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“Believe” =
Pisteuson
=
Pisteuson = verb (2sing),
imper/aor/act = from the verb
Pisteuo
which means to believe, have faith in, be convinced of, trust,
rely on, have confidence in.
The aorist tense
speaks of making a one-time decision to believe. The aorist tense
is a unique verb tense to the Greek. It speaks of an action
performed at a moment of time. It is not asking for repeated
action, as the present tense would.
This means that at the
moment someone decides to believe in Christ, he is saved on the
spot! The grace of God, as we will see, is eagerly waiting to
place the free gift of salvation in our hands, through simple
faith in Christ as Lord.
The active voice
indicates the person must make the action of the verb to believe.
And
the imperative mood
states this is a command.
So we might translate
this verb “believe” or “you must believe”.
“Lord” =
Kurion
=
Kurion = noun, acc/sing/masc
= from the noun “kurios” which means
Supreme controller, owner, master, lord. It can refer to one
man’s position having authority over another man, but in this case
it refers to God, in the divine sense. It refers to Jesus Christ
being THE LORD, controller, owner,
master of everything in the universe.
“Jesus” =
Iesoun
=
Ihsoun = name, acc/masc.
= Jesus. The accusative case points to Jesus as the object of
something, in this case the object of faith or belief.
“you
shall be saved” =
sothese
= verb (2sing), indic/fut/pass = from
the verb “sozo” which means to save,
keep safe, preserve, rescue, make well.
In the New Testament it
refers to salvation from physical and/or spiritual death,
including deliverance from demon possession.
To be saved from
spiritual death would imply escape from judgment and its cause,
sin. (the
Complete Biblical Library)
The indicative mood
refers to the
fact that if you believe in the Lord Jesus,
this will definitely happen.
It means it is a
dogmatic statement of fact; YOU
WILL BE SAVED!
So the corrected
translation might look like this:
“And they
said, You must believe upon the Lord
Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.”
*In the previous verse,
the jailer asked Paul what he must DO to be saved. Paul’s answer
in vs. 31 let him know he must “believe” rather than “do” in order
to be saved.
When the people asked
Jesus,
“What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?”
Jesus replied,
“This is the
work of God, that you believe on Him
whom He has sent.” (John 6:28,29).
The words “and your
household” must be connected with believing. Paul was not saying
that because the jailer believed, his whole household would be
saved. But Paul was trying to let the jailer know that the offer
of salvation by faith alone was not limited to him.
Some cults, popular
among the Romans, were composed of all males; some catered to
certain classes. But the salvation Christ brings is for all.
If the rest of the
jailer’s household would believe, they too would be saved. Paul
wanted to make it clear that they all had this opportunity and
Paul wanted to see them all saved, not just one. (The Complete
Biblical Library)
Categorical Doctrine:
comparing scripture with
scripture.
Even while the Lord was
in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit, He was said to be the One
“who
will save His people from their sins.” (Mat 1:21)
We will see many verses that tell
us that simply Belief or Faith will save us.
To show us how God esteemed faith alone, we see that faith
is what also allowed Jesus to heal people.
The Greek word
“sozo”
is not only used in reference to being saved eternally, but it is
also the word used for getting well or being healed.
In Mat 9:21-22, a woman
suffering from 12 years of hemorrhage came up behind the Lord to
touch his cloak, thinking that just touching the Lord would heal
her; and this faith healed her.
“But Jesus
turning and seeing her said, ‘Daughter, take courage; your faith
has made you well.’ And at once the woman was made well (sozo).”
It is interesting that God
uses faith
as the only criteria for being saved and/or being healed.
In Mat 9:28-30, the
blind men approached Jesus. And even though we don’t see the word
“sozo” used here for being made well,
the Lord said to them:
“Do you
believe that I am able to do this?” ‘They said to Him, “Yes.
Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “Be
it done to you according to your faith.” And their eyes
were opened.’
We must also note that the Bible
is clear about the reason for the coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
He came to SAVE the world and
those in it, not to condemn it or us.
John 3:17 says
“For God did
not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the
world should be saved through Him.”
In John 10:9-11
the Lord said
“I am the
door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved, and shall go
in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, and
kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might
have it abundantly. I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd
lays down His life for the sheep.”
John
12:47 the Lord says;
“And if anyone
hears My saying, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I
did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.”
We must also note the clarity of
the Scriptures in regard to the Lord Jesus being the only name by
which salvation can come.
Once you study the
doctrine of the Divine Inspiration of Scripture and you come to
the realization that GOD wrote this book using man to pen it, then
you must believe what the Bible says about being saved.
(See our studies on
Biblical Claims and Evidences, and Prophecies of the End Times so
you can examine the proof God has provided.)
Acts 16:31
And
they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall
be saved, you and your household."
John
3:16
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
In Acts 4:12
“And there is
salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under
heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be
saved.”
And this name is
mentioned in verse 10,
“by the name
of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead”
So how are we saved???
Through the grace of the Lord
Jesus!
Acts
15:11a
“But
we believe that we are saved through the grace of
the Lord Jesus.”
Grace means an undeserved favor,
something freely given to someone.
Grace also means a free gift given
with no strings attached. (God is perfect and gives gifts without
conditions)
Rev 22:17
“Whoever is thirsty, let him
come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the
water of life.”
NIV
Just as the physical body needs
water to live, the spiritual part in us, our soul, needs the water
of eternal life to live.
And as anyone can drink a glass
of water, anyone can have faith in Jesus Christ and be saved.
Rev 22:17b And
let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who wishes take the
water of life without cost.”
NASB
GRACE IS WITHOUT COST TO THE
RECIPIENT.
Rom 6:23
the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 5:8-10 explains the
finished work of the Lord.
“But God
demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having
now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath
of God through Him. For if while we were
enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son,
much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His
life.”
If you are willing to
give me your car, much more you would be willing to give me your
bicycle.
If you are willing to
cook for me a great and expensive meal, much more you would give
me a piece of bread!
And so, if the Lord died
for us while we were sinners, unbelievers in His name, much more
now that we believe we can be certain we will be saved by His
life!
Please concentrate on
this next passage. If you concentrate on this, you will
understand how God was able to have His Son pay for the sins of
the whole human race.
Again, we know that when
the Bible talks about the free gift, it is talking about our
salvation.
Rom 6:23
the free gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Rom 5:15-17
“But the
free gift is not like the transgression.
For if by the transgression (sin) of the one (Adam) the many died,
much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of
the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift
is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the
one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in
condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose
from many transgressions resulting in justification.
Rom 5:18
For if by the
transgression (sin) of the one (Adam),
death reigned through the one, much more those who receive
the abundance of grace and of the gift of
righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”
If God made us all
sinners because of our relationship to the first sinner, Adam,
much more God is able to save us based on our relationship to the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
And God had to do it.
He had to come and save us because He allowed us to be born in
sin.
It was part of His
Master Plan.
His all-knowing Plan of
Grace.
We were born sinners, which was
not our fault.
So God could provide salvation for
us, not to our credit.
Eph 2:4-6 is clear on
God’s grace and love being His reason for saving us.
“But God,
being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved
us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive
together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us
up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places, in
Christ Jesus.”
Eph 2:8-9
“For by grace
you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it
is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should
boast.”
Grace means an undeserved favor,
something freely given to someone.
And how do we receive
this grace, or this favor or gift?
Through faith.
“For by grace
you have been saved through faith;
John 1:12
But
as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name,
Tit 3:4-7
“But when the
kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind
appeared(TLJC), He saved us, not on the
basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according
to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the
Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus
Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace we might be
made heirs according to the confidence of eternal life.”
And once we have been saved by
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, we cannot lose this gift from
God!
Rom
11:29 “for
the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable”
(unchangeable)
Rom 6:23
“For the wages
of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in
Christ Jesus our Lord.”
There are many verses
that teach Eternal Security,
such as 1Cor 3:15 which states that even if a man’s works get
burned up, HE HIMSELF WILL STILL BE SAVED.
Why?
Because his salvation is not based
on works, but on the perfect foundation that only Jesus Christ
could lay down for us.
We are saved by faith
alone in Christ alone.
1
Cor 3:11-15 -
11
For no man can lay a
foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver,
precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man's work will become
evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed
with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's
work. 14 If any man's work which he has built on it remains, he
will receive a reward. 15 If any man's work is burned up, he will
suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as
through fire.
This person will suffer
loss of rewards in heaven, his human good works will be tested by
the fire and come out as ashes, but
he will still
be saved and will be in heaven because he has believed in the Lord
Jesus Christ.
As a believer who lives
his life for Christ, your life is not in vain.
You have a chance to be
a witness for God in the heavenly courtroom trial of Satan, and to
become a winner believer.
And you will be
graciously rewarded by the King.
Any divine good works,
done in the filling of the Spirit and motivated by Bible
doctrine, will shine brighter after the test of fire, and will
remain as rewards of gold, silver and precious stones. These
rewards will last forever and ever for the winner believer.
But our salvation itself is not
based on our works,
it is based on faith alone in
Christ alone.
Works in this life is
just our opportunity to glorify Him, and the credit goes to the
Holy Spirit for teaching and guiding us, and giving us divine
power to complete them.
Works are a result of our
salvation, not the way to salvation.
Works are a way to say
thank you to the Lord for our salvation.
Eph 2:9
“not
as a result of works, lest any man should boast”
John 5:24
"Truly, truly,
I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me,
has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed
out of death into life.”
However it is possible
that people believe in vain as in 1Co 15:1-4:
1Cor 15:1-4
“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to
you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which
also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to
you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of
first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our
sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that
He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”
i.e.-
did you believe in Christ
alone?,… or did you add your own works or give yourself
credit in reaching heaven? (Rom 11:6, Acts
8:20, Rom 6:23b; therefore rejecting the free gift of eternal
life?) If not you are
not saved!
i.e.-
did you believe in Jesus Christ
as the Messiah, God
in the flesh, the Son of the Living God?,… or did you
believe in Jesus as just a nice man and a prophet?
If not you are not saved!
You have added to the work of
Christ on the Cross. You have not accepted His free gift of
eternal life. You have tried to pay for it yourself.
As Jesus asked Peter,
Matt 16:15-16
"But
who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God."
The Corinthians had
trouble believing in the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead. But this is part of the good news! If Christ hasn’t been
raised from the dead, then we are all still dead in our sins! 1Cor
15:17
Even today they cannot
find the remains of Jesus’ body in the tomb.
Paul goes on to say that
he did not believe in vain. In fact, his faith through the grace
of God was so strong that he labored (studied and taught Bible
doctrine) more than all of the other apostles.
Paul mentions that if
Christ has not been raised from the dead that our preaching and
our faith are in vain! (1Cor 15:14)
Our faith would be useless if Jesus didn’t
rise from the dead.
One other fact about
salvation: GOD DESIRES ALL
MEN TO BE SAVED!
This is seen in 1Ti
2:3-6. Paul begins the chapter saying we should pray for all
men, especially those in authority.
Then in vs. 3 he says
through the Holy Spirit
“This is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”
Here is another verse
showing us that Jesus Christ is God who came down to earth to be
our Savior!
There is only one
Savior, God Himself, who entered flesh in the person of Jesus
Christ, as the promised Messiah from the Old Testament.
Then verses 4-6 goes
on, referring to God our Savior…
“who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a
ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.”
1Ti
4:10
“For
it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our
hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men,
especially of believers.”
*Some churches
actually teach that the Lord died only for the elect, only for
the ones He chose. The Lord died for the whole world.
Only the “elect” will be saved
because the “elect” are the ones God knew would have faith in
His Son.
Heb 7:27b tells us the
Lord Jesus Christ did not need to make sacrifices like the high
priests did, first for their own sins and then the sins of the
people,
“because
this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.”
John 3:16
"For God so
loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
So we know that God
desires for all men to accept His means of salvation, and that
the Lord Jesus Christ paid for the sins of every member of the
human race.
And whoever believes
or trusts in Him will never perish, but has eternal life.
Acts 16:31
“Believe in
the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
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