By Robert E. Coleman
Belief, as Jesus used the word, means far more than intellectual acceptance of His work and teachings. We are told that after He drove the moneychangers out of the temple during the Passover "many people" believed in His name. "But Jesus would not entrust Himself to them" (John 2:23-24). Their faith was merely an acknowledgment of His awesome authority displayed in "the miraculous signs." They were unwilling to renounce their own self-righteousness in loving surrender to the Savior.
Saving faith is complete trust in Christ, impacting our whole personality — affirming His word, embracing His love, consenting to His plans for our life. Attempts to impose our will upon God are gone, and in its' place comes a new quest to follow Jesus. Such childlike devotion to Him is so liberating from our previous vain efforts to earn favor with God that it's like being "born again" (John 3:1-16).
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I remember when my two young daughters would see me coming home, they would jump off their tricycles and run to me. I would pick up one in each arm and hug them until they would squeal with delight. They had no fear that I would let them fall, not even a thought of insecurity. For they knew that I loved them — I was their daddy — and in my arms they were perfectly safe.
That kind of confidence is what makes belief in Christ so beautiful. Living by faith is simply resting in the arms of Jesus, and in that sweet assurance, giving all that we are, all that we hope to be, to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.
It's Your Decision
But there must be a decision. Love involves a choice. Living near college campuses for many years I cannot help but observe developing courtships of couples, especially in the springtime. Sometimes I will notice after a while some young man who has been roaming around with the crowd drops out of sight and I begin to wonder what happened to the boy. Did he get sick and have to leave school? Or, was he dismissed because of a discipline problem? Then one night, quite by accident, I happen to see him in the distance, walking down lover's lane, looking into her eyes, breathing out the tender tale that scents the evening breeze. Do you know what I'm talking about? 0h, happy love, where love like this is found, heartfelt raptures, bliss beyond compare! As the poet has said, "If music be the food of love, then play on that my appetite may sicken, and so die."
It's wonderful to fall in love. But have you noticed how narrow we become? Young fellow, if you still have a half-dozen girls on the string, you are safe. Wait until it comes down to just one - and you want only to be with her. It's not that you have no interest in the old group, but that you have found a greater delight and you want to be with her alone.