Jesus will save you if you.... ???

[Lamb]

"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross. For whoever would find his life would lose it; and whoever would lose his life for My sake, and the sake of the Gospel, would find it."

And then there's Romans 2:7.

So, according to Jesus, more than mere belief if required, if we seek to gain eternal life?

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. John3:16

From my way of understanding it does require more than just belief, it requires absolute dedication of one's life to that belief.

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. John3:16

James makes mention of belief not being enough. The demons believe in God.

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. John3:16

The belief in that verse is the one that refers to faith in the Savior...and that's enough for eternal life. Works come because we have belief, not to supply or add on.

 

[Frankj]

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. John3:16




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. John3:16



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. John3:16

The belief in that verse is the one that refers to faith in the Savior...and that's enough for eternal life. Works come because we have belief, not to supply or add on.

To me the first commandment means that we are to put nothing ahead of God.

Nothing!

If we do that we have put that believe in him from John3:16 in second place or an even lesser place even if it is just for a little while so we can watch Netflix or something for our entertainment.

But maybe I'm wrong, maybe he doesn't care all that much and sees the Sunday morning Christian who pursues sinful activity the rest of the time the same way as the totally devout one so it really doesn't matter what we make more important than him.

 

[fuddy]

As tango said, the demons believe in God, but they don't TRUST in God. It seems belief and trust are not synonymous words in scripture. So belief would be the seed, and trust would be belief's fruit.

 

[tango]

The belief in that verse is the one that refers to faith in the Savior...and that's enough for eternal life. Works come because we have belief, not to supply or add on.

This seems like something that could go round and round in circles forever.

If we truly believe our lives will reflect it. Hence we have faith and works. James said that faith without works is dead - if someone has no works we might question whether they truly believe.

The question about what exactly "believeth in him" actually means seems pretty key here. In the context of your post, what exactly does "faith in the Savior" actually mean?

The demons believe in one God and believe in Jesus but they are condemned.

 

[Lamb]

To me the first commandment means that we are to put nothing ahead of God.

Nothing!

If we do that we have put that believe in him from John3:16 in second place or an even lesser place even if it is just for a little while so we can watch Netflix or something for our entertainment.

But maybe I'm wrong, maybe he doesn't care all that much and sees the Sunday morning Christian who pursues sinful activity the rest of the time the same way as the totally devout one so it really doesn't matter what we make more important than him.

Don't rely on the things YOU do for salvation. Rely on Jesus' death and resurrection. That's what John 3:16 is about. It's purely God being our Savior, not us adding into the mix.

As tango said, the demons believe in God, but they don't TRUST in God. It seems belief and trust are not synonymous words in scripture. So belief would be the seed, and trust would be belief's fruit.

The belief in John 3:16 is the faith given to us by God as a gift to trust that our sins are forgiven by Jesus' death and resurrection. That's the Gospel message that saves. Our works won't save us.

This seems like something that could go round and round in circles forever.

If we truly believe our lives will reflect it. Hence we have faith and works. James said that faith without works is dead - if someone has no works we might question whether they truly believe.

The question about what exactly "believeth in him" actually means seems pretty key here. In the context of your post, what exactly does "faith in the Savior" actually mean?

The demons believe in one God and believe in Jesus but they are condemned.

The demons believe, but John 3:16 is about the faith God gives us. That's the belief that saves. It saves alone, we can't add our works to it or we're going to be relying on our works instead of fully into Christ. Our works can never measure up because we still live in these sinful bodies. Jesus took that sin to the cross and we're forgiven. That's what we trust as believers. That's what saves us.

 

[Frankj]

Don't rely on the things YOU do for salvation. Rely on Jesus' death and resurrection. That's what John 3:16 is about. It's purely God being our Savior, not us adding into the mix.



The belief in John 3:16 is the faith given to us by God as a gift to trust that our sins are forgiven by Jesus' death and resurrection. That's the Gospel message that saves. Our works won't save us.



The demons believe, but John 3:16 is about the faith God gives us. That's the belief that saves. It saves alone, we can't add our works to it or we're going to be relying on our works instead of fully into Christ. Our works can never measure up because we still live in these sinful bodies. Jesus took that sin to the cross and we're forgiven. That's what we trust as believers. That's what saves us.

Well,, it's a relief to know that we don't have to pay attention to Matthew 22:37-38, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27 or even that inconvenient old covenant Deuteronomy 6:5 where that thinking originated,

Just believe, say Lord, Lord, and go about your business as if nothing else is of any value or important to God.

 

[tango]

The demons believe, but John 3:16 is about the faith God gives us. That's the belief that saves. It saves alone, we can't add our works to it or we're going to be relying on our works instead of fully into Christ. Our works can never measure up because we still live in these sinful bodies. Jesus took that sin to the cross and we're forgiven. That's what we trust as believers. That's what saves us.

If our lives don't reflect Jesus, can we truly say we believe?

 

[Lamb]

Well,, it's a relief to know that we don't have to pay attention to Matthew 22:37-38, Mark 12:30, Luke 10:27 or even that inconvenient old covenant Deuteronomy 6:5 where that thinking originated,

Just believe, say Lord, Lord, and go about your business as if nothing else is of any value or important to God.

Nothing you do can add to what Christ has already done for you to gain entry into heaven!

If our lives don't reflect Jesus, can we truly say we believe?

Our lives reflect our belief in Jesus because it's the job of the Holy Spirit to bring about good works within us. That doesn't add to what Jesus accomplished for us, that which our faith clings to.

 

[Frankj]

Nothing you do can add to what Christ has already done for you to gain entry into heaven!



Our lives reflect our belief in Jesus because it's the job of the Holy Spirit to bring about good works within us. That doesn't add to what Jesus accomplished for us, that which our faith clings to.

OK, so factor mark 10:17-22 into it, when asked Jesus didn't say 'Oh, just believe in me is all you have to do' or something like that.

 

[fuddy]

Ok, so there's a profound difference in these two faiths - OUR faith, which people struggle to "work up" in themselves but which is essentially powerless and insufficient for salvation; and HIS faith, which is a gift to us, possessing a specific quality and power to save us.

 

[fuddy]

Here's the thing - Paul said, "if you believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead"... so, how can we accurately assess whether or not we genuinely 'believe'?

We're not supposed to rely on our own understanding, our hearts are evil above all things... we can't trust ourselves. So how can we gage the validity of the faith we have? Is it fake, and we're really lying to ourselves that it's valid? Because sometimes I'm sure my faith is real, other times I seriously question if it's from Him or something I'm trying to force myself into believing.

 

[jswauto]

HOW CAN I BUILD SERIOUS FAITH IN THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY​

1. What really is the Bible about?​

Spending time with the Lord. The whole Bible is God saying:

“Come walk with Me.”

2. Do you truly believe the Lord is real?​

If the answer is “yes,” even trembling — that is saving faith. If the answer is “I want to believe” — that is the seed of saving faith. If the answer is “I’m scared my faith is weak” — that is the cry of real faith.
Now we build the daily program that helps you grow from fear → trust → relationship.
Below is the simple spiritual mechanics program — clean, structured, and designed for someone hungering for the Lord:

THE RELATIONSHIP‑WITH‑THE‑LORD DAILY PROGRAM​

Simple Classical Spiritual Mechanics for Building Faith and Closeness​

This program has two pillars:

1. Spend time with the Lord
2. Affirm that He is real

Everything else grows out of these two.

PILLAR 1 — Spend Time With the Lord​

(This is the entire Bible in one sentence.)
The Bible is the story of God restoring His relationship with humanity. Relationship requires time, not perfection.
So here are the daily procedures — simple, repeatable, doable.

Procedure A — 5 Minutes of Stillness (Daily)​

Sit quietly. No agenda. No performance. No pressure.
Just say:

“Lord, I’m here.”

This is the spiritual mechanic of presence. It trains the heart to recognize God’s nearness.

Procedure B — 5 Minutes of Scripture (Daily)​

Pick one small passage. Not a whole chapter. Not a whole book.
Just one small portion.
Examples:

• Psalm 23
• John 14
• Romans 8:1–4
• Matthew 11:28–30
• Ephesians 2:4–10

Read it slowly. Let one sentence stand out. Carry that sentence through the day.
This is the spiritual mechanic of hearing.

Procedure C — 3 Minutes of Honest Prayer (Daily)​

Not fancy prayer. Not formal prayer. Not “holy” prayer.
Just honesty.
Say:

“Lord, here’s what I’m afraid of.” “Here’s what I don’t understand.” “Here’s what I need.” “Here’s what I’m thankful for.”

This is the spiritual mechanic of trust.

Procedure D — 1 Minute of Surrender (Daily)​

Say:

“Lord, I give You today. I give You my fear. I give You my doubts. I give You my faith — weak or strong.”

This is the spiritual mechanic of yielding.