Answers

By   •   April 15, 2016   •   Topics:

Q:

A friend of mine told me she believes in Jesus, but I can't tell that it makes any difference in her life. When I asked her about it, she said believing in Jesus is kind of like buying a life insurance policy; you do it, and then forget about it. Is she right?


A:

No, she is not—and in fact she is in grave spiritual danger. Only God knows her heart, of course—but the Bible warns us against a shallow, empty faith that never affects the way we live. The Bible says, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? … Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (James 2:14,17).

Why, after all, did Jesus Christ come into the world? The answer is very important: He came to free us from both the penalty and the power of sin. We have sinned and turned our backs on God, and we deserve only His judgment. But on the cross all our sins were placed on Christ, and He took upon Himself the judgment and Hell that we deserve. In other words, Jesus came to free us from sin’s penalty—cleansing and forgiving us so we can go to Heaven.

But sin still tries to pull us down. When we open our hearts and lives to Christ, however, God Himself comes to live within us by His Spirit, to help us in our battle with sin. In other words, Christ also came to free us from sin’s power.

Make sure of your own commitment to Christ. Then pray for your friend, and ask God to give you an opportunity to confront her and urge her to commit her life without reserve to the Lord Jesus Christ.