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NASB | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 3:16 ¶ "For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life. |
Subject: What does the word"believe"involve |
Bible Note: John 20:30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; John 20:31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. Ed, You seem to be defining believing as simply knowing the truth. That’s not the definition I gave. Saving faith is not simply knowing (understanding) the truth about Christ. It is also assenting to that truth. It is knowing the truth AND accepting it as the truth. I know the doctrines of evolution, but that does not me a believer of evolution. I do not believe evolution even though I know its teachings. James does not contract Paul. He does not teach that we’re saved by believing and doing something good. In the James verse the only object of faith that’s attributed to the demons is monotheism. While believing that the God of Abraham is monotheistic is a good thing, such faith will not save you from the condemnation of His Law. But by believing that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God you will have life in his name. (John 20:30, 31) Further, Jesus did not die for demons. “[W]hoever believes in Him shall not perish...” is not addressed to devils; it’s address to man. |