Believing doesn't equate to Discipleship

The failure to recognize that God makes a distinction between a believer, someone with everlasting life, and a disciple, someone who is seeking to be a follower of Jesus Christ, leads to many serious doctrinal errors.  Jesus Christ Himself laid out that distinction in John 8:30-32.  The setting is a debate Jesus Christ was having with the Pharisees in the Temple. During this confrontation the Pharisees demand that Christ tell them who He is.  Which, as He pointed out in this exchange, He had already done.  That is in John 8:25-29.  Then John records this: 
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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.”

Jesus Christ interrupted His debate with the Pharisees to address the people in the crowd who had believed in Him.  He was no longer addressing the Pharisees or the general public, just those who believed in Him. He was saying to be a true disciple (disciple indeed) they needed to continue in His word or teaching.  They needed to learn the truth which would make them free.  There are many passages in the gospels in which the Lord is explaining the nature and demands of discipleship.  Those passages are not evangelistic but sanctifying.  Compare the passages in John I have referenced in the previous two posts with Luke 14:25-35 or Matthew 5:1-7:27. Notice in John Jesus was talking about entering into life, everlasting life.  Luke and Matthew are talking about how to live as a disciple.  The content of the Luke and Matthew passages are completely incompatible with John 3:16, 4:10, 5:24 and 6:47. 

If you fail to see the differences in subject matter and insist both are about receiving everlasting life then you must concede these passages are contradicting each other.  There is no way to weasel word an explanation that melds them together.  Salvation cannot be both by faith alone and at the same time by good works, Romans 11:5 & 6. 

If you rule the Word of God as contradictory in its content, then you have removed all hope of finding a path to God.  You have eliminated the only trustworthy source you have for God’s revealed truth, the Bible.  The truth is that God has in His infinite grace love and mercy made everlasting life obtainable in the only way we can receive it.  It is by believing in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  We are incapable of being consistently good enough to please Him.  Romans 3:23 says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Don’t miss the shift in verb tense between the first and second clause.  All have sinned – past tense, a completed action or actions.  Fall short – present tense – our current condition.  In other words, we have failed to mean God’s expectations in the past and we continue to do so.  Our only hope is salvation by grace though faith.