Bare Essentials of Salvation

"Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. ... God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1 John 5:5,11,12 (NIV)

I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I have overcome the world through this belief. I have eternal life through this belief.

If for no other person other than myself, I wanted to set these words in the blogosphere. In case life gets complicated or in case I get discouraged, I want to be reminded of these words and their simplicity.

How difficult Christianity is often made out to be. There are steps to Christ that must be followed in order to come to him. There are conditions to answered prayer, pastors tell me. There are doctrines one has to be familiar with and to belief in. There are things to make sure you do otherwise yours is not a saving faith, a living faith, a faith that works, and all other such standard phrases that we've encountered throughout our Christian lives.

Thank God not only for the epistles of John, especially 1 John, but also for the gospel of John, as well as for the Revelation of John. However, nothing can compare to these nuggets of faith, of victory over the error and evil in the world, and of the conditions to eternal life. How marvelously plain that simply by "looking to Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith" we have victory over the world and we have eternal life.

I've sometimes admired those who spend hours and hours of their life meditating on one word as the transcendentalists do, "Om", for example. I no longer need admire them. I have my own powerful mantra. "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I have overcome the world through this belief. I have eternal life through this belief." If that's too long to focus on all through the day, then the initial text is more than enough, "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God."

Yes, some will tell me have I not read in James' epistle where he states that even demons believe. While they may believe, they do so out of fear, not out of love or out of wanting to be united to the compassionate Son of God. Let the demons believe what they wish. It is no concerns of ours. Let us, rather, focus our attention on believing in Jesus and in his being the Son of God.

If you've sinned and have doubts about your abilities to reform your life, believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Are you discouraged that there's no one out there who understand you and loneliness is a real burden? Believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Are you afraid of death? Believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

Spend your waking hours dwelling on these priceless, saving words. "I believe that Jesus is the Son of God." When you get up in the morning, state these saving, faith-enhancing words. Before you drop off to sleep, state these life-changing words. In so doing, all the other details of salvation in Christ will find you. Don't worry about you finding them. Of course, continue to pray and read the Bible as often as you feel the need. And I hope you feel the need often. But the important things is to look to Jesus the author and perfecter of your faith. Believe in Jesus, that he is the Son of God and that through belief in him, through focusing all your attention on him, you can overcome the world. Believe in Jesus as the one who is able to give you eternal life. "And this is eternal life, that they might know You (God), and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."