![]() ![]() Maybe it’s my fear of heights speaking, but I don’t think one trusts the parachute and skydiving instructor unless one jumps. “I’m sure you’ll try your best, but just to be safe, I’m gonna sit down.” “But what if I mess up and turn our descent into a death spiral?” “You’re the instructor you know what you’re doing.” Your instructor asks, “Do you believe the parachute will work?” It says trust Jesus and have confidence in Him. John 3:16 does not say to believe in Jesus to have everlasting life. It means to believe, to entrust, to have confidence in something. The Greek word pisteuó carries connotations of deep trust and confidence. The ancient Greek word for “believe” is pisteuó, which derives from “belief” or “ pistis.” The word “ pistis” stems from peíthō, to persuade or be persuaded. If the Greek word had a different or more nuanced meaning, maybe I would gain a new perspective on faith vs. PisteuōĬurious and perplexed, I decided to research the Greek word translated as “believe” in John 3:16 and elsewhere in the New Testament. We experience the relational destruction of living selfishly or harming others.īut one doesn’t need to be Christian, spiritual, or religious to possess those intuitions and experiences and live a moral, good life.Įxcept, one could believe Jesus is God’s Son and died for our salvation and attend church every Sunday while also being a terrible person who lives an immoral life.Ī person could commit all the sins but then confess Jesus as Lord on his deathbed, just in case.īoth those circumstances would seem to run counter to large swaths of Paul’s letters and the admonitions of James. Intuitively, we know that we should treat others with respect and kindness, that some things benefit us, and that other things harm us. And if salvation comes solely from faith in Jesus, why are Christians so concerned about behavior?.And/or am I anxiously trying to prove my salvation?.Or have I been socialized to live this way? How can I know the difference?.Am I living morally and doing good works because I’ve been internally transformed by the Holy Spirit?.So, you live morally and perform good works.īut that logic begs some sticky questions:.If you’re transformed, you want to live morally and perform good works.If you’re saved, you’re transformed by the Holy Spirit.Most Christians say that one must not be truly saved if one lives immorally and eschews good works. How do we make sense of the apparent contradiction of faith and good works in the New Testament? ( James 2, NIV)ĭepending on which passage you’re reading, the New Testament tells us we are saved by faith alone, and we are saved by how we live. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? ( 1 Corinthians 6:9, NIV)Īnd the Book of James smacks us aside the head: ![]() Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. … we have an obligation - but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. Yet Paul also writes extensively about the Godly, moral, correct way to live. ( Romans 10:9, NIV)įor it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. …we have been justified through faith … ( Romans 5, NIV) That’s what most pastors preach, and most ministries teach. Is it by faith alone? That’s what the Bible says. Still, the tension between faith and good works bothers me. I believe we are “saved” for everlasting life through faith alone. We teach it to our children early and reinforce it as they grow.īut do we know what John 3:16 means? Faith vs. We use it when evangelizing and explaining our faith. Its elegant simplicity helps make John 3:16 the best-known, most memorized verse in the Bible. God gave Jesus so that those who believe in Him can have everlasting life. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |