What Must I Believe To Be Saved? 

Many who claim Jesus Christ as their savior believe they are saved by faith alone.  They feel that by simply believing in Jesus as the Son of God and that He died for our sins will get them into heaven.   Believing in the original Greek can and often does mean more than a simple mental acknowledgment of facts.  God’s Word is written to others for us to read.  What it meant to them is what it must mean to us today.   

Lesson Text:  John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” “He who believes in Me has everlasting life” (John 6:47).  “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Theme:  The purpose of this lesson is to examine what the NT writers wrote to their readership concerning believing in Jesus with the goal of determining what they needed to believe to be saved and then make the necessary applications to our own faith. 

The Hebrew Word for Believe:

We must keep in mind that many of the inspired recorders of God’s Word were Hebrews.   They spoke Greek because it was the most common language of the day across the Roman Empire.   While the language they used was Greek, the meaning of the word in their minds reflected traditional Hebrew meanings.  The word for “believe” in the mind of a Hebrew is a word of action and not just an abstract belief that something is true, and it dictated how they lived their lives.  In other words, if someone did not live according to it, they did not believe it.  This Hebrew word is where we get the word “Amen” from.  Today, when we end our prayers with the word “Amen,” we declare that what was said is true and trustworthy and must be acted upon in practice. 

Conversely, the opposite of the Hebrew word for “believe” means to disobey willfully.  The contrast between belief and disobedience is clearly seen in passages such as John 3:36, “He that believeth on the Son hath eternal life; but he that obeyeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him.” (ASV).   The Apostle Peter made a direct connection between belief and obedience in 1 Peter 2:7-8, “Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," 8 and "A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense."  They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”   The Hebrew writer wrote in Hebrews 3:18-19, “And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.”  In the Jewish mind, belief and obedience were interchangeable.  Only those who believe are obedient, and only those who are obedient believe.  Obedience, and not merely a mental acknowledgment of the fact, is the indicator of faith.   When we apply the truths of God’s Word to our lives today, our understanding of scripture must align with what the first readers understood.  What God’s Word meant to them is what it must mean to us, and to them, obedience was a necessary element of believing.

The Greek Word for Believe: 

The Greek word for believe also carries the element of obedience.  Stong’s defines it in its verb form as: NT:4100, to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e., credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):  Used in the KJV  - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.  The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament defines it thus: 

Pistós , which is attested first, means a. "trusting" (also with the nuance of "obedient") and b. "trustworthy," i.e., faithful, reliable.

Pisteúœ means "to trust" (also "to obey"), "to believe" (words), and in the passive, "to enjoy confidence" (cf. the later sense "to confide in").

In Greek, the word for believe or “faith” implies obedience to the words.  In other words, believing in Jesus implies believing what He said and taught.  This is very similar to the Hebrew meaning of the word. 

The English Word for Believe:

In all three languages, Hebrew, Greek, and English, the word “believe” means to accept something as the truth.   Words often have more than one sense in which they are meant to be understood.  The English word, “Believe” also carries the meaning of inferred obedience.  This is when one accepts something someone says as the truth.   To illustrate this, let’s consider a politician campaigning for votes by making promises.  We either believe him or not.  A vote for that candidate may indicate that you believe him.  After outlining his or her promises of what they will do if elected, they may say, “If you believe me, you will be better off.”    The appeal for your vote is inferred in the request for belief or faith. 

If he loses the election, he could infer that the voters did not believe him.  In this case, what the voters did was an indicator of their faith.  It could be rightly stated that the voters' decisions demonstrated whether they believed or had faith in what he said.   The election's winner could rightly say the voters had faith in him.  The election's loser could say, “I guess they didn’t believe me.”   So, the word “believe” is used in the English language to mean belief, or faith in someone based on what they say with the inference of action.   In this case, the need to vote or obey is understood in the appeal for faith.   

So, with all this in mind, let us apply this to the words of Jesus.  Before we do, let’s read something Jesus said that demonstrates the need to believe everything He said:  In John 12:44-49, we read, “Then Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.  45 And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.  46 I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.  47 And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.  48 He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”

While on earth, Jesus spoke words that He says we must believe.  The words of Jesus contain things we must do, actions we must take, and requirements for good behavior.    In verse 44, Jesus said, “"He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me” and in verse 48, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”   Just like the politician that appeals for faith that infers action from the voter, Our Lord and Savior, the creator of the universe, king of Kings and Lord of Lords, the author of eternal salvation and our judge on the last day has done the same thing. 

While on earth, Jesus did not judge.  Jesus has now ascended to heaven and is presently reigning from heaven.  What is left behind for now is His Words.  Do we believe them or not?   There is a last day coming in our future.  This is a day when we will all learn whether or not we believe in Jesus.   And we get an image of this day in John 5:28-29, “Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice  29 and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.”   Jesus says we must believe His Words, and on that final day, when we all stand before Him with eternity in balance, Jesus says how we lived in obedience to His words, which determine our fate.   Those who do well believe in Him and will live forever.  Those who do not do well reject Him and shall die forever. 

The title of this lesson is:

What Must I Believe To Be Saved?

Jesus says we must hear and believe in Him. 

John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”  Jesus declares the need to hear and to believe.  “Hearing” Jesus’ words means listening to, understanding, and paying heed to.  We must believe and obey His Words. 

Jesus says we must repent or perish:

Luke 13:3, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”  So here is something Jesus says we must do to be saved.  Those who perish are not saved.  Repenting means to stop practicing a sinful life and turn to live a godly life.  This is a life-changing, life-long decision that requires a permanent behavior change.  This means murderers stop killing, thieves stop stealing, adulterers stop living in sin, liars stop lying, and idolaters stop putting things ahead of God.  Jesus says we must give up, forsake our old lives, and live right.  Jesus says we cannot continue to live in sin and be saved. 

Do we believe Him?  

Confessing faith before men:

Jesus says in Matthew 10:32-33, “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.  33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.”  Jesus says we must declare our faith to unbelievers if we want Him to declare us before God. 

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Baptism:

Jesus says in Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.”  Keep in mind here that believing in Jesus means believing His words.  Refusing or failing to be baptized means you don’t believe Him.   And we know this is in water because of what Jesus said in John 3:5, “Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”  Water is part of it.  Baptism is how one is buried with Jesus in death and raised with him to walk in newness (born again) of life.  Romans 6:4.  Baptism/immersion is a burial and a resurrection from water. 

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Living Faithfully:

Jesus said in John 15:4-10 “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. 5 "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.  7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.  8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. 9 "As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.  10 If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. “ 

Jesus says living faithfully means keeping his commandments as a pattern for life.  We are to make a lifelong practice of living by His words.  

Do we believe Jesus or not?  Jesus certainly wasn’t lying when He said these things.  He wasn’t commanding anything that is unnecessary or false.  Is Jesus our King or Not?  Is Jesus our Lord or Not?  Are we faithful to Him or not?  Faith in Jesus requires faith in His Word.  This means believing everything He said.  And failure to live as Jesus directs in His Word is failure to believe Him. 

Do we believe in Him?  Do we believe Jesus meant this?

Works?

But wait preacher!!!   Listening, repenting, proclaiming our faith in Jesus and living by Jesus Words require works..  These are all works..    Didn’t Paul say we’re not saved by works?  

Paul taught that we are not saved by the works of the law of Moses.   Galatians 2:16

Paul taught that works cannot compel God to offer us His grace.    Ephesians 2:8-9

Paul never said that God’s grace covers a sinful lifestyle.  In fact, he taught the exact opposite in Romans 6:1-3, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”

Paul gave an entire list of behaviors that, if not repented of and continued to be practiced, would keep us out of heaven in Galatians 5:19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”  Paul wrote this to believers. He wrote this to Christians. 

Works cannot earn or merit the Grace of God, which made salvation possible.  Works cannot get us around the cross of Christ.  Works cannot repay the cost of salvation.  Works cannot earn salvation.  Paul made this fact crystal clear, but He never ever wrote that it was unnecessary to obey God’s Word.  He wrote the opposite in Romans 2:5-13, “But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who "will render to each one according to his deeds":  7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath, 9 tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; 10 but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.  12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law 13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified”

See also: 1 Corinthians 9:23-25, Philippians 2:12; 3:13, Galatians 6:7-9

No matter what we do, or how much we do in obedience to Jesus, we are still saved by grace through faith.  Grace freely makes salvation possible.  Our faith is our expression of belief in Jesus Christ and what He said and taught. 

Summary/Invitation

What Must I Believe To Be Saved? 

Answer:

Jesus answered this question to Satan’s face in Matthew 4:4, “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Do We Believe Jesus? 

Sermon prepared by David Hersey

November 3, 2024

The church of Christ at Granby, MO

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