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Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could make people believe in Christ? All of your loved ones would be saved. Everybody you come in contact would be saved. Unfortunately no matter how hard we try...we are incapable of making other people believe in Christ.
So...What causes men to believe in Christ?
Repentance.
What is repentance? Repentance is when you change your mind. Repentance is what happens when the goodness of God touches the human soul just enough...that man turns from wrong and accepts right. The right that is accepted is the actual person of Christ.
Belief is consent of the human will. Belief comes when man is enlightened and stirred by the actual presence of a living Christ. When the Gospel is heard...belief can be exercised. Belief causes men to renounce disobedience to God. Belief understands that redemption is the effect that Calvary has on a man that repents from wrongdoing.
Belief allows forgiveness for sin to flow from the Saviour on the cross into your heart. Belief allows man's conscience to be freed from guilt caused from past sinful conduct. Belief opens the floodgates of the Grace of God to morally change man from dirty living.
Wouldn't it be nice if you could make others believe? That's the Gospel's job. That's why faith comes by hearing. The Spirit of of God "ministers truth" to the heart of fallen man. Truth is heard when Christ is preached! The Gospel reveals Christ, His power, His presence, His Glory! The Gospel stirs men to conviction and repentance. The Gospel causes men to believe and give consent to the Christ of their Salvation.
When man realizes he's a sinner and don't want to live that way anymore...it's because he sees Christ. The person of Christ shows man what he really is! When man sees what Christ did for him personally...he sees a way to get away from the old life, the old misery, and the part of man that rejects Christ. The power of Gospel can "sway" man just enough to believe. When man believes in Christ he will obey God.
Belief and obedience are one in the same. You can't be disobedient to God and believe in Christ at the same time. You can't have unbelief in your heart and be obedient to God at the same time. The Bible (in the greek text) teaches that obedience "springs" from faith in Romans 1:5.
The unsaved world must hear about Christ to have something to believe in. Christ is ministered by holy men of God that preach the Gospel. Saving faith is not "blind faith". Saving faith is directly focused on the personality of Christ. Faith is built on a person. Faith is based on what is written about that person. Christian faith is based on the Bible...the Holy Scripture. Isn't that beautiful?
We can't make people believe in Christ...but when men hear the Gospel being preached, and they see themselves in light of a Saviour...they will cry out, "What must we do?" What must we do? What must we do? God convicts. God sways their thinking. God stirs them to repentance. God prods fallen man just enough...that consent of the will is given through the brokeness of seeing yourself in light of a Saviour's love. This causes belief! Glory! Belief allows Divine Grace to come in and morally change the make-up of man to a holy state of being. This is the power of the Gospel message.
Brokenness causes men to believe, accept, and trust in Christ. Brokenness puts fallen man in a place that turns from sin and reaches out for the Saviour's power and holy presence. Belief says I'm through with the old life...I'm yours Jesus. Belief says I'll never let Jesus go. Belief says sin can't have me anymore. Belief says disobedience can't have me anymore. Belief says alcohol can't have me anymore. Belief says fornication can't have me anymore. Belief in Christ says all that stuff is dirty and wrong...I'm through with it! Then the Grace of God will take the believer over...completely. Isn't that beautiful! That's Saving Grace brother!
Belief is consent of the human will to God through Christ. You can't make a man give his consent to God unless he broken and repents. That man has to throw in the towel. He will when he find out that Christ died for him personally and that personal forgiveness for his sins and freedom from the guilt of sin is found in no other place but Christ. Glory! Do you believe?
Be a faithful witness and bring honor to God. God will use you for His Glory! Dishonor and disgrace is no good in the eyes of God. He uses holy men and women of God to testify and witness for Christ. You can't make any man believe in Christ...that's the Lord's business. When Christ touches or melts that heart...fallen man will have something to believe in. Glory!
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