Answer
According to the Oxford Dictionary, belief is “something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.” For Christians, this means we believe that God exists and has revealed Himself in His authoritative Word (i.e., Scripture). It also means that we trust in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who died and rose again on the third day. In Christ, there is forgiveness of sins and the hope of eternal life. This is the essence of Christian belief.
In Scripture, belief is synonymous with trust and faith. God expects us to believe, trust, and have faith in Him rather than our own capabilities. Hebrews 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (ESV). Faith includes belief in God’s existence, a given in the Bible—the writers of Scripture did not see the need to provide philosophical arguments demonstrating God’s existence. The existence of the world and humanity is the only “proof” needed to affirm God’s existence: “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, ESV).
Perhaps the most well-known passage concerning belief is John 3:16. Jesus says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV). Here, the word believes means “has personal trust.” This kind of trust is more than acknowledging that God exists or that Jesus died on the cross for the sins of the world. Those things are important to believe, but the belief that saves involves a total commitment of one’s eternal destiny to the Lord, a confidence that God can and will forgive sin on the basis of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection.
Belief in Christ also leads to a change in behavior. James 2:26 says, “As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (ESV). Justification or salvation is by faith alone, but good works are the natural result of being united with Christ. The new birth will inevitably lead one away from sin and toward the righteousness of Christ. Paul hits the nail on the head when he says, “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10, ESV).
Failure to believe in Christ for salvation has eternal consequences. Jesus warns, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18, ESV). The word condemned means “punished.” The punishment for unbelief is eternal damnation and suffering: “In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God but you yourselves cast out” (Luke 13:28, ESV). To avoid this terrible reality, we must “confess with [our mouths] that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our hearts] that God raised him from the dead, and [we] will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). Where will you spend eternity?
