Expert: Scott Talbot - 1/11/2007

Question
Can you point to texts that suggest that one most believe with all ones heart that Christ is the Son of God?
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Ive never understood, personally, the concept of "accepting" Jesus Christ.  The only way that ever makes sense to me is to pretend to believe.  (And the other way is a more philosophical approach to accept his ways and follow his path).  

You cant just accept something unless it, naturally, is believable...I just dont understand how people accept it when they havent thurougly completely researched.  The Bible alone isnt a reason unless it too  is backed up with historical evidence and even then, history isnt exactly accurate.

My only guess is that people sense a truth and go with it.  I just dont happen to have a keen sense for one truth over the other.  And even if I did, I have no confidence in it.

And Ive tried prayer my whole life, it doesnt seem to apply in this situation for me.  If anything I dont think God wants me to care about the "right" beliefs
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Heres my perspective...Dont know anything, way too much info and stimulus out there undiscovered, and for all I know there is a higher way of thinking that humans havent met..called blogic or susie the gay whale....ok?  

My worrying side gets to me though...Ive been raised SDA christian and have those ideas in the back of my head about needing faith for heavens sake.  One of the verses supporting this claim is in Matthew, maybe sixteen or so...in which Jesus says if you only had faith as big as a mustard seed...

So Im searching for my "mustard seed" to some extent...Im just trying to insure a place in heaven with just enough faith.  Not that I believe in it, but I fear it and I wholly believe it's possible...and I guess you could say I have some trust/faith in its truth, just not much at all.  So I figure that getting enough facts and preachy talk will help me keep enough turst in its validity for a mustard seed worth.  Maybe not though.  I

So preach!  What do you know about getting to heaven?


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Hi, Jeff! Nice to hear from you.

God says that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Sounds like you are seeking.

There are many opinions about heaven and how to get there. There's only one opinion, however, that matters, and that's God's. It doesn't matter what I think or what you think or what anyone else thinks. The only thing that matters is what God says, and we can determine that from the truth He has revealed to us in the Bible.

First, it's not so much heaven you should be focusing on, or hell you should be avoiding. The focus should be on God, and your relationship with Him. That's what determines where we will spend eternity.

First, God tells us that we are all sinners. If we committed only one sin (as did Adam and Eve), this would be enough to violate God's holiness and separate us from Him for eternity. (See Romans 3:23.)

While God is a God of love, He is also a God of justice. His holiness demands judgment. And, because of our sins, God has sentenced us to death--physical death, as well as spiritual death (eternal separation from Him). (See Romans 6:23.)

The good news is that Jesus Christ, God's Son (God in the flesh) lived a perfect life. He gave His live for us so that He could serve our death sentence in our place. (Romans 5:8).

Our part is to place our trust in Jesus Christ--acknowledge that He is the perfect Son of God, and that He died in our place to save us from condemnation. We must admit that He and He alone can rescue us, and the we cannot do so by our own efforts. Then we simply need to call on God to save us, and He will. (See John 1:12, 3:16, Romans 10:9-10,13.)

It's not about trying or working or putting forth effort (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5). It's about giving up and giving in to Jesus Christ.

That's where it all begins. That's where we begin a new life with Jesus Christ. It's not just about having heaven as our eternal home. It's about having Jesus Christ as our eternal companion, and about having peace with God and a growing relationship with Him. (See John 3:1-21.)

I hope that helps. Please write back if you have more questions or would like to discuss further.

I pray that God will open your eyes to the truth and that He will reach out and embrace you as you turn to Him.

Scott
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Hi, Jeff.

Accepting Jesus Christ means that you believe He is who He says He is--God in the flesh--and that you believe that He is the one person who is able to make peace between you and God.

It means that you understand that God is holy and perfect and will not tolerate sin; that our sin has separated us from God; that our sin demands the fiery wrath of God and eternal condemnation; that Jesus served our death sentence in our place; and that, by "taking" this gift, we can be spared from God's wrath and welcomed into His family.

When we come to God and confess our sin, acknowledging Jesus Christ and His ability to save us, and when we call upon God to save us (Romans 10:9-10,13), we are born again into God's family once and for all (John 3:1-21). We pass from death to life (John 5:24).

You say you struggle with what to believe. Don't make it so difficult. Satan would love to have you focus on your doubts, to demand absolute, irrefutable "proof" before you believe. Just accept the simple truth. Don't be a skeptic.

You believe that the earth is round, yet a good case could be made to the contrary. Do you demand proof? No, you just accept the facts. You believe that there was a Holocaust. Some say it was all made up. Do you demand proof? No, you accept the facts.

There is plenty of evidence that God exists, that the Bible is true, and that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the perfect God-man. If you want to study further, you can read books by Lee Stroebel and Josh McDowell, titled, EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT, THE CASE FOR CHRIST, THE CASE FOR THE BIBLE, and others.

When it gets right down to it, it's often not an intellectual battle. It's not about whether or not we have the evidence to believe something. It's more a psychological battle. Am I WILLING to believe? Am I WILLING to give in to God? Maybe that's where you're at.

If you really want to see a noticeable difference in the way you're thinking and feeling, I would encourage you to pick up a Bible and read it. Read the gospel of John. Read James, Colossians, Philippians, Romans. By doing this, God will work in a unique way in your heart. I challenge you to do this, Jeff, and I guarantee something will happen. Something good.

I'm still here if you'd like to talk further.

Scott

P.S. Merry Christmas, my friend!

Answer
Hi, Jeff. Nice to hear from you again.

I like your question. You're going to the only source that really matters when determining what to believe--the Bible.

There are quite a number of texts that tell us that it's essential that we believe with all our heart that Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be--the Son of God--and that we must not only acknowledge Him intellectually, but also trust Him fully, with our heart, mind, and soul.

Here are a few:

John 1:12, 3:1-21 (esp 14-18); 5:16-47; 14:6; (read the entire gospel of John, as well as the other three gospels); Romans 10:9-13.

The gospels, the book of Acts, most all of the epistles, ... the entire Bible ... focus on Jesus Christ as the central theme, and on the "good news" that He, the perfect God-man, is the answer to all our problems, the bridge between God and man, the Creator, Judge, King, and Priest, the perfect sacrifice for our sin, the "Annointed One," promised Messiah, rescuer of mankind, provider of life, ... and that the means of our rescue is to place our trust in Him, to fully depend on Him to do what we cannot do ourselves--provide peace with God and give us life.

You cannot read the Bible and escape this fact. What we do with Jesus Christ, God's Son, will determine whether or not we have true "life" in this existence, and eternal life beyond the grave.

Does this answer your question?

Scott