By Reading And Studying God's Word In The Bible
Romans 10:17 tells us that, "Consequently, faith comes by hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word Of Christ" (New International Version).
The Holy Bible. The Word of God. The Word of Christ. The Holy Scriptures. The Word. However you want to name them , we are talking about the words of God in the Old Testament, and the words of Jesus in the New Testament, and the words the Holy Spirit gave to those whom God had called to spread His message of hope to a dying humanity. The Bible contains everything you need to know about how to live the life of a Christian. The words will teach you right from wrong, and how to live a right kind of life that is pleasing to God. The words will show you your sin, and then will tell you how to have your sins forgiven through Jesus Christ. The words will show you the lives of many people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and what happens to those who do not. The most important subject the Word talks about is are the promises of God. A wonderful thing about our God is that He does not break His promises.
Now what do these words have to do with faith? The above scripture says that faith comes by hearing the message, which comes by hearing the Words of Christ. There are many ways to hear the Words of Christ. Going to a church that teaches directly from the Bible is one way to hear the message given through someone that Jesus has appointed to teach it. Church is the best place to learn what God would have us know about Him and His many ways. There are also many, many books written by men and women also appointed by Jesus to proclaim His message. Of course, there are the messages on TV from churches who are able to broadcast their services on a weekly basis.
The more you read the Bible, the more often you go to church to hear the words of God, then the more you will absorb the Word into your heart and mind, until you begin to believe what is being said through the help of the Holy Spirit. And while you are reading and hearing it, God's Holy Spirit is softening up your heart towards Jesus so that you will accept Him as Lord and Savior of your life. That is where your faith in what you are reading grows stronger. Soon you will know in your heart that what you are learning is true.
By Trusting In Jesus Christ
John 20:30-31 explains that, "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (31)But these are written that you may believe that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (Messiah), the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name" (New International Version). The Message Bible says it this way: "Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way He personally revealed it."
The miracles that Jesus performed were not so that we would see how powerful He was, or how much He wanted to reveal His own glory on earth. No, the miracles that Jesus performed were to point us to God the Father and His Glory. They were made to show us God's love for us and how He and He alone can heal the world of all its troubles. Also, as the scripture says, Jesus performed these miracles so that we would know that He is the Son of God, and was sent from God to the earth so that we might know who God really is.
A lot of people think of God as an angry grandfather in the sky who can't wait to zap us whenever we do something wrong. Most non-Christians believe that God will take away all of their worldly fun if they give their lives to Him. But none of that is true. God is a very loving God who wants to take away the things that harm us, which as humans, is most of the wrong thins we do to find fulfillment for our lives without Him.
By sending Jesus to us, God wanted to show us that He exists, and that, through His Son, we might come to know Him and be granted eternal life through Jesus' death and resurrection from the grave. Eternal life in Heaven far away from Hell, a literal place according to the Bible. Through Jesus, God wants to take us out of the eternal damnation we all face without Him due to our unforgiven sins, and give us eternal life, to live with Jesus forever and ever in Heaven. But, first, as the scripture above says, we must know that Jesus is the Son of God. God gives us the faith to believe it is so through the miracles that Jesus performed then and the ones He still performs today. Only someone sent from God could do all the miraculous healings that Jesus did during His time here on the earth.
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