Dictionaries :: Belief, Believe, Believers

Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

Belief, Believe, Believers:

"to believe," also "to be persuaded of," and hence, "to place confidence in, to trust," signifies, in this sense of the word, reliance upon, not mere credence. It is most frequent in the writings of the Apostle John, especially the Gospel. He does not use the noun (see below). For the Lord's first use of the verb, see Jhn 1:50. Of the writers of the Gospels, Matthew uses the verb ten times, Mark ten, Luke nine, John ninety-nine. In Act 5:14 the present participle of the verb is translated "believers."
See COMMIT, INTRUST, TRUST.

Belief, Believe, Believers:

"to persuade," in the Middle and Passive Voices signifies "to suffer oneself to be persuaded," e.g., Luk 16:31; Hbr 13:18; it is sometimes translated "believe" in the RV, but not in Act 17:4, RV, "were persuaded," and Act 27:11, "gave (more) heed;" in Act 28:24, "believed."
See AGREE, ASSURE, OBEY, PERSUADE, TRUST, YIELD.

Note: For apisteo, the negative of No. 1, and apeitheo, the negative of No. 2, see DISBELIEVE, DISOBEDIENT.

Belief, Believe, Believers:

"faith," is translated "belief" in Rom 10:17; 2Th 2:13. Its chief significance is a conviction respecting God and His Word and the believer's relationship to Him.
See ASSURANCE, FAITH, FIDELITY.

Note: In 1Cr 9:5 the word translated "believer" (RV), is adelphe, "a sister," so 1Cr 7:15; Rom 16:1; Jam 2:15, used, in the spiritual sense, of one connected by the tie of the Christian faith.

Belief, Believe, Believers:

(a) in the Active sense means "believing, trusting;"

(b) in the Passive sense, "trusty, faithful, trustworthy." It is translated "believer" in 2Cr 6:15; "them that believe" in 1Ti 4:12, RV (AV, "believers"); in 1Ti 5:16, "if any woman that believeth," lit., "if any believing woman." So in 1Ti 6:2, "believing masters." In 1Pe 1:21 the RV, following the most authentic mss., gives the noun form, "are believers in God" (AV, "do believe in God"). In Jhn 20:27 it is translated "believing." It is best understood with significance (a), above, e.g., in Gal 3:9; Act 16:1; 2Cr 6:15; Tts 1:6; it has significance (b), e.g., in 1Th 5:24; 2Th 3:3 (see Notes on Thess. p. 211, and Gal. p. 126, by Hogg and Vine).
See FAITHFUL, SURE.

Notes:

(1) The corresponding negative verb is apisteo, 2Ti 2:13, AV, "believe not" RV, "are faithless," in contrast to the statement "He abideth faithful."

(2) The negative noun apistia, "unbelief," is used twice in Matthew (Mat 13:58; 17:20), three times in Mark (Mar 6:6; 9:24; 16:14), four times in Romans (Rom 3:3; 4:20; 11:20, 23); elsewhere in 1Ti 1:13; Hbr 3:12, 19.

(3) The adjective apistos is translated "unbelievers" in 1Cr 6:6; 2Cr 6:14; in 2Cr 6:15, RV, "unbeliever" (AV, "infidel"); so in 1Ti 5:8; "unbelieving" in 1Cr 7:12-15; 14:22-24; 2Cr 4:4; Tts 1:15; Rev 21:8; "that believe not" in 1Cr 10:27. In the Gospels it is translated "faithless" in Mat 17:17; Mar 9:19; Luk 9:41; Jhn 20:27, but in Luk 12:46, RV, "unfaithful," AV, "unbelievers." Once it is translated "incredible," Act 26:8.
See FAITHLESS, INCREDIBLE, UNBELIEVER.

(4) Plerophoreo, in Luk 1:1 (AV, "are most surely believed," lit., "have had full course"), the RV renders "have been fulfilled."
See FULFILL, KNOW, PERSUADE, PROOF.