Hearing and Believing the Gospel

"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." - Ephesians 1:13 (NKJV)

Paul outlines a clear progression here: hearing, believing, and being sealed. First, "you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation." Every single person who has entered this Christian life has heard the word of Truth. In Romans 10:17, it says, "So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God."

But Paul doesn't stop with hearing. He says, "having believed." Now, belief involves two different things, and I fear that many individuals who have never experienced the joy of their salvation may have entered one of these ideas of belief, but not the other.

Everyone who's heard the gospel understands the facts and can mentally agree with them. We can say, "Yes, I believe Jesus died on the cross." Guess what? The devil also believes that Jesus died on the cross. "I believe Jesus is the son of God." Well, the devil also believes that Jesus is the son of God. What's the difference between you and the devil? It goes from believing in to believing on.

Acts 16:31 says, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved." There's all the difference in the world between believing in something and believing on something. Many people today believe in airplanes, but don't believe on them. They don't trust them enough to get on them and to entrust their lives to those airplanes.

Right now, you're using that kind of belief. Right now, you're believing on a chair that you're sitting in. When you go into a room and see a chair, you just sit down. You just lean your whole weight on that seat. You don't test the legs. You don't push down on it first. You just sit, leaning your whole weight on that seat.

That's what believing on the Lord Jesus Christ looks like. You just lean all of who you are on all of who He is. Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.

Reflection Question: Are you simply believing facts about Jesus, or have you moved to truly believing on Him - trusting your whole life and eternal destiny to Him alone?

Heavenly Father, I thank You for the truth of the gospel that I have heard. Help me to move beyond just agreeing with facts about You to truly believing on You with my whole life. I choose to lean my full weight - my entire life, my salvation, my future - on Christ alone. Thank You that when I truly believe on Jesus, I am sealed with Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' Name, amen.

Adapted from: "Sealed by the Spirit" (Ephesians 1:11-14): https://www.joshfranklin.org/media/2jry7yd/5-secured-by-the-spirit-eph-1-11-14