DISCLAIMER: I have respect for every single person here. I hope that we can agree, or at least agree to disagree. Never take anything I say as angry, because I am here to love and share biblical truth as I see it. I respect everyone’s God-given right to freewill thought and decision. I will open-mindedly consider what you have to say, and hope that you will do the same for me…
We have to do more than believe, but yes that is the best news ever!
I agree with your disclaimer Christians should be able to discuss and even have opposite ideas and not let things differ into bitterness and insult and bickering and hard feelings . We’re just here to discuss and hopefully learn from one another or at least have thought provoking discussion
I disagree that it takes more than belief that’s actually why man sins is wrong belief and why we repent is right belief
we have to believe the gospel so for instance your saying “ we need to do more than believe “ but you have learned that because you heard or learned and believed the instructions that are from the gospel .
A sinner needs to believe what the gospel says about for instance repentance . A sinner needs to believe what the gospel teaches about eternal
Judgement. About sin and death , righteousness and life .
we need to believe that he is able to forgive our sins , that he loves us enough to die to save our souls , we need to hear and believe the things he taught about the father and son , the things he taught about US
Everything the gospel teaches , we need to accept and believe is what I’m saying I’m not saying we only need to say “ I believe” we need to have belief in what God has said and said “believe these things and live “
if we believe in the lord Jesus sincerely we will be willing to accept the truth of his word because he is promising eternal life if we believe .
To do so brings repentance of the heart and mind and a pure heart and mind means a much straighter path regarding our fruits or our actual works in this world .
God actually does the work in us if we believe the word he will change our inner issues that cause us to desire and harbor secrets inside
“And be not conformed to this world:
but be ye “transformed by the renewing of your mind “ that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:2 KJV
We have to let the truth of the gospel put our inner self in order the part of us that lusts in the heart and plots in the mind because those are the reasons we act in sin ,
it’s in us and comes out , so the answer is to let the lord into our mind and heart our understanding through the gospel the gospel is this
“And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
1 John 5:19-20 KJV
it’s the understanding of the true God in a dark and wicked world the knowledge of and relationship to him . It’s what God wants us to believe in other words
“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
John 8:31-32, 34, 36 KJV
what freedom believing his truth brings is this
“In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.”
2 Timothy 2:
The world that’s in wickedness is in a snare of Satan a deception he created when we followed him in the beginning his will is sin
believing the gospel leads us to genuine repentance because it originates from our belief in Christ and the word of truth he came and so often said believe these things I’m telling you and live eternally
Paul spoke of this servitude also and what sets us free
“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”
Romans 6:16-18 KJV
The gospel is that doctrine a doctrine is meant to change the persons mind no
Matter what it is , good or bad tommake a person think in a certain way because they believe the doctrine is true the gospel is the doctrine of God it is full of life if we believe and follow where that belief leads us
we don’t have to understand everything we have to believe the things we understand and even what’s there that we don’t understand is no reason to disbelieve . Belief in my “ belief “ is the foundation of change in a Christians mind and heart the result is repentance and righteousness because we have learned the truth and didn’t find a reason to disbelieve or reject it
the parable of the word of the kingdom producing fruit in the good soil it is he word that works in us to will and act in righteousness if we don’t accept and believe it it can’t do the work so we continue to struggle with sin
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:13 KJV
If we accept his word in the gospel , it has this effect
“For the word of God is QUICK AND POWERFUL
and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow,
and IS A DISCERNER OF THE THOUGHTS AND INTENTS OF THE HEART “
Hebrews 4:12 KJV
Belief allows it into our important places in us and we hold on to it because we believe in the one who said to believe it and he is able through faith to change and work in us in the strongholds the devil has in our heart and minds in our thought lives , our desires , our selfishness , pride , anger and impatience , our inner flaws the attitudes we have about sin Those flaws can be discerned and reproved through belief and the end is a nature that doesn’t crave and desire those things but through glory and glory and still glory as we grow sins grasp becomes less and less because we acknowledge the truth we find in the gospel and the epistles after which are full of revelation.
Only my own view like your saying in your disclaimer , no one has to agree or anything but I do like to hear other folks thoughts about similar matters it helps me study and I like to consider things outside my own framework of thought it always helps a new direction of things I may not have considered
agreement is always great but sometimes kind , friendly , adult type conversation from opposite views is edifying to one or the other it matters what spirit we discuss in
Oppressive governments use the principle
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
John 5:24 KJV
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