What does the word “believe” mean to you? What does it mean
to believe in something?
For many of us, to “believe” means to mentally acknowledge
or agree with something. Believing is, mostly if not entirely, a matter of the
mind.
Many unfortunate translations of the Greek
in which the New Testament was written fail to properly render many instances
of believe in its various forms. A classic example of this is in probably
the most well-known verse in the Bible.
John 3:16 is, in most Bible versions, translated something
like this: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” That’s the New American
Standard Bible, one of the English translations that usually stays close to the
NT Greek.
Young’s Literal Translation captures the
meaning of the Greek much better: “For God did so love
the world, that His Son -- the only begotten -- He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but
may have life age-during.”
“Is
believing in him”: Believing is an action verb, and the word tense, a
common one in the NT Greek, indicates ongoing action. Believing in him is the
ongoing action, the active lifestyle of believing in Jesus Christ the only
begotten Son of God. This is what I like to call “be-living” in Jesus Christ.
Be-living is not merely agreeing with facts
about Jesus Christ, such as His eternal being as God, birth to a virgin, miracles,
teachings, suffering, death and resurrection. We do have to affirm these as the
facts that they are, because this is the foundation of our be-living; we have
to know Who and what we are be-living in and for. This is the very important
first step, but it’s only the first step.
To be-live in Jesus Christ is to be-live
with our whole being. Heart, mind, soul and strength, will, thought, spirit and
body, are to be-living in and for Jesus Christ.
In Mark 12:29-31, Jesus tells us that we
are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength,
and to love our neighbor as ourselves. To be-live in and for Jesus Christ is to
love Him and to love others in His Name.