“And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming. If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him” (1 John 2:28–29).
Everyone believes something.
This may come as a surprise to you, or it may come as a silly and obvious thing to say. Either way, the statement is probably not immediately remarkable. If, however, we consider that the way we live reveals what we truly believe, then the statement may become more thought-provoking.
The Bible tells us what we may already know to be true about this subject. The choices a person makes are always based on what he or she really believes. We may claim a certain set of beliefs, but our lives will either give evidence for or against our belief claims. Believing Jesus will manifest itself in a person’s way of life, and so too will disbelief and rebellion.
Jesus is the Savior of sinners, and He is the one through whom God will judge the whole world. Those who truly believe these things, and trust in Jesus to rescue them from judgment, will live in light of these realities.
In other words, genuine belief always produces transformed living.
May God grant us grace to believe Him and the conviction to live as we say we believe.
Holding the Line 