Topical Bible: Belief

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Belief, in the biblical context, is a fundamental concept that signifies trust, faith, and confidence in God and His promises. It is a central theme throughout the Scriptures, shaping the relationship between God and humanity. The Bible presents belief as both a gift from God and a response to His revelation.

Old Testament Understanding

In the Old Testament, belief is often associated with trust in God's character and His covenant promises. The Hebrew word "aman" is frequently used to denote firmness, reliability, and faithfulness. For instance, Genesis 15:6 states, "Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness." This verse highlights the foundational role of belief in establishing a righteous standing before God.

The Israelites' journey through the wilderness serves as a narrative backdrop illustrating the importance of belief. Despite witnessing God's miraculous acts, their frequent unbelief led to disobedience and judgment. Numbers 14:11 records God's lament, "How long will this people treat Me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in Me, despite all the signs I have performed among them?"

New Testament Perspective

In the New Testament, belief takes on a more explicit Christological focus. The Greek word "pisteuo" is commonly used, emphasizing faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and Savior. John 3:16 encapsulates this message: "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."

Belief in the New Testament is not merely intellectual assent but involves a personal trust and commitment to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, in Romans 10:9, underscores this by stating, "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."

The Role of Belief in Salvation

Belief is integral to the doctrine of salvation. Ephesians 2:8-9 affirms, "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast." Here, belief is presented as a channel through which God's grace is received, highlighting its essential role in the believer's life.

The Book of Hebrews further elaborates on the necessity of belief, particularly in the context of perseverance. Hebrews 11, often referred to as the "Faith Chapter," provides numerous examples of Old Testament figures whose belief in God's promises sustained them through trials and uncertainties.

Belief and Works

While belief is foundational, the Bible also teaches that genuine belief results in action. James 2:17 states, "So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead." This underscores the transformative power of belief, which manifests in a life of obedience and good works, not as a means of earning salvation, but as evidence of a living faith.

Challenges to Belief

The Scriptures acknowledge the challenges and struggles associated with belief. Doubt and unbelief are recurring themes, as seen in the disciples' interactions with Jesus. Mark 9:24 captures a poignant moment of human frailty: "Immediately the boy’s father cried out, 'I do believe; help my unbelief!'" This plea reflects the tension between faith and doubt, a common experience for believers.

Conclusion

Belief, as presented in the Bible, is a dynamic and multifaceted concept. It is both a divine gift and a human response, central to the Christian faith and life. Through belief, individuals enter into a covenant relationship with God, receive His promises, and are empowered to live in accordance with His will.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses.

2. (n.) A persuasion of the truths of religion; faith.

3. (n.) The thing believed; the object of belief.

4. (n.) A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

BELIEF

be-lef'.

See FAITH.

Greek

4102. pistis -- faith, faithfulness
... In short, 4102("faith") for the believer is "God's " – and therefore distinct
from human belief (confidence), yet involving it. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4102.htm - 18k

420. anexikakos -- enduring evil
... injury. [420 () shows "the quality of patiently affirming a belief in face
of mockery (Wis 2:19)" (Nigel Turner, , 321).]. Word Origin ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/420.htm - 7k

720. arneomai -- to deny, say no
... arneomai Phonetic Spelling: (ar-neh'-om-ahee) Short Definition: I deny, repudiate
Definition: (a) I deny (a statement), (b) I repudiate (a person, or belief). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/720.htm - 8k

569. apisteo -- to disbelieve, be faithless
... apisteo Phonetic Spelling: (ap-is-teh'-o) Short Definition: I am unfaithful, I
disbelieve Definition: I am unfaithful, disbelieve, refuse belief, prove false. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/569.htm - 8k

Library

Unbelieving Belief
... UNBELIEVING BELIEF. ... And so the same landscape may seem to be all lit up by the
sunshine of belief, or to be darkened by the gloom of distrust. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/unbelieving belief.htm

The Belief of the Resurrection of Our Lord from the Dead...
... BOOK I. Chapter 14. The belief of the resurrection of our Lord from the
dead? 14. The belief of the resurrection of our Lord from ...
/.../augustine/on christian doctrine in four books/chapter 14 the belief of.htm

The Belief of the Brethren
... CHAPTER V THE BELIEF OF THE BRETHREN. IN order, they said, to learn the mind
of Christ, and to understand His desires for His Church ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bevan/three friends of god/chapter v the belief of.htm

Belief of the Esseni in the Resurrection; their System a ...
... Book IX. Chapter XXII."Belief of the Esseni in the Resurrection; Their System
a Suggestive One. Now the doctrine of the resurrection ...
/.../hippolytus/the refutation of all heresies/chapter xxii belief of the esseni.htm

Faith, or Reasonable and Effective Belief in God, Proceeds...
... III. Faith, or reasonable and effective belief in God, proceeds? Faith, or
reasonable and effective belief in God, proceeds, undoubtedly ...
/.../lamartine/atheism among the people/iii faith or reasonable and.htm

Whether Explicit Belief in the Mystery of the Incarnation of ...
... Article Seven Whether Explicit Belief in the Mystery of the Incarnation of
Christ is Necessary for the Salvation of Everybody. Whether ...
/.../aquinas/nature and grace/article seven whether explicit belief.htm

The Belief, Then, in Antinous, or any Other Such Person...
... Chapter XXXVIII. The belief, then, in Antinous, or any other such person?
The belief, then, in Antinous, [3557] or any other such ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter xxxviii the belief then.htm

But if the Belief of the Necessity and Certainty of Immediate ...
... Address 28: But if the belief of the necessity and certainty of immediate
continual divine inspiration? But if the belief of the ...
/.../address 28 0 0 but if the.htm

Christians' Belief in the Resurrection.
... Chapter VI."Christians' Belief in the Resurrection. And on this account
we believe that there will be a resurrection of bodies ...
/.../tatian/tatians address to the greeks/chapter vi christians belief in the.htm

If we Sought to Subvert the Belief in Your Gods in So Many Ways...
... Book III. 36 If we sought to subvert the belief in your gods in so many
ways? If we sought to subvert the belief in your gods ...
/.../arnobius/the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/36 if we sought to.htm

Thesaurus

Belief (61 Occurrences)
... upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or
absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a ...BELIEF. ...
/b/belief.htm - 23k

Dogma
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) A statement of religious belief set forth
by a church or council; a tenet; a doctrine. 2. (n.) A ...
/d/dogma.htm - 10k

Delusion (12 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A mistaken belief; as, a delusion of grandeur. ... 3. (n.) That which is falsely
or delusively believed or propagated; false belief; error in belief. Int. ...
/d/delusion.htm - 11k

Atheism
... There is indeed a belief in a first cause, in force, in motion, in a certain
aggregation of materials producing life, but the Divine Being as taught by theism ...
/a/atheism.htm - 13k

Immortal (3 Occurrences)
... Romans 1:23 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Timothy 1:17): 1. Preliminary-Need of Definition
and Distinction 2. Biblical Conception I. THE NATURAL BELIEF 1. Its Origin 2 ...
/i/immortal.htm - 33k

Curse (211 Occurrences)
... The use of magic and spells of all kinds is based on the belief that it is possible
to enlist the support of the superhuman beings with whom the universe ...
/c/curse.htm - 46k

Immortality (6 Occurrences)
... Romans 1:23 1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Timothy 1:17): 1. Preliminary-Need of Definition
and Distinction 2. Biblical Conception I. THE NATURAL BELIEF 1. Its Origin 2 ...
/i/immortality.htm - 35k

Creeds
... the distinctive dogmas of the church are based; and, secondly, briefly describe
the origin and nature of the three most important symbols of belief which have ...
/c/creeds.htm - 28k

Magician (5 Occurrences)
... of ideas? There must be an implied belief in the uniformly of Nature or
in the controlling power of intelligent beings. 2. Magic ...
/m/magician.htm - 24k

Opinion (91 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) That which is opined; a notion or conviction founded on probable evidence;
belief stronger than impression, less strong than positive knowledge ...
/o/opinion.htm - 34k

Resources

How is belief in God any different from Flying Spaghetti Monsterism? | GotQuestions.org

Faith vs. belief'what is the difference? | GotQuestions.org

Is belief in God a virus? | GotQuestions.org

Belief: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus

Concordance

Belief (61 Occurrences)

Mark 15:32
Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and have belief. And those who were put on crosses with him said evil things against him.
(BBE)

Mark 16:11
And they, when it came to their ears that he was living, and had been seen by her, had no belief in it.
(BBE)

Mark 16:13
And they went away and gave news of it to the rest; and they had no belief in what was said.
(BBE)

Mark 16:14
Afterward he was revealed to the eleven themselves as they sat at the table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they didn't believe those who had seen him after he had risen.
(Root in WEB KJV WEY ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Luke 2:44
And in the belief that he was with some of their number, they went a day's journey; and after looking for him among their relations and friends,
(BBE)

Luke 22:67
If you are the Christ, say so. But he said, If I say so you will not have belief;
(BBE)

Luke 24:11
But these words seemed foolish to them, and they had no belief in them.
(BBE)

Luke 24:25
And he said, O foolish men! how slow you are to give belief to what the prophets have said.
(BBE)

John 3:12
If you have no belief when my words are about the things of earth, how will you have belief if my words are about the things of heaven?
(BBE)

John 5:39
You make search in the holy Writings, in the belief that through them you get eternal life; and it is those Writings which give witness about me.
(BBE)

John 5:46
If you had belief in Moses you would have belief in me; for his writings are about me.
(BBE)

John 5:47
If you have no belief in his writings, how will you have belief in my words?
(BBE)

John 7:5
For even his brothers had no belief in him.
(BBE)

John 7:31
And numbers of the people had belief in him, and they said, When the Christ comes will he do more signs than this man has done?
(BBE)

John 7:48
Have any of the rulers belief in him, or any one of the Pharisees?
(BBE)

John 8:46
Which of you is able truly to say that I am a sinner? If I say what is true, why have you no belief in me?
(BBE)

John 9:18
Now the Jews had no belief in the statement that he had been blind and was now able to see, till they sent for the father and mother of the man whose eyes had been made open,
(BBE)

John 10:25
Jesus said in answer, I have said it and you have no belief: the works which I do in my Father's name, these give witness about me.
(BBE)

John 10:26
But you have no belief because you are not of my sheep.
(BBE)

John 10:37
If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not have belief in me;
(BBE)

John 10:38
But if I am doing them, then have belief in the works even if you have no belief in me; so that you may see clearly and be certain that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.
(BBE)

John 11:31
Then the Jews who were with her in the house, comforting her, when they saw Mary get up quickly and go out, went after her in the belief that she was going to the place of the dead and would be weeping there.
(BBE)

John 11:45
Then a number of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen the things which Jesus did had belief in him.
(BBE)

John 11:48
If we let him go on in this way, everybody will have belief in him and the Romans will come and take away our place and our nation.
(BBE)

John 12:11
For because of him a great number of the Jews went away and had belief in Jesus.
(BBE)

John 12:37
But though he had done such a number of signs before them, they still had no belief in him:
(BBE)

John 12:38
So that the words of the prophet Isaiah might come true, when he said, Lord, who has any belief in our preaching? and the arm of the Lord, to whom has it been unveiled?
(BBE)

John 12:39
For this reason they were unable to have belief, because Isaiah said again,
(BBE)

John 12:42
Nevertheless even from among the Rulers many believed in Him. But because of the Pharisees they did not avow their belief, for fear they should be shut out from the synagogue.
(WEY BBE)

John 13:19
From this time forward, I give you knowledge of things before they come about, so that when they come about you may have belief that I am he.
(BBE)

John 16:2
They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure.
(BBE)

John 19:35
And he who saw it has given witness (and his witness is true; he is certain that what he says is true) so that you may have belief.
(BBE)

John 20:8
Then the other disciple who came there first went in; and he saw and belief came to him.
(BBE)

John 20:25
So the other disciples said to him, We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, If I do not see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails, and if I do not put my hand into his side, I will never have belief.
(BBE)

John 20:27
Then he said to Thomas, Put out your finger, and see my hands; and put your hand here into my side: and be no longer in doubt but have belief.
(BBE)

John 20:29
Jesus said to him, Because you have seen me you have belief: a blessing will be on those who have belief though they have not seen me!
(BBE)

Acts 13:41
See, you doubters, have wonder and come to your end; for I will do a thing in your days to which you will not give belief, even if it is made clear to you.
(BBE)

Acts 23:8
For the Sadducees say that there is no coming back from the dead, and no angels or spirits: but the Pharisees have belief in all these.
(BBE)

Acts 24:14
But this I will say openly to you, that I do give worship to the God of our fathers after that Way, which to them is not the true religion: but I have belief in all the things which are in the law and in the books of the prophets:
(BBE)

Acts 26:8
Why is it deemed with all of you a thing past belief if God raises the dead to life?
(WEY BBE)

Romans 2:19
In the belief that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those in the dark,
(BBE)

Romans 10:17
So belief 'cometh' of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
(ASV)

Galatians 5:8
This ready belief did not come from him who had made you his.
(BBE)

Philippians 1:20
In the measure of my strong hope and belief that in nothing will I be put to shame, but that without fear, as at all times, so now will Christ have glory in my body, by life or by death.
(BBE)

2 Thessalonians 2:3
Give no belief to false words: because there will first be a falling away from the faith, and the revelation of the man of sin, the son of destruction,
(BBE)

2 Thessalonians 2:13
But we are bound to always give thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because God chose you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief in the truth;
(WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT RSV NIV)

2 Timothy 4:4
And shutting their ears to what is true, will be turned away to belief in foolish stories.
(BBE)

Hebrews 3:12
Beware, brothers, lest perhaps there be in any one of you an evil heart of unbelief, in falling away from the living God;
(Root in WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT)

Hebrews 3:19
We see that they were not able to enter in because of unbelief.
(Root in WEB KJV ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Hebrews 4:3
For those of us who have belief come into his rest; even as he has said, As I said in my oath when I was angry, They may not come into my rest: though the works were done from the time of the making of the world.
(BBE)

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is not possible to be well-pleasing to him, for it is necessary for anyone who comes to God to have the belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of all those who make a serious search for him.
(BBE)

James 2:19
You have the belief that God is one, and you do well: the evil spirits have the same belief, shaking with fear.
(BBE)

1 John 2:22
Who is false but he who says that Jesus is not the Christ? He is the Antichrist who has no belief in the Father or the Son.
(BBE)

1 John 2:23
He who has no belief in the Son has not the Father: he who makes clear his belief in the Son has the Father.
(BBE)

Exodus 19:9
And the Lord said to Moses, See, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that what I say to you may come to the ears of the people and they may have belief in you for ever. And Moses gave the Lord word of what the people had said.
(BBE)

1 Samuel 27:12
And Achish had belief in what David said, saying, He has made himself hated by all his people Israel, and so he will be my servant for ever.
(BBE)

2 Samuel 4:10
When one came to me with the news of Saul's death, in the belief that it would be good news, I took him and put him to death in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news:
(BBE)

Psalms 106:24
They were disgusted with the good land; they had no belief in his word;
(BBE)

Proverbs 26:25
When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:
(BBE)

Jonah 3:5
And the people of Nineveh had belief in God; and a time was fixed for going without food, and they put on haircloth, from the greatest to the least.
(BBE)

Habakkuk 1:5
See among the nations, and take note, and be full of wonder: for in your days I am doing a work in which you will have no belief, even if news of it is given to you.
(BBE)

Subtopics

Belief

Related Terms

Pauline

Authority (326 Occurrences)

Images (158 Occurrences)

Magician (5 Occurrences)

Magic (12 Occurrences)

Ethics

Eschatology

Tabeel (2 Occurrences)

Josephus