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Belief:
Is It
Enough?
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What is belief?
Webster's dictionary says it is a
conviction that certain things
are true or real.
It is religious faith.
So, you believe. You have faith.
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Okay, so what?
Even the demons believe!
James 2: 19 Thou believest
that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils
also believe and tremble.
You see, the devils are believers also. They tremble at
the very mention of God's name. Belief will not save them
because their "faith", their "belief",
without works is dead!
Worthless.
But wilt thou know, oh
vain man, that faith without works is dead?
James 2: 20 + 24 ...by works man is
justified, and not by faith only.
Like the devils, your belief, your convictions, your
religious faith without action is dead. But what about that
verse that we hear all of the time?
John 3: 16 For God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
If you pull out that one scripture and then toss your
bible into the garbage can, you can stay happy and secure in
thinking that your belief, your mental conviction, is
enough. On the other hand, if you want to know what the
bible really says, keep it open. Let me give you an
example of saving belief - that
is belief accompanied by works. In Luke 17: 12-19
there is a story of ten lepers. They were standing off at a
distance and when they saw Jesus, they cried out, "Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us." They believed that Jesus could
heal them. After all, that is the reason that they cried out
to him. So Jesus responded. Jesus told them to
DO something. He told
them to GO and
SHOW themselves to the
priests. So, the lepers believed. But
it was not belief without action. Their belief
was accompanied by
action. They obeyed his
command. They WENT.
As they went, while they were on their way, they were
healed. They were acting upon Jesus'
command.
He said
"go"
so they
"went"
and in so
doing
they were healed.
Another example of "saving"
belief is found in the book of Joshua chapter 6.
The Lord told Joshua that the city of Jericho would be his
for the taking. The Lord told Joshua to
DO something. He told
him to take his army and walk around the city for six days.
Then, on the seventh day the priests were to sound the
trumpets and everyone should shout.
What was the purpose for all of that
hoopla? For God, anything is possible. God could
have destroyed the city that very day. He could have blown
the walls down with a strong wind. Why wait seven days? Why
have Joshua and his troops walk around and around and
around? Why sound the trumpets? Why have everybody
shout?
Joshua believed. He had a mental conviction. He had
faith. But, that was not enough. The
walls did not fall down until he
obeyed. He and his troops walked around the city
every day for six days. On the seventh day, they walked
around it again. Then Joshua told the priests to blow the
trumpets. The priests BLEW THE
TRUMPETS! Joshua told the people to
SHOUT. The people
SHOUTED! When they had
completed all of these things, only then did the walls of
Jericho come tumbling down. Joshua's faith was accompanied
by action. The Lord's promise was fulfilled when Joshua
believed and then ACTED
upon his belief.
Hebrews 11: 30 By faith
the walls of Jericho fell down, AFTER they were compassed
about seven days.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after Joshua
obeyed and ACTED on his belief.
Faith + Action =
Results
How can YOU back up your
belief (John
3: 16) with
action?
Jesus gave us the answer...
Mark 16: 16 He that
believeth
and is
baptized
shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be
damned.
If baptism is not an essential part of your salvation,
then why did Jesus say, "He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved?" Why would these two things be mentioned
together?
Believe + Baptized =
Saved
Faith
+ Action = Salvation
A good example of this is found in Acts 16: 30 - 33 where
a jailer asked Paul and Silas, "What must I
do to be saved?" Their reply was,
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
you shall be saved." Then they told the jailer and
everyone in his household about the word of God. There
belief was then made effectual. It was put into effect.
How? They all
went together that very same hour of the
night and they were
baptized!
Did Paul and Silas say to the jailer, "Believe." And then
leave? No! Obviously, belief alone was not enough.
Their belief was immediately
followed up by action. It was so important that
they all went out in the darkness of night and were
baptized.
If
baptism is not an
essential part of salvation,
then why did the whole
family go out
at
night to dunk themselves
in water?
Did Paul and Silas say to the jailer,
"Believe and invite Jesus into
your heart and you will be saved?"
No!
The apostles NEVER said that to anyone.
Never.
Did Paul and Silas say, "Believe
and repeat this prayer of salvation."
No! The
apostles NEVER said that to anyone.
Never.
The answer to the question, "What must I do to be
saved?" is repeated over and over again in the New
Testament. The biblical answer is always
belief followed by
baptism.
Faith
without
works
is
dead.
James 2:
20
Belief is not enough!
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