Understanding Belief, Believing and Faith

​There is a serious need to take a look at the meaning of the words Faith, belief and believe.  I say that because the way some Pastors preach one could get the idea there are many ways to believe.  I’ve head phrases like really believe, truly believe and actually believe used in evangelism even though I have not found any of those terms in the Bible.  Jesus Christ never modified the word believe (Greek - pisteuo) with an adverb.  It seems very clear to me He used it in a binary sense.  You either believe Him or you don’t, there is no almost believe. 
 
If you use terms like really believe or truly believe then you are in fact misquoting Jesus Christ.  I’m pretty sure that is not a good idea.  Jesus Christ said simply believe Him for everlasting life (John 3:16, 1 Timothy 1:16).  The bigger issue with using terms like truly believe is that it suggests no one can trust what they believe without some external evidence.  And by inference it means we cannot trust the words of Jesus Christ recorded in the Bible.   Do you really want to go there? 
 
I have a better idea, let’s define what Biblical faith (belief) is.  Romans 10:17 says “so then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Essentially that means you have to know what God has revealed in order to believe it.  You can’t believe something you don’t know.  So, Biblical faith is based on knowledge of God’s Word not on something you’ve experienced or done.  I’m not discounting experiences, I’m just saying they don’t contribute to faith since they are not God’s word nor can they be judged objectively.  Believing God’s word is the definition of Biblical faith.  Faith being the content of what we believe.
 
Ephesians 2:8 & 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
Ephesians 2:8 & 9 should be interpreted to mean we are graciously saved by God when we believe His word concerning Jeus Christ.  It is not because of anything we’ve done or experienced, it is purely a gift of God based on belief in what He has revealed.   Any good deeds we have done do not factor into God’s gift at all.  We contributed nothing to the gift of everlasting life. 
 
As I pointed out in the last post, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 states Jesus Christ took away our sin and any liability for punishment we had.  God has reconciled the world to Himself and no longer charges us with sin.  Instead, He covers us in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  That is what Christ accomplished on the Cross when He said It Is Finished! 
 
Do You Believe This?  Your final destiny depends on it.