Believer vs. Disciple

I want to point out some things about John 8:30-32 that you might not have had a Pastor ever show you before.  Hopefully, you’ve already figure them out on your own and if you have I think that is great.  You’re a Bible scholar.  But go ahead and read these verses.

John 8:30-32 As He spoke these words, many believed in Him. 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 

The main idea in v. 30 is that some of the people listening to Jesus Christ believed in Him.  What does that mean?  John told us in John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. So, v. 30 is saying that some of the people who were listening to Jesus just received everlasting life! 

So, what does v. 31 say?  It says people with everlasting life who abide in His word are disciples of Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ is making a distinction between believers, people with everlasting life, and disciples.  Disciples being people with everlasting life who are abiding in His word.  I’m pointing out that distinction because a lot of Bible Teachers tend to conflate being saved (having everlasting life) with being a disciple and Jesus Christ says they are not the same. 

Why that’s important is because most of the N.T. is not evangelistic. It was written to disciples.  Did you know that the Greek word for saved (Sozo) appears 111 times in the Greek N. T. and only 33 of those usages pertain to being saved from eternal death.  In fact it is not used at all for saving from eternal damnation in the Book of Romans.  Instead, Paul used it in the sense of sanctification and deliverance from God’s present-day displeasure with sin.  His wrath towards sin in the here and now. 

Look at Romans 5:9-10 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

Notice Paul makes a distinction between being justified and reconciled and being saved.  Justified and reconciled are being used to signify his readers have everlasting life.  In v. 9 saved is applied to avoiding the wrath of God which is being “revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” Romans 1:18. In v. 10 saved is used in regards to redeeming one’s remaining life in this present world. 
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I trust you can see how confusing this could be if it’s being taught from an evangelistic point of view.  It would likely make the next 3 chapters, Romans 6,7 & 8 almost impossible to understand.  I believe it is one of the reasons people lack the assurance of their salvation.  They likely truly believed they had everlasting life when they first believed in Jesus Christ.  But then they became confused by teachers who assume every time you see the word saved it must be deliverance from Hell.  And now they are not so sure.  They’ve been robbed of the joy that comes from knowing truth, the truth that Jesus said would make us free.