“How can I be sure I’ve truly believed?”
Let’s think about some questions that might be on your mind right now. You may be wondering, “What does it mean to believe?” or “How can I know if I’ve truly believed?” After all, if believing is what it’s all about when it comes to the most important things in your life (eternal life, the forgiveness of your sins, and having a personal relationship with Christ), then of course you want to be sure.
Perhaps an old story might help. Years ago, there was a man who did tightrope stunts across a great waterfall. He would walk across by himself, and then, much to the amazement of the crowd, he would push a wheelbarrow across.
After one such performance, he addressed the crowd, “How many of you believe I could push a man across in the wheelbarrow?”
Many hands shot up.
Then he asked, “Would someone like to volunteer?”
Not a single hand went up.
Point being, it’s one thing to believe about Jesus in theory, but it’s something else to place your personal trust in him.
The 3 Layers Of Belief
From what I have learned studying the Bible’s definition of believing, there are three “layers.”
1. The Message
First, there’s the message itself. You can’t believe until there’s something to believe. In God’s way of looking at it, the message goes like this: You and I, along with the rest of the human race, are sinners. Sin encompasses wrong attitudes, acts, and all kinds of violations and shortcomings of God’s perfect will for our lives. Sin separates us from God, and whether we have a few sins or a huge mountain-high pile of them, we need a Savior. We can never save ourselves, because even if we could manage to be perfect for the rest of our lives (which we can’t), how could we ever pay for the sins we’ve already committed?
Look at how the Bible says it in these two verses:
As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one.”
Romans 3:10 (NLT)
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
Romans 3:23 (NLT)
God knew we were in an impossible place, so he designed a wonderful plan. Jesus, God’s Son, would be born into our world as a human (God and human at the same time), he would live the perfect life we could never live, and then he would be willing to pay the penalty for our sins by dying the most horrific death known to mankind—crucifixion. At the crucifixion, your sin and my sin, and the sins of the rest of the human race, were placed on Jesus.
Take a look at the way Isaiah wrote it:
But he was pierced for our rebellion,
crushed for our sins.
He was beaten so we could be whole.
He was whipped so we could be healed.
All of us, like sheep, have strayed away.
We have left God’s paths to follow our own.
Yet the Lord laid on him
the sins of us all.
Isaiah 53:5–6 (NLT)
It’s the most amazing story in history—God loved us so much that he came into our world to take our punishment on himself.
Three days after Jesus died, the Scriptures tell us he came back to life, rising from his own grave, proving that he was everything he said he was. Think about this: When you prayed to receive him, the risen, living Son of God personally heard your prayer.
2. Agreeing With The Message
The second part of believing is agreeing with the message. Lots of people hear the message but question it, doubt it, or reject it completely. But you’ve chosen a different path. You’ve said, “I have heard the message and I agree that it’s true. I wasn’t there. I didn’t see it happen. I have never seen Jesus with my physical eyes. But I agree with what the Bible says about him.”
By the way, that puts you in line for a special blessing. After Jesus came back to life and appeared to his followers, one of them, Thomas, missed out on seeing him. When the others tried to tell him the good news, he refused to believe, insisting that unless he could see and touch Jesus’ wounds, he would not believe. Fortunately for Thomas, Jesus gave him that opportunity. But you should really like what Jesus told him after that. Take a look:
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
John 20:29 (NLT)
Hey, that’s you and me!
3. Placing Your Trust In Jesus
The third layer of believing is the most important. It’s simply placing your personal trust in Jesus to save your soul. It’s falling into his arms, trusting him to forgive you of your sins and bring you into God’s family.
Listen to the prayer of the thief who died on the cross next to Jesus, and I think you’ll feel what we’re talking about:
“…We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.” And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Luke 23:41–43 (NLT)
