Continued from the O.P.
Many Say ‘Just Believe’… But What Did Jesus Actually Teach?
About following Him daily
Belief in Jesus is not only something we say with our mouth. It is something we live each day. Jesus spoke in a simple and clear way so that all could understand. When we listen to Him, we see that belief is joined with following Him. It is not a one-time moment, but a path we walk step by step.
Luke 9:23 (ASV)
“And he said unto all, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
Here Jesus shows that belief has a cost. To deny self means to turn away from our own desires when they go against what is right. Many times the heart wants what is easy, what is pleasing, or what brings gain. But Jesus calls a person to choose what is right instead. This choice must be made again and again.
To take up the cross daily means to accept the weight of doing good in a world that does not always love what is good. It can mean being patient when others are not, speaking truth when it is not welcomed, or turning away from sin when it is tempting. This is not done once, but each day.
Following Him means learning from His life. He was humble, He served others, He obeyed the Father, and He endured suffering without turning away. A true believer looks at Him and walks in the same direction. This is how belief becomes living and real, not only words.
Luke 14:27 (ASV)
“Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.”
These words are strong but clear. Jesus does not hide the truth. Belief is not only knowing who He is, but choosing Him above all. If a person is not willing to walk this path, then the belief remains only in words. But the one who truly believes will follow, even when it costs something.
About abiding in His word
Jesus also teaches that belief means to remain in His word. It is not enough to hear once and then forget. A believer holds on to what He said and continues in it.
John 8:31–32 (ASV)
“Jesus therefore said to those Jews that had believed him, If ye abide in my word, then are ye truly my disciples; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
He spoke this to people who already believed Him. Yet He still says, “if ye abide.” This shows that belief must continue. To abide means to stay, to remain, to live in His word. It is like a branch that stays on the tree. If it stays, it lives. If it leaves, it dries. Many hear the words of Jesus and feel something for a moment. But when life becomes hard, or when other voices come, they let go. But the one who believes truly holds on. He returns to the words of Jesus, thinks on them, and lives by them.
The promise is clear. “Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Freedom is not only hearing truth, but walking in it. A person becomes free from sin step by step as he lives what Jesus taught.
John 12:47–48 (ASV)
“And if any man hear my sayings, and keep them not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day.”
These words show that what Jesus said matters deeply. To hear but not keep His words is to reject them. And His words will stand at the end. This is why true belief holds His teaching close and does not let it go.
About doing the will of the Father
Jesus makes it very clear that belief is not only calling Him “Lord,” but doing what God asks. Words alone are not enough.
Matthew 7:21–23 (ASV)
“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
These are serious words. A person may speak His name and even do great things, yet still not be known by Him. Why? Because they did not do the will of the Father. True belief is shown in a life that obeys.
Jesus then gives a simple picture to make this clear.
Matthew 7:24–27 (ASV)
“Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.”
Both hear His words. But only one does them. The one who does stands firm. The one who does not falls. The difference is not hearing, but
doing.
What does this look like in daily life? It is simple, but it must be real. It is telling the truth even when lying would be easier. It is forgiving someone who has hurt you instead of holding anger. It is helping someone in need when you could turn away. It is being patient, kind, and humble, even when others are not.
It is turning away from sin when no one is watching. It is choosing what is right in small things, not only in big moments. It is caring for the poor, the weak, and those who are forgotten. It is loving others, not only in words, but in actions.
It is also listening when Jesus speaks and correcting our path when we see we are wrong. A heart that does the will of the Father is a heart that is willing to change and to obey.
The Goden Rule
Matthew 7:12 (KJV) Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
So when we gather all these words of Jesus, the message is simple and clear. Belief is not only saying we believe. It is following Him each day, even when it is hard. It is staying in His word and not letting go. It is doing the will of the Father in real and simple ways.
This kind of belief is alive. It walks, it obeys, it endures. It may look small to the world, but it is great in the eyes of God. And this is the belief Jesus calls us to.
Continued on post 131