Re: The Sinners Prayer: Does it Save You?

Just taking this one verse into account, Hebrews 11:6, it looks like the bible does not show much difference between faith and belief:

And 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.

So it's saying without faith it is impossible to please God and then goes on to say having faith means we will believe he exists and seek him.

In this quote below Neil Anderson first says faith, trust, and believe are usually the same greek word in the bible. But then he goes on to address James 2:19 to show what the demons believed about God was not the same thing as trusting in God. The demons didn't seek after God, instead they wanted nothing to do with God. The belief Hebrews 11:6 is talking about is a person with true faith, that desires to trust God and seek after him.

"In most bible translations, the majority renderings of "faith", "trust," and "believe" are the same Greek noun, pistis or verb, pisteuo. In common English usage, however, to believe in something has less personal commitment than to trust in something. It is easy to give mental assent by saying, "I believe that" and totally miss the biblical meaning of belief. To believe something biblically is not just giving mental assent to something, but showing full reliance upon it. That is why James said, "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that---and shudder!" (James 2:19) In other words, the demons believed that there was one God, but that belief didn't translate into trust."

---Neil T. Anderson


I heard a pastor tell the story once about how his son had grown up hearing him preach countless sermons about the gospel, etc. But one day, after one particular sermon, his son came up to him and said, "Dad you really preached the gospel today!" And he said his son seemed to come alive spiritually after that day. But he said, "my son had heard me preach the gospel for years. But he only heard with with his physical ears. He didn't really hear it." This pastor believed God did a work in his son, he caused him to be born again, so that on that particular day he finally heard the gospel after all those years that he couldn't before.
Was it because his son's flesh had finally yielded, and was finally ready. No! God had to change him, make him a new creation, cause him to be born again, before he could finally hear the gospel and respond.

John 8:47
Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.

Romans 8:14
For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.

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