The Church likes to quote John 3:16 and then stand on the doctrine that all it takes is belief in Jesus to earn salvation. This is a false doctrine and false ideology. The translation of John 3:16 into English is weak and misses a lot of context from the original language. The word for “Believe” is translated from pistévo (πιστεύω), which means “to put one’s faith in, trust, with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow.” Notice the last part of that definition: “with an implication that actions based on that trust may follow.” Believing is more than just believing.
The Apostle James speaks to this in his letter. “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder” (James 2:19). The Apostle gives a sarcastic tone here. He follows this up with, “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:20). There is a strong emphasis given that believing is more than just believing. If there is no change in action or repentance of the heart, then one’s belief is just as good as the demon’s.
Even some translations of the Bible remove the emphasis of true belief from their pages. For example, people usually stop reading at John 3:16, but if you continue to the end of the chapter, you will read, “He who believes (pistévo) in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, the the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36 NASB). Some translations, such as the most popular translation, the New International Version, remove the emphasis of obey: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36 NIV). The CEV translation says, “Everyone who has faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who rejects him will ever share in that life, and God will be angry with them forever.” Without the emphasis on obeying, “believe” is not represented accurately.
When we water down or mistranslate words in scripture, we risk not sharing the whole truth. Churches teach that belief is all that is needed to be saved. This is just not the case. The scripture is unequivocal that without obedience, there is no salvation. Belief is a change in perspective, not only in our minds but also in our hearts. This belief is then lived out in obedience to Jesus Christ and His word.
Obedience was explicitly expressed in the Old Testament. The nation of Israel was commanded to obey God and all He commanded. They were also told that steep and tragic consequences would follow when they chose to disobey. Israel was conquered time and time again and was taken captive due to their lack of obedience to YHWH and His word.
The Messiah that was prophesied about throughout the Old Testament came to remove the penalty of sin – DEATH and eternal separation from YHWH. However, that penalty is only removed once one turns to Jesus Christ, repents of their sin, and lives in obedience to Him. The same expectations that were placed on the Israelites are on us today. Repentance of sin and obedience to God’s Word is essential to salvation and freedom. When the nation of Israel repented of their sin and turned back to God, it was then that they were set free.
If the God of the Old Testament is the God of today, and if He is a God that never changes, then why should we assume that His expectations for His people would change? Obedience is still required. The prophet Samuel stated, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22). Paul wrote the following in his letter to the Roman gentiles:
“But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off.” (Romans 11:17-22)
Paul said, “Do not be conceited, but fear; for if God did not spare the natural branches (Israelites – His chosen people who rejected Him), He will not spare you, either.” He continues, saying, “Behold the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity. But to you, God’s kindness, IF you continue in His kindness.” That “IF” is pretty significant. The nation of Israel was promised salvation IF they continued in obedience to YHWH and his commands. When they strayed from His commands, they were overtaken and placed in captivity. The Lord brought peace and prosperity to Israel through repentance and their return to YHWH and His commands.
In the Old Testament, multiple sacrifices needed to be made by the high priests to atone for sins. When Jesus came, He became the ultimate High Priest for all mankind. His sacrifice on the cross covered all sin for all eternity. This means we no longer have to go to a high priest and ask for a sacrifice for our sins. Jesus’s sacrifice paid it all. However, as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, we are still responsible for obeying all He has commanded us. Jesus Christ is our atonement for sin, but we still must live according to His word.
In some Christian denominations, there is a theological view that once someone accepts Christ, they are saved for life. I used to believe this, but the older I get and the more I invest in understanding the depth and meaning of salvation and what it means to have a relationship with Christ, I don’t see how “once saved, always saved” is a biblical theological view. To say that we believe in God does nothing. After all, James wrote, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” (James 2:19-20). He goes on to say, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:24, 26). It is through obedience that we belief is made whole.
Consider Christ’s own words:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” (John 15, 1-3, 5-6).
The Greek word for abide is μένω (méno), which means “to stay.” Menō describes something that remains where it is, continues in a fixed state, or endures. For example, a marriage is only when a husband and wife stay together, endure hardships, and remain faithful to each other. The moment one or both break that commitment to each other, the marriage is no longer a marriage. A man can believe in his wife all his life, but the belief in his wife is not what makes him married. Only when that man stays, remains, endures, and continues in a fixed state with his wife is he indeed married. In other words, he is devoted to her with everything he has. He refuses to let anything or anyone come between him and his wife. The same applies to our relationship with Christ Jesus, who calls us his bride.
We have a responsibility as believers in Christ. Believing in Jesus is more than recognizing His existence, ministry, and historical significance. To believe in Jesus is to obey Him. The beauty of Christ is his faithfulness to us when we are not faithful. This doesn’t mean that we continue in our salvation if we follow after other gods or choose to ignore or make excuses for why we don’t follow His commands. His faithfulness is shown when we repent of our sins and return to Him. Without repentance, there can never be salvation. Repentance is the acknowledgment, both in the heart and actions, that we have missed the mark and need the grace and forgiveness of Jesus Christ and God the Father, and we return in obedience to YHWH. It is then that we have realigned ourselves with YHWH. If we continue in sin, making excuses for our choices and actions, we are not abiding in Christ; neither are we true believers in Him.
I encourage you to check your heart. To believe in Christ is to obey Him and abide in Him. You will always be in a battle between your selfish desires and God’s commandments. Just remember, because humanity listened to their selfish desires in the first place, we are where we are today. Believe in Jesus Christ and YHWH by obeying and abiding.
Selfless Leadership Is Purposeful Leadership 