Hearing and Believing

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13-14)

Psychologists refer to them as “defining moments,” those events in your life that shape the person you have become. We all have them. But there is no defining moment like the moment when someone accepts Jesus and becomes a follower of Christ. So today, we are going to take a look at what happens at the defining moment when someone realizes they need a savior, that Jesus is that savior, and they trust Jesus as their savior.

Your defining moment of salvation takes place when you believe in the grace of God. That’s the very first step in accepting Jesus Christ as your savior.

As Paul is writing to the Ephesians, he is taking these believers back to that moment in time that they made the momentous decision to turn from death to life, and from darkness to light, by putting their faith and trust in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as their Savior.

This decision to surrender their lives to Christ was a two-step process. First, they had to hear the gospel. And then once they heard it, they had to accept it as truth. They needed to come to the realization that the gospel is real. It’s not a fairytale. It’s not a myth. So the defining moment happens not just by hearing about the grace of God, but also believing in the grace of God, which ultimately brings salvation.

So you see, hearing about God’s grace isn’t enough. You have to believe in that grace and come to realize how desperately you need it. When you do, you will experience that defining moment of salvation Paul is talking about.

Dear Lord, thank you for your never-ending grace. I pray that you would help me not to gloss over the magnitude of your grace when I hear about it, but that I would continue to believe in it and understand how much I need it. In Jesus’ name, amen.