Summary You will be very surprised at the vast wealth of understanding that the Scriptures provide us through this one, vital word. In the split sermon today, we’re going to take a closer look at what it means to believe. Download Link Right click and "Save as..." to Download

 

---

INTRO:

Please take a moment to think carefully on these questions:

• What do you believe?
• Why do you believe?
• Do you believe everything you hear?
• Do you believe in the gospel?
• Do you believe in salvation?
• Do you believe in eternal life?
• Is believing a commandment?
• Do you ever have a heart of unbelief?
• Do you suffer in belief?
• How faithful is your belief?
• Do you have the power to believe?

So, what do you believe?

President Ronald Reagan said, “Within the covers of one single book, the Bible, are all the answers to all the problems that face us today—if only we would read and believe.”

S.P.S.:

I believe (no pun intended!), you will be very surprised at the vast wealth of understanding that the Scriptures provide us through this one, vital word.

In the split sermon today, we’re going to take a closer look at what it means to believe.

BODY:

          The word believe appears 44 times in the Old Testament, and 239 times in the New Testament. It is given a lot of “air time” in the Scriptures. It is a word that we would do well to look into with more detail. Some equate “believe” with “faith.” However, they are not synonymous.

          Let's start with the Hebrew and Greek words as we lay a foundation for this very important subject.

HEBREW:
0539 Nma 'aman {aw-man'}

AV - believe 44, assurance 1,  faithful 20, sure 11, established 7,
trust 5, verified 3, stedfast 2, continuance 2, father 2, bring up 4,
nurse 2, be nursed 1, surely be 1, stand fast 1, fail 1, trusty 1; 108

1a1) to support, confirm, be faithful, uphold, nourish.
1b1) to be established, be faithful, be carried, make firm.
1c1) to stand firm, to trust, to be certain, to believe in.

GREEK
4100 pisteuo pisteuo {pist-yoo'-o}

from 4102; TDNT - 6:174,849; v

AV - believe 239, commit unto 4, commit to (one's) trust 1,
be committed unto 1, be put in trust with 1,
be commit to one's trust 1, believer 1; 248

1) to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in.
1b) in a moral or religious reference:
1b1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul.
1b2) to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.
1bc) mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith.

G.K. Chesterton said, “It is often supposed that when people stop believing in God, they believe in nothing. Alas, it is worse than that. When they stop believing in God, they can believe in anything.”

         

 

What do we believe?

          This morning, we will not be able to cover anywhere near the more than 280 references where the word believeappears in the Bible, but I do want to highlight for you some of the more interesting ones.

          Actually, after noting some of the more encouraging examples today, I would desire that you would be inspired to check out some of the other instances in your own private Bible study.

          To get things somewhat organized, I've divided the uses of the word believe into nine, easy to understand categories. We'll be referencing quite a few Scriptural passages today, so you may want to jot down each of them in your notes.

1. Believe in the Gospel

          This is a very good place to begin. What greater hope is there for you, me and all of humanity than the amazing message of the gospel of the kingdom of God?!

Mark 1:14-15  Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

          This is a cornerstone of our faith, to believe in the gospel!

Habbakuk 1:5          “Look among the nations and watch--Be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days Which you would not believe, though it were told you.

          We’re told in other passages that this gospel that we believe in, will go as a witness to all the nations before the end comes. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come”—Matthew:24:14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come..

Isaiah:43:10-12[10]Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.[11]I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.[12]I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.         “You are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know and believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.
12 I have declared and saved, I have proclaimed, And there was no foreign god among you; Therefore you are My witnesses,” Says the LORD, “that I am God.

          The time is fulfilled, believe the gospel! A work will be done by God that will astound you. As His witnesses, we show that the LORD is God.

          And so, first, believe in the gospel. Wrap your mind around this very important concept as we move forward onto some other points.

2. Believe in Salvation and Eternal Life

          Let's begin with a cornerstone passage that talks directly about our belief in salvation and eternal life:

John:3:14-17[14]And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:[15]That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.[16]For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.[17]For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.     “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
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.
17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

          Despite all the bad press that John:3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. gets, it is actually an amazing passage of Scripture! Whoever believes, in the fullest sense of the word, will have eternal life, be saved! Incredible.

John:11:26And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?        “And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

          What does it mean to have eternal life, to have salvation?—It means to never die!.

1 John:5:13These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.       These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God.

          And so, secondly, believe in salvation and eternal life.

3. Believe in the Resurrection

          As we move into section 3, we begin to see some of the nuances of the word, believe. There is a lot more to it than you might notice at first glance. If we could go through all 283 biblical instances of the word, an even more majestic picture would unfold before you.

          Let's look briefly at our belief of the resurrection:

1 Thessalonians:4:14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.    For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

Romans:6:8Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:     Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him.

          As we saw in point 2, this belief to live with Him, our resurrected savior, entails eternal living, salvation, and never to die again! And so, believe in the resurrection!

          Let's switch tempo a bit now. Let's reflect on something that we all battle with from time to time. Remember in the introduction today I asked you if, “You've ever had a heart of unbelief?” What about, unbelief?

4. Lord, Help My Unbelief!

"Believe you are defeated, believe it long enough, and it is likely to become a fact." — Norman Vincent Peale

          Through the trials we face, through the hurts we feel, through the physical life we live, we battle with emotions of unbelief and have out faith tested. We're not alone! It's part of the human experience. Look inside the cover of your Bible at these instances:

Mark:9:24And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.        Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

          What greater trial can there be for a parent who is losing a child to an evil spirit? How often do we need to cry out to God, “I believe, help my unbelief?”

          And now, here's a warning:

Hebrews:3:12Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God;

          Even the early disciples battled with unbelief:

Mark:16:14Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.      Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

          It's interesting that here we see the antidote to unbelief: go and preach the gospel!, which takes us back to our very first point, doesn't it.

          A spirit of unbelief can be devastating. Notice how it affected Moses and Aaron. Losing belief in the promises of God can cause those promises to be taken away:

Numbers:20:12And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.                  Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

          And so, “Lord, help my unbelief.” We all want to enter the promised land, the promised kingdom of God. Wrestle with this concept in your personal life, and strengthen your belief in the promises of God.

5. Commanded Belief

          The last point was a heavy one, so let's take a seventh-inning stretch for a moment. I have an important story to tell you about my chiropractor. It's hard to believe those guys can really straighten out your back the way they do!

There was a fellow in the office not too long ago who leaned slightly to the left. I suggested he go and see my chiropractor and have his legs checked. After years of refusing, he finally went to the chiropractor only to discover that one leg, his left, was 3/4" shorter than his right.

However, a quick bit of adjusting later, he was cured, and both legs are exactly the same length now, and he no longer leans to the left.

The other day I said to him, "You didn’t believe me when I told you my chiropractor could fix your leg."

He just looked at me and said, "I stand corrected."

          Well, getting back to the godly plane: to believe is a commandment. Did you know that?

1 John:3:23And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.       And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.

John:6:28-29[28]Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?[29]Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.              Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

          So, here's what we are supposed to do. Here is the work we are to be a part of: to believe in Him (Christ), whom He (the Father) sent. It's part of our job description, our work description! It’s commanded.

6. Don’t Believe Everything You Hear

          And so, now a caveat! All that we see and hear may not be of value. All may not be even of God. There are times when we need to discern, judge and make decisions based upon what we know to be faithful, true and correct from the Word of God.

1 John:4:1Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.                  Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

          In fact, things you hear may seem to come from prophets that sound good. However, test them to see whether they are of God. In the end time, this will be particularly important. Notice how Christ replied to His disciples when they inquired about the end of the age:

Matthew:24:21-26[21]For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.[22]And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.[23]Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.[24]For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.[25]Behold, I have told you before.[26]Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  21 “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 “See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

          And so, in the time of the end it will be particularly important not to believe everything you hear. And, it is always important to compare the spirits—the intellects, the minds of this world—against the Word of God.

          Here's one more digression for you for a moment. Here are some things not to believe in. In the Christian religions of our day, hiring committees for large congregations have learned to be discerning when looking at the resumes of potential pastors.

With the number of applications pastor nominating committees receive, their first task is to eliminate applicants. Here, then, as a public service, are statements certain to stop a ministerial, or pastoral, resume dead in its tracks: If you believe these things, you will not get hired!

• "I believe I am willing to sacrifice my family for the sake of the ministry. I believe I am also willing to sacrifice yours."
• "I believe I have learned to cope with financial crisis at every church I’ve served."
• "I believe empathy is overrated."
• "I believe in the five churches I have faithfully served over just the past two years ..."
• "I believe my extensive counseling of church members has proved to be a rich source of pointed sermon illustrations."
• "I believe Amway taught me everything I know about evangelism."
• "I believe I’ve been told that every sermon I preach is better than the next."
• "I believe my personality has provided me ample opportunity to develop conflict-resolution skills."

[Resume Stoppers, Citation: Dave Wilkinson, Leadership, Vol. 12, no. 1.]

          Anyway, test the spirits. Don’t believe everything you hear.

7. Believe Faithfully

          The Greek word for believe, as noted at the beginning of the sermon, is pist-yoo'-o (pisteuo). The Greek word for faith is pis'-tis (pistis). There are certainly similarities, but the New Testament authors found it necessary to distinguish between the nuances of 'believe' and 'faith.'

GREEK
4100 pisteuo pisteuo {pist-yoo'-o} is from 4102 pistis (pis'-tis).

1b) in a moral or religious reference:
1b1) used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul.
1b2) to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith.
1bc) mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith.

4102 pistiv pistis {pis'-tis}

AV - faith 239, assurance 1, believe + 1537 1, belief 1,
them that believe 1, fidelity 1; 244

1) in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it.
1a) relating to God:
1a1) the conviction that God exists and is the creator and ruler of all things, the provider and bestower of eternal salvation through Christ.
1b) relating to Christ:
1b1) a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the Messiah, through whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God.
1c) the religious beliefs of Christians.

          Faith, slightly different than belief, adds the element of holy fervour. And so, notice how in some passages of the Bible both believe and faith are used in the same verse to expound a deeper meaning of what it is to have a relationship with God the Father and Jesus Christ.

Hebrews:11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

          And so, we must have a believing faith! And now the contrary comparison:

Matthew:17:20And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.       So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

          And so, to have this level of faith you have to believe. You can’t be filled with unbelief!

2 Corinthians:4:13We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;         And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.

          Therefore, believe faithfully. The two words are very similar but not interchangeable.

8. Suffer in Belief

          We're told that to follow Christ is a narrow path, not a wide highway. We're told that “it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The Christian life was not always meant to be easy. We have lessons to learn, godly character to develop.

          Notice how the apostle Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, paired up many of the words we’ve been covering today with “believe,” and then added suffer as well:

Philippians:1:27-30[27]Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;[28]And in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God.[29]For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;[30]Having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. 27  Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel,
28 and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.
29 For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake,
30 having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

          We can take comfort, knowing that when we suffer trials we are not alone in history. It's part of our Christian walk with God, and even serves to strengthen our belief in Him. The reward for doing so, is salvation, eternal life. And so, suffer in belief. Be patient in your belief.

9. The Power of Belief

          God does not leave us comfortless. As we noted during the Feast of Pentecost a couple of weeks ago, God grants His children the power of His Holy Spirit, in order that we may have the dynamic strength to move forward in our faith and belief. He gives us the power of belief.

          Let's look again at what Jesus said to the father whose son was overtaken by a spirit, causing convulsions and foaming at the mouth:

Mark:9:17-24[17]And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;[18]And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.[19]He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.[20]And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.[21]And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.[22]And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.[23]Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.[24]And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.   17 Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit.
18 “And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”
19 He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.”
20 Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.
21 So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood.
22 “And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” [The power of belief!]
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

          There is a power from God that helps us in our unbelief, that makes all things possible.Our faith is in Jesus Christ. We need to pray for the faith of Christ to empower our belief, so that all things are possible.

Mark:11:24Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.      “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

          Don't forget the power of belief that comes from God working in a converted mind.

          To summarize:

• Believe in the gospel
• Believe in salvation and eternal life
• Believe in the resurrection
• Lord, help my unbelief
• Commanded belief
• Don't believe everything you hear
• Believe faithfully
• Suffer in belief.
• The power of belief.

CONCLUSION:

          Let’s turn to one more scripture to finish up this topic. Here is our goal. Here is what God has in mind for each of us. Hear is what makes it all worth the wait and the work:

John:1:12But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:          But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

          And to quote once again what we read earlier, from the faith chapter:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews:11:6But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.).

 

APPENDIX:

Ro 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Joh 17:20 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word;
Heb:10:39But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.* But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.
2Th 1:10 when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed
Ac 15:11 “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
Joh 3:36 “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Mr 16:16 “He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
Heb:3:19So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.* So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.
Jude 5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
Joh 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Joh 4:48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
Joh 6:64 “But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him.
2Ki 17:14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.
Ps 78:22 Because they did not believe in God, And did not trust in His salvation.
Joh 12:36 “While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” These things Jesus spoke, and departed, and was hidden from them.