We know forgiveness of sins and eternal life comes through faith in Jesus Christ, but what does it mean to believe in Jesus? If you listen to some present the gospel, you might think it’s merely believing Jesus died on the cross to save you from your sins. But this was not the message of the apostles and the early church.

The New Testament gospel message is primarily about the identity of Jesus. In other words, it is not merely belief that Jesus did something, but that Jesus is who He said He is. It is not “Believe that Jesus can save you from your sins,” but “Believe in the identity of Jesus so that He can save you from your sins.” This may seem a trivial difference, but it’s not.

Jesus claimed many things about Himself:

• He claimed to be the Christ (John 4:26, 20:31, 1 John 5:1),
• He claimed to be the Lord (John 13:13, Acts 2:36),
• He claimed to be the Son of God (Matthew 16:16-17, John 6:69, 11:25-27),
• He claimed to be the Judge of all mankind (Matthew 7:22-23, 25:31-46, Acts 10:42, 17:31),
• and He claimed to be God Himself (John 8:24,58, 20:28-31, Isaiah 48:12).

In all of these, Jesus claimed to be in a position of authority over us, for these are all relational titles. For example, when He claimed to be the “Christ,” He claimed to be our rightful ruler (John 4:25-26, Isaiah 9:6-7). When He took the title “Lord,” He claimed the right to command us (Luke 6:46). When He claimed to be God, He claimed the right to be honored and glorified as God (John 5:22-23). In all of these claims, Jesus implied our proper response to Him is acceptance of His authority over us.

These are some strong claims! But we know Jesus told the truth because three days after He died, God raised Him from the dead. This was God’s stamp of approval on everything He said, for God would not have raised a liar and blasphemer. This is why the resurrection was so central to the gospel message of the apostles and early evangelists: it proved Jesus to be everything He claimed to be.

Christ, Lord, Son of God… all of these titles of authority are summed up in the phrase “the name of Jesus”. When you see the Bible speak of Jesus’ name, it’s talking about the authority God granted to Him. Philippians 2:9-11 says:

Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father

Saving faith is believing in the name, the God-given authority, of Jesus. You never see someone in the Bible called to believe in Jesus apart from His authority. For example, in Acts 16:30-31, when the Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (See also Acts 2:38, John 11:26-27, Romans 10:9, 1 John 5:13) Out of the thirty accounts of the gospel being presented to the lost in the book of Acts, not one mentioned Jesus’ death on a cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. While that doctrine is true and important, the apostles didn’t feel the need to include that in their message to the lost. All they mentioned was forgiveness of sins through belief in Jesus’ name.

The apostle John gave the purpose for his gospel in John 20:30-31:

Therefore Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.

Again, John based saving faith on the identity of Jesus. He also didn’t mention His death on a cross for our sins, even though that’s what makes salvation possible.

This is not to say you can’t tell the lost how salvation works. But the gospel call is not centered on that. It is centered on the identity and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyone who believes Jesus died for their sins on the cross, but doesn’t believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, is not saved (1 John 2:22-23, 4:15). But anyone who believes in and welcomes Jesus claims of authority over himself is saved, even if he doesn’t know how it works.

When you tell the lost about Jesus Christ, don’t just tell them about His death on the cross. Tell them who Jesus is. Give them the whole gospel!