Q413 : Belief vs. Saving Faith
Are the Jews who believe on Christ in John 8:31 the same ones who respond in John 8:33-47? If so, what seems to be their salvation status?
Their responses seem to indicate that perhaps they’re still unsaved, as Jesus even says they’re seeking to kill Him because they don’t believe. He also says they ARE (not were) of their father, the devil. All that being said, the Bible doesn’t clearly indicate that He’s switching audiences from the believers to the unbelievers.
Thanks in advance! |
A413 : by Tony Garland 
It is my view that Jesus is addressing the same group of individuals throughout the passage.2
Some of the “the Jews who believed3 in Him”:
- sought to kill Jesus (John 8:37, 59)
- were sons of the devil (John 8:38, 41, 44)
- accused Jesus of being illegitimate (John 8:41)
- accused Jesus of being demon-possessed (John 8:48, 52)
- dishonored Jesus (John 8:49)
- elevated Abraham over Jesus (John 8:53)
- attempted to stone Jesus (John 8:59)
Jesus divided those who "believed" into two categories: non-disciples/slaves and disciples/sons (John 8:31-36).
This division is between two types of belief: belief based on intellectual assent only (a dead faith—as described by James: Jas. 2:17, 20, 26) and belief which extends beyond intellectual assent to embrace that which is believed.
This explains how the demons—intractably opposed to God—are still said to believe that there is one God (Jas. 2:19). Intellectually, they know that God alone is sovereign, but fall short of embracing the logical consequences of this fact. Although created beings, they refuse to submit to His will. The “belief” in one God may not be “trust” in that God. Unless it is “trust,” it is not true faith and will not be evidenced in good works.4
The kind of faith which James pronounces insufficient is the faith which the devils also have; it is a mere intellectual apprehension of the facts about God or Christ, and it involves no acceptance of those facts as a gift of God to one’s own soul. . . . although faith is intellectual, it is not only intellectual. You cannot have faith without having knowledge; but you will not have faith if you have only knowledge. Faith is the acceptance of a gift at the hands of Christ. We cannot accept the gift without knowing certain things about the gift and about the giver. But we might know all those things and still not accept the gift. [J. Gresham Machen, What is Faith? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1946), 202-203]
Thus, we find that “belief” within the New Testament does not always describe saving faith.
. . . πιστεῦειν [pisteuein] is used by John of various degrees of faith, from its first beginnings, its incipient stirring within the soul, up to the fullest assurance, Jn. 2:23 (cf. 24); 8:31; of a faith which does not yet recognize Jesus as the Messiah, but as a prophet very like the Messiah, Jn. 7:31; and to signify that one’s faith is preserved, strengthened, increased, raised to the level which it ought to reach, 11:15; 13:19; 14:29; 19:35; 20:31; 1 Jn. 5:135
Faith that saves includes a change of mind/heart (repentance, μετανοια [metanoia]) in accord with God's will.
Endnotes:
| 1. | Ref-1516, 404 | | 2. | “We would expect a discourse introduced in this fashion to be addressed to genuine disciples, but as it unfolds it appears that these Jews were nothing of the sort. Therefore many commentators look for a change of subject. Some think verse 30 refers to genuine believers and verse 31 to those who did no more than make an outward profession. Others think of real believers in both places, but hold that “they” in verse 33 refers to a different group, the enemies of Jesus. But there is no indication in the narrative that different groups of people are meant. The difficulty leads some expositors to think the passage composite and ascribe some of the words to a redactor. This, however, introduces a further difficulty, namely the problem of the mind of a redactor who would take a reasonably straightforward narrative and produce this result, not being concerned about introducing a difficulty of such a magnitude that it has troubled commentators through the centuries. It is best to think that John is speaking of people who had made an outward profession, but a profession that did not go very deep. Jesus’ words, then, are meant to drive home to formal and casual adherents the meaning of true discipleship. If people in any sense believe in Jesus it is important that they come to see what real faith means.”1 | | 3. | πεπιστευκὀτας [pepisteukotas] from πιστεὐω [pisteuō]. | | 4. | Ref-0038, Jas. 2:19 | | 5. | Ref-1343, 512 |
Sources:
| Ref-0038 | John Walvoord and Roy. B. Zuck, The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Wheaton, IL: SP Publications, 1983). | | Ref-1343 | Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Being Grimm's Wile's Clavis Novi Testamenti (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1889). | | Ref-1516 | Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1994). ISBN:0-8028-2504-4a. |
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