Believe in Jesus Christ and Receive His Gift

…the free gift of salvation and of receiving His finished work!

Believe in Jesus Christ and see just what you receive when you believe in Him; it will astound you and set you free.

What happens when you believe in Jesus Christ by faith, when you choose Him, when you surrender, acknowledge and confess with your mouth that He is Lord of your life?
Everything changes!

Those who believe in Jesus Christ are:

in Christ and He is in you.
no longer slaves to sin but have become slaves to righteous living.
cleansed; made holy; and made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
made right with God through Christ.
united with Him in his death, burial and resurrection.
dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ have:

life by the power of His name.
become a new person, a new creation.
been raised to new life with Christ.
been baptized into Christ and have put on Christ.
become friends of God.
received the promised Holy Spirit.
received God’s promise of freedom.
received forgiveness for your sins.
become a child of God.
gone through a spiritual circumcision—a cutting away of your sinful nature.
nailed the passions and desires of your sinful nature to his cross.
been saved, born-again, reborn from above—spiritually transformed and made new.
been renewed, sanctified and set apart by faith.
died to your old life, were buried with Christ and have been raised to new life with Christ.
eternal life through Jesus Christ.
been raised us up together with Him and seated with Him in the heavenly places.
died to the power of the law when you died with Christ.
been united with Christ.
been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.
renewed thoughts and a new nature.
turned from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God.
had the veil removed and can now see and reflect the glory of the Lord.
become righteous through faith in Christ.
been made holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault.
stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.
been rescued from the curse pronounced by the law.
been delivered from justly deserved wrath, and have come under the covenant of grace.
been brought into a right relationship with God that comes by faith.
peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.
been brought into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand.
been brought into a new way of living in the Spirit.
been identified as his own because He gave you the Holy Spirit.
received everything Christ did on the cross. You have received the finished work! YAY!.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ will:

never thirst.
never go hungry.
have springs and rivers of living water flowing [continuous] from their innermost being. (Which is the Holy Spirit).
be saved.
live and never die.
have abundant life. (to the full, till it overflows).
be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.
become children of light.
do the same works Jesus has done, and even greater works.

Those who believe in Jesus Christ belong to Christ. He identified you as his own. He put His seal upon you by giving you the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 1:13-14)

Before continuing on into all the scriptures that make reference to what happens when we believe in Him, I need to point out the stark differences of the Old Covenant vs. the New Covenant.

OC = Old Covenant (The Law) < > NC = New Covenant (New Way Of Faith)

OC: Law < > NC: Mercy and Grace
OC: Works < > NC: Believe and receive
OC: The written law < > NC: Laws written on our hearts.
OC: Hard yoke of the law < > NC: His yoke is easy
OC: Heavy Burden of the the law < > NC: His burden is light
OC: Keeping the law < > NC: New way of faith
OC: His presence in a temple behind a veil < > NC: The veil has been torn (We are the temple)
OC: Separated from His presence < > NC: We can now boldly enter into His presence
OC: Far from God < > NC: Brought near to God by the blood of Christ
OC: Longing for His presence < > NC: Walking in His presence
OC: Slave to sin, sinful nature < > NC: New way of living in the Spirit, new nature!

We receive this New Covenant because of Christ’s sacrifice and our faith in Him. We receive this New Covenant when we believe in Him. Christ made this New Covenant available to all who will believe in Him.

* Please note: To keep things in their full context, you need to pay close attention to all of the pronouns.

Subjective pronouns; I, you, he, she, it. – Subjective Plural pronouns; we, you, they.
Objective pronouns: me, you, her, him, it. – Objective plural pronouns; us, you, them.
Indefinite pronouns: all, any, both, each, every, few, many, neither, nobody and none.

In many cases, especially in the New Testament Epistles, they are referring to “believers” which drastically changes the context. The Epistles are written to believers. The Gospels were written to a mixed audience so you have to pay close attention to full context in the Gospels.

“For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.”
1 Tim. 4:10

The Believer’s Bible Commentary by William MacDonald explains 1 Tim. 4:10 noted above perfectly: “God is the savior of all men in the same sense that He preserves them in the daily providences of life. But He is also the savior of all men in this sense: He has made adequate provision for the salvation of all men. He is the savior of those who believe in a special way because they availed themselves of His provision. We might say that He is the potential savior of all men and the actual savior of those who believe.” In other words, God the Father made a way for salvation through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and that way and only way, is by believing in His Son, Jesus Christ: Mk. 1:15; Jn. 3:1-8, 16-17, 36, 5:24, 14:6, 20:31; Acts 4:12, 16:17,31; Rom. 10:4-17; Gal. 2:16; Rom. 10:9-13, 17: Eph. 1:13-14, 2:8-10; 2 Tim. 1:9. Jn. 3:1-8 Heb.11:1; 1 Jn. 4:15, 5:4.

Acts. 16:17(NLT) – “She (Lydia) followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” …and the way to be saved is mentioned a little farther into this story in Acts 16:31(NLT) – “They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved”.

Why all this talk about salvation? Because when you are saved, you are born again and are a new creation and as a result you “receive” the finished work of the cross as mentioned above.

Let’s dive into some scriptures that support the life changing results of believing in Him that I have listed above. It’s the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! Believe in Him and receive His free gift of salvation and abundant life. Yes, there is a necessary response on our part to receive salvation. I’m just going to let scripture do the talking below.

New Way Of Faith Revealed

The New Covenant provides a new way of faith: Gal. 2:16-21, 3:23-25 (NLT), Phil. 3:7-9 (AMPC), Rom. 3:21-22, 4:16, 5:1-2 (NLT), and complete access to His presence (Heb. 10:19-25 AMPC) because of the blood of Christ and our faith in Him!

“Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law” (Gal. 2:16 NLT).

“Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort?” (Gal. 3:2-3 NLT) .

“I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ” (Gal. 3:5 (NLT).

“In the same way, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Gal. 3:6 NLT).

“What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith” (Gal. 3:8-9 NLT).

“So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life. This way of faith is very different from the way of law, which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life” Gal. 3:11-12 (NLT)

“But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law. When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing. For it is written in the Scriptures, “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree” (Gal. 3:13 NLT).

“Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith” (Gal. 3:14 NLT) .

“Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ” (Gal. 3:21-22 NLT).

Gal. 3:23 (NLT) – “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed” (Gal. 3:23 NLT).

“Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian” (Gal. 3:24-25 NLT).

“For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26 NLT).

I love how Gal. 3:26 is worded in the (AMP) version “For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus.”

“Jesus answered him, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” …”Jesus answered, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot [ever] enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh [the physical is merely physical], and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be surprised that I have told you, ‘You must be born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified].’” John 3:3, 5-7 (AMP)

How does one get “Born Again”, through faith in Christ and through faith alone, not by works. What is the benefit of being “born of the Spirit”.

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives” (Gal. 5:22-25 NLT). Only those who believe in Jesus Christ “belong to Christ”.

A note on “belong to Christ”: “And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own (put his seal upon you) by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.” (Eph. 1:13-14 NLT). Also note that those who believe in Christ are “in Christ”. So not only do believers belong to Christ, they are also in Christ. When one believes in Christ their position changes to being “in and belonging to Christ” “For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus” Eph. 2:6 (NLT). More on “in Christ” below.

Note the “for us who believe” in Paul’s pray for be for believers: “that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation, insight into mysteries and secrets, deep and intimate knowledge of Him, having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, that you can know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength” Eph. 1:16-21 (AMPC).

“…immeasurable, unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power “in” and “for” us who believe. His power in us and for us!

Back to Eph. 1:13-14. I also like how this is translated in the NASB. “In Him, you (gentile believers) also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise, who is a first installment of our inheritance, in regard to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory” (Eph. 1:13-14 NASB).

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (Gal. 5:22-25 NLT).

“…anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”(2 Cor. 5:14-21 NLT)

“I am writing to God’s church in Corinth, to you who have been called by God to be his own holy people. He made you holy by means of Christ Jesus, just as he did for all people everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.” (1 Cor. 1:2 NLT).

“Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” (1 Cor. 6:11 NLT).

“But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image” (2 Cor. 3:14-18 NLT).

“Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Cor. 5:14-21 NLT).

Note: “receive his new life” = Believe in Him. Believe and receive.
Note: “anyone who belongs to Christ” = Those who believe in Christ belong to Christ.

“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life” (Rom. 1:16-17 NLT).

Christ Took Our Punishment
The Righteousness of God Through Faith

“But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus“ (Rom. 3:21-26 NLT).

Now let’s read Rom. 3:21-26 in the (ESV). It brings out even more clarity and importance of our faith in Him.

“…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance (patient self-control) he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:23-26 ESV). He (God the Father) is just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

“Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance (patient self-control) of God;” (Rom. 3:25 NKJ).

Propitiation – [ A-1,Verb,G2433, hilaskomai ] – Strongs #2433
https://biblehub.com/greek/2433.htm

Propitiation, appeasement/satisfaction of divine wrath on sin – properly, to extend propitiation, showing mercy by satisfying (literally, propitiating) the wrath of God on sin; “to conciliate, appease, propitiate

Propitiation – Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word
https://studybible.info/vines/Propitiation

An excerpt from this definition that explain propitiation very well.

“…Through the “propitiation” sacrifice of Christ, he who believes upon Him is by God’s own act delivered from justly deserved wrath, and comes under the covenant of grace.”

The Believer is no longer under the law but under grace. “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” In full context this passage is to the believer. The unbeliever is still under the law. (Rom. 6:14 (NLT).

Christ is supreme and we have been brought near to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit by Christ’s blood, by the shedding of His blood, by the Holy Spirit and by our faith in Him (Col. 1:11-27; Jn. 1:1-18; Heb. 1:1-4, 10:19-22; Eph. 1:19-23, 2:13, 19-22; 1 Cor. 2:9-10; Mrk. 15:38; Lk. 23:45; Rom. 3:23-30).

“God has reconciled us to Himself by the death of His Son. God presented Jesus as a sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood” (Rom. 3:25 NLT). “…freely justified by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:24-26 NKJV).

Christ is the “propitiation” for our sins. “He Himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins – and not just our sins but the sins of all the world (1 Jn. 2:2). “In this is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins.” (1 In. 4:10 (AMPC).

“But to one who, not working [by the Law], trusts (believes fully) in Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited to him as righteousness (the standing acceptable to God)“. Rom. 4:5 (AMPC)

Christ is supreme and we have been brought near to Him through the shedding of His blood and our faith in Him.

“You must know (recognize) that you were redeemed (ransomed) from the useless (fruitless) way of living inherited by tradition from [your] forefathers, not with corruptible things [such as] silver and gold, But [you were purchased] with the precious blood of Christ (the Messiah), like that of a [sacrificial] lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Ptr. 1:18-19 AMPC).

“This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. (Col. 1:21-22 NLT).

Note: The “you” in this reference refers to believers. It’s important to read books in their full context. In Col. 1-2 you can see who Paul is writing to:

Col. 1:1-2 (NLT) – “This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy. We are writing to God’s holy people in the city of Colosse, who are faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. May God our Father give you grace and peace.” Note the phrase “who are in Christ”, only those who believe in Christ are “in Christ”.

I recommend this article in regards to Christ’s sacrifice and the power of His blood.
The Precious Power of the Blood (Five Benefits Christ Purchased for You).

“to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Rom. 2:7-8 ESV) – Rom. 2:7-8 Believer’s Bible Commentary – “2:7 In explaining that judgment will be according to works, Paul says that God will render eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. This does not mean that these people are saved by patient continuance in doing good. That would be another gospel. No one would naturally live that kind of life, and no one could live it without divine power. Anyone who really fits this description has already been saved by grace through faith. The fact that he seeks for glory, honor, and immortality shows that he has already been born again. The whole tenor of his life shows that he has been converted. He seeks for the glory of heaven; the honor that comes only from God (John 5:44); the immortality that characterizes the resurrection body (1 Cor. 15:53, 54); the heavenly inheritance, which is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading (1 Pet. 1:4). God will award eternal life to all who manifest this evidence of a conversion experience. 2:8 Those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but rather obey unrighteousness, will be awarded indignation and wrath. They do not obey the truth; they have never answered the gospel call. Rather, they have chosen to obey unrighteousness as their master. Their lives are characterized by strife, wrangling, and disobedience—sure proof that they were never saved.”

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law” (Rom. 3:27-31 NLT).

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith“ (Rom. 4:13 NLT) .

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:16 NLT).

Let’s read (Rom. 4:13, 16) in much fuller context:

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through [observing the requirements of] the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. If those who are [followers] of the Law are [the true] heirs [of Abraham], then faith [leading to salvation] is of no effect and void, and the promise [of God] is nullified. For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]. Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] father of us all— (as it is written [in Scripture], “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the sight of Him in whom he believed, that is, God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist“ (Rom. 4:13-17 AMP).

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God“ (Rom. 4:20-25 NLT).
I recommend this article in regards to Christ’s sacrifice and the power of His blood.
The Precious Power of the Blood (Five Benefits Christ Purchased for You).

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law” (Rom. 3:27-31 NLT).

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith“ (Rom. 4:13 NLT) .

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:16 NLT).

Let’s read (Rom. 4:13, 16) in much fuller context:

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through [observing the requirements of] the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. If those who are [followers] of the Law are [the true] heirs [of Abraham], then faith [leading to salvation] is of no effect and void, and the promise [of God] is nullified. For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]. Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] father of us all— (as it is written [in Scripture], “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the sight of Him in whom he believed, that is, God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist“ (Rom. 4:13-17 AMP).

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God“ (Rom. 4:20-25 NLT).
I recommend this article in regards to Christ’s sacrifice and the power of His blood.
The Precious Power of the Blood (Five Benefits Christ Purchased for You).

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law” (Rom. 3:27-31 NLT).

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith“ (Rom. 4:13 NLT) .

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:16 NLT).

Let’s read (Rom. 4:13, 16) in much fuller context:

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through [observing the requirements of] the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. If those who are [followers] of the Law are [the true] heirs [of Abraham], then faith [leading to salvation] is of no effect and void, and the promise [of God] is nullified. For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]. Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] father of us all— (as it is written [in Scripture], “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the sight of Him in whom he believed, that is, God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist“ (Rom. 4:13-17 AMP).

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God“ (Rom. 4:20-25 NLT).
I recommend this article in regards to Christ’s sacrifice and the power of His blood.
The Precious Power of the Blood (Five Benefits Christ Purchased for You).

“Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law. After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t he also the God of the Gentiles? Of course he is. There is only one God, and he makes people right with himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles. Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law” (Rom. 3:27-31 NLT).

“Clearly, God’s promise to give the whole earth to Abraham and his descendants was based not on his obedience to God’s law, but on a right relationship with God that comes by faith“ (Rom. 4:13 NLT) .

“So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. And we are all certain to receive it, whether or not we live according to the law of Moses, if we have faith like Abraham’s. For Abraham is the father of all who believe” (Rom. 4:16 NLT).

Let’s read (Rom. 4:13, 16) in much fuller context:

“For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through [observing the requirements of] the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. If those who are [followers] of the Law are [the true] heirs [of Abraham], then faith [leading to salvation] is of no effect and void, and the promise [of God] is nullified. For the Law results in [God’s] wrath [against sin], but where there is no law, there is no violation [of it either]. Therefore, [inheriting] the promise depends entirely on faith [that is, confident trust in the unseen God], in order that it may be given as an act of grace [His unmerited favor and mercy], so that the promise will be [legally] guaranteed to all the descendants [of Abraham]—not only for those [Jewish believers] who keep the Law, but also for those [Gentile believers] who share the faith of Abraham, who is the [spiritual] father of us all— (as it is written [in Scripture], “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the sight of Him in whom he believed, that is, God who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist“ (Rom. 4:13-17 AMP).

“Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God“ (Rom. 4:20-25 NLT).

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” (Rom. 5:1-2 NLT).

“But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:15-19 NLT).

“for all who receive it.” You have to believe by faith to receive what you just read in (Rom. 5:15-19).

For full context of (Rom. 6:1-7:6) noted below, you have to go back and read through all of (Rom. 5) and see what it has to say about our faith in Jesus Christ. Paul is writing to those who already believe in Christ. For example: as noted above: (Rom. 5:1-2 NLT) – “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith…“. Keep this in mind when reading through (Rom. 6:1-7:6) below.

“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus“ (Rom. 6:1-11 NLT).

“Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living” (Rom. 6:15-18 NLT).

When you believe in Jesus Christ you receive His free gift.

“When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:20-23 NLT).

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God. When we were controlled by our old nature, sinful desires were at work within us, and the law aroused these evil desires that produced a harvest of sinful deeds, resulting in death. But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit. (Rom. 7:4-6 NLT).

“For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].” (Rom. 8:3-4 AMPC) .

“For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given. As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.” (Rom. 10:4 NLT).

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (Rom. 10:9-10 NLT).

“The Scripture says, No man who believes in Him [who adheres to, relies on, and trusts in Him] will [ever] be put to shame or be disappointed. [No one] for there is no distinction between Jew and Greek. The same Lord is Lord over all [of us] and He generously bestows His riches upon all who call upon Him [in faith]. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord [invoking Him as Lord] will be saved. But how are people to call upon Him Whom they have not believed [in Whom they have no faith, on Whom they have no reliance]? And how are they to believe in Him [adhere to, trust in, and rely upon Him] of Whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men [be expected to] preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring glad tidings! [How welcome is the coming of those who preach the good news of His good things!] But they have not all heeded the Gospel; for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed (had faith in) what he has heard from us? So faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself).” (Rom. 10:11-17 AMPC).

“May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope.” (Rom. 15:13 AMPC).

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must [so it is necessary that] the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever!” Jn. 3:14-15 (AMPC).

These Signs Will Follow Those Who Believe In Jesus Christ

“And these miracle signs will accompany those who believe: They will drive out demons in the power of my name. They will speak in tongues. They will be supernaturally protected from snakes and from drinking anything poisonous. And they will lay hands on the sick and heal them” (Mk. 16:17-18 TPT).

Believe in, trust in, cleave to and rely on Him.

“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge and condemn the world [that is, to initiate the final judgment of the world], but that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes and has decided to trust in Him [as personal Savior and Lord] is not judged [for this one, there is no judgment, no rejection, no condemnation]; but the one who does not believe [and has decided to reject Him as personal Savior and Lord] is judged already [that one has been convicted and sentenced], because he has not believed and trusted in the name of the [One and] only begotten Son of God [the One who is truly unique, the only One of His kind, the One who alone can save him]. This is the judgment [that is, the cause for indictment, the test by which people are judged, the basis for the sentence]: the Light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For every wrongdoer hates the Light, and does not come to the Light [but shrinks from it] for fear that his [sinful, worthless] activities will be exposed and condemned. But whoever practices truth [and does what is right—morally, ethically, spiritually] comes to the Light, so that his works may be plainly shown to be what they are—accomplished in God [divinely prompted, done with God’s help, in dependence on Him].” (Jn. 3:16-21AMP). …and a little farther in Jn. 3 we see the consequences for rejecting and not believing in Christ.

“The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” Jn. 3:35-36 (NKJV)

“The Father loves the Son and has given (entrusted, committed) everything into His hand. And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life. But whoever disobeys (is unbelieving toward, refuses to trust in, disregards, is not subject to) the Son will never see (experience) life, but [instead] the wrath of God abides on him. [God’s displeasure remains on him; His indignation hangs over him continually.]” Jn. 3:35-36 (AMPC)

“Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].” (Jn. 6:29 AMPC).

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life.” (Jn. 5:24)

Feed on Jesus! (Believe in Him and feed on Him)

“Jesus replied, I am the Bread of Life. He who comes to Me will never be hungry, and he who believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me will never thirst any more (at any time)” (Jn. 6:35 (AMPC). He who comes to Me = he who chooses Me, he who believes in Me.

“I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, he who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, relies on, and has faith in Me] has (now possesses) eternal life. I am the Bread of Life [that gives life—the Living Bread]. Your forefathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and [yet] they died. [But] this is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that [any]one may eat of it and never die. I [Myself] am this Living Bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this Bread, he will live forever; and also the Bread that I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh (body)” (Jn. 6:47-51 AMPC).

“And Jesus said to them, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, you cannot have any life in you unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood [unless you appropriate His life and the saving merit of His blood]. He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has (possesses now) eternal life, and I will raise him up [from the dead] on the last day. For My flesh is true and genuine food, and My blood is true and genuine drink. He who feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood dwells continually in Me, and I [in like manner dwell continually] in him. Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me. This is the Bread that came down from heaven. It is not like the manna which our forefathers ate, and yet died; he who takes this Bread for his food shall live forever” (Jn. 6:53-58 AMPC).

Spend time in His word and feed on Him. His flesh is true and genuine food, and His blood is true and genuine drink. …whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and be

“Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me. Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” or “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from the heart of anyone who believes in me.’” (Jn. 7:37 NLT)

“Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood, and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me] as the Scripture has said, From his innermost being shall flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water” (Jn. 7:38 AMPC). How does one “come to Jesus”? By believing in Him, by choosing Him. Jesus is saying believe in Me, come to Me and drink the water that I am giving that will satisfy your soul! And then continuing onto vs. 39 “Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” The “Rivers of living water” mentioned above is the Holy Spirit who is given to those who believe. Believe and receive the Holy Spirit!

There is a wonderful connection between (Jn. 6:35 and 7:38 ) noted above. Believe in Him and you will never thirst and from your innermost being will flow [continuously] springs and rivers of living water.

(Jn. 10:9) is similar to (Jn. 3:16) above; Jesus is the gate! – Jn. 10:9 (AMPC) “I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture.” – How does one “enter in through Jesus? By believing in Him. The Passion Translation of this verse is wonderful: “I am the Gateway. To enter through me is to experience life, freedom, and satisfaction.” (Jn. 10:9 AMPC). We enter in through Jesus! Complete and full access to the Father through the Son! Note that we enter in through Him. We enter through Him by believing in Him, by choosing Him and by saying yes to Him.

Let’s look at (Jn. 9-10) for more context: “I am the Door; anyone who enters in through Me will be saved (will live). He will come in and he will go out [freely], and will find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)“ (Jn. 10:9-10 AMPC). He is the door, how do we open the door and walk through it? We have to choose to turn the door knob and open the door and then walk through to the other side of that door. We do this by choosing Him, by believing in Him. Yes, he first chose us, be we have to willingly choose Him or we don’t receive what He’s done for us.

“All who came before Me [as false messiahs and self-appointed leaders] are thieves and robbers, but the [true] sheep did not hear them. I am the Door; anyone who enters through Me will be saved [and will live forever], and will go in and out [freely], and find pasture (spiritual security). The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows]” (Jn. 10:8-10 AMP).

Read (Jn. 10:1-10) for full context of Jesus being the gate and the door. Enter through Him and be saved!

“He said to them, “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. That is why I told you that you will die [unforgiven and condemned] in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am the One [I claim to be], you will die in your sins.” Jn. 8:23-24 (AMP)

“Jesus spoke up and said, “You are all from the earth; I am from above. I am not from this world like you are. That’s why I’ve told you that you will all die in your sins if you fail to believe that I AM who I AM.” (Jn. 8:23-24 TPT).

“Jesus said to her, I am [Myself] the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on) Me, although he may die, yet he shall live; And whoever continues to live and believes in (has faith in, cleaves to, and relies on) Me shall never [actually] die at all. Do you believe this?” (Jn .11:25-26 AMPC).

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!” (Jn. 14:12-14 NLT).

Jn. 16:5-9 (NLT) – “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going. Instead, you grieve because of what I’ve told you. But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment. The world’s sin is that it refuses to believe in me” (Jn. 16:5-9 NLT).

(AMPC) of v.9 “About sin, because they do not believe in Me [trust in, rely on, and adhere to Me];”

* What Jesus is saying here is that the Holy Spirit will convict people of their sins and that not believing In Him is a sin. Let that one sink in.

“There are also many other signs and miracles which Jesus performed in the presence of the disciples which are not written in this book. But these are written (recorded) in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Anointed One), the Son of God, and that through believing and cleaving to and trusting and relying upon Him you may have life through (in) His name [through Who He is]“. Jn. 20:30-31 (AMPC)

“I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith” (Phil. 3:7-9 NLT).

“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago” (Eph.1:13 NLT).

“I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself” (Eph. 1:19-23 NLT).

There is a lot to explore in Eph. 1. Dig in.

“But God, being [so very] rich in mercy, because of His great and wonderful love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of our sins, He made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (for by His grace—His undeserved favor and mercy—you have been saved from God’s judgment). And He raised us up together with Him [when we believed], and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, [because we are] in Christ Jesus, [and He did this] so that in the ages to come He might [clearly] show the immeasurable and unsurpassed riches of His grace in [His] kindness toward us in Christ Jesus [by providing for our redemption]” Eph. 2:4-7 (AMP).

“God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago” (Eph. 2:8-10 NLT).

“But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us” (Eph. 2:13-14 NLT).

“Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.” (Eph. 3:12 NLT).

“May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality], so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love, be fully capable of comprehending with all the saints (God’s people) the width and length and height and depth of His love [fully experiencing that amazing, endless love]; and [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience] the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience], that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God [so that you may have the richest experience of God’s presence in your lives, completely filled and flooded with God Himself]. (Eph. 3:16-19 NLT).

I have to put (Eph. 3:16-19) here again in the (AMPC), it’s so good!

“May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!” (Eph. 3:16-19 AMPC).

Eph. 4:20-24 (NLT) – “But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Eph. 4:20-24 NLT).

“For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true” (Eph. 5:8-9 (NLT).

“For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross. This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions. Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body. As a result, he has brought you into his own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before him without a single fault. But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don’t drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God’s servant to proclaim it” (Col. 1:19-23 NLT).

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body. So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” It’s important to note here that Paul is talking to believers in this passage which you can see in vs. 11 below. “When you came to Christ”. So a better way to read vs 9-11 would be “Those who believe in Jesus Christ are complete through their union with Christ”. Col. 2:9-10 (NLT).

“When you came to Christ, you were “circumcised,” but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature. For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead” (Col. 2:11-12 NLT).

“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.” (Col. 2:13-15 NLT).

“I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal. 2:20 AMPC).

“yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified” (Gal. 2:16 ESV).

“Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. – in full context: “he lives in all of us who believe in Him” (Col. 3:9-11 NLT).

“He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.” Acts 10:43 (NLT).

“So let it be clearly known and understood by you, brethren, that through this Man forgiveness and removal of sins is now proclaimed to you; And that through Him everyone who believes [who acknowledges Jesus as his Savior and devotes himself to Him] is absolved (cleared and freed) from every charge from which he could not be justified and freed by the Law of Moses and given right standing with God. Take care, therefore, lest there come upon you what is spoken in the prophets: Look, you scoffers and scorners, and marvel and perish and vanish away; for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed which you will never have confidence in or believe, [even] if someone [clearly describing it in detail] declares it to you.” (Acts 13:38-41 AMPC)

“And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me” Acts 26:17-18 (NLT). How does one “turn from darkness to light? Only by believing in Jesus Christ.

“But rise and stand upon your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from your people and from the Gentiles—to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me” (Acts 26:16-18 ESV).

“And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Heb. 11:6 NLT).

“You love him passionately although you have not seen him, but through believing in him you are saturated with an ecstatic joy, indescribably sublime and immersed in glory. For you are reaping the harvest of your faith—the full salvation promised you—your souls’ victory!” (1 Ptr. 1:8-9 TPT).

“And God has given us his Spirit as proof that we live in him and he in us. Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God. We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.” (1 Jn. 4:13-16 NLT).

“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. (Jn. 1:12-14 NLT)

When a person believe in Jesus Christ they become a child of God and are reborn!

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 Jn. 5:1-5 NLT).

“…for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” Gal. 3:26-28 (ESV).

I also love how this is worded in the (AMP). – “For you [who are born-again have been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified and] are all children of God [set apart for His purpose with full rights and privileges] through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ [into a spiritual union with the Christ, the Anointed] have clothed yourselves with Christ [that is, you have taken on His characteristics and values]. There is [now no distinction in regard to salvation] neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you [who believe] are all one in Christ Jesus [no one can claim a spiritual superiority]” Gal. 3:26-28 (AMP).

“in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith”

“This is the testimony in essence: God gave us eternal life; the life is in his Son. So, whoever has the Son, has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life” (1 Jn. 5:11-12 NLT).

Let’s expand (1 Jn. 5:11-12) a bit for more context and pull in vs. 10 and read it in the (AMPC), this puts a better spot light on it and brings our the belief and faith element better.

“The one who believes in the Son of God [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies confidently on Him as Savior] has the testimony within himself [because he can speak authoritatively about Christ from his own personal experience]. The one who does not believe God [in this way] has made Him [out to be] a liar, because he has not believed in the evidence that God has given regarding His Son. And the testimony is this: God has given us eternal life [we already possess it], and this life is in His Son [resulting in our spiritual completeness, and eternal companionship with Him]. He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life” (1 Jn. 5:10-12 AMPC).

Believe in Him and you are in union with Him which allows you to walk in newness of life, a new creation with a new life. 2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 2:20, 6:15; Eph. 2:15, 4:22-24; Col. 3:10; Rom. 6:4, 7:6. Believe in Him and you abide in Him and He in you!

“If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me [abide vitally united to Me] and My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear (produce) much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine” (Jn. 15:6-8 AMPC).

“Those who remain in Him” – Those who believe in Him are united with Him, saved and set free and no one can snatch them from His hand. Those who believe in Him remain and abide in Him. Those who believe in Christ are “In Christ” (Col. 1:26-27; 1 Jn. 4:13,15; Col. 1:27; Rom. 8:10; Gal. 2:20, 3:26-28, 4:19; Eph. 3:17; 2 Cor. 13:5; Jn. 14:20).

This paragraph from What does it mean to abide in Christ? does a great job of simplifying what it means to “abide in Him”. – “To “abide” is to live, continue, or remain; so, to abide in Christ is to live in Him or remain in Him. When a person is saved, (believes in Christ) he or she is described as being “in Christ” (Rom. 8:1; 2 Cor. 5:17), held secure in a permanent relationship (Jn. 10:28–29). Therefore, abiding in Christ is not a special level of Christian experience, available only to a few; rather, it is the position of all true believers. The difference between those abiding in Christ and those not abiding in Christ is the difference between the saved and the unsaved.”

Believe in Him and abide (live, continue, remain) in Him. Reject Him and you do not abide in Him. It really is that simple.

See Blue Letter Bible’s Strongs reference for John 15:7 “abide” Strong’s G3306
μένω ménō, men’-o; a primary verb; to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): – to abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), not to depart, to continue to be present, to be held, kept, continually, to remain as one.

“By this we know [with confident assurance] that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given to us His [Holy] Spirit. We [who were with Him in person] have seen and testify [as eye-witnesses] that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses and acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. We have come to know [by personal observation and experience], and have believed [with deep, consistent faith] the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides continually in him” (1 Jn. 4:13-16 AMP) .

It Is Finished! Believe In The Finished Work Of The Cross!

“And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children. “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death” (Rev. 21:6-8 NLT) .

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work]” (Heb. 12:1-2 AMP).

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.” All because WE BELIEVE IN HIM! (Rom. 5:8-11 NLT).

When you believe in Jesus Christ, you enter into the new way of faith, the new way of living in the spirit. I’ve placed this page at the top of the page already, but putting it here again for a different focus. I’ve made several notes in regards “this new way of faith” on the Gal. 3-4 page in my Bible which will send you on a small Bible study via the cross referencing. Dig in!

“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13 NLT).

“May the God of your hope so fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound and be overflowing (bubbling over) with hope” (Rom. 15:13 AMPC)

“While you have the Light, believe in the Light [have faith in it, hold to it, rely on it], that you may become sons of the Light and be filled with Light. Jesus said these things, and then He went away and hid Himself from them [was lost to their view]” (Jn. 12:36 NLT).

Faith of Christ vs. faith in Christ. It requires “faith in Christ” to receive the “faith of Christ”.

“Knowing that a man is not “justified” by the works of the law, but by the “faith of Jesus Christ”, even we have “believed in Jesus Christ”, that we might “be justified by the faith of Christ”, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Gal. 2:16 NKJ) – We are justified by the “faith of Jesus Christ” and we receive this justification when we believe in Him.

I spent a lot of time on this passage: Gal. 2:16 and the full context thereof. What I had to reconcile was the KJV translation of “faith of Christ” vs all other English translations of “faith in Christ”. I have finally reconciled this down to: “It was the “faith of Christ” that saved us. It is “our faith in Him” that allows us to “receive” that salvation (justified and made right with God through our faith in Christ).”

Thank you Jesus for “your faith” to carry out the will of the Father so that we can have redemption through the finished work of the cross through “our faith in you”.

We have the “faith of God” after salvation. When we believe in Christ we are saved and we are then “in Christ” and “He is in Us”. Then we have the “of” because He is “in us and us in Him”.

Gal. 2:20 NKJ – “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ who lives in me: and the life which I “now” live (after salvation through faith in Christ) in the flesh I “live by” the faith “of” God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20 NKJ) . Woo!

I do believe that God put faith into every human being He created. God created in us a need to believe in something. Faith to believe is in us at our birth. He also gave us free will. We can freely use this free will to believe in Christ or reject Him. We have the choice to choose salvation. There is a Heaven and there is a Hell, those who choose Christ have the promise of eternity in Heaven those who do not face eternity in Hell. I did not have the faith of God prior to salvation.

Walk through this progression with me in regards to faith:

Eph. 2:8-10 – Salvation is the gift, not faith

Eph. 2:8-10 (KJV) – “8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Eph. 2:8-10 (NLT) – “8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
The “this” and “it” is salvation.
The “this” and “it” is “salvation by grace through faith”
The “we” is faithful followers of Christ Jesus (faithful believers)

Eph. 2:8-10 (AMPC) – “8 For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; 9 Not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Law’s demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]” 10 For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].

There is a good commentary on this here: What is the meaning of Ephesians 2:8–9?

I also recommend this in-depth grammatical deep dive into Eph. 2:8
Is Faith a Gift from God According to Ephesians 2:8? A Grammatical Analysis by John F. Hart

Everyone will exist eternally either in heaven or hell (Daniel 12:2,3; Matthew 25:46; John 5:28; Revelation 20:14,15). There is a good article on this here: Is hell real? Is hell eternal?

Everyone has only one life in which to determine their destiny (Heb. 9:27).

Heaven or hell is determined by whether a person believes (puts their trust) in Christ alone to save them or not. Jn. 3:16-18, 36.

Faith Without Works is Dead
(In full context this is not faith + works, it is talking about dead faith)

A quick note on James 2:14-26 (Faith Without Works Is Dead), In full context, James is talking about a dead faith in this passage. He is not talking about Faith + Works. I felt it important to add this to this study on faith.

This is an excellent short Bible study pointing out that James was not being contradictory to all the other New Testament writers that wrote “salvation/justification is by faith alone”.

Are we saved by faith alone, or do we need works, too? by Matt Slick.

This is part of what I am tackling with my “BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AND RECEIVE HIS GIFT” study.

A misreading of James 2:14-26 can make one feel that salvation is by “faith + works”. While all the other epistles point to “it is by faith alone” that one is saved.

Works cannot be earned, our salvation and salvation is by faith alone. Genuine faith will produce good works.

James is pointing out two different kinds of faith. One that leads to godly works and one that does not.

an excerpt from the article: “In brief, James is examining two kinds of faith: one that leads to godly works and one that does not. One is true, and the other is false. One is dead, the other alive; hence, “Faith without works is dead,” (James 2:20). But, he is not contradicting the verses above that say salvation/justification is by faith alone.”

I used to think there was a contradiction with James’ “not by faith alone” scripture reference and all the other scripture references that say “salvation is by faith alone and not by works”.. But when read in full context, there is no contradiction. Salvation is by “faith alone”. Genuine faith will produce good works. Dead faith will not. James is talking about dead faith.

Like it says in Galatians 5:22-23 NLT – “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” … The Holy Spirit produces this fruit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is a product of being “saved by faith alone” and thus genuine faith will produce good works.

Another reason why I enjoy reading the New Testament Epistles so much is because it is written to believers. Example, the beginning of Ephesians: “Paul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the divine will (the purpose and the choice of God) to the saints (the consecrated, set-apart ones) at Ephesus who are also faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:”

We see here that Paul is writing to faithful believers. Those who believe in Christ and thus the entire book of Ephesians needs to be read through that lens. And a lot of the letters are telling believers what they have because they believed. 🙂

The Bible clearly teaches that salvation/justification is by faith alone as we can see in Rom. 3:28-30, 4:5, 5:1, 9:30, 10:4, 11:6; Gal. 2:16, 2:21, 3:5-6, 3:24: Eph. 2:8-9: Phil. 3:9 and many others that I have listed above.

John 6:28-29 (AMPC) – “They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?] Jesus replied, “This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].”

Notice Jesus did not give them a list of “things/works” they have to do. He only mentions “faith”.

There is a reason Jesus said this. Because when we believe in Him the good works will follow. In other words, Salvation from genuine faith alone leads to and produces good works. Good works do not produce salvation.

Live in the Light

I recommend a quick study through (Eph. 4:17-5:20). Live in the light as children of the light.

Also see my study page: LET HIS LIGHT SHINE THROUGH YOU for a deep dive into His light in us.

…and a little deeper into the light: Jn. 1:1-18 ~ “The life of Jesus Christ brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it. …all who believe in Him and accept Him have the right to become the children of God. …all who believe in Him are reborn-not a physical birth but a birth that comes from God“. Eph. 4:17-32, 5:1-14 ~ Live as children of light. Jn. 8:12 ~ “Jesus said, I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me will not be walking in the dark, but will have the Light which is Life.” 1 Ptr. 2:9-11 ~ “Jesus called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. Jn. 12:35-36 ~ “Walk in the light”. Jn. 12:46 ~ “Jesus said “I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.” Col. 1:13-14 ~ “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins”.

Now move onto learning about our union with the Father, Son and The Holy Spirit.

This is an important video from Andrew Farley. He did a great job with explaining that there is a necessary response from us to God to be saved. i.e. believe in Him. Confess and acknowledge that Christ is Lord. All are not saved, those who believe and receive are.

Lie #5 – The Whole World Is or Will Be Saved – Andrew Farley

There is a great devotional from this book: Smith Wigglesworth Devotional put together by Whitaker House that deals with the subject of unbelief that is applicable to this study on belief and faith. (See page below). The first and last sentence from this devotional is what I wanted to highlight.

“The Spirit of God wants us to understand there is nothing that can interfere with our coming into perfect blessing except for unbelief. …Faith is the Word. You are begotten of the Word; the Word is in you; the life of the Son is in you; and God wants you to believe.” ~ Smith Wigglesworth.

…the free gift of salvation and of receiving His finished work!Believe in Jesus Christ and see just what you receive when you believe in Him; it will astound you and set you free.