Is believing/faith a work ?

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brightfame52

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The answer is absolutely yes. If we agree with the overall definition of work according to the greek word for work ergon:

See strongs # 2041:

  1. business, employment, that which any one is occupied
    1. that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
  2. any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind


  3. an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work

    A work is anything done, accomplished by #1 hand, #2 art, #3 industry, #4 or MIND

    The mind is :

    (in a human or other conscious being) the element, part, substance, or process that reasons, thinks, feels, wills, perceives, judges, etc.

    Psychology. the totality of conscious and unconscious mental processes and activities.

    So believing something via the mental activity and process of reasoning is work. The process of decision making is a activity, work of the mind.

    Now for instance, the sin of hatred Gal 5:19-20


    Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,


    20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

    How is that sin committed ? It starts in the mind or heart ! Yet in Vs 19 its stated as an work of the flesh

    So activity in and with the mind/heart is a work, this cannot be denied..

    Now believing is either a work of the flesh [unregenerate] or of the Spirit [ regenerated]

    But now Salvation is not by works, Neither by works of the flesh or works of the Spirit.
 

Ernest T. Bass

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Faith is a work:

The Language Authorities

Liddell & Scott show that the verb pisteuo (believe) can mean “to comply” (1869, 1273).

H. Cremmer stated that the noun pistis (faith), both in the Old and New Testaments is: "a bearing towards God and His revelation which recognizes and confides in Him and in it, which not only acknowledges and holds to His word as true, but practically applies and appropriates it" (1962, 482; emphasis added).

W. E. Vine noted that the noun pistis involves “a personal surrender” to Christ (1992, 286).

Lexicographer J. H. Thayer suggested that pisieuo includes: "a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah-the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ" (1958, 511).

Michel stated: "Faith understood merely as trust and confession is not able to save. Only through obedience ... and conduct which fulfills the commandments of God does faith come to completion" (Jas. 2:22) (Brown 1975, 604).

Bultmann contended that “‘to believe’ is ‘to obey’.” He stressed that this is particularly emphasized in Hebrews 11 (Friedrich 1968, 205). He further made this interesting comment: "According to Paul, the event of salvation history is actualized for the individual, not in pious experience, but in his baptism (Gal. 3:27-29). Faith makes it his. Hence faith is not at the end of the way to God, as in Philo. It is at the beginning" (Ibid., 217).

Alan Richardson declared that faith is: "confident reliance on God. It is the act by which he lays hold on God’s proffered resources, becomes obedient to what God prescribes, and, abandoning all self-interest and self-reliance, trusts God completely .... Obedience, conformity to what God prescribes, is the inevitable concomitant of believing" (1962, 75-76).
What Is Faith in Christ?
 

Behold

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The verse says... """But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his FAITH is counted for righteousness.""

So, we see that faith and works are not the same.

Also, James says, i'll show you my FAITH..by my works. So, once again, we see the distinction, as they are not the same.


Self saving Cross rejecting Legalist's, can't understand any of this truth, and never will.
 

brightfame52

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Faith is a work:

The Language Authorities

Liddell & Scott show that the verb pisteuo (believe) can mean “to comply” (1869, 1273).

H. Cremmer stated that the noun pistis (faith), both in the Old and New Testaments is: "a bearing towards God and His revelation which recognizes and confides in Him and in it, which not only acknowledges and holds to His word as true, but practically applies and appropriates it" (1962, 482; emphasis added).

W. E. Vine noted that the noun pistis involves “a personal surrender” to Christ (1992, 286).

Lexicographer J. H. Thayer suggested that pisieuo includes: "a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah-the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ" (1958, 511).

Michel stated: "Faith understood merely as trust and confession is not able to save. Only through obedience ... and conduct which fulfills the commandments of God does faith come to completion" (Jas. 2:22) (Brown 1975, 604).

Bultmann contended that “‘to believe’ is ‘to obey’.” He stressed that this is particularly emphasized in Hebrews 11 (Friedrich 1968, 205). He further made this interesting comment: "According to Paul, the event of salvation history is actualized for the individual, not in pious experience, but in his baptism (Gal. 3:27-29). Faith makes it his. Hence faith is not at the end of the way to God, as in Philo. It is at the beginning" (Ibid., 217).

Alan Richardson declared that faith is: "confident reliance on God. It is the act by which he lays hold on God’s proffered resources, becomes obedient to what God prescribes, and, abandoning all self-interest and self-reliance, trusts God completely .... Obedience, conformity to what God prescribes, is the inevitable concomitant of believing" (1962, 75-76).
What Is Faith in Christ?
Did you understand the op points ?
 

Ernest T. Bass

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Did you understand the op points ?
Faith is not just an "activity" of the mind, Bible faith is an action, it it what one does, it is how one goes about living his life in obedience to God's will.

Mark 2:5 what Jesus "saw" that is called "faith" is the work those men did in carrying the sick man to Christ, removing the roof and lowering this man down to Jesus where Jesus "said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee". If faith is just a mental activity then these men would have just "thought" about carrying the man with palsy to Christ. The man with palsy would then have never seen Christ, not have been healed, not have sins forgiven.
 

GISMYS_7

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Yes! Because we believe and have faith we will want to obey God and do good works but having faith and believing are not work.
 
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brightfame52

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Is believing/faith a work ?

Again, yes it is. Its the action, function, deed of the mind, the soul, and heart. The word work ergon means:

work, labor, action, deed,

/érgon ("work") is a deed (action) that carries out (completes) an inner desire (intension, purpose)

Phillip told the ethiopian eunuch Acts 8:37

And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

So if one bases their Salvation on believing, their act, they are basing it on their works, no way around it !
 
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Angelina

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no...believing/faith - is having a devine revelation of what is true.

Hebrews 11
11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible

Belief/faith is not a doing word [an action] it is a receiving word [believing/accepting something to be true]
 

Stumpmaster

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Faith is a work:

The Language Authorities

Liddell & Scott show that the verb pisteuo (believe) can mean “to comply” (1869, 1273).

H. Cremmer stated that the noun pistis (faith), both in the Old and New Testaments is: "a bearing towards God and His revelation which recognizes and confides in Him and in it, which not only acknowledges and holds to His word as true, but practically applies and appropriates it" (1962, 482; emphasis added).

W. E. Vine noted that the noun pistis involves “a personal surrender” to Christ (1992, 286).

Lexicographer J. H. Thayer suggested that pisieuo includes: "a conviction, full of joyful trust, that Jesus is the Messiah-the divinely appointed author of eternal salvation in the kingdom of God, conjoined with obedience to Christ" (1958, 511).

Michel stated: "Faith understood merely as trust and confession is not able to save. Only through obedience ... and conduct which fulfills the commandments of God does faith come to completion" (Jas. 2:22) (Brown 1975, 604).

Bultmann contended that “‘to believe’ is ‘to obey’.” He stressed that this is particularly emphasized in Hebrews 11 (Friedrich 1968, 205). He further made this interesting comment: "According to Paul, the event of salvation history is actualized for the individual, not in pious experience, but in his baptism (Gal. 3:27-29). Faith makes it his. Hence faith is not at the end of the way to God, as in Philo. It is at the beginning" (Ibid., 217).

Alan Richardson declared that faith is: "confident reliance on God. It is the act by which he lays hold on God’s proffered resources, becomes obedient to what God prescribes, and, abandoning all self-interest and self-reliance, trusts God completely .... Obedience, conformity to what God prescribes, is the inevitable concomitant of believing" (1962, 75-76).
What Is Faith in Christ?
Faith without works is dead.
Works without faith are dead.
Faith and works accompany salvation.
 
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Angelina

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Faith is a gift of God therefore....not a work

Regarding salvation - I think the problem here is the usage of the word "works" it conjures up the idea that one must work to gain an outcome associated with salvation.

Salvation is a free gift from God. When belief/faith [which is the revelation of truth about Jesus] is acted apon, then it bears the fruit of salvation and eternal life. IMO the terminology used, should be "action/deeds" rather than "works." JM2c
 

brightfame52

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Any act of obedience to Gods command is a work, a good work. Believing on Christ is a commandment of God, so therefore a good work 1 Jn 3:23

And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

Acts 16:31

And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The word believe here is the greek word pisteuō and in this instance its an imperative which means:

The imperative mood corresponds to the English imperative, and expresses a command to the hearer to perform a certain action by the order and authority of the one commanding. Thus, Jesus' phrase, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mk.1:15) is not at all an "invitation," but an absolute command requiring full obedience on the part of all hearers.

So believing here would be a good work performed by the Jailor if he obeyed the imperative !

And if his act of obeying this command caused God to save him, then he was saved because of a good work he performed !59
 

brightfame52

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Faith is a gift of God therefore....not a work

Regarding salvation - I think the problem here is the usage of the word "works" it conjures up the idea that one must work to gain an outcome associated with salvation.

Salvation is a free gift from God. When belief/faith [which is the revelation of truth about Jesus] is acted apon, then it bears the fruit of salvation and eternal life. IMO the terminology used, should be "action/deeds" rather than "works." JM2c
To act upon is a work.

The greek word for work ergon means:

  1. an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work
 

Angelina

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I think that there is a major difference between work and good works. Good works is associated with believers. When one is not a believer but is at the point of salvation, that person then needs to accept what he understands about Jesus which is the truth. That is the action he is taking. Faith in action equals salvation. Jm2c
 
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Ernest T. Bass

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Faith without works is dead.
Works without faith are dead.
Faith and works accompany salvation.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." Matt 7:21

180 degree, night and day difference between "saying" and "doing".....

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
" James 2

"Faith only" is SAYING which profits nothing. Biblical faith is DOING which profits.
 

Ernest T. Bass

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e.bass



Yet it is an activity of the mind, hence a work !

James 2:15-16 activity of the mind does not feed nor clothe the one destitute of food and clothing.

John 3:16 does the 'believeth' of this verse include or exclude obedience? When John 3:16 is compared to other salvific verses as Hebrews 5:9 we find:

believeth >>>>>>>>>>>>> saves Jn 3:16
obey >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> saves Heb 5:9

Belief is not just a mental activity but is DOING-OBEYING what Christ says.."And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Lk 6:46

Hebrews 11:7 would Noah and his family been saved from the flood if Noah had just sat and "thought" about building the ark? NO!!
Noah's faith MOVED with fear PREPARED an ark to the saving of his house. Just thinking about being saved does not save....a do nothing faith only cannot save.
 
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