What does it really mean to believe in Jesus?

Welcome to Theology Thursday! Theology is the study of God, his relation to the world, and our relation to him; it is "faith seeking understanding." I hope these newsletters help enhance your faith and deepen your love for God and his people, the church.

Today's question:
What does it really mean to believe in Jesus?

Pastor Brady's thoughts:
We use the word believe so often that we can forget how much is packed into it. “I believe in Jesus.” That sounds like a Christian statement—and it is. But scripture pushes us - demands us, actually - to go deeper: What do we mean when we say we believe in Jesus?

The historic Christian understanding of saving faith helps us here. It identifies three important dimensions of faith: notitia, assensus, and fiducia.

First, there is knowledge (notitia). Before we can believe in Jesus, we have to know something about Jesus. Who is he? What did he do? What did he teach? Why did he die? What does his resurrection mean? What has he promised to do?

Christian faith isn't faith in a vague spiritual idea or an inspirational teacher; it is faith in a particular person who lived, died, rose again, and reigns as Lord.

Second, there is agreement (assensus). We don't merely know the facts about Jesus; we affirm that they are true. We believe that Jesus really is the Son of God, we believe that he really died for sinners, and we believe that he really rose from the dead. In short, we believe that he is who he said he is.

But that’s not quite enough. Knowing the facts and agreeing that they're true doesn’t get us all the way there. We are not saved by knowledge and affirmation alone.

James makes this point rather bluntly: “Even the demons believe—and shudder” (James 2:19). The demons aren't atheists; they know who Jesus is. They know that he is the Son of God and they know the truth about his power and authority. Their problem isn't lack of information or intellectual disagreement.

They know the truth - and they hate it.

So there must be something more.

Traditionally, Christians have called this third dimension trust (fiducia). Saving faith doesn't merely recognize Jesus or agree with Jesus. It rests upon Jesus. It entrusts itself to Jesus.

You can know everything there is to know about an airplane. You can understand aerodynamics, know the pilot's credentials, and agree that airplanes really do fly. But none of that constitutes faith in the airplane. At some point, you have to get on board.

Faith moves from “I believe that Jesus…” to “I believe in Jesus…”

Salvation is the result of this faith: faith in who Jesus is, what he did, what he’s doing, and what he will yet do. Faith - belief and trust - that though we are really sinners, we have really been forgiven, once and for all, because of the cross, and that our future in glory with God forever is secure, because of the empty tomb.

But even that isn’t quite all of it. Matthew Bates is a New Testament scholar and author. He argues that the biblical idea of saving faith is best understood as allegiance. By this, Bates does not mean that we save ourselves by accumulating good works or proving ourselves worthy of God. Salvation is God's gift of grace, received through faith. Rather, the faith by which we receive that salvation is not mere mental agreement or private confidence - it isn’t merely belief and trust - it involves pledging our allegiance (fealty, loyalty) to Jesus as king.

Here’s Bates:
 
“The gospel’s royal framework is everywhere apparent once we begin to look at our texts with fresh eyes. Jesus’s enthronement is the gospel climax. Jesus’s appointment to the office of Son-of-God-in-Power is the culmination of the gospel’s description in Romans 1:3–4; moreover, this connects to his authoritative titles and the gospel’s purpose of allegiance in Romans 1:5. In Philippians we are reminded that Jesus has been super-exalted and has received “the name that is above every name” (2:9). Every knee will bow and every tongue confess, not that “Jesus died for my sins,” but that “Jesus the Messiah is Lord”. This royal climax is found repeatedly in Acts. Peter’s Pentecost sermon builds toward a finale with the declaration that Jesus has been “exalted at the right hand of God” in fulfillment of Psalm 110:1 (Acts 2:33). But it reaches a crescendo with the final words, “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ!””

I think this is a huge deal. Jesus isn't simply someone we believe certain things about. He is someone to whom we give ourselves. We don't merely affirm that Jesus is Lord; we submit to him as Lord.

This is why genuine faith inevitably begins to change the way we live. If Jesus is truly our king, then his commands matter. If we truly love him, we will want to please him. If we truly trust him, we will increasingly order our lives around him. In other words, real faith produces real transformation.
 
Jesus himself said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). 
This doesn't mean Christians obey perfectly. Of course we don't. Every Christian still stumbles, sins, struggles, and needs grace. But there should be a consistent direction to our lives toward Christlikeness. Allegiance produces a new way of living.

That's why Jesus could say that we will recognize people “by their fruits” (Matthew 7:20). Fruit doesn't make a tree alive; it reveals that the tree is alive. In the same way, our obedience doesn't purchase salvation. It reveals something about the reality of our faith.

This also helps explain something we see all too often: people who once said they “believed in Jesus” but eventually abandoned the faith, or people who claim Christianity while showing little interest in actually following Christ.

Perhaps they knew the facts. Perhaps they even believed the facts were true. But biblical faith goes further. It trusts Christ. It embraces Christ. It pledges allegiance to Christ.

The question, then, isn't simply, “Do you believe in Jesus?” The better question is: “What kind of belief do you have?”

Do you know who Jesus is? Do you believe the truth about him? Do you trust him with your life? And most importantly, have you given your allegiance to him as your king?

Saving faith requires all four: knowledge, agreement, trust, and allegiance.
 
Jesus wants us to believe in him, and he’ll know we do - and we’ll know we do - if we follow him.

TO KNOW GOD AND TO MAKE HIM KNOWN!
- Pastor Brady

Have a question for Theology Thursday? Send an email to office@minierchristian.org and we'll respond, or we'll include in a future Theology Thursday Buffet.