1 John 5:5
“Who is it that over comes the wold? Only he who believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

In last week’s post, What Do You Believe In? Why it Matters I asked, “Who do you believe Jesus is?” While this may seem like a pretty straightforward question, I think a greater explanation is owed in regards to what it truly means to believe in Jesus.

You see, if one genuinely believes in Jesus he or she cannot simply acknowledge this truth from an intellectual standpoint. Fully believing that Jesus is Who He claimed to be, the Son of God, Messiah, and Savior of the world requires a response from us.

One of my theology professors once asked, “What 3 word phrase can sum up the entirety of the Bible?” While my classmates and I offered our thoughts, he came back and answered his own question by saying, “Jesus is Lord.”

Quite simply, when you sincerely believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for your sins, the only appropriate response is to seek His forgiveness and make Him Lord of your life. You die to yourself so that you can truly live. You give up all you have, so you can gain all He has for you.

Genuine belief in Jesus equates to full surrender to Him as Lord. Anything less than that robs both God and us; God of the glory due to Him, and us of all that Jesus wants to do in and through our surrendered lives.

With this in mind, it only makes sense that one who believes in Jesus, whose life is fully surrendered to Him is characterized by a pursuit of knowing Him more through a personal relationship, following His ways and will, and bearing the fruit of a life committed to Him.

Matthew 16:24 says, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.”

Unlike so many of us, Jesus did not have any problem clearly communicating what He expected from His followers. He did not tell people to simply pray a prayer to be saved from their sins and then to go on with their life just as it had been. Rather, if someone wanted to be His follower He expected that they would fully surrender their life and follow Him, no matter what the cost. I know, not exactly the kind of thing you say if you want to draw a large number of followers. But that’s just it. Jesus didn’t care about the number of followers He had, he cared that those who did follow were fully surrendered and committed to Him.

When you think of your own life, if you do believe that Jesus is the Son of Man, Messiah, and Savior of the world, are you fully surrendered to Him and His plan for your life? While the cost of surrendering your life to Christ will no doubt be great, the cost of not fully surrendering will be so much greater!

I would encourage you to take some time this week to reflect on your life. If you profess belief in Jesus, are you fully surrendered to Him? If not, what area of your life are you holding on to that you need to hand over to Him? How can you fully surrender to Him today? Don’t hesitate, fully surrendering your life to Christ will be the best decision you will ever make!

*If you have been encouraged or challenged by what you read today I would love for you to share it with a friend!