What does it mean to "believe" (John 3:16-18)?
John 3:18 The one who believes in Him [Jesus] is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.
John 3:16 - 21
AMP - 16 For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. 17 For God did not send the Son into the world in order to judge (to reject, to condemn, to pass sentence on) the world, but that the world might find salvation and be made safe and sound through Him.
Anonymous
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Ezekiel Kimosop
Supporter
What Does it Mean to Believe? John 3:16-18 The Greek word for "believes" in John 3:16 is πιστεύω which is a present active verb participle. This implies that the believer exercises continuous action or keeps on believing. Their trust in God's saving grace is a consistent and continuing experience. This is what transforms a sinner from sinful depravity to a child of God; from an alien to a member of God's household of faith; rom death to life. The sinner who turns to Christ in faith therefore consistently places their trust in Him. It is upon this faith action that his assurance of eternal life in Christ is anchored. The sinner does not need to do more than trusting and submitting to God in obedience to Christ and walking with Him in covenant faithfulness. Ephesians 2:8-9 says "8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast" (NKJV). This action separates the believer from the sinner who rejects God's saving grace in Christ and stands condemned unless and until they turn to Christ (John 3:17). This text of Scripture implies that God's atonement in Christ Jesus is open to all sinners without prior distinction or discrimination. No sinner is excluded from the invitation to God's saving grace! It affirms that the sinner's exercise of free will in choosing obedience is a legitimate action contemplated in Scripture. This biblical truth effectively discounts the deterministic theories of total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace. These theories are founded on the philosophical assumption that God chose those to be saved outside Calvary and that Christ's atonement is limited to this set of chosen or selected sinners. Nothing could be further from the truth! The invitation to faith in Christ is the rallying call that lies at the heart of an authentic gospel proclamation. The sinner must exercise their faith in Christ in order to receive the atonement. They must believe in order that God's saving grace in Christ Jesus is applied to them at that very moment.
Mark Vestal
Supporter
To believe something or to believe in something is simply to recognize this as being truth. For instance: - Is the existence in God a truth? - Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? - Was Christ the Son sent by God the Father to make atonement for the world's sins? - Was He buried, but rose from the grave on day three for our justification? To believe to the affirmative in the above questions is to recognize the Truth that is required of us by God for His eternal acceptance, and true foundation for our growth in faith (belief). 1 Cor 3:11 "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." To believe in Jesus Christ is to acknowledge the Truth in His existence for us.
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