“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” (John 5:24, ESV)
The above scripture is, in miniature, the whole of the gospel. If a person “hears Jesus’ word” and then “believes” the gospel “has eternal life” (John 5:24). That person who truly “hears” Jesus and then chooses to go one step further and “believe” in God fully “has passed from death to life”. That person is saved. That person has been born again. That person is now a child of God. It is that simple to become a true believer in Christ.
Some pastors or priests may make it seem like becoming a Christian involves going to membership classes, joining a church, believing a creed, memorizing scripture, etc. Really, it comes down to first, hearing Jesus’ word, and second, believing in God enough to let put your future in God’s hands.
A life with Christ does involve things like prayer and Bible study and worship and church life. However, the relationship with God in Christ must first come from hearing Jesus’ words and responding with a firm belief in God’s providence. It involves listening to the gospel and then vowing to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. All the other aspects of the Christian life stem from that initial encounter with the gospel and a faithful commitment of one’s life to God’s will.
“Minnesota pastor Tom Rakow’s phone jingled. One of his parishioners was having emergency surgery for gallstones. Rakow sighed and resigned himself to making the hospital trip through snow and over icy roads. His feeling of weariness deepened.
On his way home after the visit, he saw a car stuck in a snowbank, and he pulled alongside to help. A man was sitting on the passenger side and the vehicle’s engine was running. The man lowered his window as Tom approached. He spoke in wheezes. “My wife … was bringing me back from the hospital … and hit a slick spot. … Someone stopped … and she … went to get a wrecker.”
“Do you mind if I wait till the wrecker comes?” Tom asked.
The man welcomed the company, and Tom slid behind the steering wheel. The man, whose name was John, explained he was suffering from cancer in the chest. Immediately I knew that John and I were not sitting together in that car by mere coincidence. A question surfaced in my mind. At first I tried to suppress it. But then, sensing a great urgency, I asked, “John, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?”
John looked at me straight in the eyes. With great difficulty, he said, “I’ve been trying to find God—but I don’t know how.”
Tom explained the gospel simply and quietly, then read John 5:24: “ … he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” The man prayed, trusting Jesus as his Savior, then he grabbed Tom’s hand and said, “I’ve been waiting for you—for a long time.”
John died a month later, and Pastor Rakow later wrote: I can’t help but marvel at how God used cancer, frigid weather, slick roads, breathing problems, and gallstones to accomplish His plan. But He did. God fused these factors together in order to bring John to Himself. “ (Robert J. Morgan, From This Verse)
All it took for Pastor Rakow to bring John to Jesus was a reciting of Jesus words and a call for John to believe. From that moment on, the rest would take care of itself. If John’s hearing of Jesus’ words and commitment to put his life in God’s hands was sincere, he need not fear death. He need not worry that he didn’t go to worship enough, didn’t spend years studying the Bible, give enough money to the church. Jesus wiped John’s slate clean in that car on that snowy day. Why? John heard Jesus’ words from Pastor Rakow and chose to believe completely in the providence of God.
What has surprised me most over the years is how many people in the pews on Sunday morning have not responded like John. They may have heard the gospel message, even pondered Jesus’ words. But, somewhere along the way, they never truly gave themselves over to God. They never took the next step and made a commitment to put their life in God’s hands. They never made a vow to follow Jesus. They never made a promise to obey the will of God. They may see church membership as a social activity. They may go to church in order to feel religious. They might even seek to know God. But, along the way they never listened to Jesus’ words and then RESPONDED with a committed total trust in God.
The gospel message is simple. Hear Jesus’ words and commit your life to God in Christ. Have you ever dedicated yourself totally and completely to God? Have you ever let go of your own need to be in control of your life and future by just following in Jesus’ footsteps? Don’t make the gospel message more complicated than it is. Don’t neglect to commit your way to God in Christ. Don’t forget that others need to hear the simple words of Jesus. Have you given yourself over to a complete trust in God? If your life was coming to an end in the next month, would you feel secure in the knowledge that you have full trust in God taking care of your future?
Some pastors or priests may make it seem like becoming a Christian involves going to membership classes, joining a church, believing a creed, memorizing scripture, etc. Really, it comes down to first, hearing Jesus’ word, and second, believing in God enough to let put your future in God’s hands.
A life with Christ does involve things like prayer and Bible study and worship and church life. However, the relationship with God in Christ must first come from hearing Jesus’ words and responding with a firm belief in God’s providence. It involves listening to the gospel and then vowing to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. All the other aspects of the Christian life stem from that initial encounter with the gospel and a faithful commitment of one’s life to God’s will.
“Minnesota pastor Tom Rakow’s phone jingled. One of his parishioners was having emergency surgery for gallstones. Rakow sighed and resigned himself to making the hospital trip through snow and over icy roads. His feeling of weariness deepened.
On his way home after the visit, he saw a car stuck in a snowbank, and he pulled alongside to help. A man was sitting on the passenger side and the vehicle’s engine was running. The man lowered his window as Tom approached. He spoke in wheezes. “My wife … was bringing me back from the hospital … and hit a slick spot. … Someone stopped … and she … went to get a wrecker.”
“Do you mind if I wait till the wrecker comes?” Tom asked.
The man welcomed the company, and Tom slid behind the steering wheel. The man, whose name was John, explained he was suffering from cancer in the chest. Immediately I knew that John and I were not sitting together in that car by mere coincidence. A question surfaced in my mind. At first I tried to suppress it. But then, sensing a great urgency, I asked, “John, have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?”
John looked at me straight in the eyes. With great difficulty, he said, “I’ve been trying to find God—but I don’t know how.”
Tom explained the gospel simply and quietly, then read John 5:24: “ … he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” The man prayed, trusting Jesus as his Savior, then he grabbed Tom’s hand and said, “I’ve been waiting for you—for a long time.”
John died a month later, and Pastor Rakow later wrote: I can’t help but marvel at how God used cancer, frigid weather, slick roads, breathing problems, and gallstones to accomplish His plan. But He did. God fused these factors together in order to bring John to Himself. “ (Robert J. Morgan, From This Verse)
All it took for Pastor Rakow to bring John to Jesus was a reciting of Jesus words and a call for John to believe. From that moment on, the rest would take care of itself. If John’s hearing of Jesus’ words and commitment to put his life in God’s hands was sincere, he need not fear death. He need not worry that he didn’t go to worship enough, didn’t spend years studying the Bible, give enough money to the church. Jesus wiped John’s slate clean in that car on that snowy day. Why? John heard Jesus’ words from Pastor Rakow and chose to believe completely in the providence of God.
What has surprised me most over the years is how many people in the pews on Sunday morning have not responded like John. They may have heard the gospel message, even pondered Jesus’ words. But, somewhere along the way, they never truly gave themselves over to God. They never took the next step and made a commitment to put their life in God’s hands. They never made a vow to follow Jesus. They never made a promise to obey the will of God. They may see church membership as a social activity. They may go to church in order to feel religious. They might even seek to know God. But, along the way they never listened to Jesus’ words and then RESPONDED with a committed total trust in God.
The gospel message is simple. Hear Jesus’ words and commit your life to God in Christ. Have you ever dedicated yourself totally and completely to God? Have you ever let go of your own need to be in control of your life and future by just following in Jesus’ footsteps? Don’t make the gospel message more complicated than it is. Don’t neglect to commit your way to God in Christ. Don’t forget that others need to hear the simple words of Jesus. Have you given yourself over to a complete trust in God? If your life was coming to an end in the next month, would you feel secure in the knowledge that you have full trust in God taking care of your future?