How Do I Respond to God?
Respond by hearing and believing
By Larry Fayer
Because God has done his part, there are some things we must do to respond. Part of this involves you hearing, listening carefully and obediently to what God has to say. That’s why Jesus gave the great commission (see Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-16 and Luke 24:45-48). He had completed God’s part of salvation. Now Jesus wanted to make sure that everyone knew what he had done so he sent his disciples to tell the good news to everyone. AND THEY DID! Colossians 1:23 observes that the gospel “has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” The gospel that was heard, received and obeyed in the first century is the same gospel you should respond to today.
SO WHAT WAS THE MESSAGE?
It begins with HEARING so you can BELIEVE because, “Without faith, it is impossible to please him” (Hebrews 11:6). It takes someone taking the time to preach to those who haven’t heard and ones who haven’t heard taking the time to listen. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:14-15 “How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” You need to hear, listen carefully to what the Bible has to say about your response to God’s salvation.
After hearing the gospel, you must believe it. Consider what these scriptures say:
# John 1:12: “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
# John 14:1: "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me."
# John 11:25: "Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.'"
# 1 John 5:5: "Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?"
The first part of our response to God is hearing, really hearing, what God has to say and believing so strongly that you will obey it.