Misunderstood Bible Verses – Acts 16:31

One very often misunderstood Bible verse is found in the book of Acts where Paul and Silas were speaking with their prison guard:

“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 believe in Jesus, that he died on the cross and rose from the dead 3 days later. I believe we are all sinners. I even said a prayer asking Jesus into my life so I would not have to go to Hell when I die. But I still want to drink booze, sleep with my girlfriend, curse like my coworkers and goof off on the job. But I believe I am going to Heaven when I die because I said that prayer.

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! Which is precisely why the Lord Jesus Christ declared in John 3:7 “Ye must be born again! (John 3:7).