Believing Is Not the Same as Surrendering

"For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21

I found a flaw in my own gospel and I want to tell you about it.

You ask someone about their faith. They tell you they believe in a higher power. So you say what you have said a hundred times. You have got to believe in Jesus. And they answer, I do believe in him.

And that is where we stop, satisfied, believing the witness has landed and something has happened.

There is a difference between believing and surrendering.

Believing is the first step. It is acknowledging that Jesus is real, that he existed, that he is who he said he was. That is something. But it is not enough on its own, because belief has to take a second step, and the second step is surrender.

Placing your faith in Christ is not merely believing in him. It is handing yourself over.

For me it began with my mind. Who is the way, who is the truth, who is the life. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. And then, slowly, what I thought about Christ began to work its way down out of my head and into the depths of my heart. And that is where affection lives. And my faith moved from believing in Christ to living for Christ.

Which is exactly what Paul is saying. For me to live is Christ. Not for me to be persuaded of Christ. To live is Christ.

So let me ask you what I should have asked that man.

Do you believe in Jesus, or have you given him your life?

Because I have met a great many people who could answer the first question.