What must someone believe in order to be saved?

[Who me]

22 hours ago, z88 said:

Could someone in their own words please explain to me what someone must believe in order to be saved

That one is a sinner, to be truly sorry for ones signs, that Jesus is  the Son of God, who died and rose again to pay ones penalty for sin and to accept him as ones Lord, Saviour and master.

May I suggest that you contact your paster and talk with him.

[Indentured Servant]

23 hours ago, z88 said:

I can't figure this out for the life of me. Could someone in their own words please explain to me what someone must believe in order to be saved along with the appropriate verses from the Bible? Thank you so much.

Since Christianity has the unique truth of a risen Savior, I would submit Romans 10:9,

"If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

The word 'believe' has an underlying meaning of confidence and commitment to something, and is derived from the Greek word translated "faith."

Hebrew 11:1

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see."

It is through faith that God counts us as "righteous."

Good starting point!

[farouk]

On 3/24/2025 at 3:41 PM, z88 said:

Oh wait, does John 3:18 mean you only have to believe in him through his name?

Hi @z88 Consider also the uniqueness of the 'name that is above every name' (Philippians 2), borne by the Saviour went to the Cross (see context).

[Vine Abider]

On 3/24/2025 at 10:15 AM, z88 said:

I can't figure this out for the life of me. Could someone in their own words please explain to me what someone must believe in order to be saved along with the appropriate verses from the Bible? Thank you so much.

Several others have essentially hit this nail on the head, in that it is belief alone in Jesus Christ that is needed to receive the new birth and be saved.  Paul says it more specifically here in 1st Corinthians 15:2-4

"By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures"

In Acts 16:32 Paul and Silas told the jailer after he asked, “'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.'"

I also appreciate this simplicity - Peter, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21), stood up and proclaimed this to the large crowd (quoting Joel 2:32). "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."   It says about 3,000 were saved that day.  And Paul repeats the same words in Romans 10:13.

BTW - the only thing required is belief in Christ and reaching out to Him (calling on His name).  Confession of sin may happen and various other things may occur around the initial salvation experience, but belief/trust in Christ alone is the only prerequisite for salvation.

[other one]

2 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

Several others have essentially hit this nail on the head, in that it is belief alone in Jesus Christ that is needed to receive the new birth and be saved. 

One should really understand what that Greek word translated belief/believe means in Greek.  There are many Greek words that does not always translate the full meaning of what's being said by the original writer.

[Edward429451]

1 hour ago, Vine Abider said:

In Acts 16:32 Paul and Silas told the jailer after he asked, “'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.'"

I also appreciate this simplicity - Peter, on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:21), stood up and proclaimed this to the large crowd (quoting Joel 2:32). "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."   It says about 3,000 were saved that day.  And Paul repeats the same words in Romans 10:13.

 

The way I understand it, in the Greek language the word Believe carries with it a connotation of action or commitment. In other words, to walk in it and not just speak about it. Believe has a fairly wide range of usage and can be used to signify simple intellectual trust but typically a commitment is clearly inferred. 

So we're not supposed to get saven and then go home and sit on our blessed ass urance without walking in it

In other words, we must be doers of the word and not just hearers. So there's a serious commitment involved where we must stand up and walk in our belief and trust or the deal is null and void I think. Wouldn't that be, being lukewarm, to not walk in it. 

 

Think of your marriage to your spose as an example. You dont marry her and then go back to your place alone. You take her with you! She will have lots to say, I need to go here or there, I need some money, we need better furniture. Wise men walk in that and say, yes Honey, and it happens because there was a marriage and a commitment made! 

 

So unless we take the Lord seriously in what He says to us in His word and begin doing the same things that the word says to do, what have we become? We profess Jesus, but do not walk with Him daily? The scripture uses the term Lukewarm for these people and it says that He will spew them from His mouth. (Yikes!) (That sounds like an annulment?)

 

 

 

 

[Alive]

This is very disturbing to me. Makes me sad.

Question: to believe a thing, do you need evidence. Any thing or concept.

Do you simply ‘decide’ to believe a thing? If and when you do believe a thing, could you not be wrong?

Question 2: if saving faith is beyond this exercise, what is its source?

[Vine Abider]

23 minutes ago, Edward429451 said:

 

The way I understand it, in the Greek language the word Believe carries with it a connotation of action or commitment. In other words, to walk in it and not just speak about it. Believe has a fairly wide range of usage and can be used to signify simple intellectual trust but typically a commitment is clearly inferred. 

So we're not supposed to get saven and then go home and sit on our blessed ass urance without walking in it

In other words, we must be doers of the word and not just hearers. So there's a serious commitment involved where we must stand up and walk in our belief and trust or the deal is null and void I think. Wouldn't that be, being lukewarm, to not walk in it. 

 

Think of your marriage to your spose as an example. You dont marry her and then go back to your place alone. You take her with you! She will have lots to say, I need to go here or there, I need some money, we need better furniture. Wise men walk in that and say, yes Honey, and it happens because there was a marriage and a commitment made! 

 

So unless we take the Lord seriously in what He says to us in His word and begin doing the same things that the word says to do, what have we become? We profess Jesus, but do not walk with Him daily? The scripture uses the term Lukewarm for these people and it says that He will spew them from His mouth. (Yikes!) (That sounds like an annulment?)

 

 

 

 

Amen. If the Lord's Spirit comes into us causing the new birth, this changes who we are (being saved initially).  We could do all sorts of monumentally good things outwardly, but without being born again with His life, it amounts to exactly nothing.

But with the rebirth (the Lord's life coming into us), we will be changed into His image and start to do things differently - which things will remain.  Anything done on this planet without His direction, no matter how good it might look, will burn up.  (See 1 Cor 3:12-15)

[Edward429451]

37 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

Amen. If the Lord's Spirit comes into us causing the new birth, this changes who we are (being saved initially).  We could do all sorts of monumentally good things outwardly, but without being born again with His life, it amounts to exactly nothing.

But with the rebirth (the Lord's life coming into us), we will be changed into His image and start to do things differently - which things will remain.  Anything done on this planet without His direction, no matter how good it might look, will burn up.  (See 1 Cor 3:12-15)

 

I think being born again in spirit is very comparable to being born in the flesh. When a baby is born, it isn't over, mission accomplished. It's it has begun. Now the young one one learns and does things. I dont see any food on the ceiling but I am hungry the baby thinks. So what does he do?  He cries out to see if he can get some help with this problem! Where's my mommy?! Wah! I said, WAHHH!! and she is instantly there for him. 

Just like the spiritual birth. We are born again, in spirit and become babes in Christ. And scripture says cry out to Him unceasingly! We have not if we ask not. 

I dont think God does anything without flowing through one of His Believers? I'm still chewing on that one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Vine Abider]

17 hours ago, Edward429451 said:

I dont think God does anything without flowing through one of His Believers? I'm still chewing on that one. 

To clarify - meaning transforming work in a reborn child of God is exclusively the Spirit's realm.  We really can't do anything to transform ourselves except cooperate with the Potter. (plus He will arrange external circumstances to help encourage us to turn to Him and let Him operate in us)