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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Isn't 24 more than one? | Acts 2:38 | Morant61 | 133490 | ||
Greetings Rowdy! You wrote: "I'm only trying to be as precise as you are endeavoring to do. My whole answer in this regard is hinged on the fact nowhere in the Bible does God depict a concept of getting salvation with just simple belief without some kind of proof." Yet, you can't be precise if you don't actually listen to what these 24 verses say. :-) You also wrote: "The verses you've cited point toward that process and belief is absolutely a very necessary step in the right direction." Let's look at a couple and see if they mention anything about 'belief' being part of the process or just a first step in the right direction. Of course, one of the best places to start is Acts 16:31. Notice the context! In Acts 16:30, the jailer asks Paul, "What must I do to be saved?" Now, this is a very important question. One would think that the inspired Word of God would give a full and complete answer to this question. What was God's answer? Acts 16:31 - "They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.'" What? There is no mention of baptism being necessary for salvation? There is no mention of obeying a bunch of rules and regulations for salvation? What is going on here? The answer is stated quite plainly in response to a direct question. There is only ONE THING NECESSARY for salvation - Faith! Notice what Paul did not say! He did not say, 'Believe, be baptized, and be a good person!'. The only time baptism is mentioned is after the jailer has already believed, and thus, according to v. 30, already saved. To teach anything else is make Acts 16:31 a lie! How about another example? John 3:36 - "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him." Does this verse list any other qualification? Who has eternal life? The one who was baptized or the one who believes? Now, what about the famous, 'The devil believes' argument? First of all, one cannot take it out of context. James 2 is dealing with people 'who CLAIM to have faith' but who don't really have it. How do we know that they don't really have it? Simple, their lives do not evidence the fruit of the Spirit that Scripture clearly says will be present in the life of a real believer. James is not speaking about how to 'get saved', but about the evidence of salvation. Now, let's look at James 2:19. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder." Nowhere does this verse say that demons have 'faith' in God. It says that they believe that there IS one God. They believe in a fact. There is no mention of 'belief' in the sense of repentance or acceptance of salvation. So, I am not 'sidestepping' an important point my friend. The 'point' has no relevance to the topic. Many people 'believe' that God exists, but have never 'believed' IN HIM. Now, from the 24 verses that I posted, would you care to show me where any of them mention 'faith' being a first step? :-) Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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2 | Isn't 24 more than one? | Acts 2:38 | winged1 | 133536 | ||
Hello Tim and Rowdy I remember a speaker coming to my school for Spiritual Emphasis Week who really explained this one story to us. The story is found in Mark 5:21-34. Jesus was going to heal the young girl and the woman with the bleeding condition touches him and is healed. Now Mark says that she just touched his clothes, but Matthew says "the edge of his cloak". Now what the speaker told us was that women in this condition were unclean. When she touched Jesus, a rabbi, she made him unclean, so according to the law he would have to cleanse himself before praying or doing anything like that. Not only that, but she grabbed his prayer shawl, because there was a tradition that the tassels on the Messiah's prayer shawl would heal. She believed that he was the Messiah, and she put her whole trust for her health and really for her normal adult life in his relationship with his father, symbolized by his prayer shawl. Her uncleanness is transferred to him. By doing so, she could be severly punished, I'm not sure if that means she could be stoned. In another place, Jesus chastens the Pharisees and scribes for making their tassels so long, so as to suggest that they might be the Messiah or could heal people. When Jesus asks who did it, she "told him the whole truth". She trembles, but she confesses her faith in him, and her trust in his power. Then Jesus says "Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from her suffering." Now the way I feel the Lord has lead me for a while now is there is belief and there is faith. The difference is that a person can believe that Jesus and all he did was true, but unless he trusts himself to God, unless he "throws his whole weight on" God's promise. Unless he risks his soul by entrusting it to Jesus' work, he is not saved. So when Satan and his fallen angels believe, it is of this first kind, I think. The kind of belief that gets us saved is the kind that is willing to take Christ at his word and seek salvation from no other. I don't know if this distinction will help the discussion at hand, but it may be edifying anyway. God bless and may He speak through this forum Jo |
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3 | Isn't 24 more than one? | Acts 2:38 | Morant61 | 133546 | ||
Greetings Jo! Thanks for the contribution. I think you are right. Demons 'believe' that there is a God, because they know for a fact that there is a God. However, they have placed their faith in Him or His promises. To phrase it another way, they believe 'that' God exists, but they have not believed 'in' Him. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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