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Grey Crowned Cranes, Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Photo by Charles F. Stanley.
Daily Devotion

What It Means to Believe in Jesus

Do you believe that Jesus is God's Son and He died for you?

June 16, 2025

John 3:16-18

The apostle Paul told his jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). That Philippian man and all those under his care accepted the invitation and joined God’s family. Saving faith has three elements: knowledge, conviction, and trust. Today, let’s look at the knowledge component. To believe in Jesus as our Savior, we need to know who He is, what He accomplished, and why it was necessary. 

  • Who is Jesus? He is deity—God the Son. Jesus set aside His divine rights, took on human form, and dwelled on earth (Phil. 2:6-7).

  • What did He accomplish? Jesus lived a perfect life, which qualified Him to be our substitute: His death on the cross made a way for us to be forgiven and experience peace with God.

  • Why did He have to die? We could not save ourselves, since our “good deeds” are all marred by our sinful nature—also known as the “flesh.” However, when we trust in Christ’s atoning work on our behalf, we become a member of His family.

Understanding and accepting the answers to these questions is key to right belief, but knowledge alone cannot lead to salvation. There must also be conviction and trust—which we’ll discuss tomorrow.

Bible in One Year: Psalms 29-34

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