JUST THINKING: The Believer's ABCs

      Dr. C.O. Strong was my homiletics professor when I was a student at Central Baptist College in 1965. Anyone who knew him recalls that he was serious and passionate about correctly imparting the Word of God.

      Not only was he my college professor, but on two occasions, he was my pastor. The first was when I was a young child at Central Baptist Church in Ashdown. The second was at Central Baptist Church in Conway when I was a young preacher. To say the man significantly impacted my life would be a gross understatement. Today, nearly 59 years removed from my time in his homiletics class, I still remember his instruction.

The Main Responsibility: Communication

         Make no mistake, Bro. Strong was a brilliant, well-educated preacher. Yet he always emphasized — do not tell your congregation everything you know; tell them what they need to know to help them come to Christ and then to know how to walk in step with the Holy Spirit.

      Leaning on those words of wisdom, I developed a format for instructing followers of Christ. I simply call them the Believer’s ABCs.

A — Acknowledge

         While that may seem simplistic, it is really not. Too many people have gotten caught up in religious gatherings, observed others trusting Christ and decided to join them — but never really knowing why. Every person who wants to know Jesus must first acknowledge that there is, in fact, an almighty God. That takes faith, not just a decision to join the crowd.

      “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him” (Heb. 11:6 NIV).

      Here is a truth — an atheist or agnostic cannot trust Christ if that person doesn’t acknowledge that God exists.

      A second acknowledgment is admitting to being a sinner who needs salvation from the condemnation of sin. That is something that only God’s Son can provide.

B — Believe

         The word “believe,” or a form of it, appears 321 times in the Bible. Unquestionably, it is one of the most important words in God’s plan through the ages. It involves volition —the power of choosing or determining, will, the act of making a choice or decision. God created mankind with something the angels marvel at — volition. He wanted His creation to choose to believe in Him, and He provided Jesus to enable that!

      To acknowledge the existence is one thing — to believe in His Son is still another. To believe requires more than knowledge. It is fully entrusting one’s being (physically, emotionally and spiritually) to another. For those who are lost in their sins, believing in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ brings them to the point of believing Jesus will save them from the condemnation of sin.

      Some will say there is no free will for humans in the possession of salvation. As Jesus was issuing the Great Commission, “He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16-17.) If there is no volition, there is absolutely no reason to believe. When the apostle Paul was before Agrippa, the king said Paul almost persuaded him to be a Christian. If people have no choice to make, there can be no persuasion.

C — Confess

         The ABCs of salvation are a triune compilation. Acknowledging and believing are tied together with confessing. Our families, friends, coworkers and classmates need to know what that means. It is summed up in God’s Word.

      “But what does it say? The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved” (Rom. 10:8-10).

      As we enter the Christmas season and the focus of the world is, for a brief time, on Jesus Christ, who was sent from the Father, may we boldly share the message of salvation with those whom God puts before us and in our hearts. Our time to lead them to believe is running short!