Results 1 - 10 of 10
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Braven | 226797 | ||
What does the word"believe"involve | ||||||
2 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Lionstrong | 226823 | ||
Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Some people complicate and obscure the meaning of believe with a lot of religious mumbo jumbo. What they wind up doing is making “believe” either incomprehensible or turning it into works so that instead of being justified by believing (faith) one is justified by works. But there is no special biblical meaning to the word believe (translated “faith” when used in its noun form). The only difference in the Bible is the OBJECT of what one believes. But the meaning of the word believe is the same whether the object is the Gospel of the Lord Jesus or a message in a letter from your friend. But because the salvation of God is of free grace (Rom 6:23), people are tempted to make believing as hard as possible while trying not to make it appear that one is contributing some of his own efforts towards his salvation. No, to believe means what many religious people hate. They call it “easy believism.” To believe means to mentally accent to an understood statement. It is to agree, to accept that a proposition, a message, a statement is true. It’s as simple as that, and it must be that way because of the nature of our sin, the holiness and justice of God, and the person work of Christ. The thoroughness of our corruption in sin makes us incapable of rendering anything acceptable to God towards our salvation. The holiness and justice of God make it impossible for any of our good efforts to remove His just wrath and punishment for our sins. And the person and work of Christ makes any contribution on our part superfluous and insulting to His life, crucifixion, and resurrection. Any contribution from our polluted selves would make a mockery of the truth that “Jesus paid it all, all to him I owe.” So, to believe is easy. But if one wants to make believing the Gospel hard, all we need to realized is that it is impossible for a sinner, dead in his sin (Eph 2) to believe the Gospel. To believe the Gospel is a gift from God. "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" Eph 2:8 |
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3 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Beja | 226829 | ||
Lionstrong, You make some rather authoritive sounding statements here. I can not help but to wonder what dictionary or source you ground your confidence in? As I look at "A Greek English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature" third edition, also more commonly known as BDAG I see a variety of five definitions to the word pisteuo. The overwhelming majority of New Testament instances are judged by them to be within the first three possibilities and I shall reproduce them here for you. 1. To consider something to be true and therefore worthy of one's trust, believe. 2. To entrust oneself to an entity in complete confidence, blieve (in) trust. 3. Entrust Do you see how in each of these they involve not only mental accent but they also involve trusting in something? Now perhaps EdB put a little extra flourish on how he described it, but what he was drawing out is this element of trust that is involved in the word. B.B. Warfield has an article in his book on theology that traces the scriptural notion through its Hebrew predecessors and on into the greek so that its idea can be traced throughout scripture and, while I admitedly have only found time to skim the discussion, it did draw out this idea of trust that is tied up to the verb. At the end it seems to be not just what you hold to be true, but what is it that you are placing your confidence in for that coming day of judgement. So I just wonder what source leads you to the conclusion that, "To believe means to mentallcy accent to an understood statement. It is to agree, to accept that a proposition, a message, a statement is true. It's as simple as that..." Keep in mind we are speaking of the greek word pisteuo and not our english word "believe." Now, with regard to "easy believism." This is truely an abhorrent doctrine, but I would have you understand what it is about. Easy Believism is not a derrogitory term that people throw at the doctrine of Justification by faith alone. I wholey believe we are saved by faith alone without works based on the merits of the finished word of Christ. However, I deny that faith will ever be alone, but faith comes hand in hand with repentence and other graces from God, though admitedly faith being the one of them which unites us to the death, burial, and ressurection of our Lord. This then is the heart of easy believism, the teaching that faith may dwell in a heart that is devoid of all other graces, most significantly repentence. And we should know that this is not true when we have a passage such as James chapter two, beggining with verse 14. Jas 2:14-17 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. Linger on this passage with me and let me make some observations. 1. He asks a pointed question about a faith which is not accompanied by works. "Can that faith save him?" A very direct question! 2. His answer is to compare that faith with somebody who simply verbally blesses a man who is hungry and without clothing, and he asks, what good is that? His point being that it is no good whatsoever. 3. He concludes that in the same way, the faith without works is dead. In other words, James says that such a faith indeed can not save them. Now the point is not that a man is saved by these works, but rather that a saving faith will never be found apart from other graces such as repentence unto a changed life. A chief aspect of that changed life being love. So let us throw in our lot with scripture and reject this notion of "easy believism." I do not say that we ever reject a simple trust in Christ as the source of salvation, but rather let us reject the notion that this simple faith will ever be found alone in a believer. Because when we believe, we receive the spirit, and those who have the spirit will indeed be changed from one glory to another. To quote our beloved John, whom you as well as I seem to be fond of, "No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God." 1 John 3:9 ESV. In Christ, Beja |
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4 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Lionstrong | 226837 | ||
Unless you're saying that the Bible teaches that we are saved by believing and good works, I don't disagree with you. There's not much difference between believeing and trusting. Both are mental activities and not external works of God's good and holy Law. Because of the effect of indwelling sin, however, we can never know if we have "complete confidence." And the Lord does not require complete confidence. The gift of believing, even if it is the size of a mustard seed is sufficient for salvation. We should not be content with a little faith, however. We should continually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Chirst Jesus. 1 Pet. 3:18 |
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5 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Beja | 226843 | ||
Lionstrong, "Unless you're saying that the Bible teaches that we are saved by believing and good works" I'm not. Merely that saving faith will be accompanied by good works, which play no part in meriting our salvation but they go towards evidencing the reality of the salvation God has already worked in us. "We can never know if we have 'complete confidence'" I think we can have complete confidence, this is the doctrine of assurance. "the Lord does not require complete confidence." Amen. I'll say amen at least within the context of our discussion. I affirm that assurance of salvation and salvation are two different things. "The gift of believing, even if it is the size of a mustard seed is sufficient for salvation" Amen again. It is not dependent on the greatness of our faith but the object of our faith, Jesus Christ. "We should not be content with a little faith, however. We should continually grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus." Amen and amen! The heart of my post is what you state you are willing to accept: that scriptural faith involves trust upon the work of Christ and not merely acceptance of the doctrines of the work of Christ. The rest of my post was merely to inform you that "easy believism" is actually something else which I doubt you mean to ascribe to and not an insult thrown at the great pillar of "Faith Alone." In Christ, Beja |
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6 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Lionstrong | 226844 | ||
"scriptural faith involves trust upon the work of Christ and not merely acceptance of the doctrines of the work of Christ." I guess I don't know what you mean by trust. If I assent to (sorry for the previous misspellings) and understand that Jesus is the Son of God, the secon Person of the Trinity; if I assent to and understand that God raised Him from the dead after He paid the believer's debt on the cross; if I assent to and understand that, "...he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."(John 5:24), how am I not trusting in the work of Christ? |
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7 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | DD4Truth | 226845 | ||
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8 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Lionstrong | 226847 | ||
DD So, to believe means to have faith "conjoined with obedience to Christ." So, one is saved from the wrath of God by having faith conjoined with obedience to Christ. How is this believing different from salvation by good works? Rom 3:28 For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Eph 2:9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. Acts 16:30 and after he brought them out, he said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Acts 16:31 They said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." |
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9 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | DD4Truth | 226853 | ||
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10 | What does the word"believe"involve | John 3:16 | Beja | 226855 | ||
DD4Truth, Post two, please read post one first. 4. You missunderstand what is being said in Heb 3:18-19. Yes we see a wondrous interplay between faith and obedience in Heb 3. We are reminded that the two are remarkably interconnected. But you miss the connection! Heb 3:18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? Heb 3:19 So we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief. He refers here, of course, to the Hebrew people in the desert. Search out for me now in the Old testament where God makes this statment. Heb 3:11 AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, 'THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.'" Now rightly the writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalm 95, but where does the quote originate in the wilderness wonderings? You will find no direct quote. David is putting the judgements recorded in Numbers 14 into his own words here. And what is the context of numbers 14? God has told his people to go in and take the land for He would give it into their hand. The spied returned and counseled disobedience to the people. The told them to not go in for the inhabitants were too strong. Why did they counsel this? Because they did not believe the word of God when He told them that He would give it to them. So we see here their disobedience found its root in unbelief. This is exactly the writers of Hebrews' point! Which is why his warning to them was against unbelief! Heb 3:12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. Now it is very true that our unbelief often expresses itself in disobedience, but the writer of Hebrews shows clearly that this disobedience finds its ugly root in unbelief This being the cheif enemy. 5. You state "just because God gives us something as a gift does not mean that He can not require something of us to receive the gift." Of course this is true. Though that is the question, is it faith, or is it faith and obedience? And whicheve it is, does it find its root ultimately in us or in God? 6. You quote 2 Thess 1:8. I presume you mean to focus on the phrase "those who do not obey the gospel." Indeed, the gospel contains a command to repent. There is no salvation without repentence. But the gospel also contains a command to believe. Neither one finds its ultimate source in us, but both are gifts of God. Who opens are eyes to the glory of God in the face of Christ? 2Co 4:6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. Mat 16:17 And Jesus said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Who gives repentence? Act 11:18 When they heard this, they quieted down and glorified God, saying, "Well then, God has granted to the Gentiles also the repentance that leads to life." 7. You quote Jesus in his statements of those who do and do not do his words. I say to them, amen! Again, there is no salvation without sanctification, but blessed is he who is counted righteous apart from works! Rom 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: And blessed is that soul that as a result of the new covenant in Christ's blood experiences what Ezekiel described. Eze 36:27 "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Blessed is that precious soul who does not receive salvation by works, but rather receives his works by salvation! There is more, but I will let it rest there. In Christ, Beja |
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