Question for the Bible Scholars?

Question

I've read in the bible in many places and it seems to me there is a high value placed on the "Beleiving" such as: Blessed are those that have not seen yet "Believe". That who so ever shall "Believe" in me shall have eternal life etc...

Are you with me....??

It seems clear to me that this "Believing" part seems to be mandatory.

So we have a very old book "the Bible" and the stories written in them...most of us have never witnessed the level of miracles the bible
describes...and then the story of Christ as God and the creator of everything came and died for us...and then asked to accept all of this without question....yet we are required to just "believe" that this happened...and somehow this means we have eternal life in heaven with God...just "believe" that God raised Jesus from the dead...etc


Why the "Just Believe" in something that on the surface seems hard to be believe...but that seems to be the magic key.


help me understand!!

Answer 1

It is a reasonable question,
........AND YET-most people reject the simplicity of the gospel.
Infact the bible itself warned all that THE CROSS IS FOOLISHNESS TO THOSE PERISHING.
*Believing though= faith.
If....you believe that when you go to work you will receive wages for your efforts, than you have faith in something(payment) BUT THAT WHICH YOU HAVE NOT BEEN GIVEN YET.
FAITH/BELIEVE IS IN EVERYTHING.
*Like the very place you are sitting, that it is strong enough to hold you up. You do not know, understand all the matter inside it, that there really is more empty space between each particle than the particles themselves.
anotherwords....What is the glue that hold the particles together?
It is the creator, holding his creation as a whole.
*It takes blind ignorance, I mean "fool heartedness" to attempt to explain away, or choose to walk away from the Lord.
all for now, -LIVE4TRUTH=] JOHN14:6

Answer 2

Believing is just the beginning, If you have faith of a mustard seed, you can say to the Mountain move and it shall move. I find it interesting that the Lord said faith of a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds and it grows into a extremely large tree. People that have faith of a mustard seed are special individuals. I don't believe that majority of Christianity has that much faith. While they may believe they do, it's hard.

After you believe, then you need to be baptised by one having authority, then the laying on of the Hands to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, but that is still not it. If you are a guy then you must receive the Two priesthoods (Aaronic and Melchizedek), then receive your endowments. Two steps are remaining to being saved. The first is being Sealed (or being married)by one having authority not only in time and in Eternity. Finally, Enduring to the end in all righteousness. See what true belief can do for ones soul. It's a wonderful process.

Answer 3

Well, this will tick off a lot of Christians out there but I do not believe that "just believing" is all that is needed (no pun intended). The only place that the words "faith alone" are ever used in the Bible are in James chapter 2 where the words "not by" come right before it. So how anyone can read the words of the Bible where James says we are saved "not by faith alone" then close the book and say "Oh, gee, I guess we are saved by faith alone" is simply ridiculous. As James goes on to say "faith without works is dead." Meaning a faith has to be lived out, not just believed. And nothing in here contradicts the epistles of Paul, contrary to what fundimentalists try to assert.

Answer 4

Believing is a huge part, but just part of the picture. You need to pray, study the Bible, be baptized(fully submerged inwater, not sprinkled) and be born again. The being born again part is about (not physically) dieing to your old ways. Becoming new, like a little child, who is ready to learn. When your ready to learn, and thirst knowledge, pray and get baptized you will start to understand, because you will be filled with the holy spirit and he will open your eyes. Sometimes a little at a time, and sometimes a huge light will go on that will help you understand. The believing part is about faith. When you develop faith by those things i listed above, your eyes will be opened. you won't be blind anymore. Be careful of false teachers, preachers, profits, people, and anyone who will miss interpret the bible though. Many people are led away from a belief in God, simply because of people who do this. The bible warns of these people, but to test them, you need to read and study scripture for yourself. That is the most important thing. Find a Bible study to go to and help you interpret the symbols, and all the wonderful things about Jesus. Jesus was God, come down in the flesh, to show us how to find our way back to him. He was even baptized himself. How he lived, was to show us how to live and what to do. The bible talks about everything that is happening in the world today. Even about men, who want to be as Gods themselves, but will decievde you. Keep searching and you will find the answers...I first had a desire to find and understand God, then I started praying more, then I gave God my will, and asked for his. Then I started going to bible study, and reading the Bible. Then I made a desicion to be baptized. It is also good to surround yourself with other Christians, (There are many reasons for this). When i stay close to God, life is soooooo much better. The more you mature in faith and understanding, the more things will unfold and make sense.

Answer 5

First, lets understand the term "believe". To believe, is to accept as reality something that we cannot prove empirically, that is, we cannot touch it, see it, smell it, taste it, etc.. I "believe" there is a planet called Mars even though I have never seen it with my own eyes, never touched the surface, never smelled the atmosphere, etc.. Why do I believe this? Because astronomers who are more learned than I have presented convincing evidence to existence of this planet.
I believe the truths of Scripture based on the character of those presenting the truths. God is truth, He cannot lie nor deceive. If He did, He would not be God. Jesus was and is, God. I believe His words because of the nature of His character. Jesus never lied nor deceived, therefore, I have good reason to believe what He says is true. I believe the writers of the Bible because of the content of Scripture which reveals those who are of God to not be perfect, to show them as they were, flawed humans. I believe the writers of the New Testament because they had no motivation to lie. By speaking and writing the truth about Christ, they risked it all. They died for what they saw and believed to be true.
In essence, I believe the truths of Scripture based on the character of God and the writers and the historical accuracy of the events in Scripture. To believe is to accept in your heart, without a shadow of doubt, that God is true, that Jesus was and is God and the messiah, and that the events of His life, death and resurrection are presented accurately in the Scriptures.

Answer 6

If God wanted to He could have created us "loving Him by default". I'm sure you'd agree that in doing that it would be very unfulfilling. God, like us, wants real relationships with real people.

So.. a very long story short... Adam & Eve disobeyed God's 1 rule (not to eat from the tree of knowledge). As a punishment, He made them aware of good and evil. Now we as people have choices (He also put strife between woman & man, women bith pangs and other stuff). God knows we are all sinners and sends Jesus, His son, which He allows to be killed by sinners (ancestors of Adam / us); to come and save us.

God tells us if we believe in Him (God), that He sent Jesus to save us from our sins; we will have eternal life.

People actively seek God; He sees this and knows we are genuine in our actions. This action is called faith. It takes exercise to build. Much like any exercising, it feels weird at first, hurts a bit, but you feel awesome after and want to do it again. After a while, you're out using this muscle and you don't even realize it.

Hope this helps.... God bless!

Answer 7

I think that perhaps it just seems that way to you.

You really are sort of taking the whole thing out of context. Believing is not just saying to yourself "okay I believe, now I get to heaven", you have to truly know it in your heart to be true. With that knowledge/belief comes change. It changes your life completely.

The verse "Blessed are those who have not seen, yet believe" means that those of us who have never actually witnessed this change, yet are willing to step out and accept it anyway, are blessed.

Answer 8

As P.T Barnum once said, "There's a sucker born every minute."

I'd be very careful with "just believing" anything. A healthy dose of cynicism will make certain that you never buy some nice swamp land in Florida, or become a member of a cult that tells you there's a space ship behind some comet that you can board once you drink the cyanide cocktail - or a religion that is fundamentally untrue.

Answer 9

...Hello, I am no Bible scholar, but I have been a Christian for 29 years, and have spent a fair amount of time in the Bible.
...God never asks you to shelve your brains, but He does say we must come to Him by faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "And 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 seek Him. "
...Study the claims of Jesus Christ (who really existed, secular historians like Flavius Josephus wrote of Him) and you will have to decide if Jesus of Nazareth is either a liar, a lunatic, or Lord. We are told in the Bible things like, "Never did any man speak the way this one does," and similar things. You must decide who He is, and is He is Lord, then humble yourself and believe on Him.
...John 6:28-29 says, "They then said, What are we to do, that we may [habitually] be working the works of God? [What are we to do to carry out what God requires?]
...Jesus replied, This is the work (service) that God asks of you: that you believe in the One Whom He has sent [that you cleave to, trust, rely on, and have faith in His Messenger].
...There is plenty of evidence for Christianity, for those who really want answers - I have had many questions answered in more than a satisfactory way. There are good books like "Answers to Tough Questions" and "Evidence that Demands a Verdict", both written by Josh McDowell, a former skeptic. Newer books include those by Lee Stroebel (a converted atheist; the books are The Case for Faith, The Case for Christ).
...I pray that you will keep searching and seeking God and that He will give you the faith to trust in Christ, and follow Him. If a man believes in Christ and lives his life accordingly, and he is wrong, then he has lost nothing. If a man doesn't believe in Christ and lives his life accordingly, he has lost everything...
...I wish you a blessed eternity.

Answer 10

The belief asked for in the Bible is not that "God exists" but that God will take care of you. There is never an argument made in the Bible that God exists; it is assumed. Rather God is calling the Jews, then the Christian Church, to greater dependence on Him.