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Author
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Topic: Do we have to believe in two things or in just one thing to receive eternal life?
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oneinchrist
Advanced Member
Member # 6532
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posted
I would like to add that when speaking of sufficieny in things, that there is no question in the sufficiency of the atonement of Jesus. God has done his part....now all that remains is for us to properly appropriate His Word through faith. There may be differences on what that means to properly appropriate His Word....but I know one thing for sure....If we do as Jesus says we cannot go wrong...period. With love in Christ, Daniel.
Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007
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oneinchrist
Advanced Member
Member # 6532
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posted
Sufficiency in our confession is one thing and sufficiency in our heart belief is another. The sufficiency of our confession can be judged by other believers, but the sufficiency in our heart belief is the judgement of our Lord. Let no one be deceived, for the sufficiency in our heart belief will be tried by our adversary, the devil himself. God will allow it to test the genuineness of our verbal confession. This truth should humble every one of us in our weakness. With love in Christ, Daniel.
Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007
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Eden
unregistered
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posted
oneinchrist posted the following:
"Believe," pisteuo (pist-yoo-oh); Strong's #4100: The verb form of pistis, "faith". It means to trust in, have faith in, be fully convinced of, acknowledge, rely on."
Eden here:
I think it is sufficient to believe that Jesus of Nazareth died for my sins and that Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead.
I think it would be a given that if some dude can raise himself from the dead, I would be HAPPY to call that resurrected person Son of God.
But it may be that we have to believe that Jesus of Nazareth was born by the Holy Spirit overwhelming the virgin Miriam (or Mary, Maria), and that we have to believe THAT account.
Or is believing in the resurrection by itself sufficient to prove that Jesus WAS therefore the Son of God?
With Christian love,
Eden
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Rogg
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Member # 5394
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posted
If you truly believe something it is active and not passive.
If you truly believe on him or in him, you will be obedient to his word.
And includes all of his commandments.
And this is how deep it goes...
I was told that the founder of McDonalds hamburgers gave satan credit for its huge success.
Though I don't know this as an absolute fact, I don't doubt it.
Now I believe the Lord has put it on my heart that it is food sacrificed to idols.
The Bible tells us, if it is offered to you by a guest, You don't have to refuse it.
But we are to abstain from it.
Do I believe it and take it on faith and be obedient, and not eat it, or do I discount it as a myth and continue eating it?
Posts: 83 | From: St. Louis MO | Registered: Jan 2006
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oneinchrist
Advanced Member
Member # 6532
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posted
There are several scriptures that affirm the truth that believing is a condition for salvation. It appears that the misunderstanding may come on the definition of believing in God or Christ. The Wycliffe bible dictionary provides an extensive definition of the word "believe" as used in scripture. Chaplain Bob, it sounds like your reply centers more around James 2:19 which states that the devils also believe, and tremble. I will provide the full definition as it appears in my Bible dictionary.
BELIEVE. The verb form is related to faith, meaning "to have confidence in," "to trust," "to accept as true and reliable," In the NT it often has the force of "obey"; e.g. "believe the gospel"(Mk 1:15;1 Thess 2:13) and "obey the gospel" (Rom 10:16; 2 Thess 1:8; 1Pet 4:17; cf Rom 1:5).
"Believe is used to translate the Heb. aman, "to build up or support," "to render firm or faithful, "to trust," "to stand still"; and the Gr. pisteuo, "to have faith or trust," "put trust in," "commit"; or more rarely peithomai, passive, "to assent, rely," "have confidence in," "be persuaded."
When used with God or Christ as its object, to believe means three things: (1) to assent to the truth of what He says or makes known; (2) to receive and trust Him personally; and (3) to commit oneself to Him in obedience. "Believe" is often used with the preposition "in" or "on"; e.g., "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (Acts 16:31), to stress elements of trust and commitment. Believing must not be intellectualized and considered only in terms of assent to truth. Truth about God is necessary ("He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him," Heb 11:6), but it is not sufficient (Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble," Jas 2:19, and are still demons!).
In the religious sense, believing depends upon divine revelation, and is always related to the revelation in the personal and written Word. Believing is thus the human response to the initiative God has taken in His redemptive acts, which are made known to men through the written and preached Word: "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? ....so then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom 10:13-15,17) In the High Priestly prayer Jesus said, "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word" (Jn 17:20).
Since faith is response to grace, it involves no element of merit. We are not, strictly speaking saved by faith; rather it is through faith: "By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph 2:8-9).
See also Faith
My KJV bible aslo includes the word believe in Word Wealth and it states....
Believe, pisteuo (pist-yoo-oh); Strongs #4100: The verb form of pistis, "faith". It means to trust in, have faith in, be fully convinced of, acknowledge, rely on. Pisteuo is more than credence in church doctrines or articles of faith. It expresses reliance upon and a personal trust that produces obedience. It includes submission and a positive confession of the Lordship of Jesus.
Eden, you have been using the word "believe" in many of your posts. I hope these definitions help give you a scriptural understanding of how the word applies. With love in Christ. Daniel
Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007
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Chaplain Bob
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Member # 5019
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posted
What you believe in no way provides you with salvation. You can't believe your way to eternal life. Your salvation was provided when a loving God chose to sacrifice His only Son to pay for your sins. What you are required to do is choose to repent (turn around and follow God) and the shed blood of Jesus washes away your sins and allows you to enter eternal life. In other words - it is the shed blood of our Lord and not anything you believe that grants you salvation. The teaching that one must believe something about Jesus to be saved is a false and dangerous teaching.
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In His Service,
Bob Allen
Posts: 209 | From: Checotah, Oklahoma | Registered: Aug 2005
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becauseHElives
Advanced Member
Member # 87
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posted
both are needful...
Hbr 11:6
But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Yahweh]: for the individual that cometh to Yahweh must believe that Yahweh is The great I AM, Creator of the universe, Heaven, Earth and all living creatures, and that He became a man born of a virgin to redeem back mankind, His crown and glory of creation, lost to Him by an act of willful disobedience by the first man Adam, but as a loving Father is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
The Holy Spirit is always calling to all men and women.
Those that will respond to His call, diligently seek after Yahweh will be rewarded with eternal life.
Salvation is by the Sovereign Grace (Yahweh’s divine power and ability) drawing mankind through Faith (mankind’s responsibility) to seek after Yahweh with the whole heart which the heavenly Father rewards. Salvation is by the Grace through Faith) to seek after Yahweh with the whole heart with eternal life.
Please understand I am not talking about works for salvation but a condition of the heart,
Faith honors and pleases God because it says two things about Him.
1) He is God (I am not)
2) He is good and worth seeking
Fear dishoners God because behind all fear there are two things you believe about God. (Both or either.)
1) He isn't powerful enough or
2) He doesn't care enough
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Strive to enter in at the strait gate:for many, I say unto you will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. ( Luke 13:24 )
Posts: 4578 | From: Southeast Texas | Registered: Jun 2002
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oneinchrist
Advanced Member
Member # 6532
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posted
Hi Eden,
Praise God. Something interesting was that after I had posted about us understanding the Lordship of Jesus in our lives, it brought to my mind the importance of who He is, yes, the Son of God. I think we were on the same thoughtline then Eden...because I didnt exactly use those words in my post but later on in the day the thought popped in my head....He is Lord because He is the Son of God. With love in Christ. Daniel
Posts: 1389 | From: Wind Lake, WI | Registered: May 2007
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Eden
unregistered
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posted
Do we have to believe in two things or in just one thing to receive eternal life?
I am indebted to oneinchrist (in my paraphrase of his words) for reminding/teaching me that it probably is NOT ENOUGH to just believe that Jesus died for my sins, but I also need to believe that Jesus was either (a) the Son of God, or (b) in the resurrection of Jesus (either one of these will do).
Because Jesus CANNOT have been a MERE human; if Jesus was a mere human he would have been sinful and such a self-sacrifice, even on the cross, could not have paid for the sins in a human’s conscience. Only the value of the Son of God can pay for the sin on people’s consciences.
As a result I thank oneinchrist for reminded me, Eden, in a Topic that it was NOT ENOUGH to just believe that Jesus DIED FOR ME ON THE CROSS, but that a WOULD-BE believer also has to believe that Jesus was NOT A MERE HUMAN.
My question then is: Are there people who believe only half of the right answer. And the answer is, yes, me; I was teaching that all that was necessary to believe was that Jesus died for my sins; but oneinchrist pointed out to me that one ALSO has to believe that Jesus either was the Son of God or resurrected.
Do others agree that we need to believe BOTH things? (Thanks, oneinchrist, I think you are right-on about that; I’ve started to add that Son of God or resurrection part to my posts already; thanks again, thank You, Lord)
With love,
Eden
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