Hi! This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!
Today is part 4 in my series, “Bible Key Words and Meanings A to Z.”
We continue with the letter “B.”
The word today is:
Believe
What is the first step in believing the gospel that saves today?
Believe the Bible.
It’s by comparing Scripture with Scripture and not preacher to preacher.
And how do you learn to compare Scripture with Scripture?
The Bible itself informs us on how to study the Bible:
(2 Timothy 2:15 KJV)
(15) Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
And what is the word of truth we are to rightly divide?
(Ephesians 1:13 KJV)
(13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
The first mention of belief was in Genesis 15:6:
(Genesis 15:6 KJV) (6) And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Belief has always been a required component for righteousness.
The difference is, what Israel believed under covenant was different than what we believe under grace.
In context, this is what Abraham believed:
(Genesis 15:4-6 KJV)
(4) And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
(5) And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
(6) And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Prior to that, another example of belief in the Old Testament is Noah believing God when he told Noah he was going to flood the earth, and God instructed Noah to build an ark.
Noah believed and did as he was commanded and saved himself and his family.
Now, here is an account of unbelief in what God said, and it cost Moses dearly:
(Numbers 20:7-12 KJV)
(7) And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
(8) Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
(9) And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
(10) And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
(11) And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
(12) And 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.
God instructed Moses to speak to the rock.
Instead, Moses did not believe God and he smote the rock, twice.
There are numerous other accounts of belief and unbelief in the Old Testament.
Now let’s study the function of belief under grace and how it impacts salvation.
A search for “Believe, Believed, and Believeth,” will reveal that those words are used 68 times in 62 verses in Paul’s 13 epistles.
Several that stand out to me, are:
(Romans 4:5 KJV)
(5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
(Romans 4:24-25 KJV)
(24) But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
(25) Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
(1 Corinthians 1:21 KJV)
(21) For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.
(1 Corinthians 13:7 KJV)
(7) Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
(1 Corinthians 15:1-4 KJV)
(1) Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;
(2) By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.
(3) For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
(4) And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
(Galatians 2:16 KJV)
(16) Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
(Galatians 3:21-22 KJV)
(21) Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.
(22) But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
(Ephesians 1:12-13 KJV)
(12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
(13) In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
(Ephesians 1:17-19 KJV)
(17) That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
(18) The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
(19) And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
(Philippians 1:27-29 KJV)
(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;
(1 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV)
(13) For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 KJV)
(13) But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.
(14) For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
(2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV)
(13) But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
(1 Timothy 1:15-16 KJV)
(15) This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
(16) Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
(1 Timothy 4:10 KJV)
(10) For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
(1 Timothy 4:12 KJV)
(12) Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
All those verses demonstrate we are not to believe in our belief for forgiveness.
God isn't waiting on anyone to believe something before he can forgive them.
That would be denying the finished crosswork of Christ.
(2 Corinthians 5:19 KJV)
(19) To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
God is not waiting for our belief in order to not impute our trespasses unto us.
He was in his Son on the cross, and our trespasses were taken to the tomb with Christ and left there when he resurrected from the dead.
Anyone who believes otherwise is a limited forgiver, and that is grave error.
This is brother Scott with another Truth Time, Look in the Book!
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