Watchman 2
Member
The a, b, c,s of Faith are action, based upon a Belief, sustained by confidence.
What specific act of Faith begins our walk with Christ?
What specific act of Faith begins our walk with Christ?
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A, B, C' s, of Faith.
- Thread starter Watchman 2
- Start date
Short Answer —
Repent.
Which means “turn to God”.
This is the command of the Gospel that must be obeyed.
The way we obey this call to repent, is confessing Jesus Christ as Lord.
that 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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
Key Verse: with the mouth confession is made unto salvation
This is called the obedience of faith.
JLB
Hospes
Member
In John 6, Jesus states the following:
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him." and "This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
Based on this, I did not begin my walk with Christ, but rather God made the first move and I responded.
Yes, God makes the first move by sending someone to preach the Gospel.
- And how shall they hear without a preacher?
And how shall they preach unless they are sent?
Its up to each person to respond in obedience.
- But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?
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? And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written:
“How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace,
Who bring glad tidings of good things!”
But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?” So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:14-17
JLB
LovethroughDove
Member
Going along with what has already been said about God calling us and the gospel being preached and then understanding what that means........ I was looking for what love really is and found the answer in the person of Jesus. The answer to love = Jesus
Watchman 2
Member
Ya important first thing to acknowledge!
Nobody is comes to Christ unless the Father calls them out.
Scripture specifically tells us that their is a small group called out from among a large group of those who are not called.
Let's see how that goes over first to proceed.
Watchman 2
Member
I realize that understanding is not to popular, but we don't need to agree on that small point to continue to discuss the bigger point. And that being specifically , what is the act that saves, resulting in recieving the Spirit of Christ?
There are five requirements to Salvation
1. Confession - Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9, 10
2. Repentance - Mark 1:14, 15
3. Faith - John 3:14-18
4. Regeneration - John 3:3-8
5. Holy Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:15
1. Confession - Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9, 10
2. Repentance - Mark 1:14, 15
3. Faith - John 3:14-18
4. Regeneration - John 3:3-8
5. Holy Scripture - 2 Timothy 3:15
Believe.
Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. Luke 8:12
What does believe mean ?
Those who understand this, are those who bear fruit.
Some 30, some 60, some 100 fold.
JLB
Watchman 2
Member
I like the 5 steps for lack of a better term. Even more important, I like the order of them. Specifically number 3 and 4. Faith correctly applied first, Spirit of Christ second.
Could we look at number 3 in detail? What in your understanding is the specific act of Faith that just begins the salvation journey?
The act that saves us is first of all confessing we are a sinner that needs to repent and ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior as we believe Jesus is truly the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10
Watchman 2
Member
Great question!
The word " believe " comes from the Greek word" pisteuo ".
Pisteuo is the corresponding verb to the noun Pistis, where we get our English word Faith.
The English language doesn't have a corresponding verb to the noun Faith like the Greek does for the noun Pistis.
The words the English language should have had for the translators are, faithe, faither, and faithing. Since those words are not in the English language, the translators had to choose a word that would come close. They chose the words believe, believer, and believing.
Believe, believing, and believer are apart of saving Faith, but taken on their own is error. And, in them using the words believe, believer, and believing, they inadvertently changed the " object " of Faith to God's word and His promises, instead of covenant with God Himself, a real living person.
The Greek language doesn't have the words believe, believer, and believing in their language. They only acknowledge a state of being where one is faithing or moving towards God, ( pisteuo ) or faithing away from God ( Apisteuo ). They don't acknowledge a state of being where one is in the middle or neutral ground.
The words believe, believer, and believing are corresponding verbs to the noun " Belief " ,not the noun Faith.
The Vines: " pisteuo is a personal surrender to Him and a life inspired by such surrender."
The Strong's gives the disclaimer, " pisteuo means NOT just to believe."
Lot to digest here, if this interests anyone, ask some questions.
The word believe in the original carries the idea of obey.
Some texts say believe the Gospel.
Other texts say obey the Gospel.
Believe: - pisteuō Strongs # G4100 - verb
The KJV translates Strong's G4100 in the following manner: believe(239x), commit unto(4x), commit to (one's) trust (1x), be committed unto (1x), be put in trust with (1x), be commit to one's trust (1x), believer (1x).
I. to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
A. of the thing believed
i. to credit, have confidence
B. in a moral or religious reference
i. 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
ii. to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith
iii. mere acknowledgment of some fact or event: intellectual faith
II. to entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity
A. to be intrusted with a thing
Believe carries the meaning of obey —
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.” John 3:36 NKJV
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
John 3:36 NASB
It is noteworthy to understand that unbelief and disobedience are the same Greek word and are used interchangeably in the Bible based on translation.
Example: Unbelief - Disobedience
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Hebrews 4:6 KJV
Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience,
Hebrews 4:6 NKJV
The word “believe” as it relates to Christ and His gospel, commandments and doctrine should be understood as follows.
Believe - Trust, commit to obey.
Watchman 2
Member
Personally, I see a confession and repentance to be one in the same. At least before the scriptures or the good news of the gospel was known world wide.
I do think God the Father could call out, draw , anyone to Christ, even if they didn't know His name or the Gospel.
A surrendered life to the caller would in truth would be a confession ( need for forgiveness ), repentance ( turning of the mind to the direction of the caller ) followed by the first act of Faith or pisteuo ( a personal surrender to Him and a life inspired by such surrender.) That being just the start , no Spirit of Christ given yet.
Watchman 2
Member
I realize that's the popular understanding. I think I laid out legitimate concerns relating to that understanding. No comment about them?
JohnDB
Member
Didn't read that part...
But considering that each part is just a sound bite of a larger truth...I don't know why we should change it.
You can read as much or as little as you want into the expression. People have been doing so for over 2,000 years now. Probably longer.
I know what I believe and why. Your mileage may vary.
Watchman 2
Member
Unbelief, which is a mistranslation, is "Apisteuo" in the Greek.
Disobedience, is "Apeitheo" in the Greek. Two different words, but have the same root.
Apeitheo is 544 in the Strong's.
Apisteuo is 4100 in the Strong's.
Faith applied and being obedient are not the same in the Greek. Just threads of similarity.
Watchman 2
Member
Ok, do you accept the Vines definition of pisteuo? " A personal surrender to Him and a life inspired by such surrender"? Or the Strong's when it's saying "pisteuo means NOT just to believe?"