Considering Abortion in Relation to Scriptures Regarding God's Involvement with Human Existence

With regard to the issue of whether the woman's right to control her body is the paramount consideration in determining whether she should be able to terminate the life of the unborn person, those who believe in God and His Word should consider the following questions and related Scriptures:

1.         At what point, if any, does God recognize the "viability" of the unborn person? 

            Consider the following examples and Scriptures that touch on this issue:

Jesus - Luke 1 – Note from the following passage the fact that Jesus was identified by name, gender and purpose before He was even conceived:

²⁶ In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷ to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸ The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

²⁹ Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰ But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. ³¹ You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. ³² He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³ and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

³⁴ “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

³⁵ The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶ Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. ³⁷ For no word from God will ever fail.”

³⁸ “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

³⁹ At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰ where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹ When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴² In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³ But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴ As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵ Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

Of course, in considering this pre-conception announcement, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) Jesus is God, (b) God had to plan for Jesus to come into existence so that He could be the savior of the world that God knew would become fallen, (c) since God ordained the existence of Jesus, it wasn’t unusual for God to have announced Jesus’ birth even before he was conceived, and (d) Jesus is otherwise certainly unlike anyone else. Thus, perhaps it’s simply not fair to consider the birth of Jesus in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

John the Baptist - Luke 1 – However, note from the following passage the fact that someone who is not Jesus was yet identified by name, gender and purpose before he was even conceived:

⁵ In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶ Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. ⁷ But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

⁸ Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹ he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰ And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³ But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Of course, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) perhaps God wanted a special forerunner for Jesus, and (b) because of John’s special purpose, God would ordain the existence of John and announce his birth even before he was conceived.  Thus, perhaps it is simply not fair to consider the birth of John the Baptist in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

Samson - Judges 13 – However, note from the following passage the fact that someone who is not Jesus and who is not a forerunner for Jesus was yet identified by name, gender and purpose before he was even conceived.

² A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. ³ The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, “You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. ⁴ Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. ⁵ You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”

Of course, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) perhaps God wanted to select a judge for Israel for a special purpose, and (b) it is not surprising, therefore, that God would ordain the existence of Samson and announce his birth even before he was conceived.  Thus, perhaps it is simply not fair to consider the birth of Samson in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

Isaac – Genesis 17 – However, consider from the following account the fact that someone who is not Jesus, who is not a forerunner for Jesus, and who was not a judge for Israel was yet identified by name, gender and purpose before he was even conceived.

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

¹⁷ Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

¹⁹ Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Of course, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) perhaps God wanted to identify a particular descendant of Abraham, namely one born of his wife, Sarah, for the special purpose of carrying the line of future Israel, and (b) it is not surprising, therefore, that God would ordain the existence of Isaac and announce his birth even before he was conceived.  Thus, perhaps it is simply not fair to consider the birth of Isaac in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

Note, however, from the above passage God’s detailing the fact that nations and kings will issue from Sarah. It thus appears at this point in time that many descendants were ordained to be born, and certain of those future persons had already been ordained by God to serve as kings.  Presumably, God was speaking about persons who would be born hundreds of years in the future.

Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1 – The following passage reflects an account wherein God advises a prophet that before he was conceived, he was known by God and appointed by God for a particular purpose:

⁴ Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Of course, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) God probably needed a particular prophet for the special purpose of confronting the nations, and (b) it is not surprising, therefore, that God would ordain Jeremiah’s existence even before he was conceived.  Thus, perhaps it is simply not fair to consider the birth of Jeremiah in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

Paul – Galatians – The following passage reflects Paul’s understanding of his own appointment by God before birth:

¹⁵ But . . . God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased ¹⁶ to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles.

Of course, it is reasonable to acknowledge that (a) God probably needed a particular person for the special purpose of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles, and (b) it is not surprising, therefore, that God would ordain Paul’s purpose even before he was born.  Thus, perhaps it is simply not fair to consider the birth of Paul in relation to the issue of the viability of the typical unborn person.

Ishmael – Genesis 16-17 – However, consider from the following passage that someone who is not Jesus, who is not a forerunner for Jesus, who was not a judge for Israel, who was not carrying the line of future Israel, was not a prophet and was not otherwise set apart for a special message to special people was yet identified by name, gender and purpose before he was born (although after he was conceived).

^16b So Sarai treated [Hagar] harshly, and she fled from her presence. ⁷Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸ He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” ⁹ Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” ¹⁰Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” ¹¹ The angel of the Lord said to her further,

“Behold, you are with child,

And you will bear a son;

And you shall call his name Ishmael,

Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.

¹² “He will be a wild donkey of a man,

His hand will be against everyone,

And everyone’s hand will be against him;

And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

* * *

^17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”

There is not much to acknowledge here as any special reason that God would ordain the existence of Ishmael and announce his name and purpose before he was born.  In fact, given the nature of the conflict that has since existed between the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael, it’s curious that God would ordain Ishmael’s existence at all.  Further, given what we know about the violence caused by Ishmael’s descendants through the ages—even to the destruction experienced by the United States in the attack that occurred on September 11, 2001, many may have advised God, at that time, to consider aborting Ishmael as opposed to allowing him to be born.  After all, why should God allow His chosen people to be so troubled?  Yet God, knowing full well the future strife, committed not only to allow Ishmael to be born, but also to make Ishmael into a great nation.

Note here, too, that God announced the existence of a specific number of rulers that will issue from Ishmael even before Ishmael was born.  Again, this passage reflects that God already knows the particular persons who will be performing the particular role of ruler.

Believers - Ephesians 1 – Consider, further, the fact that even believers themselves have been chosen—and not just chosen; we were chosen before the world began. To be “chosen,” our existence had to be first ordained.

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him.

See also Psalm 102:18 - This will be written for the generation to come, That a people yet to be created may praise the LORD.

It thus appears that we have been ordained not only to exist, but to be chosen in Him and to praise Him.  We were not only identified, but we were also selected prior to creation.
 

2.         Does God really know the details of each person that exists?

Consider the following passages wherein our genetic detail and even our thoughts are known by God:

Matthew 10:29-30 - (Jesus) "Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows."

Psalm 139:1-4 - (David) "O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, You know it all."

Thus, God is intimately acquainted with us while we exist.

3.         Is God really involved in human development?

Consider the following passages that recount the details of God’s involvement with the origination and development of humanity:

Genesis 4:1 - Adam made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man.”

Job 10:8, 10-12a - (Job) ‘Your hands fashioned and made me altogether ....  Did You not ... clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? You have granted me life ...."

Job 31:15 - (Job) “Did not He who made me in the womb make him, and the same one fashion us in the womb?"

Psalm 119:73 - (David) "Your hands made me and fashioned me."

Psalm 139:13-16 (David) "For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them."

Isaiah 42:5 - Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it and spirit to those who walk in it.

Isaiah 44:24 - Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, "I, the Lord, am the maker of all things, stretching out the heavens by Myself and spreading out the earth all alone."

John 1:1-3 -  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

Revelation 4:11 - “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

Revelation 5:13 - And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

Revelation 10:6 - And swore by Him who lives forever and ever, WHO CREATED HEAVEN AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE EARTH AND THE THINGS IN IT, AND THE SEA AND THE THINGS IN IT, that there will be delay no longer.

Thus, we are knit together and we exist and have spirit by the hand of God.

4.         Is God involved in human disability?

            Consider the following passage from Exodus 4:

¹¹ The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?

Thus, it appears that God is even the author of disability—which many consider to be an error in genetic composition.

Conclusion: From these passages of Scripture, it appears that God ordains the existence of each person before the person is even conceived, fashions each person at his or her appointed time, and then observes and knows each person as they exist.  Abortion, then, can be nothing less than one or more human beings’ deliberately contravening the will of God by destroying the life of a person whose very existence had been ordained by God.

Regarding Salvation

The following analysis presents the Biblical concept that belief in Jesus Christ is the only means to secure salvation—the experience whereby a person receives both forgiveness of sins and eternal life with God.  The analysis first examines who Jesus is, and then discusses the requirement that a person place his or her faith/trust/confidence in Jesus for salvation.

A.  Consider, first, what the Bible says about Jesus Christ.

1.  Mat 1:1 - “. . . Jesus Christ the son of David . . . .”[1]

2.  Mat 1:18 - “ . . . His mother Mary . . . was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.”

3.  Mat 1:21 - (God to Joseph, the husband of Mary) “‘. . . you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”

4.  Mat 1:22-23 - (God through a prophet) “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’--which means, ‘God with us.’”

5.  Mat 2:2 - (Magi from the east to King Herod) “‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?  We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.’”

6.  John 1:1-4 - (Christ is the Word of God): “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was with God in the beginning.  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”

7.  John 1:14 - “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

8.  John 1:16 - “From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.”

9.  John 1:17b - “. . . grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

10. John 1:18 - “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.”

11. John 1:34 - The testimony of John the Baptist: “‘I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.’”

12. John 1:35 - Further testimony of John the Baptist: “. . . the Lamb of God!”

13. John 1:41 - Testimony of Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother: “‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ).”

14. John 1:49 - Testimony of Nathaniel: “‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’”

15. John 6:68-69 - Testimony of Peter: “Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.’”

16. John 8:12 - “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world.  Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

17. John 9:5 - Jesus: “‘While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’”

18. John 10:9 - Jesus: “‘I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.’”

19. John 14:6 - Jesus: “‘I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

20. Acts 4:33 - “With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.”

21. Acts 5:42 - “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they [the apostles] never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Christ.”

22. Acts 9:20, 22 - Immediately following Saul’s experience on the way to Damascus to persecute followers of “the Way,” “[a]t once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. . . .   Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ.”

23. Acts 10:42-43 - Peter to Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian Regiment: “‘He [Jesus] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’”[2]

24. Acts 17:2-4 - When Paul was in Macedonia: “As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead.  ‘This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ,’ he said.”

25. Acts 17 - In Athens, Paul explains to a group of philosophers who the “Unknown God” is for whom an altar was made.  Paul explains that it is the God who made the world and everything in it, including men.  He then says that God is not like a gold, silver or stone idol.  “‘In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.  He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.’  When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, ‘We want to hear you again on this subject.’”

26. Acts 18:5 - “When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.”

27. Acts 18:28 - Regarding Apollos’ visit to the disciples in Achia (Greece): “On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed.  For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.”

28. Acts 26:22-23 - “. . . I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen--that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles.”

29. Acts 28:23-24 - Regarding Paul’s meeting with Jewish leaders in Rome while he was under Roman guard during his appeal to Caesar: “They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying.  From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.  Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.”

30. Rom 1:2-4 - “The gospel he promised beforehand though his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.”

31. I Cor 15:2-4 - “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”   [As to the importance of believing in the resurrection, see also verses 12-23.

32. Heb 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

33. I Jn 2:22-23 - “Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

34. I Jn 4:2-3 - “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

35. I Jn 4:15 - “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.”

36. I Jn 5:1 - “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

37. I Jn 5:5 - “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

38. I Jn 5:10-13 - “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.  Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given us about his Son.  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

B.  Then consider the Bible’s promise that believing Jesus is who he says he is—the only way to the Father, the Christ, the Son of God, and that He rose from the dead—provides salvation.  Each text omits any discussion of any additional requirement, such as remorse for sin, confession of sin, baptism, doing good works, etc.

1.  Luke23:42-43 - (the thief on the cross to Jesus): “Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’  Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’”[3]

2.  John 1:11-12 - “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

3.  John 2:11 - Following Jesus’ turning water into wine: “This, the first of his miraculous signs, Jesus performed at Cana in Galilee.  He thus revealed his glory, and his disciples put their faith in him.”

4.  John 3:14-18 - Jesus to Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council: “‘Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert,[4] so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.  For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but who ever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.’”

5.  John 3:36 - John the Baptist to his disciples: “‘Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.’”

6.  John 5:24 - Jesus: “‘I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.’”

7.  John 6:28-29 - “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’  Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.’”

8.  John 6:35-36 - “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.  He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.  But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe.’”

9.  John 6:40 - (Jesus:) “‘For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’”

10. John 6:47 - (Jesus:) “‘I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.’”

11. John 6:63b-64 - (Jesus to his followers:) “The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.  Yet there are some of you who do not believe.”

12. John 7:38 - (Jesus:) “‘Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.’  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

13. John 8:24 - (Jesus to Jews who were questioning him:) “‘I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.’”

14. John 8:28-30 - “So Jesus said, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.  The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.’  Even as he spoke, many put their faith in him.”

15. John 9:35-38 - After Jesus restored the sight of a man who was blind since birth, and the Pharisees questioned the man regarding the nature of Jesus who was able to restore his sight, the man told the Pharisees that if Jesus were not from God, he would not have been able to do what he did.  At this the Pharisees threw him out of the synagogue.  “Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’  ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked.  ‘Tell me so that I may believe in him.’  Jesus said, ‘You have seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.’  Then the man said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshiped him.”

16. John 16:8-11 - Christ teaching about the Holy Spirit: “‘When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.’”[5]

17. Acts 2:22-38 - Following Pentecost, Peter addresses a crowd of people who were making fun of the believers who were speaking in tongues, saying that they had too much to drink.  Peter explains to the crowd that Jesus is the Messiah, the descendant of David, and that though the Jews put him to death on the cross, God resurrected him from the dead and set him at the right hand of God.  “When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’  Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.  And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

·  “Repent” in this passage does not suggest a requirement regarding a person’s reaction to his or her own sin; rather, it identifies a person’s need to acknowledge to God his or her disbelief in Christ and to begin believing the truth about Christ.

·  Forgiveness of sins is a result of belief in Christ.

18. Acts 10:42-43 - Peter to Cornelius, a centurion in the Italian Regiment: “‘He [Jesus] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’”                                               

·  Note that forgiveness of sins is automatic for those who believe in him.

19. Acts 11:17-18 - Peter to a group of Jewish believers who did not yet understand that the gospel was being offered to Gentiles as well as to Jews: “‘So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?’  When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‘So then, God has granted even Gentiles repentance unto life.’”[6]

20. Acts 13:38-39 - Paul to Jews [and Gentiles who worship God] in Antioch--a city in a country now known as Turkey: “‘Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.  Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses.’”[7]

21. Acts 15:9 - Paul to the Council at Jerusalem, which was trying to decide whether Gentiles should be circumcised like Jews: “‘He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.’”

22. Acts 16:31 - Paul and Silas to the Philippian Jailer in response to his question “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”: “‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household.’” Later in verse 34, “he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.”

23. Acts 19:1-5 - In Ephesus, Paul asked the believers if they had received the Holy Spirit, to which they replied that they were not aware of the Holy Spirit.  “So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’  ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.  Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance.  He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’  On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.”

24. Rom 1:16-17 - "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’”

25. Rom 3:20-23 - “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.  But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.  This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”[8]

                 

26. Rom 5:1 - “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

27. Rom 10:4 - “Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

28. Rom10:9-10 - “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

29. Rom 10:13 - “For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

30. Rom 11:20, 23 - In discussing the salvation of the Jews being offered to the Gentiles, “Granted.  But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. . . .  And if they do not persist in their unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.”

31. Rom 14:23 - In addressing the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols as offending the conscience, “But the man who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and everything that does not come from faith is sin.”[9]

32. I Cor 15:2-4 - “By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.  Otherwise, you have believed in vain.  For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.”   [As to the importance of believing in the resurrection, see also verses 12-23.]

33. Eph 1:13 - “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.  Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”

34. Eph 2:8 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

35. Phil 3:4-10 - In addressing those who “have confidence in the flesh,” Paul speaks about his own confidence prior to his salvation; he describes himself in detail: “a Hebrew of Hebrews”; then he states that “as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.”[10]  He then states that he considers all his goodness as “a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things.  I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.  I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

36. Col 1:21-23 - “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation--if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.  This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.”

37. II Thes 2:13 - “But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.”

38. Heb 4:2-3 - “For we also have had the gospel preached to us, just as they did; but the message they [the unbelieving Israelites who, having left Egypt, did not enter the promised land] heard was of no value to them, because those who heard did not combine it with faith.  Now we who have believed enter that rest . . . .”

39. Heb 11:6 - “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

40. I Pet 1:8-9, 21 - “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls . . ..  Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”

41. II Pet 1:2-4 - “Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.  His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”[11]

42. I Jn 2:22-23 - “Who is the liar?  It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ.  Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.  No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”

43. I Jn 3:23 - “And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.”

44. I Jn 4:2-3 - “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”

45. I Jn 4:15 - “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God.”

46. I Jn 5:1 - “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.”

47. I Jn 5:5 - “Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

48. I Jn 5:10-13 - “Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart.  Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given us about his Son.  And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

49. Jude 5 - “Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe.”[12]

[1] This claim is highly significant to the Jews and particularly to the Davidic line.  God promised David that one of his descendants would occupy a very special position: “‘I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.’”  (I Chron. 17:14)  Thus, it was recognized that this descendant of David would be the Messiah.

[2] Note what Jesus commanded his disciples to preach.

[3] Incredibly, though Jesus is on the cross under sentence of death, the thief recognizes that Jesus is the descendant of David who will rule in Zion—the messiah—the king whose kingdom is coming.  Also, some note that the thief acknowledged his sinful condition when he said: “we are getting what our deeds deserve”—which he said before Jesus extended salvation to him; but the thief’s statement was made to the other thief, not to Jesus.  Moreover, in making his comment, it is more realistic to accept the notion that he feels he himself is paying for his own crime: his own death for his own theft.

[4] When the Israelites were waiting, in the wilderness after having left Egypt, to enter the land that God promised to give them, they complained against God and against Moses.  “Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.  The people came to Moses and said, ‘We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.’ So Moses prayed for the people. The LORD said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.”  Numbers 21:6-9  [This is the basis for the medical symbol of the snake on the pole.]

[5] Note why the Spirit convicts of guilt in regard to sin.

[6] Note what repentance is: believing in the Lord.

[7] Note that believing in Jesus brings justification.

[8] “[A] righteousness from God” is belief in Christ which is apart from the law which brings consciousness of sin.

[9] Thus, disbelief is sin.

[10] It is interesting that at the moment of his salvation, he considered himself to be “faultless.”

[11] Note that through the knowledge of God and Jesus we “escape” sin.

[12] Those who do not believe now will also be destroyed.

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