Believing in Christ rather than about Christ.

Sitting in a chair. All of us sit in chairs every day. We do so without much thought. We believe about chairs ... assuming that they will hold our weight when we sit. But actually sitting in one is more than believing about a chair ... it is believing in a chair. When you entrust yourself to it, you are believing in it. This choice becomes clearer when you are in an antique store inspecting a rickety old wooden chair. It is a beautiful chair ... but will you sit in it?

Surgery. There is an interesting moment just before surgery. It is the time when you hear about all of the dangers and risks ... and then are asked to sign a release form granting the surgeon permission to cut into you. It is at that moment when you choose between believing about the surgeon and believing in the surgeon. You may have looked at the certificates on his office wall ... looked up pending malpractice suits on the Internet ... and even talked to previous patients. Intellectually you believe about the surgeon ... but in your will, you must make the decision about believing in him. Believing about him can be at any level ... 51%, 75%, or 90%. However, the choice about believing in him is either 0% or 100%.

Parachuting. Imagine that you are in a burning airplane somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. The pilot has announced that parachuting out is your only salvation. You pull the contraption out from under your seat ... and strap it onto your back. You have heard about parachutes ... read about them ... and even seen them in use at air shows. You have always believed about parachutes. However, standing at the plane's open door looking down at the clouds is different. It is time to step out in faith ... time to believe in your parachute. A question runs through your mind ... is this really a parachute or is it some college student's backpack? Only a true parachute will save you. And stepping out in faith doesn't save you ... it allows you to be saved. The same is true about believing in Christ. We are all on a flight that is doomed to crash. Believing about Him is not enough. Our only hope is to step out in faith by believing in Him. Stepping out doesn't save you ... but it lets Him save you.

Dating or married? This is a very good illustration for religious people. There is a difference between dating and marriage. Dating involves believing about someone ... marriage involves believing in someone. Before marriage, you may love the other person very much ... go to his or her home often ... talk to that person several times a day ... and give gifts to him or her. However, you are only dating. It is at the marriage ceremony that you must choose between believing about that person and believing in that person. Many people are like that with God. They believe about Him. They love Him very much ... go to His house often ... and talk to Him every day. They even give gifts (time, money, and talents) to Him. But they have never said I do to God. They need to do more than believe about Him ... they need to believe in Him.

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