His shoulders were slumped forward, clenched fists on his knees, when it hit him. Like a divine wind, the truth penetrated his carefully prepared religious defenses.

My friend, Dave, was powerless to resist the simplicity, elegance and disarming character of the argument. He would never be the same again.

Up to this point, Dave had believed that he had to hang on to his denominational religion for dear life and that, to make it, he had to fulfill its requirements.

The resultant agonizing conflict between knowing what he should be doing versus his almost total inability to do it left him exhausted, confused and wracked with guilt.

Nothing You Can Do

Dave asked me over and over, “What do I have to do?” Raising his voice in frustration, he said, “Just tell me the things I must do to be saved!”

My answer exasperated him further, “There is nothing you can do, nothing at all. It’s been done for you by someone else.”

It seemed too simplistic, and he struggled to make sense of it. That’s when the insight came crashing into his consciousness like lightning.

His shoulders came up, his fists turned into upturned hands and tears welled in his eyes. He could only surrender to this divine wind and welcome its cleansing flow into his mind, body and spirit.

The ecstasy, the relief, the joy that followed lit him up.

Finally, he got it — that his lifelong struggle for acceptance and peace with God had nothing to do with anything he did, whether good or bad. It was about God and what God did.

And, better yet, the thing that God did was comprehensive, forever finished, and freely available to anyone courageous enough to reach out and take (believe) it.

Dave left my home that day spiritually “lighter” and filled with a settled inner peace that was to characterize him from that day forward.

Those universe-altering words cried out by Christ from the cross, “It is finished,” had profoundly altered his life and Dave has never looked back. Millions more could say the same.

What Must I Believe?

• I am a sinner and would never qualify for heaven on my own.

Do you see yourself as a sinner? Have you ever lied, stolen something, been angry, lusted, etc.? Do you believe people who break the law should be punished? Do YOU deserve it? Have you ever felt spiritually lost?

• I am sorry for my sins, and I want to be clean and whole.

Do you sense remorse or regret for the effects of your sins on others? On yourself? If given the chance, would you want to live differently? To be made clean, and given the power to live right?

• I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God — fully God and fully Man.

Do you believe Jesus Christ is who He said He was? Not just a mere man, but incarnate God? Do you accept the Bible’s declaration that He is the Savior of the world? YOUR Savior?

• I believe that Jesus Christ died for my sins, was buried and rose from the dead, exactly as stated in the Bible.

Do you believe that Christ’s death paid “the bill” for your sins personally? And that He truly died, was securely buried and returned from the dead three days later? And that He is alive today, enthroned in Heaven?

• I believe in the all-sufficiency of Christ’s death on the cross.

Do you believe that God was completely satisfied with Christ’s sacrifice on the cross? That something final and complete has been done by Christ on mankind’s behalf — YOUR behalf — regarding sin? And that you cannot add to or subtract from the value of His sacrifice by your “good works?”

• I accept the free gift of eternal life that Jesus purchased for me by His death on the cross.

Do you accept Christ’s gift of eternal life, without making any attempts to “pay for it” through efforts of your own? Do you believe Christ’s death satisfied all God’s claims against your sins for all time?

• I am sincere and want to join God’s eternal family.

Do you “mean business” with God, holding nothing back from Him? Do you have a sincere desire to join God’s family? Are you open to God developing in you a spiritual “family resemblance” through the Holy Spirit?

How About You?

Theologian Lewis Sperry Chafer wrote: “This one word ‘believe’ represents all a sinner can do and all a sinner must do to be saved. It is believing the record God has given of His Son. In this record, it is stated that He has entered into all the needs of our lost condition and is alive from the dead to be a living Savior to all who put their trust in Him. It is quite possible for any intelligent person to know whether he has placed such confidence in the Savior.”

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