For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world that He might judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. The one believing into him is not judged; but the one not believing has already been judged; for he has not believed into the name of the only-begotten Son of God. And this is the judgement, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness more than the Light; for their words were evil. For everyone practicing wickedness hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, that his works may not be exposed. But the one doing the truth comes to the Light, and his works may be revealed, that they have been worked in God.
John 3:16-21
What does it mean to believe in Yeshua Messiah?
There is a lot riding on our having a correct understanding of the word, nothing less than eternal life, so we better get it right!
that everyone believing into Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Would believing in someone involve only believing in their existence? Perhaps to believe in someone would mean to believe who their parents are or their nationality? No. It involves much more that that.
Believing in Yeshua does not mean only believing in His existence or who His Father is or where He came from either.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not everyone who says to Me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the ones who do the will of My Father in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your Name cast out demons, and in Your Name do many works of power? And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, those working lawlessness!
Hebrews 11:6 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.
James 2:19 You believe that God is one. You do well; even the demons believe and shudder.
To believe in someone means that you believe they are capable of doing, and will do, everything they say they will do.
Genesis 15:5-6 And He brought him outside and said, Look now at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your seed be. And he believed in YHWH. And He counted it to him for righteousness. Abram believed in YHWH, this does not mean he believed YHWH exists, but rather that his own descendants would be as many as the stars in the heavens because YHWH said it would happen. We are told that this believing in YHWH was counted as righteousness for Abram, just as our believing in YHWH in the same way counts as righteousness for us. Righteousness is required for salvation because only the righteous will be in the New Jerusalem at the end of Yeshua’s thousand-year reign.
Revelation 21:6-8 And He said to me, It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the Ending. To the one thirsting, I will freely give of the fountain of the water of life. The one overcoming will inherit all things, and I will be God to him, and he will be the son to Me. But for the cowardly and unbelieving, and those having become foul, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all the lying ones, their part will be in the Lake burning with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.
If I said to you, “I will shoot a deer next fall and bring you some sausage and jerky.” If you believed in me, you would believe that I can and will do as I say.
However, if you have never met me, and have no idea of what I have accomplished in the past, you would have no way to believe in me, would you? You may argue, “yes, I believe in you! I believe that you will shoot a deer if you say you will!” Even though you know nothing about me. This would be blind faith. Blind faith is not real faith. If you don’t know me well enough to know what I have done in the past, what I am capable of, you cannot believe in what I will do in the future.
Imagine that you were to insist that you believe that I will shoot a deer next fall, that you believe in me through blind faith. Then, in the summer you start to hear things from other people. “Shoot a deer? She doesn’t even have a rifle!” “I heard she is a compulsive liar and gets jerky from her friends and then claims she made it.” “I heard someone got some sausage and jerky from her last year, and they got so sick they almost died!” “I heard she is legally blind and can’t even drive, never mind see to hunt!” What do you suppose is going to happen to your blind faith? You have no reason to believe in me over four other people when we have never met.
How would that go for your blind faith in Yeshua? You say you believe that He died on the cross for your salvation, but do you know everything He has promised? Do you know everything He has already accomplished? Do you really know why you should even believe? Because those liars will come. YHWH says they will. Many already have! And if you do not know what YHWH has already done and why, and what His plan is for the future, you will be fooled by the great deception that is coming.
Matthew 24:24 For false christ and false prophets will rise up. And they will give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.
You need to get to know YHWH now! Then, like the five wise virgins, your lamp will be full of oil, your garments will be ready, and you will be watching and waiting for the Bridegroom’s return.
Revelation 19:6-8 And I heard a sound of a numerous crowd, and as a sound of many waters, and as a sound of strong thunders, saying, Hallelujah! Because the Lord God Almighty reigned. Let us rejoice and let us exult, and we will give glory to Him, because the marriage of the Lamb came, and His wife prepared herself. And it was given to her that she be clothed in fine linen, pure and bright; for the fine linen is the righteousnessess of the saints.
That is the purpose of this ministry. Helping you to get to know YHWH: what He has accomplished, what He wants from us, what His plan is, and how everything is going to go down at the Appointed Time.
May you be blessed by this study. Shalom.