Do You Believe On the Son of God?

Q: What does the Bible say about believing in the Son of God?

The Bible emphasizes that belief in the Son of God is essential for eternal life. The Bible states clearly that believing in the Son of God is crucial for obtaining everlasting life. Jesus himself stated, 'He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life' (John 9:35). This belief is not merely an intellectual assent but involves a deep, personal trust in who Jesus is and what He has accomplished for our salvation. In 1 John 5:12, we are reminded that 'he that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.' Therefore, belief in Christ is foundational to the Christian faith and essential for salvation.

Q: How do we know that faith in Christ is true?

Faith in Christ is affirmed through Scripture, the resurrection, and the transformative work in believers' lives. The truth of faith in Christ is rooted in Scripture, where the apostles consistently teach that belief in Jesus is the key to salvation. For instance, Romans 10:9 states that confessing with one's mouth and believing in the heart leads to salvation. The resurrection of Christ serves as a powerful testament to the legitimacy of this faith, as it confirms Jesus' divine nature and the acceptance of His sacrificial death by God. Furthermore, the transformative experiences of believers—where old lives are changed and new life begins—provide personal evidence of the truth of faith in Christ. These elements work together to assure us that our faith is not in vain.

Q: Why is self-examination important for Christians?

Self-examination helps Christians ensure their faith is genuine and aligns with God's Word. Self-examination is vital in the Christian life as it allows believers to assess the authenticity of their faith. Paul urges Christians in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to 'examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.' This act of introspection ensures that one is not merely resting on a false profession of faith or religious activity. By aligning one's beliefs and practices with Scripture, believers can identify whether they truly know and believe on the Son of God. Engaging in self-examination protects against presumption and encourages true dependence on Christ for salvation. It is better to address any doubts in this life than to face Christ in judgment unprepared.

Q: What does it mean to believe on the Son of God?

Believing on the Son of God means having a personal trust in His identity and redemptive work. To believe on the Son of God involves more than intellectual acknowledgment; it is an active, trusting relationship with Jesus Christ, acknowledging Him as the Messiah and Savior. This belief encompasses recognizing who Jesus is, what He accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection, and placing one's faith in Him as the sole means of salvation. As John 9:35 identifies the importance of this belief, it emphasizes that trusting in Christ leads to eternal life. Thus, belief extends beyond mere acceptance of facts; it is about a heart transformation that results in a new life lived in obedience to God.

I want to speak to you today
on this subject. Do you believe on the Son of
God? That's my subject, a question. Do you believe on the Son of
God? Now there are many professing
Christians and church members who are highly offended if they're
exhorted by a preacher to examine their profession. if they're
exhorted by a preacher to examine their hope of eternal life and
examine it by the Word of God. Many people are highly offended
if you even put a question mark on their relationship with God.
In fact, many people, many church members are insulted if anyone
even suggests that they may have a false refuge or that they have
missed true saving faith in the Son of God. And yet, my friends,
in Matthew chapter 7, our Lord Jesus Christ plainly declares,
not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will of my Father. For he said, many, many will
say unto me in that day, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name, and in thy name cast out devils, in thy name done many
wonderful works but I shall say unto them depart from me ye workers
of iniquity I never knew you and then when our Lord gathered
with his disciples the disciples gathered about what we call the
last supper when he was keeping the Passover with the disciples
and instituting the Lord's table as they sat about the table our
Lord looked at these twelve intimate Personal friends chosen disciples
and yes, he said made this statement He said one of you one of you
shall betray me this night and Every one of them now think of
this Every one of those men began to ask is it I? Is it I? Lord am I the one who will betray
you? And as I study great preachers and great hymn writers of the
past, I find them examining themselves, and I find them writing some
very searching hymns. Very searching hymns. In fact,
John Newton, who wrote that great hymn, Amazing Grace, with which
all of you are familiar. Amazing Grace, how sweet the
sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now
I'm found. I was blind, but now I see. John
Newton. Also wrote this hymn. It's not
very well known, but he wrote it. "'Tis a point I long to know,
and often it gives me anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or
no? Am I His or am I not?" That's
self-examination. That's self-examination. And
also Charles Wesley, another great hymn writer. wrote this
hymn, Depth of Mercy. Can there be mercy reserved for
me? Can my God, his wrath forbear,
and me, the chief of sinners spare? And again he wrote, and
can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died he for me who him to death pursued amazing love? How can
it be that thou, my God, should die for me? That's not the language
of this presumptuous, no-soul salvation generation, is it?
They get offended if you ask them to examine their profession.
They get offended, insulted, if you even suggest that they
might have missed the Lord Jesus Christ. And yet the Word of God,
the Word of God plainly warns us about presumption. It warns
us of the dangers of a false profession. Paul the Apostle
in 2 Corinthians 13 said, examine yourselves. Examine yourselves
whether you be in the faith. Know ye not your own selves?
How that Christ dwelleth in you, that is, unless you are reprobate.
Don't be afraid to examine your profession, examine your heart,
examine your interest in Christ. Be better to examine it now than
to have him examine it at the judgment and tell you he never
knew you. In fact, every time we come to the Lord's table,
Paul exhorts us to examine ourselves and so let us eat. Examine ourselves
whether we discern the Lord's body. Then Peter wrote these
words, wherefore the rather brethren give diligence. to make your
calling and election sure, for if you do these things, you'll
never fail. And then the writer of Hebrews
said in Hebrews 3, take heed brethren, take heed brethren,
lest there be found in you an evil heart of unbelief in departing
from the living God. So in this message today, I'm
asking myself, that's right, I don't claim to be an authority
on this thing. Like the Apostle Paul said in
Philippians 3, I haven't arrived. I haven't laid hold upon that
for which I've been laid hold of by Christ Jesus. I'm not already
perfect. I don't claim to have all the
answers by any stretch of the imagination. I want to win Christ
and be found in Him. I want to know the Son of God.
and the power of his resurrection. I'm asking myself, and I'm asking
you this straightforward question. Do you, do I, know and believe
on the Son of God? I tell you this, he that believeth
on the Son of God hath everlasting life. I can promise you that.
Now I want to know, do you believe on the Son of God? Do I believe
on the Son of God? I do know He that believeth.
Our Lord said to the centurion, He said, you can believe. All
things are possible to them that believe. That's not the problem.
What's possible is not the problem. Eternal life's not the problem.
It's believing's the problem. Do you believe on the Son of
God? He that believeth on the Son
of God hath life, and he that believeth not the Son of God
will never see life. But the wrath of God abideth
on him. Do you believe on the Son of
God? I'm not asking you if you've
been christened, or confirmed, or catechized, or baptized. That's
not what I'm asking. I'm asking, do you believe on
the Son of God? I'm not asking you if you've
made a profession of faith. Most people have, some two or
three. I'm not asking you if you've joined the church. Just
about everybody is a member of somebody's church. Half the prison
population is a member of somebody's church, and most of them attend
regularly. I'm not asking you if you preach,
or have preached, or teach, or have taught, or sing in the choir,
or serve God, or tithe. I'm simply asking one question. Do you believe on the Son of
God? Now here's my text in John chapter
9 verse 35. John 9 35. Our Lord Jesus Christ
asked this question of a certain gentleman. Jesus heard, now listen
John 9 35. Jesus heard that they had cast
him out of the synagogue and when he found him he said to
him Our Lord said to this man, do you believe on the Son of
God? Now this is interesting, and
what makes it so interesting, and I say important, and what
makes it so important, is not only who asked the question,
but of whom the question was asked. Do you believe on the
Son of God? And I say that the importance
of it is not only who asked that question, But of whom, he asked
it. Now you see, this man, the disciples
and the Lord Jesus were walking down the street or the road.
And there was a man over there, blind from birth. I don't know
how old he was, 30, 40 years of age, but he'd been blind from
birth. And one of the disciples asked
the Lord, said, who sinned that that man was born blind? Did
his parents sin or did he sin? And our Lord said, neither. but
that the glory of God and the power of God might be shown in
him. And so our Lord spit on the ground
and made some clay, mud, and he walked over and put it on
the man's eyes, without saying a word, just put the clay on
the man's eyes. And then he said to the man,
go wash in the pool of Siloam. And the man got up and left. And our Lord left. That was the
exchange. That was the confrontation. Our
Lord left and the man headed for the pool of Siloam. And he
watched. And he could see. And he began
to rejoice that he could see. And his neighbors and friends
saw him and asked him what took place. He said a man called Jesus.
make clay of spittle and put it on my eyes and I can see."
And so they brought him to the Pharisees, the Jewish leaders,
the leaders of the synagogue, and they said, what's going on
here? And they said, well, this man was blind. And now he sees. They said, who did this? He said,
a man called Jesus. And they went and got his parents.
They didn't believe him. They went over and got his parents
and brought them over there. And they said, is this your boy?
They said, yeah, that's our boy. They said, was he blind? They
said, he was blind. Well, how does he now see? And
they were afraid. They were afraid of these powerful
preachers. They were afraid of these Pharisees. And they said,
well, he's old enough. Ask him. He's of age. Ask him. And they turned to the
young man again. They said, tell us what happened.
He said, I just know one thing. I was blind. And now I see. And a man called Jesus did it.
And they said, well, this is a Sabbath day. The Lord healed
him on the Sabbath day. And they said he couldn't be,
this man's a sinner. He couldn't be from God. He's
a sinner. You give God the glory. And then
the man who was blind and could now see said, well here is a
marvelous thing. That this man could give me sight. I've been blind all my life and
this man could give me sight. And you don't know who he is
and where he came from. Why it's never been heard of,
he said, since the beginning of the world, that a man gave
sight to another man. And that made them angry, and
they cast him out of the synagogue. They excommunicated him. They
withdrew all of his religious privileges. And then it said,
in verse 35, then the Lord Jesus found him. The Lord came back
to where the man was and found him and asked him this question.
Do you believe on the Son of God? You know, in the light of
all that had taken place, now I want you to think with me.
This is very interesting. In the light of all that had
taken place, you say, what had taken place? Well, in the first
place, this man had been obedient to the Lord's commandments. When
the Lord made the spittle, made the clay of spittle and put on
his eyes and told him, you do what I tell you. You go wash
in the pool of Siloam. He bade the Lord. He obeyed him
immediately. He did exactly what he told him to do. Secondly,
this man had a most unusual experience. And not many of you can top this
one when you go to tell in your experiences. This man had sat
there by the wayside blind for 30 or 40 years. And now he could
see. And that's what he was saying.
He said, I don't know. They said, well, this man's a
sinner. He said, I don't know whether he's a sinner or not.
I really don't know that much about him. But I do know what
I, I do know what I experience. I hear a lot of that today. Well,
I don't know anything about the Bible, but I know what I feel. I don't
know anything about God, but I know what I feel. I know what
I've experienced. You can't tell me I hadn't, I wouldn't, wouldn't
dare do it. This fellow here, I wouldn't
tell him. He didn't have this experience. He said, I know I
was blind and now I can see. Granted. Granted. And then he
claimed to be a disciple. The Pharisees kept on probing
him and probing him and questioning him. And finally he said, why
are you asking me this question? Would you be his disciple also? And they said, you're his disciple.
We're Moses' disciple. Well, he claimed to be a Christian. And then this man had witnessed.
I hear all this talk about witnessing, witnessing, witnessing, and a
believer will witness. You are my witnesses. Christ
didn't say you ought to be. You are. But this man had told
others about this man Jesus. He went around telling others,
hey, a man called Jesus made me whole. A man called Jesus
gave me my sight. Every time he even told the top,
top preachers, a man called Jesus did it. And this man had suffered for
what he believed. Yeah, he lost some friends. He lost his place
in the church. He got kicked out. And to those
Jews, this meant something. That meant he couldn't be buried
in the hallowed ground. That meant he didn't have access
to the Passover. That meant he did not have access
to the atonement. That meant he did not have access
to the privileges, nor to God, because they thought they had
a corner on God. So he had suffered for what he believed. He obeyed
Christ. He had experience. He claimed
to be a Christian. He had witnessed and he had suffered
for what he believed. Now today, we pronounce everybody
saved who can fill even one, two, three, or four of those
requirements. But this man wasn't saved. He didn't even know who
Jesus Christ was. You see, salvation is not just
mechanically obeying some commandments. Salvation is not giving mental
assent to some facts. Salvation is not having some
hoop-to-do experience, no matter how valid it might be. Salvation
is not just in witnessing. Salvation is not in claiming
to be a Christian. Salvation is believing on the
Son of God. He that believeth on the Son
of God hath everlasting life. He that believeth not the Son
of God. And so our Lord found this fellow. After all this had
taken place, he found him and said to him, Do you believe on
the Son of God? He said, Well, who is he? Who
is he that I might believe on him? My friend, that's the reason
I'm asking this question today on this program. Do you believe
on the Son of God? I know we've got all this religious
paraphernalia and ceremony and shinned eggs and zeal and enthusiasm
and claims and presumptions and professions and churches and
denominations. It just keeps going like a big
snowball going down the hill, gaining momentum and gaining
attention and gaining numbers. But this is such a necessary
question. Do you believe on the Son of
God? Paul said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt
be saved. 1 John 5 says, this is the record,
that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His
Son. And he that hath the Son of God,
he that believeth on the Son of God, hath everlasting life. And he that hath not the Son
of God will never see life, hath not life. Romans 10, 9 says that
thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus to be Lord, and believe
Believe, not work, not labor, not serve, not give, not go,
not witness. Believe in your heart that what
God says about him is so. God raised him from the dead.
Thou shalt be saved. Thou shalt be saved. This is
a necessary question. I tell you, it's a very plain
question. What think ye of Christ? Do you believe on the Son of
God? No confusion, no ceremony, no works. No complicated recipe,
no eye-walking, no law, no church rules, just do you believe on
the Son of God? And this question is very personal.
Do you? I know we're concerned about
our loved ones and friends and neighbors and other people who
do not know God, but this is your question. This is my question. Do you believe on the Son of
God? And I'll tell you it's a question that not only ought to be answered,
it can be answered. I think you can answer it right
now. I think you can. Paul said, know ye not your own
selves? Whether Christ be in you, except
you are reprobate. Our Lord said to this man, do
you believe on the Son of God? Listen to what the man said.
Who is he? Who is he? I think that's a question
about 75% of the religionists would probably have to ask if
they had that question put to them. Who is he? Who is he? Paul said that. Paul said they
can't call on him in whom they hadn't believed and they can't
believe in him of whom they've not heard. And they can't hear
without a preacher. Who is he? Who is he? Well, I'll answer that. Who is he? Our Lord answered
the man, he said, it is he that you have seen and to whom you
speak. I am the son of God. I am the
son of God. And he said, Lord, I believe.
Lord, I believe. And he fell down and worshiped
him. But here are the four, I'll give you four questions, four
questions about him. And I believe these four questions
will determine if we really believe on the Son of God. I didn't say
if you have faith, I said, do you believe on the Son of God?
The Son of God. Not do you believe in your religion,
or I believe in prayer. Do you believe in the Son of
God? Well, I believe in God. Do you believe on the Son of
God? That's the question. Don't go
around it. Don't change it. Do you believe
on the Son of God? That's what he asked him. Well,
who is he? Well, Christ asked his disciples
that. He said, whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? And
they said, well, some say you're John the Baptist, some say you're
Elijah, some say you're one of the prophets. He said, whom do
you say that I am? And Peter said, thou art the
Christ. Who is the Son of God? He's the
Christ. He's the Christ. Go through the
Bible, go through the Old Testament promises and prophecies and pictures,
and you'll see the Christ, the Messiah, that's who I'm talking
about, the Messiah, the Christ, the Redeemer, whom God promised. the seed of woman, the shirt
of the covenant, that prophet like Moses, that priest after
the order of Melchizedek, that lion of the tribe of Judah, that
Lord our righteousness, that branch, that refuge, that triad
stone, that cornerstone, that brazen serpent, that Passover,
that smitten rock, that Christ. That's who he is, prophet, priest,
and king. That's who he is. Peter said,
now that Christ, Watch it, the Son of the Living God. Do you believe on the Son of
God? Who is He? He's the Christ, the Messiah,
and He's the Son of God, equal with the Father. He said, the
Scripture says, in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
made flesh. And the Word was with God, and
dwelt among us. And the Word was God, and we
beheld His glory. The glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and full of truth. Who is He?
He's the God-man. He's Emmanuel, God with us. He's
wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father,
the Prince of Peace, on whose shoulders the government of the
kingdom rests. He said, He that had seen me
had seen God. That's who He is. Not only that,
here's another question. What did he do? Well, believe
it or not, he came to earth. He was in the world and the world
was made by him. He who made woman was made of
a woman. Yes, sir, the ancient of days
became an infant of days. I can't explain that. But I do
know he took not on himself the nature of angels, but he took
on himself the seed of Abraham and he became a man. In the fullness
of time, God sent forth his son made of a woman, made under the
law to redeem them that were born under the law. He came to
this earth and walked in human flesh, bone of our bone, flesh
of our flesh, and lived a perfect, righteous, holy life, obeying
the law of God in every jot and tittle as the representative
of his chosen people. That's what he did. and then
bearing our sins in his body he went to the tree and there
the just for the unjust suffered that he might bring us to God
yes right he who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him what did he do he
came to earth the second Adam the Lord from heaven and as our
representative You see, by one man's disobedience, we were made
sinners. By the obedience of one, we were
made righteous. He's the Lord, our righteousness.
And he obeyed the law to give us a perfect holiness before
God. And then he went to the cross
and satisfied justice. He died under the charge and
debt of our sins. The soul that sinned shall die.
And the only reason we're not going to die is he died in our
place. Christ died. Who is he that condemned? Christ
died. Yea, rather, is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also makes intercession for us. Now why'd he do this?
Why'd he do this? He had to. If God's gonna be
a just God and a Savior, if he's gonna be a Savior, he's gotta
be a Savior in such a way that he can be a just God. And so
Christ had to do this. Representation. Substitution. The law was required of us. We couldn't keep it, but our
substitute did. Justice demanded our death. We
can't die and live, but he can die and live because he's the
author of life. He died and God raised him from
the dead and gave evidence that everything Christ did was accepted. And we are accepted in him. That's
what he did. He died for us. Why did he do
that? In order that God may be holy. and at the same time merciful,
that God may be just, and at the same time save you and me. He did it for his people. Of
him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. All we need.
Where is he now? He's at the right hand of God.
The scripture says, God hath in these last days spoken to
us by his son, who is the brightness, the express image of God, the
brightness of his glory, who by himself purged our sins and
then sat down at the right hand of God, where he ever liveth
to make intercession for you and me. Where is he? The forerunner
has entered within the veil into the holy of holies at the right
hand of the majesty on high. and taken with him all of his
church, all for whom he died, all for whom he suffered. Now
then, do you believe on the Son of God?

Do You Believe On the Son of God?

What does the Bible say about believing in the Son of God?

How do we know that faith in Christ is true?

Why is self-examination important for Christians?

What does it mean to believe on the Son of God?

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About Henry Mahan

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Do You Believe On the Son of God?

What does the Bible say about believing in the Son of God?

How do we know that faith in Christ is true?

Why is self-examination important for Christians?

What does it mean to believe on the Son of God?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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