The Absurdity of Belief

John 3:15
Some people have a hard time with the "just believe" prerequisite for salvation.  They are convinced that there must be more than belief to stand before God justified.  Yet, that is exactly what Christ and the Apostles teach.  It almost seems just too good to be true.  Let me take you back to an Old Testament story to explain this phenomenon.  The story is from the book of Numbers and is about Moses in the wilderness. 
The Children of Israel were murmuring against God about being brought into the wilderness to die and so God sent "fiery" serpents in response.  The word fiery might mean when they bit there was a burning sensation as the people were dieing.  But more likely it followed the definition of "cruel."  These snakes were not as wild ones trying to get away from man; they were out to kill.  The serpents were sent with the mission to condemn the sinners to death.  Well the people cried out to God so that He would remove the snakes.  It seemed like a simple solution.  They were sorry and God sent the snakes, so He now can remove them; we got the picture.  But instead God told Moses to fashion a bronze serpent and put it at the top of a pole.  Everyone who "looked" to the serpent would be healed.  Now that took great faith.
God did not say "prove your pentitent hearts by doing something."  He didn't call them to clean up their act or promise never again to grumble.  The solution provided was simply to look up to the staff and they would be healed.  Probably if it had been some "law-based" idea it would be easier to believe, but to look at stick with a bronze snake on it must have seemed too easy.  I don't like snakes around even harmless, non-venomous snakes; I would have rather God just taken them away.  We could imagine the arguments people gave when He didn't.  Just look? Is that enough?
Bronze in the bible always signifies judgment; God told Moses to fashion the likeness of the judgment (bronze snake) on a staff.  The thing that was killing them was molded in judgment and if the people believed (trusted in absolutely) in that judgment they were healed and saved.  Jesus later says that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so the Son of man must be lifted up.  He became what was killing us; that perfect man who never sinned was twisted in judgment so that we could be healed.  By His stripes you are healed. 
All He calls us to do is to look to Him and believe.  Not just believe that He died and was raised; but that is what it takes to be saved.  He calls us to trust in His provision.  We can't save ourselves by works of the law; we have to trust that what Jesus did was enough to please and appease God.  There is no one else who can save us from our sin.  If you trust in Him but feel like you also need to do something to help you can't be saved.  You have to fall completely on His grace.  Pretty scary, but that is what real faith is, trusting absolutely in the Finished Work of Christ.