“We have to believe first, so we can receive.”
I recently saw a quote on Facebook from a friend that read, "We do not believe in order to be born again; we are born again in order that we may believe." My wife mentioned that this is a belief held by Calvinists. While I don't know much about them, I find this quote confusing. It sounds strong and meaningful, but I sense there is a misunderstanding behind it. To address this, I’ve written this blog and outlined five steps for understanding the process of salvation, which might help us clarify how it works.
Step 1:
God provides beliefs as a gift (grace). Beliefs, which represent a set of rules or attributes, are essential. Without beliefs, there would be nothing to believe. As human beings, we naturally act upon what we believe. We can either believe correctly or incorrectly, but belief is an integral part of life that we cannot ignore.
Step 2:
We receive these beliefs from God through various means:
- People can read or hear about the beliefs.
- Those who have witnessed miracles were exposed to the right beliefs.
- Those who experienced miracles firsthand encountered those beliefs.
Step 3:
Understanding these beliefs leads to questions such as:
- Who is God?
- Who are we?
- What is sin?
- How do we become sinners?
- Why do we need Jesus to save us from the curse?
- How can we live a victorious life despite troubles?
Step 4:
Our understanding brings us to the point where we must choose whether to believe or not. But belief alone does not save us. We cannot be saved without believing, but belief is only one step in the process. In fact, belief comes before receiving.
“If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” – Matthew 21:22
“They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.’” – Acts 16:31
Believing leads us to a place where we can use our faith to receive salvation. God provides the way out (beliefs) as a free gift, which we call grace. This process is explained in:
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works.” – Ephesians 2:8
Step 5:
Faith is given to all in equal measure because everyone needs it to live.
“For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” – Romans 12:3
Faith is like oxygen—we all need it to live day by day. Everyone has faith because we all act upon what we believe. However, it’s important to recognize that faith and works coexist. Faith without works is dead.
“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:17
Faith is shown through our actions, and our actions are expressions of what we believe. Until we act on our beliefs, faith is of no use. Without faith, there is no work, and without work, there is no faith.
So, how do we confirm a seat in heaven? By acting upon the beliefs God has provided through His grace in Christ, and receiving it by faith through our works. But what work must be done?
“If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved.” – Romans 10:9-10
Declaring "Jesus is Lord" is our work. You might wonder, how can our confession alone be enough to save us? Is it that simple? It’s not just the confession alone—it’s the combination of believing in our heart, which leads us to make the confession. Remember, everything was created by God through His speaking (confessing).
Now you know how to be saved and secure your seat in heaven. You cannot be born again without believing first.