What other scriptures emphasize the importance of belief in Jesus for salvation? Starting Point: John 16:9 – The Core Issue “about sin, because they do not believe in Me.” (John 16:9) Jesus pinpoints unbelief as the root sin the Holy Spirit exposes. Eternal destiny pivots on what a person does with Him. Crystal-Clear Calls to Believe in the Gospels • John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” • John 3:18 – “Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned…” • John 6:47 – “Truly, truly, I tell you, he who believes has eternal life.” • John 8:24 – “…unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” • John 20:31 – “…that by believing you may have life in His name.” • Mark 16:16 – “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” • John 1:12 – “To all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Acts: The Early Church Echoes the Same Message • Acts 4:12 – “Salvation exists in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.” • Acts 16:30-31 – “‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved…’” Paul’s Letters: Salvation by Faith, Not Works • Romans 10:9-10 – “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…” • Romans 10:13 – “for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” • Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works, so that no one can boast.” The Apostle John’s Assurance to Believers • 1 John 5:11-13 – “This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son… I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.” Old-Testament Foreshadows of Saving Faith • Genesis 15:6 – “Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” • Habakkuk 2:4 – “…the righteous will live by his faith.” These previews find their fulfillment in Christ, showing that faith has always been the God-ordained means of receiving righteousness. A Unified Testimony From Genesis to Revelation, God speaks with one voice: trusting His Son is the only way to move from condemnation to life. John 16:9 exposes unbelief as humanity’s chief sin; every passage above supplies the remedy—repentant faith in Jesus that secures forgiveness, new birth, and eternal life. |
    |