By Jim Mettenbrink
We are considering the radical entrance into Jesus’ kingdom that He established after He left the earth. That in itself is radical – a non visible king in a visible kingdom. Regarding accepting Jesus as king, He said, “ …if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (Jn 8:24). Implicitly if you do not believe He is the Savior-King, you would not be a citizen in his kingdom. Last week, we concluded proposing to determine what constitutes belief that God considers to be true belief, i.e., the saving faith. There is a huge difference in belief and faith. So what is genuine faith?
A high wire artist at a circus rode his bicycle across the wire and then came before the spectators. He asked if they believed he could ride the bicycle across the high wire. Having witnessed it, all said, “Yes.” The performer, then put a large basket on the bicycle with a 150 lb baboon in it. He easily rode the bicycle across the high wire. He again asked if they believed he could ride the bicycle across the high wire with the Baboon and again they said “Yes,” and applauded profusely. He then asked if they believed he could take a person in the basket across the high wire. A resounding yes was the response. Then he asked who would be the first to get in the basket. They all believed he could carry a human being across the high wire, but no one trusted him enough to get in the basket. This is the difference between belief and faith. The entrance into Jesus’ kingdom, begins with a trust that prompts one to submit to whatever the invisible King commands. That’s radical.
The apostle Paul wrote, “…that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation” (Eph 1:12-13). In the same epistle Paul said there is just one faith (Eph 4:5). To the Roman church he wrote, “…faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom 10:17). The context is that the word of God is the gospel of peace and that it is to be obeyed (Rm 10:15-16). So Jesus wants us to obey the gospel. What is it?