There is no greater need in life — no higher calling, no deeper purpose — than to belong to Jesus Christ. Everything hinges on that. Eternal life, freedom from sin, peace with God — all of it begins and ends with whether or not we truly belong to Christ. The angel made that plain even before Jesus was born, saying in Matthew 1:21, “You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” He came to save his people — not just anyone in general, but those who are his, those who follow him.
But who are his people, really? It’s not just those who say they believe. It’s not those who go to church once in a while, or even those who grew up in a Christian environment. Jesus himself addressed this directly in John 8. There, we’re told that he was speaking to people who believed in him — and yet he told them, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31–32)
That’s a big deal. These people already believed, but Jesus made it clear — belief alone isn’t the whole picture. The test is whether you continue in his word. Following Jesus means more than liking the idea of him. It means remaining in his teaching, living by his words, and allowing those words to shape your life. And only then, Jesus says, do you know the truth. Only then are you truly free — free from sin, free from deception, free from trying to live life your own way apart from God.
This is the heartbeat of discipleship. Jesus didn’t just come to save us from punishment — he came to save us from sin itself, to change us, to give us new life. So to belong to him is to walk with him. To trust him. To obey him. You can’t claim to belong to Christ while walking in rebellion to his teachings. And the New Testament never gives comfort to that kind of contradiction.
Paul picks up this same message and makes it plain to the churches. In Romans 8:9 he writes, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” That’s strong. Belonging to Jesus isn’t just something we say — it’s something that’s confirmed by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the sign of belonging. And what does the Spirit do? He leads us to obey Christ, to hate sin, to love truth, to walk in newness of life. If the Spirit is in us, that means Jesus is in us — and if Jesus is in us, there will be fruit. There will be change.
That’s why Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you — unless, of course, you fail the test?” It’s not about fear or legalism — it’s about reality. If we say we’re Christians, but we don’t follow Christ — if we claim to believe, but we reject his teachings — then we have to ask: Do we really belong to him?
The apostle John says the same thing in 2 John 9. He writes, “Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” That’s the line in the sand. To leave behind the teaching of Jesus — to step outside his truth, or pick and choose from his words — is to step outside of fellowship with God. But to continue in his teaching is to walk in the light, to know the Father and the Son, and to live in the truth.
So here’s the call today: Don’t settle for a shallow belief in Jesus. Don’t stop at the starting line. Jesus invites those who believe in him into discipleship — a life of trust, surrender, obedience, and transformation. That’s what it means to truly belong to him. And that’s where the joy and freedom are found.
Be one of the people who hold fast to the words of Christ. Test your hearts, invite the Spirit to lead you, and live in such a way that there’s no question: you belong to him.
Stephen D Green, with ChatGPT
