Do You Believe This? – Why This Is the Most Important Question You’ll Ever Answer

[farouk]

@Your closest friendnt I'm reminded also of Matthew 7.21: " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

[Your closest friendnt]

2 minutes ago, farouk said:

I guess I was using the term in the sense of someone who professes but is not apparently.

This is more than apparently an erroneous statement because the faith is in our hearts and the believer does not need caracter witnesses and neither Jesus Christ does. And he does not need to confess it at all. 

And for the exercise when he said "praise the Lord" having Jesus in his mind it is a lot more than a confession. It is a confession with praise.

Why reffering to John 3:16? Do you not accept the statement "that whosoever believes in him has eternal life. 

A believer does not to prove himself not even to Jesus because then it is by faith and works and not by faith alone. And I know that you believe that. 

[Your closest friendnt]

10 minutes ago, farouk said:

@Your closest friendnt I'm reminded also of Matthew 7.21: " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Is this what raises the doubts in you and not just you but to many others. 

Then asked your self what is this all about? 

[farouk]

Hi @Your closest friendnt I guess I haven't read the whole thread closely enough. Maybe as a result we are talking a little at cross purposes; I don't know...........

[Cyoder]

6 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

Is this what raises the doubts in you and not just you but to many others. 

Then asked your self what is this all about? 

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

 

FEW find it.  Sounds promising.  This passage is the one that makes me believe most people are going to hell. Including myself.  Jesus is very clear.  You need to walk with God.  If you just believe, even the demons believe.  Is going to Church a couple times a month and trying to be a decent human enough if you "believe".  If you truly believe, wouldn't you quit your job and become a pastor spreading the Gospel?  These are the things that keep me up at night.  I'll just keep working at it and praying for guidance.

[Your closest friendnt]

 

10 hours ago, farouk said:

 

 I'm reminded also of Matthew 7.21: " Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

In this example Jesus is trying to bring to our attention something similar as James did in

Luke 24:8 ESV

“When you are invited by someone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest someone more distinguished than you be invited by him.

Just like in this example some disciples thought of them selves that they were close to Jesus because of the things that they did and they mention them to Jesus when Jesus is telling them that your place in spite of what you think about your self is far away from me inspite of the good things you do or you did in my name (here we give it to them because they said to Jesus in your name) Here also Jesus is letting the people know to his disciples and to the leaders of the people who had mixed feelings about him (and Jesus said those things knowing that He is the One whom God had appointed to Judge all the people of the world. 

Jesus here is judging his own people and because of the wrong things they were doing there place is far away from him because of their works of iniquity. They called him Lord and they did good things in his name. They are his own but because of their works of iniquity their place is far away from him. He is telling them some of the works they do are the works of darkness and He is calling them to repentance. If they want to be close to him, they need to repent first.

In other words they are eligible to be part of the Royal Priesthood as believers in him BUT they are not till they repent and wash their clothes white clean. As the scripture says: the workers of iniquity and those who practice sinful lifestyles are out if the Gates of the Temple and are not allowed to enter in, only after they have repented and wash their robes clean white as snow. In reference to the Royal Priesthood. 

They are his people. They are in the Heavenly Jerusalem. All believers are in the Heavenly Jerusalem. 

Jesus calls His own to repentance. 

 

Edited May 22 by Your closest friendnt

[Orion]

10 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

We should be slow to call anyone unbeliever, because if they were from another non-Christian faith the Rabbi would be officiating the service or the Imam or the Hindu Priest..or who ever.

JESUS CHRIST IS FOR ALL BELIEVERS AND NOT JUST THE DISCIPLES. they need to be told that Jesus is not theirs. 

Yeshua is the ONLY WAY.  If there is no faith in Yeshua, it doesn't matter what your religion tells you, it is not true,  because Yeshua is truth and without Yeshua you remain lost. 

[bdavidc]

19 hours ago, DeighAnn said:

No, it isn't.  So, can you explain how anyone who has come to LIFE/been made ALIVE in Christ/has passed from death to life who remains abiding and believing, 

Your post brings up deep issues, but some of your claims don’t align with the plain teaching of Scripture. Let's stick to Sola Scriptura and rightly divide the Word of truth.

Jesus said in John 11:25-26, “I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” This does not mean believers will not experience physical death. It means they will not face the second death (Revelation 20:6, 14), and they will live eternally. Paul clearly said in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, “The dead in Christ shall rise first.” These are not lost people. They are saved believers who physically died, and they will be resurrected at Christ’s return. Being “dead in Christ” simply means they died as believers. That is entirely consistent with being spiritually alive yet physically dead.

John 5:24 says those who believe have passed from death to life. That speaks of spiritual death to spiritual life. We were dead in sin, but now alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-6). However, physical death still happens to all, unless the Lord returns first. The “dead in Christ” are those physically dead, not spiritually lost.

As for those who never heard the gospel getting a “first chance” in the Millennium, the Bible never teaches that. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” There is no second or delayed opportunity to be saved after death. Romans 1:20 tells us all are without excuse because God has made His truth known through creation. The gospel must be believed now. Jesus never promised a future test run or probation after death.

Regarding the Millennium, those who reign with Christ for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6) are not there to get a chance at salvation. They are already redeemed. Salvation is never by works, whether before or after Christ returns. Revelation 20:12-15 shows the lost being judged by works because their names were not found in the Book of Life. No one will be saved by works. Salvation has always been by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and that does not change during the Millennium.

Bottom line: “The dead in Christ” are saved people who died. They will be raised. No one gets another chance after death. Salvation is never earned, not in this age or the next. Let Scripture speak for itself.

[bdavidc]

15 hours ago, Your closest friendnt said:

In this Jesus is referring to whoever from the Jews whether righteous or sinners who believe in him before his death on the Cross and they died before his death and resurrection. Jesus said for them that even they died they shall live. And the question is how? Because they died believing in him and they died as his people and when He will meet them at the place of the dead when He also will die then He will give them of his life. Like it happened with the thief on the Cross. 

This interpretation does not align with the full teaching of Scripture. Nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say that He went to a place of the dead to give life to Old Testament saints after they died because they believed in Him before the Cross. That idea is speculative and not taught in the Word of God. Jesus said in John 11:25, “I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” This promise applies not only to Jews before the Cross, but to all who believe in Him, both before and after His resurrection. The power of God to save has always been by faith (Romans 4:3, Galatians 3:6), and the righteous before the Cross were justified by believing God, just as Abraham was.

The thief on the cross is not an example of Jesus going to the place of the dead to give life. Jesus said to him, “Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). That is a direct statement of assurance, not a journey into some spiritual prison or waiting chamber. Scripture does not say Jesus gave life to the dead after dying. He is the life (John 14:6), and those who trusted God before His incarnation were already counted righteous because of their faith in God's promises pointing to the Messiah.

Hebrews 11 confirms this. It lists many Old Testament believers who “died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off” (Hebrews 11:13). They were saved by faith in the coming Christ, and their righteousness was imputed based on that belief, not by a future meeting in the place of the dead. Salvation has always been by grace through faith, never by any process after death (Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 9:27).

The Bible is clear, “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life” (John 3:36), and that truth transcends time, whether before the Cross or after.

[bdavidc]

On 5/21/2025 at 5:46 AM, Your closest friendnt said:

Jesus and Martha during the Sinai Covenant or just before the Cross. 

Jesus said two things for two different situations and time periods. 

First he said something that can apply to someone who died believing in him before his death on the Cross. And that can apply only to those in the Sinai Covenant at that time and not the other nations of the world. 

To the first part starts with the word "Whoever" believes in me ....the whoever apply to both righteous and unrighteous people who were under the jurisdiction of the Sinai Covenant only. 

This interpretation is not supported by the full counsel of Scripture. When Jesus spoke to Martha in John 11:25-26, He said, “I am the resurrection, and the life. He that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Jesus did not limit this promise to people under the Sinai Covenant, nor did He say it applied only to a specific time period. He used the word “whosoever,” which throughout Scripture is universally inclusive, not exclusive. John 3:16 confirms this, “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.” There is no biblical basis for claiming that “whosoever” in John 11 only referred to those under the Sinai Covenant.

Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17), but His promises were never restricted to Jews alone. Even during His earthly ministry, Jesus praised the faith of Gentiles (Matthew 8:10, Matthew 15:28), and He made it clear that many would come from the east and west and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 8:11). The gospel is not divided by covenant lines, but by faith and unbelief. Romans 3:22 says, “Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference.”

Scripture consistently shows that salvation is offered to all, Jew and Gentile alike, based on faith in Jesus Christ, not limited to covenant jurisdictions or historical timelines (Galatians 3:28, Acts 10:34-35). So the “whoever” in John 11 is not bound to Sinai, but remains open to every soul who believes on Him for eternal life.