tends to give false hope to large numbers of unregenerate people.

(5) They are quick to count numbers. Those who practice Quick Prayerism typically report large numbers of “salvations” even though a significant percentage of their professions give no evidence of salvation. In my experience, it is not uncommon that 90% of the professions produced under such ministries are fruitless.

“To believe and not doubt means not only believing in the existence of God, but also believing in His loving care. It includes relying on God and expecting that he will hear and answer when we pray. We must put away our critical attitude when we come to him, and have confidence that God will align our desires with his purposes. Our Father really knows what is best.”

-- Tim Cash of Unlimited Potential Inc. and Baseball Chapel (former professional baseball player and chaplain to the Atlanta Braves)

That great English preacher, Joseph Parker, once said, “The divinity of the Son of God is not proved merely in propositions. I think that he who believes in the divinity of Christ has all history, etymology, and philosophy on his side. My dependence is not founded upon the construction of a phrase or the mood and tense of a verb, and yet we have nothing to fear from that side. I rely upon His moral reach and spiritual compass. When He touched my soul into life, I did not call for a Greek grammar, Hebrew lexicon, or volumes of encyclopedias, to find how the thing stood. I believe because 'once I was blind, and now I see.’ The heart is sometimes a better interpreter than the understanding. What better proof do I want? 'He has redeemed my life from destruction.’"

It is a Masai elder who tells the story. It comes from the book, CHRISTIANITY REDISCOVERED, in which the Roman Catholic missionary, Vincent Donovan, shares his discoveries as he worked among the Masai people in Tanzania, just south of Kenya. Donovan had been working among the various communities of the Masai for many months. It was difficult work, and at times, his faith faltered.

At one point, Donovan spoke with a Masai elder about the agony of belief and unbelief. In their conversation, the Masai elder pointed out that the word Donovan had been using in Swahili to convey the word “faith” was not a very good word in their language. The word they were using for “faith” meant literally, “to agree to.” Donovan acknowledged that he knew the word was not a good one to translate the word “faith.”

The Masai elder said that to believe like that was similar to a white hunter shooting an animal from a great distance. Only his eyes and his finger got into it. The Masai elder then said that for one to really believe is more like a lion going after its prey. The lion's nose and ears sense the prey. He sniffs the air and locates it. Then he crouches, and slithers along the ground virtually invisible. We have never seen lions do this, but we have seen our cats. Same lineage, apparently. A cat thinks it becomes invisible as it stalks the prey. The lion gets into position, and when everything is optimum, the lion pounces. All the power of his body is involved and as the animal goes down, the lion envelopes it in his arms, pulls it to himself, and makes it a part of himself. This, said the elder, is the way one believes, making faith a part of oneself!

Donovan nodded in complete agreement, almost overcome with the elder's wisdom. But the elder was not done yet. The old Masai became thoughtful. Then he said to Donovan: “We did not search you out, Padri. We did not even want you to come to us. You searched us out. You told us of the High God. You told us we must search for the High God. But we have not done this. Instead, the High God has searched us out and found us! All the time we think we are the lion. In the end, the lion is God!”

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From a sermon by Norm Lawson, Central Protestant Church, Richland, Washington

Leslie Weatherhead draws a good distinction between “believe” and “believe in.”

“Let us note the difference between the expressions “believe” and “believe in,” the difference between believing things about a person and believing in a person; the difference between agreeing with what a person says or does and believing in a person’s integrity and character. I have one friend who is outstanding because I hardly agree with him about anything - theology, politics or literature - and yet I believe in him intensely. I don’t believe what he says, but I believe in him. In a word, I trust him.”

________

Leslie Weatherhead, “20 Centuries of Great Preaching Vol. XI,” (Dallas, TX: Word Books Inc, 1971) 125

The widespread Muslim rejection of the embarrassing bin Laden tape illustrates a truth of human conduct, the same one shown by the O.J. Simpson acquittal. Will often trumps reason. We're disinclined to believe what we don't want to believe, however striking or weighty the evidence.

It's odd that the Muslims count themselves the model of rationality. They're proud that they don't give in to such "silliness" as the Trinity, the Incarnation, and salvation by faith alone. By their light, theirs is a much more reasonable religion. But it's hard to see that clear thinking is their strong suit.

Consider the crash of EgyptAir 990 off Nantucket in October 1999. (The November issue of The Atlantic gives an excellent account.) Lacking the resources to do the job right, Egypt asked the FAA to take the lead in the investigation. When all the evidence pointed to the suicidal intervention of a reserve pilot, Gameel al-Batouti, they rejected the finding out of hand. It had to be the equipment. No way that their man would do such a thing.

A few more liberal arts colleges in the Middle East might help. Somebody needs to be teaching canons of logic and skills of critical thinking to balance the demands of cultural solidarity. Someone needs to walk them through alien perspectives to make their reflection more supple and circumspect.

We Americans are awash in second and third guessers, protected by both law and public sentiment, and they keep us honest. Would that the Arab-speaking world enjoyed the same level and tradition of respectable and respected dissent.

Yes, of course, it is remotely conceivable that a double played bin Laden or that some computer genius worked a simulation. But it's very, very unlikely. The burden of proof rests upon those who would cast doubt on the tape. They need to know it's not enough to throw sand in the air and call names. We need a responsible effort at proof. And in the meantime, they need to show humility, for it's certainly warranted, given the implausibility of the fraud charge.

Is this a peculiarly Arab problem? I'm afraid not. It's the problem of Adam' s race. It's the same problem that gave us John 12:37 -- "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."

Saturday before last, we were visiting newcomers to our community when I spied a man across the street putting sod around a big tree in front of his house. I hustled over to hand him a couple of items from our church, only to be rebuffed. He called Christianity nonsense and refused to take the handout.

Smiling, I asked him what he meant by "nonsense." He began by saying that the Gospels were full of contradictions, and I asked him to give me one that bothered him. He said that the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew was different from the one in Luke. I noted that some prominent scholars found the former to be the line through Joseph, the latter through Mary.

At that point, he exclaimed, "My goodness. How silly of me. It never occurred to me that I could be leaning on such a flimsy prop in my resistance to Christianity. You know, if I was wrong about that, I could be wrong about other Bible difficulties. Have you got a minute? This is pretty important stuff. I'm not ready to buy what you're selling, but I sure need to give it a second look."

Just kidding.

You know how it went. He wasn't interested in more evidence that the Gospels were harmonious. He'd made up his mind, and it was impervious to anything that would upset it. Yes, I suppose he'd had a liberal arts education in the current secular sense, but it was obvious he'd not enjoyed the richer sort that incorporates biblical perspectives at every turn.

Darwinians show the same blind obstinacy. For instance, give them "Darwin's Black Box" by Michael Behe, the book which demonstrates that the evolutionary account just won't work at the microbiological level. They won't blink. Their faith that random mutation and procreative advantage, given enough time, could produce from primordial soup Harvard, Billy Graham, the Fox Network, the Rose Bowl and the Internet is unshakable.

No wonder it takes the Holy Spirit to save men. Whether Egyptian Muslim or Chicago atheist, we're tough nuts to crack.

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Coppenger is pastor of Evanston (Ill.) Baptist Church. Other reflections by Coppenger can be viewed at www.comeletusreason.com.

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The nature of true faith can be seen by examining the apostle Thomas’ doubt after Jesus’ resurrection, noted scholar D.A. Carson told students at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Carson is the research professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois.

Preaching from John 20:24-31, Carson noted that Thomas’ doubt did not stem from a hardened heart; rather, Thomas doubted from the perspective of one who was a devout believer in God.

“This is not the doubt of a philosophical materialist, someone who thinks that all that exists in the universe is matter and energy and time and space,” Carson said. “...Thomas was a first-century devout Jew. He believed the Old Testament.”

When Jesus died on the cross, Thomas likely felt that the situation was hopeless and his faith had been misplaced, Carson said, and he was reluctant to believe Jesus had been resurrected, not wanting to misplace his faith again.

Modern believers should not consider Thomas an entirely bad example because all Christians must be cautious about placing their faith in people and practices that appear untrustworthy, Carson said.

“This is really a kind of faith that eschews gullibility,” Carson said. “There are all kinds of Christians around that are ready to believe almost anything. Thomas isn’t one of them.”

When Thomas felt the wounds in Jesus’ hands and side, he realized the reality of the resurrection and confessed that Jesus is Lord and God, Carson said.

Upon first consideration, the fact that Jesus rose from the dead does not seem to indicate conclusively that Jesus is God because other people in the Bible rose from the dead, Carson said. But, he said, when one considers Jesus’ resurrection combined with His claims to deity in the Gospels, the evidence indicates that He is God.

Like Thomas, all humans should make a personal profession of allegiance to Christ when they realize His deity, Carson said.

“This is not some sort of a liturgical profession,” he said. “...This is intensely personal, the kind of personal confession we must make again and again and again. We must never distance ourselves from the Christ of the text, but in all of our study still bow before Him and cry, ‘My Lord. My God.’”

Some Christians have argued from the story of Thomas that faith based upon a lack of evidence is morally superior to faith based upon evidence, Carson said. But he described such a view as incorrect because it misunderstands John’s purpose in recording the story of Thomas.

“In our culture the word ‘faith’ regularly means something like, ‘subjective, personal, religious choice abstracted from any truth claim,’” Carson said.

“But of the various ways in which the word faith is used in the New Testament, not once is it used that way.”

Biblical faith must be based on objective truth, Carson said, noting that faith which seems more unreasonable is not necessarily more valuable.

“The Bible never asks you to believe anything that isn’t true,” he said. “Never. Part of faith’s validation is the truthfulness of faith’s object.

“Now faith is more than believing something that is true. After all, the devil believes that Jesus rose from the dead. Faith also includes elements of trust and self-abandonment to God.”

The story of Thomas should serve as a witness to the reality of Christ’s resurrection and drive humans to believe in it as true, Carson said.

“Faith is not a subjective choice,” he said. “It’s a God-given ability to perceive what is true and hang all that you have on it. And here the object of faith is Christ’s resurrection.”

Faith increases as believers seek truth and cling to it, Carson added.

“You increase your faith by increasing the truth,” he said. “You magnify faith by explaining and expounding and living the truth. It is the articulation and defense and living out of the truth that increases faith.”

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In the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou,” the three heroes (for lack of a better term) are on the run from the law. As things come to a close they receive a governor’s pardon. Once safe from harm, Everett (played by George Clooney) returns home to retrieve the wedding band for his wife to prove he wants to reconcile with her. But at the homestead the three men are captured by a sheriff who hasn’t received news of the pardon. Apparently the punishment for their crimes is to be death and this lawman is ready to give it to them.

As their execution is prepared, Everett prays to God for salvation, promising to be a better and more faithful man if God will deliver them from impending doom. The two companions who found God earlier in the movie are shocked by his sudden transformation, but welcome his faith. As he prays with the noose around his neck, Everett notices a tiny trickle of water at his feet. Then abruptly the entire forest is flooded and the three heroes find themselves floating in a field of debris amidst the treetops.

One of Everett’s companions mentions his promises to God and that this surely must be a sign. But Everett insists that it couldn’t be from God because this flooding was government-ordered and had been planned for months. He says it was just a coincidence.

Everett had laid down his stipulations, given God a request and God proved faithful. Everett, however, did not. The evidence was not enough and he was not willing to move from doubt to faith.

Thomas is the opposite of Everett. Everett got exactly what he asked for and refused. Thomas was offered what he asked for and changed his doubt to belief.

Sermon in Jesus series on Phony Christians.

1. Phony Christians (Mickey Cohen).

2. Easy-believism.

3. False assurance of salvation.

4. Salvation is not easy.

5. Hypocrites.

6. How to gain assurance.

[Printed version has been modified from disk version]

What Must I Do to Be Saved?

The question “Are you saved?” is too often answered with, “Sure, I was baptized and then joined the church” or “I went forward and remember praying a prayer.” Correct answers may even be given regarding the basic facts of the Gospel message. Yet, in so many instances, little or no fruit of the new birth is evident in the life of this supposed believer, nor can it be said of him that “Unto you therefore which believe, He is precious” (1 Pet. 2:7). The book of James explains that the faith that saves is a faith that is alive, vital and fruitful in good works. It is not enough to say we have been saved by faith. A saving faith will be a faith that, thereafter, produces spiritual fruit (James 2:17-19, 26).

True faith is accompanied by a Spirit-wrought conviction and realization of sin and its consequences (“repentance toward God”) and belief in the perfect redemptive Work of the Lord Jesus Christ as the sinner's only means of acceptance by the Almighty, all-holy God (“faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ”- see Acts 20:21 cf. 11:13, 14, 18; 15:7-9). Satan no longer possesses any claims upon his now former child (John 16:7-11).

A lost sinner's mere mental assent to the basic tenets of the Gospel and his repetition of a prayer is ineffectual unless the Christian evangelist takes the time to explain the Scriptures and exercise the discernment needed to witness the ministry of the Holy Spirit at work within the heart. True saving faith will then, without exception, yield the fruit of repentance. The life of the new believer will be changed-it will not be perfect, but the new believer will have new desires that are “of God” (2 Cor. 5:17-21). That “new creature” in Christ will also be able to give a clear statement regarding how he knows he is saved and will acknowledge that his new standing before God is in the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Cor. 5:2l) - not baptism, church membership or by “doing a lot better now”-but by what Christ has done. The new believer will also desire to live for God's glory.

The following study of Romans 10 deals briefly with this all-important theme of what must happen for a lost soul to be saved. This chapter falls within a parenthetical portion (chapters 9-11) dealing with Paul's consideration of Israel's relation to the church in the dispensation of grace. It comes between the section developing the doctrine of soteriology, or salvation (chapters 1-8) and Paul's practical exhortation to the Roman believers (chapters 12-16). The burden of the apostle for his Jewish brethren according to the flesh was that they would be saved (10:1 cf. 9:2, 3). Paul gives several references to Old Testament texts that have special significance in explaining to the Jew what is necessary to receive God's righteousness by faith in Jesus Christ.

CHRIST'S RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THE ANSWER TO THE CURSE OF THE LAW (Romans 10:1-8).

The apostle's burden for his Jewish brethren was deep-seated (v. 1). Notice that his burden was accompanied by prayer-a necessity! Most emphasis today is on the sowing of the Seed, the witnessing. But we are also vital “labourers together with God” when we pray for the soul's preparation and for hearts to be opened (1 Cor. 3:6-8).

Proficient “soul-winners” often have mastered a routine that is somewhat akin to a slick marketing sales pitch unrefusable to any reasonable, thinking person. Yet they often fail to give prayer its proper place in evangelism and, therefore, their efforts are often futile. Prayer is the necessary preparation in sowing the Seed, for it depends upon the Holy Spirit's work in the heart to enlighten an unbeliever's understanding of the essentials of the Gospel, which has not lost Its glorious power to save (Rom. 1: 16; Acts 16:14).

The regeneration of a lost soul is not a mechanical function of giving ascent to certain historic, theological facts and then “doing something” that converts the soul. Salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit within the heart so that an intelligent and sincere change takes place with respect to one's acceptance of the Gospel invitation to trust Jesus Christ for the eternal well-being of the soul. Prayer paves the way for the Spirit to thus work and melt, convict and illumine even the hardest heart as to the need for God's salvation freely offered in the perfect Person and finished work of the sinless Lamb of God who was the sinner's substitute upon Calvary's cross.

Paul prayed for his brethren after the flesh, the Jews, that they might be miraculously saved. The religious Jews were sincere, zealous and pious but also terminally and eternally dead in sin (vv. 2, 3). They did not understand the all-important truth that Jesus Christ was Himself the end, or the fulfillment, of everything to which the Law of Moses pointed (v. 4b). No one could possibly attain unto God's required righteousness under the Law, for “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23). The Mosaic Law served only to confirm man's shortcomings, for all who failed to perfectly keep the commandments were under God's judgment. No one could “do and live” (v. 5)

The Jew was terribly mistaken, therefore, to think that he could work and provide his own righteousness that would be acceptable to God (v. 3a). Instead, Paul explained, he needed to humble himself and “submit”-to accept by faith (v. 4)-the righteousness offered in the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Works and searching cannot secure this righteousness (vv. 6, 7); it is “nigh thee,” readily available to anyone who turns (repents) from the arrogance of a religion of “works,” as described above, and humbly accepts the “word of faith” which is the Gospel message preached by the apostle himself (v. 8). Paul then proceeded to explain the conversion experience in familiar terms, using texts the Jew would understand:

WITH THE HEART MAN BELIEVETH (Romans 10:9-10a)

These verses explain what the Jew (and also the Gentile) must do in order to “submit ... unto the - righteousness of God” (v. 3b) - to believe on Christ (v.4). Belief in the heart concerning what the Gospel declares to be the reality and the purpose of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ brings about the New Birth (v. 9b). God's righteousness is received by faith (Rom.1:16, 17; 4:20-25).

Believing in the heart (v. 10a) speaks of a faith that is integrally linked to the convicting and illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit (notice John 16:8-11). The sinner is supernaturally convinced of (1) his state as a hell-bound, hell-deserving sinner, (2) the imputed righteousness of Christ being his only hope for acceptance before an infinitely holy and just God, and (3) the fact that Christ bore all judgment due the sinner on Calvary's cross and that, by His resurrection, there is now no condemnation to the one who believes.

Spirit-wrought repentance is always present in God's work of regeneration. Acts 20:21 reveals that saving faith is marked by “repentance toward God” (a new understanding or “change of mind” concerning what our sinful condition and unbelief means to Almighty God) as well as “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (belief in His perfect provision). If the Christian witness does not allow the Spirit to work if he does not “travail in birth,” as did the apostle, with the one he seeks to convert (Gal. 4:19) - then a salvation “statistic” may be gained, but it could very well be a lost, but now religious, sinner.

Now notice the important principles spelled out in the following texts: Acts 11: 13,14-a lost sinner must hear the Gospel before he can be saved; Acts 10:34-48-many were saved while Peter preached the Gospel message; Acts 11:17,18-God granted repentance unto life (repentance is not an emotion that man must try to muster within himself); Acts 15:6-9-hearts were purified by faith. More is involved than a mere ascension to a set of facts, saying the right words, praying a prayer or performing some outward display.

The Holy Spirit of God enlightens the understanding concerning sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:7-1 1). The Spirit convicts the sinner as to his utter inability to escape the wrath of God and the penalty that His absolute justice exacts upon sin. The Spirit leads the sinner to realize that his only acceptable standing before God the Father must be based solely upon the imputed righteousness of Christ and that all judgment upon sin has been born by the perfect work of Christ on Calvary's cross. Therefore, victory is assured the sinner thus saved by grace.

CONFESSION UNTO SALVATION (Romans 10:10b-17)

The one who believes to the saving of the soul will be able to truly “call Jesus 'Lord,”' that is, he can confess with the mouth what is now a reality in the heart. This “confession” is further explained in verses 10b-13. The phrase “confession is made unto salvation” (v. 10b) means that what comes out of the mouth and is professed before the world will bear testimony to that new “righteousness” of Christ that is now the believer's standing before God. It is not merely giving a public testimony or praying a prayer-its peaks of a new conversation, a new life in Christ, that is the fruit of a regeneration from on High and a repentance that can be seen by all, demonstrated by a changed life. The confession to which this verse refers begins with the first utterances of the newborn babe in Christ (Rom. 8:15,16) and continues throughout the believer's earthly pilgrimage until he finally stands complete in Christ at His appearing (Heb. 4:14; 10:23-in the Greek, confession and profession are derived from the same root word).

Many believe that to “confess with the mouth” simply means to profess one's belief in Christ before a Christian worker or an assembly of believers. But the meaning is far more extensive in the context of Romans 10 when considering the Old Testament texts to which Paul referred-it is a new life, a victorious life, a life that God empowers for the fruitful service of a life-long profession.

Therefore, with this understanding of what “confession unto salvation” entails, one realizes that the new birth experience will result in a new walk in the Lord. This is consistent with the composite teaching of Scripture relating to the integral link between regeneration and the Christian's testimony up until the blessed moment when he will stand before his Lord. The faith that saves will also be a faith that works as James 2:17-26 explains. Merely speaking words mean nothing (Jas. 2:14, 26).

Notice that verse 11 explains what is meant by the word confession in the previous verse. Read Isaiah 28:16, noticing that this text speaks of Christ's deliverance for the believing remnant of Israel when the Antichrist turns to destroy them. Next, see how I Peter 2:6ff quotes this same Old Testament text and unmistakably refers to believers who gain the victory over Satan by looking to their precious Savior for deliverance.

The same theme continues in verses 12 and 13. Look at Joel 2:31, 32 to see what is referred to in verse 13-it is deliverance that comes to the believing remnant of Israel during the worst part of the “time of Jacob's trouble”: they will experience salvation-deliverance-when Jesus Christ returns in power and great glory. Acts 2:21 quotes the same Scripture with that same meaning-Jesus Christ is the One about whom the prophecy in Joel speaks. Israel is to repent and receive Him. How do we know that to “call upon the name of the Lord” does not mean to merely pray a prayer? Because verse 14 explains that the Gospel must be believed before one can call upon the Lord to deliver and to be “rich unto all that call upon Him” (vv. 14-16 cf. v. 12b).

Please do not misunderstand our intention here: public invitations and prayers to articulate belief certainly have their place-as long as these do not give the wrong impression as to what God actually requires for salvation.

The Gospel must be proclaimed so that the lost can believe and be saved (v. 17). What will be the result if the Spirit has wrought a Godly repentance, causing the sinner to see his need and to see Christ as the Savior from all judgment? A changed life will ensue (2 Cor. 5:17-21; 1 Thess. 1:5-10). ARE YOU SAVED? ARE YOU SURE? Make sure today.

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