Misunderstood Bible Verses Series

Acts 16:31

 
One very often misunderstood Bible verse is found in the book of Acts where Paul and Silas were speaking with a Philippian jailer who asked them what he must DO to be saved, to which they replied:
 
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)
 
Is the Bible really teaching that we can make something happen just by believing it? Consider these situations for example:
 

• I believe I am a millionaire.

 

• I believe I am president of the United States.

 

• I believe I can jump from the earth to the moon.

 

• I believe in Jesus, that he was a good moral man and a great teacher but my Jesus never died on a cross but I still believe in Jesus so I will be saved right?

 
I can believe that I am a descendant of Abraham Lincoln but that does not make it so. Similarly, you can believe you are a child of God but that does not make it so. GOD Himself has to make it so for it to be so:
 
“For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake” (Philippians 1:29)
 
To believe in the real Jesus of the Bible, to believe all He claims to be, to believe in him “with knowledge” as a son believes in his father, requires an ACT OF GOD – the spiritual birth!
 
“Ye must be born again! (John 3:7)