John 3:16

[Pockey]

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

What does "believes in Him" mean? Believe what? That He exists? That He died for us? Or is it something else. Is it "be living" in Him, as in, having a relationship with Him?

[Dr. Shane]

If I believe a chair will hold me, I will sit in it.

"For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith." Rm 4:13

"Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering" Heb. 10:23

We are saved by grace through faith. To belive in Christ is to embrace the faith He offers to us by grace.

[Norman Byers, N.D.]

Hi Sid,

Eve believed the lie about God, His motives, His thoughts and feelings towards her. She was deceived into thinking that God was holding back some good from her. Adam just went along and deliberately disobeyed. Read Gen 3

Then you see how they behaved the pair hid from Jesus! How could they do that??? The one whom they loved to be and talk with they were now avoiding. The one whom they knew loved them! They were expecting Him to be like they now believed He would be. He wasn't and then He told them about the plan of salvation. To doubt or not believe that would be to continue in sin and never be put in the situation where they could be brought back into unity with God.

Fast forward to Jesus day. He shows up and He says, "I am the way, truth and the life." That truth is the truth about the Father. In 1 John 3 he says that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. That would be the lies taht have caused all that we now see.

To believe in the character or love of God is to now receive the Holy Spirit and be brought back into that loving relationship.

To believe is to believe the character portrayed of the Father by Christ. A belief that will compel us to love Him and do His will.

Is He that loving? Is He holding back something from us? How does He really feel about us? What do you believe? To know Him and Jesus Christ is eteranl life. John 17:3

Hope it helps,

Norman