Believe-1) To take as truth, real, ect. 2) to have faith or confidence in a statement of another. This is the definition my dictionary gives for the word believe. In the New testament there are two Greek words that are translated believe. PISTIS, the root word, and PISTEUO, which is a derivative of the word PISTIS. Both of these words were translated faith, believe, believing, and believed.

Hebrews 11:6) "But without faith it is impossible to please Him : for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them who diligently seek Him."
     The word faith, in this verse, was translated from the Greek word PISTIS. The word believe is translated from the Greek word PISTEUO, a derivative of the word PISTIS. So without faith or believing it is impossible to please God. This verse also states that we must believe that God is. If we do not believe there is a God, what is the point of trying to seek Him to begin with? It also states that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. " Hmmmm, those who diligently seek Him." The word diligently is translated from the Greek word EKZETEO- to earnestly seek. My dictionary defines the word earnest as- serious and intense; not joking or playful; zealous and sincere; deeply convinced. 2) not petty or trivial.
      So, God rewards those who seriously seek Him. We must believe that God is, and that He rewards those who are serious about seeking Him. How do we seek Him? The best way I have found is by reading and researching His Word, the Bible. Also, by trying, to the best of my ability, to put to use the knowledge I have found in my life. I try my best to live what I believe. Think of the Bible as the instruction manual for life. How to deal with every situation we face in life is covered in the Bible! It is our job to search and find the answers.
      So, what must we do or believe in order to be saved? Lets see what the Bible says concerning this question.

Romans 10:9)" That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
10)" For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
      So, there it is. Not very complicated is it? So simple in fact that, there is not much gained by researching it. Check it out for yourself and see what you think. "Yes but...", some are saying about now. I do not see any "Yes but..." in that, do you? Man has through the years, and still does make it complicated. Isn't it great that God the only one who really counts, chooses to make it simple!
      However, how strong do we REALLY feel about this? Is it necessary to feel strong about this? Again, the only place to get the RIGHT ANSWERS to this question is from the Bible! In the thirteenth chapter of Mathew Jesus is explaining the parable of the sower.

Matthew 13:20)" But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;"
21)" Yet he hath not root in himself, but dureth for awhile: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended."
      Most of us can and do believe. The question is, do we still believe when faced with tribulation, ( pressure, affliction, or trouble), or persecution?

Romans 5:3)" And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;"
4)" And patience, experience; experience, hope."
      If we stand strong and DO NOT waver when troubled or persecuted, we become stronger in our believing. This is how strong believing is built, by enduring rather than backing off of God and His Word. If we back off  every time we face trouble or persecution because of our believing, we will never be strong in our believing.

James 1:5)" If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, That giveth to all men liberally (HAPLOS- in simplicity) and upbraideth (ONEIDIZO- scold, chide, revile, or mock) not."
      God does not scold, chide, revile, or mock us. It also states that it shall be given to us.

6)" But let him ask in faith, (PISTIS- believing) nothing wavering.( DIAKRINO- hesitating, or in doubt) For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed."
      We find from verse six, that we are to ask in faith or believing, ( that God will give it to us.) We must not be in doubt about it. We find that he who wavereth, is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed, One minute we believe, the next we do not. This is not how to go about it. We find from verse seven that a man/woman of that sort, should not think that he/she will receive from God. We find from verse eight that a double-minded ( DIPSUCHOS- double souled) man/woman is unstable in all his/her ways. Nobody likes to rely on somebody who is " wishey-washey". One minute they will, the next minute they will not. We can not believe one minute and the next we do not. If we believe in this way we will not get anything from God.

Matthew 10:32)" Whosoever therefore shall confess Me before men, him will I confess also before My Father Which is in Heaven."
33)" But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I also deny before My Father Which is in Heaven." (Also found in Luke 12:8-9.)
      Jesus put it pretty plainly, believing is not something to be " wishey-washey" about! Either you do or you do not. Jesus  said in these verses, that if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before His Father ( God) Which is in Heaven. He also states that if we deny Him before men, He will deny us before His Father ( God) Which is in Heaven.
      What if our life is in danger? SO WHAT!!! God promises us eternal life if we believe in Jesus Christ, ( John 3: 15-18 ) If we die before Jesus Christ returns, we will live again when He returns. Jesus died and rose again from the dead, to pay for our sins and to give us eternal life. He was willing to die for us, so we should be willing to die for Him. If we die defending or upholding our belief in Him , we will no longer know the pains of this life. The next thing we will know will be His glorious return!
      From Acts, chapter seven, we learn that Stephen died because he confessed his belief in Jesus Christ and would not back away from his belief. He was stoned to death. No he DID NOT overdose on drugs!!! Stoned, it seems, is yet another word that has taken on a completely different meaning in the last fifty or so years! In Bibical times your accusers backed you against a wall and threw rocks at you until you were dead, Somewhat different from today's meaning, huh? It is also a gruesome way to die. Oh yeah, he was well aware of what was comming! In verse sixty we read his dying words were," Lord lay not this sin to their charge." The twelve disciples of Jesus, for the most part, died in cruel, hideous ways. Paul lived through a stoning and many other things because of his unwavering belief. (II Corinthians 11: 24-28 tells of these things.) The history books tell us of many others martyrs.
      When I first began to try and take a stand for God and His Word I was... afraid! Of what? Silly as it may sound... being laughed at! Ridicule? My, think how much more the martyrs could have accomplished if all they had to worry about was a little ridicule! After I read the accounts of Stephen, Paul, and others I came to realize that I have it made in today's world, compared to what they went through! Fortunately, in most of the world today, a little ridicule is about all we have to worry about when taking a stand for God and His Word. When I finally developed courage enough to take a stand, I have never been ridiculed for it. Rather, those I had been listening to while they bashed God and His Word have always had questions. Sometimes I had the answers, sometimes I did not. Yet another reason for research!
      This brief article only opens the topic of Believing. I likely will touch on some of the many other aspects of this subject in future articles. You will also likely find it metioned in many if not all of the other subjects I and others write about on this site as it is one of the most basic components of salvation.

                                                                                                      Gary Jones
                                                                                                       Posted 3/29/9

     In the previous article, we found from Romans 10:9-10, that we are saved by confessing the Lord Jesus with our mouths, and believing in our hearts that God hath raised Him from the dead. Now lets take this to the next step.
Romans 3:28)" Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
     So, we find in this verse, that we are made right not by keeping the law of the Old Testament. Rather, we are made right by believing.
Galatians 2:16)" Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law : for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
     The word justified, in all three places, was translated from the Greek word, DIKAIOO- to make or declare right. The word faith was translated from the Greek word PISTIS- believing. Lets look at this verse with that in mind.                                                    
Knowing that a man is not made right by the works of the law, but by the believing of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be made right by the believing of Christ, and not by the works of the law : for by the works of the law shall no flesh be made right.
     Something very important needs to be noted here. We believe in Jesus Christ and because of HIS BELIEVING not ours are we made right (justified). The believing of Jesus Christ was much stronger than ours. HIS believing is what justifies or makes us right, if we believe in Him. So, how strong was His believing? Well, let's take a look.
Mathew 21:18)" Now in the morning as He (Jesus) returned into the city, He hungered."
19)" And when He saw a fig tree in the way, He came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it," Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever." And presently the fig tree withered away".
20)" And when the disciples saw it they marvelled, saying," How soon is the fig tree withered away!"
21)" Jesus answered and said unto them," Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith (PISTIS- believing), and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain,' Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea;' it shall be done".
22)" And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."
     I have not withered a fig tree, ever! Nor have I chunked a mountain into the sea. How about you? Thus, we find that, Jesus Christ believed to a much greater extent than we do. Our believing is made stronger as we continue to walk with God, through Jesus Christ. However, I have never met anyone with believing that strong! I'm not saying that I never will but as of yet I have not.
Galatians 3:6)" Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." ( DIKAIOSUNE- rightness, justice)
Romans 4:13)For the promise, that he should be heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." ( PISTIS- believing)
Galatians 3:9)" So then they which be of faith ( PISTIS- believing) are blessed with faithful Abraham."
     Abraham lived long before God gave man a set of laws to go by. If there were no laws to go by, then Abraham could not break the law, seeing that he had no laws to obey. He knew nothing of the law, because the law at that time had not been given to him or anyone else. He simply believed what God told him and God counted him as right because he believed what God told him. We find from these verses, that like Abraham, we are counted as right, simply by the fact that we believe in Jesus Christ and the things concerning Him. The believing of Jesus Christ was much stronger than our believing. It is His believing that justifies us or makes us right if we believe in Him.
     So, who was Abraham? Some of you who are new to the Bible may be wondering that. Wow, what a question! I could write a book about Abraham and still likely not give a sufficient answer. He was one of the central characters of the Old Testament. He is referred to many times in the New Testament. His birth name was Abram. His name was changed later in life to Abraham. The Bibical record of Abram (Abraham) begins in the last verses of Genesis chapter 11. It closes in chapter 25:10 with his death and burial. I will not spoil an interesting record by giving a few sparse details here and there. Rather, I suggest that you read this account for yourself, to fully understand the importance of him. Also, if you begin to read and research the Bible his name is always comming up and this way you will know firsthand who he is and how he fits into what you are reading.
     I have shared some profound and thought-provoking verses, taken from God's Word, the Bible, in this article. For a better understanding of this most important subject, JUSTIFIED BY BELIEVING, I suggest that you read the book of Romans and the book of Galatians. You will also find that these profound verses were not taken out of context, but rather they do fit with the context from which they are taken. 
                                                   Gary Jones
                                                    Posted 5/22/9

LEVITICUS 20:9)" For every one that curseth his father or his mother shall be surely put to death: he hath cursed his father or his mother; his blood shall be upon him."
Curseth is the Hebrew word QALAL- revile- to use abusive or contemptuous language in speaking to or about. In today's world many people have been guilty of that! This verse says we are to put to death a man who does such a thing. If this law were still being carried out, the overpopulation of the world would not be a problem! If we take it upon ourselves to do this , then in most of the world today, we would be in trouble very quick. What's more, most would say we are harsh, cruel, barbaric, ect.
20:27)" A man also or a woman that hath a familiar spirit,(OB- conjurer, wizard, sorcerer) or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them."
     From this verse we find that someone who is a sorcerer ( witch, warlock, wizard, or dabbles in the occult) we are to put to death. Again, many people in this "modern world" are into such things. If we were to carry out this law we would be in jail very quickly. What's more, this verse calls for them to be stoned. The later part of this verse describes what a Bibical stoning is. "... they shall stone them with stones..." So, you can see that I was not kidding when I referred to this in a earlier article. In this "civilized world", as we like to refer to it, if we stoned ANYONE  for ANY reason we would never get out of prison, if indeed we were not put to death ourselves!
     These are not obscure, isolated, laws. These type laws are common throughout the Old Testament. I think we can all agree that such laws can not be kept today. So what do we do? Chunk them out? Ingnore them? Don't worry about them?
DEUTERONOMY27:26)" Cursed ( ARAR- to curse) be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And the people shall say Amen."
     Yes, this verse comes from Deuteronomy rather than Leviticus. The same basic verse is used in Leviticus many times when in reference to the law and keeping it. Anywhere the law is laid out or discussed throughout the Old Testament, this law always accompanies it. Deuteronomy, like Leviticus, contains many laws that we can no longer keep without running afoul of the laws of "modern man".
     I used this paticular verse because it is the most plainly worded. Even without research we can see the point rather plain. Many times in the New Testament this is repeated when referring to the law. The most plain verse I know of in the New Testament is found in the book of James.
JAMES 2:10)" For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend (PTAIO- fall) in one point, he is guilty of all."
     Here we find that if we break any part of the law we are guilty of breaking all of it. In Deuteronomy 27:26, we found that we are cursed if we do not confirm all of the law to do it. Yet we can not keep many of the laws found in the Old Testament without running afoul of man's law. Fortunately, thanks to Jesus Christ, we no longer have to worry about laws we can not keep.
Galatians 3:13)" Christ hath redeemed ( EXAGOIZAZO- to acquire out of of the forum or court of law) us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, " Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
     Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law. We no longer have to keep the law if we believe in Jesus Christ. By his hanging on a cross, (made from a tree), He was made a curse for us.
ROMANS 10:4)" For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth"
     If we believe in Jesus Christ we no longer have to keep the law. Jesus Christ kept all of the law, as well as, fulfilling all of the prophecies that were foretold concerning Him. I have already shown in the previous article that we are justified by His believing if we believe in Him.
     So, since we no longer have to keep the law, what do we now base our behavior on? What do we use as a standard to determine if our actions are right or wrong? Can we now, because of being freed from the law, do anything we want?
I CORINTHIANS 6:12)" All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: (SUMPHERO- profitable) all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power (EXONSIAZO- authority) of any."( TIS -anyone)
     Here we find that while all things are indeed lawful, all things are not profitable. For instance, in any country of the world, if we steal something and get caught, we are hauled before a court of man's law. If convicted we receive, at best, fines, probation, or jail time. In some places in the world, as I understand it, they still cut off the right hand of convicted thieves!
     There is no profit in paying fines, going through the harassment of serving probation time, or the living hell of serving prison time. Nobody wants to lose a hand! Therefore stealing is not profitable. I chose this example because, as to the best of my knowledge, stealing is not legal, by man's law anywhere on earth. So, we do not want to break man's law, if for no other reason, we do not want to be brought under the power of man's law. There is a greater reason though.
MATTHEW22:36)" Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"
37)" Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
38)" This is the first and great commandment."
39)" And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
40)" On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets."
     The word love in these verses is... you guessed it, AGAPAO, a derivative of the root word AGAPE- the love of God! If we truely love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, we will not do anything willfully, that offends Him. We also will not do anything that in any way makes Him or His Word appear in a bad light or way. Why? Because we love Him first of all and also amoung the many other reasons, we do not want to set a bad example to others who are new to Him and His Word, or who may one day consider following Him.
     The word neighbor in verse 39, is translated from the Greek phrase, HO PLESION- the one near or close to. For example, if the two of us are standing in a crowd of people, we are, for that moment, neighbors. Even though I have never met you and likely will never see you again, you are for that moment my neighbor. If I love you as myself, I am not going to pick your pocket or cut your throat. Never mind man's law for the time being. If I love you, with the love of God, as myself, I am not going to do anything harmful, mentally, physically, or spiritually, to you. Likewise, if you love me, with the love of God, as yourself, you will do no harm to me in any of these ways.
     I believe this to be the best thing I have ever seen for a moral standard. I also think it is really neat, how Jesus Christ brought togather the WHOLE LAW  in these few words! I, in my personal life, have found it to be more easy to live in this way, for the love of  God, than for fear of hell's fire or the long arm of man's law.
     This AGAPE/AGAPAO love or the Love of God deserves a category all to itself. Later I plan to post just such a category.

Gary Jones 6/14/09