When Jesus walked the earth as we know He had quite a number of followers. Everywhere He went He was swarmed with people trying to get close to Him, to touch Him or whatever. During these times all these people would have said they were believers in Him. Even His apostles that followed Him wherever He went said they would never leave His side. One of them, Peter said He would never deny Him. I think we know what happened to Peter after Jesus was arrested.

In Matthew 10:22 it says that those that endure to the end shall be saved. The “end” He was talking about was Him going to the cross. How many endured to the end? How many followers did Jesus have when He went to the cross? How many believed on Him when that great day came? The answer to that is none. Even Peter who said He would never deny Him denied Him three times. Jesus knew Peter would deny him of course and he told him he would deny him three times. And during one of those times he began cursing. Is it not a bit strange there was no one around Him at the cross saying they were believers?

If they could doubt after having viewed all the miracles, what about the people in our day that have never seen Jesus? Was it not easier for them to believe on Him simply because they had seen all the miracles He did? They even saw Him raise the dead. Should that not have made believers out of them? Jesus went to the cross without any believers. After they died what did they do? Most of them went fishing. What exactly did they believe? They believed because they saw, which is why Jesus said it very clearly “blessed are they that believe without seeing”. What they believed in was what He did while here on earth and not Who He was.

I think Jesus also meant that blessed are those that believe after they know they are redeemed. The disciples believed based on the works that they saw. A believer now should believe based on the fact of what Christ has done and has made them to be before they ever believed. Does my believing redeem me or does knowing I am redeemed make a believer out of me? That is the true question we must ask ourselves.

I am a believer because I know what the Lord has done for me. Becoming a believer is not when a person is redeemed. Redemption was done at the cross and has nothing to do with my believing. Knowing I am redeemed makes a believer out of me and not the other way around. When you see your redemption and what it means, you will become a believer. Jesus went to the cross without any believers. They only became believers after they knew they had been redeemed. They were not believers before the cross as they only believed in what He did and not on Who He was and His purpose for being on earth. They believed in the works He did. Do you still believe in the works you do? Or are you believing because of what He did which was redeeming the whole world? In what or whom do you trust today? Something to think about today.