"Believe?"

The word, “believe” is no longer the best word to describe faith in God or Jesus. Heresy? No! Let me explain: “Believe” is the word used in every translation of John 3:16, the part that says, “. . .whosoever believes in Him shall be saved,” from John 3:16, the most famous verse of the Bible. However, that verse was not written in English. We easily lose a lot in translation.

In my opinion the only translation that does justice to the original word in the Greek is “The Amplified Version,” (the translation which give more fully the original meaning of the Greek words). “Pisteuo,” or a form of that, was used in the original writings in every instance of a word being translated “believe” or “belief.” The amplified translation adds, “trusts in, clings to, relies on,” following the word, “believe.” In my opinion, that translation is far superior to the one word, “believe,” because it gives us a more complete understanding of what the original author was saying. My concordance, “Young’s Analytical Concordance to the Bible” states the meaning of “pisteuo,” in the Greek, is “adhere to, rely on, trust in.” To me, these words imply an ongoing relationship with someone, not just a one-time prayer.

Another important reason that “believe” is not an adequate word is the fact that we have come to mostly associate “believe” with intellectual belief as in “I believe Jesus actually rose from the dead” or “I can’t believe in miracles.” People can have an intellectual belief that Jesus rose from the dead, but not be committed to relying on and trusting in the person of Jesus. When the Bible uses the word translated “believe,” in every instance it implies much more than an intellectual belief, but also a commitment to follow the person of Jesus, and everything He stands for.

Emphasizing intellectual belief can lead to the serious misconception that believing in Jesus is just a one time experience done through a prayer, and that is all that is needed to make it to Heaven. This misconception can easily happen when people ask non-Christians, “Do you want to go to Heaven?” followed by the statement, “Here is an easy three step answer to making it to Heaven. Just pray this prayer and you will be saved!” Salvation through Jesus is much more than a one time mechanical prayer! The meaning of “salvation,” as used in the New Testament, includes freedom from sin and its bondage, a right relationship with God and a commitment to follow the person and teachings of Jesus, thus leading eventually to living in Heaven with God and Jesus.

Salvation is gained through spiritual trust in the saving power of the work of Jesus on the cross. We do reach God through heartfelt prayers, but I doubt seriously that mechanically offered prayers motivated by a fear of Hell or of not making it to Heaven have much real spiritual significance.

The question, “Do you want to go to Heaven?” is itself an inappropriate approach to conversion. The motivation to get right with God should be more than just wanting to avoid Hell! I think a better motivation to seeking salvation is to want to have a truly intimate relationship with God. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants to love us and bring us freedom and all the blessings He can give us. However, we need to yield our lives to Him, with the desire to have the life He wants for us and to be the people He wants us to be. This comes through completely trusting in His Son, Jesus.