Believing Like Satan
One of the favorite Bible verses of many people is John 3:16, where it says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Through the years I’ve had many friends and acquaintances who take this verse, and a few others like it, and propose a doctrine of salvation that says, “All you’ve got to do is believe.” If you mention such things as repentance or baptism or discipleship, they will respond by saying that these things are results of salvation, done after the fact. It’s a version of Calvinism that says we have nothing to do with our salvation, it is all God. He chooses who is saved and who is condemned. And he gives faith to those who are to be saved, thus they believe, and that is enough. To require anything else becomes work, they state, and we are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Eph. 2:8-9).
In both cases, John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9, the verses are isolated without considering other related scripture on salvation. Can we just say the “sinner’s prayer” inviting Jesus into our heart (believing) and that is enough? Well, let me put it this way. You won’t find the sinner’s prayer in the Bible, it is never commanded by Jesus or his apostles, and never shown by example. Shaky ground. Why don’t we do Bible things in Bible ways, or in other words, why not comply with what Jesus and his apostles taught?
As Jesus was preparing to return to heaven after his resurrection and appearance to many, he gave these instructions to his apostles: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). No mention of a sinner’s prayer, of inviting Jesus into the heart, or “just believe.” His command was for them to make disciples, disciples who were baptized and then taught to obey him. After this the apostles wait in Jerusalem until Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is sent. The Apostle Peter preaches the first resurrection sermon and when he finishes telling them what Jesus did, they cry out, “What must we do?” and he replies, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2).
We must believe who Jesus is, absolutely, but such belief must include and result in action to do what Jesus (who we claim to have put our faith in) tells us to do (initially to repent and be baptized). On one occasion Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and yet not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).
Back to John 3:16 where it says, “whoever believes,” Jewish Christians are often surprised at a doctrine that makes belief merely mental assent. To the Jew coached in the Old Testament, real belief always results in action. To say you believe, but only mentally, not in how you respond, is not to truly believe. The writer of Hebrews echoes this idea in the 11th chapter where many examples of faith are given, and all are shown to have faith by what they did in response to God. James 2:22 tells us, “Was not Abraham justified by what he did? You see that faith was active. And faith was completed by what he did.”
To believe only mentally is to believe like Satan. James also says this, “You believe that God is one; you do well, but even the demons believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). We don’t earn salvation, nothing we do merits it, but God calls us to be disciples, unlike the belief of Satan.
Cross Point: Disciples still sin at times, and grace covers us. But we keep moving forward in faith, obeying as best we can. Following Jesus defines saving belief, and to say otherwise requires we discount much that Jesus taught.
Through the years I’ve had many friends and acquaintances who take this verse, and a few others like it, and propose a doctrine of salvation that says, “All you’ve got to do is believe.” If you mention such things as repentance or baptism or discipleship, they will respond by saying that these things are results of salvation, done after the fact. It’s a version of Calvinism that says we have nothing to do with our salvation, it is all God. He chooses who is saved and who is condemned. And he gives faith to those who are to be saved, thus they believe, and that is enough. To require anything else becomes work, they state, and we are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Eph. 2:8-9).
In both cases, John 3:16 and Ephesians 2:8-9, the verses are isolated without considering other related scripture on salvation. Can we just say the “sinner’s prayer” inviting Jesus into our heart (believing) and that is enough? Well, let me put it this way. You won’t find the sinner’s prayer in the Bible, it is never commanded by Jesus or his apostles, and never shown by example. Shaky ground. Why don’t we do Bible things in Bible ways, or in other words, why not comply with what Jesus and his apostles taught?
As Jesus was preparing to return to heaven after his resurrection and appearance to many, he gave these instructions to his apostles: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:18-20). No mention of a sinner’s prayer, of inviting Jesus into the heart, or “just believe.” His command was for them to make disciples, disciples who were baptized and then taught to obey him. After this the apostles wait in Jerusalem until Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is sent. The Apostle Peter preaches the first resurrection sermon and when he finishes telling them what Jesus did, they cry out, “What must we do?” and he replies, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2).
We must believe who Jesus is, absolutely, but such belief must include and result in action to do what Jesus (who we claim to have put our faith in) tells us to do (initially to repent and be baptized). On one occasion Jesus said, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and yet not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46).
Back to John 3:16 where it says, “whoever believes,” Jewish Christians are often surprised at a doctrine that makes belief merely mental assent. To the Jew coached in the Old Testament, real belief always results in action. To say you believe, but only mentally, not in how you respond, is not to truly believe. The writer of Hebrews echoes this idea in the 11th chapter where many examples of faith are given, and all are shown to have faith by what they did in response to God. James 2:22 tells us, “Was not Abraham justified by what he did? You see that faith was active. And faith was completed by what he did.”
To believe only mentally is to believe like Satan. James also says this, “You believe that God is one; you do well, but even the demons believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). We don’t earn salvation, nothing we do merits it, but God calls us to be disciples, unlike the belief of Satan.
Cross Point: Disciples still sin at times, and grace covers us. But we keep moving forward in faith, obeying as best we can. Following Jesus defines saving belief, and to say otherwise requires we discount much that Jesus taught.