How Does Someone Come To Believe?

How does someone come to believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Heaven, Hell, and everything in the Bible?

I’m visiting my 95-year-old aunt. She is one of the sweetest people I know, but she simply doesn’t believe. She asked me so kindly, “How can you believe in such things?”

That’s an honest question. To the human mind, it can feel like a stretch.

Think about it: God has always existed. He created the universe. Jesus left heaven, became a man, then returned to heaven. The Holy Spirit now lives in believers. And one day we will live in a new heaven and new earth.

Here are some of the Bible verses—the very book my aunt says is “man-made.”

The Bible says God has always been.

“Before the mountains were born and before you created the earth and the world, you are God. You have always been and you will always be” (Psalm 90:2 NCV).

God created the universe.

“In the beginning God created the sky and the earth” (Genesis 1:1 NCV).

Jesus left heaven to live among us.

“The Word became a human and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father—and he was full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NCV).

Jesus returned to heaven.

“After the Lord Jesus said these things to his followers, he was carried up into heaven, and he sat at the right side of God” (Mark 16:19 NCV).

The Holy Spirit came to live inside us.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NCV).

And one day, God will make all things new.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had disappeared” (Revelation 21:1 NCV).

So how does someone come to believe all of this?

Jesus said, “The Father is the One who sent me, and he draws people to me. I will raise them up on the last day” (John 6:44 NCV). Faith begins when God Himself opens our eyes.

It also comes through His Word. “Faith comes from hearing the Good News, and people hear the Good News when someone tells them about Christ” (Romans 10:17 NCV).

But it also requires a response. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. We believe with our hearts, and so we are made right with God. And we declare with our mouths that we believe, and so we are saved” (Romans 10:9-10 NCV).

Believing is not about having every answer. It is about trusting the One who gave His life for us. “God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NCV).

Faith is both a gift and a choice. God draws us, His Word stirs us, and we respond. And Jesus gave this promise: “The one who comes to me I will never send away” (John 6:37 NCV).

So where does this leave us? If someone is willing, we simply share the story. That’s all we can do.

Here’s the story: God is holy. Adam and Eve sinned, and every person since has sinned. But God reconciled sin through Jesus. He gave His Son to pay for our sin. If we accept Jesus’s sacrifice, God forgives every sin. It is a free gift. We just believe, accept this as truth, follow Christ, love God with all we are, and love others as ourselves. Our lifestyle and love become the evidence of our faith and belief.

It really is that simple. But someone has to share the story. Do we love God enough? Do we love others enough to take the risk of sharing? Someone’s very soul may depend on it. It may depend on you.

If you will - pray for her right now. I’ll share again today - and pray for me.

GOD, please make a way. Please help my aunt and anyone else who struggles to believe, trust, and accept. IJNIP amen ♥️