John 3:16-18
16 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
The apostle Paul told his jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). That Philippian man and his household had saving faith—they accepted the invitation and joined God’s family.
Saving faith has three elements: knowledge, conviction, and trust. Today, let’s look at the knowledge component. To believe in Jesus as our Savior, we need to know who He is, what He accomplished, and why it was necessary.
Who is Jesus? He is deity—God the Son. At the request of God the Father, Jesus set aside His divine rights, took on human form, and dwelled on earth (Phil. 2:6-7).
What did He accomplish? Jesus lived a perfect life, which qualified Him to be our substitute: He stood in our place and bore God’s judgment for our sins. His death on the cross made a way for us to be forgiven and experience peace with God.
Why did He have to die? We could not save ourselves, since our “good deeds” are all marred by our sin nature. When we accept Christ’s atoning work, we go from being God’s enemy to becoming a member of His family.
When I was saved at age 12, I understood only the simplest aspects of these basic truths. I knew I was a sinner in need of forgiveness and Jesus alone could save me. What mattered was, I truly believed—and the Lord saved me.
Knowledge without conviction and trust does not bring salvation. Even the demons understood that Jesus was the Son of God (Luke 4:41). Do you believe what you know to be true?
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