📖 Biblical Definition
To believe, in Scripture, is to rely upon, trust, commit oneself to — not mere mental assent. James cautions: "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble" (James 2:19). Devils are theologically correct and damned. Saving belief is the active leaning-into of the whole self upon God’s revelation of Himself in Christ. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:10). The Greek pisteuō means both "believe" and "entrust." Saving faith therefore receives Christ (John 1:12), rests in Christ (Hebrews 4:3), looks to Christ (John 3:14-15), and follows Christ (Mark 8:34). The whole man commits to the whole Christ.
📜 KJV Continual Tense
In KJV: believeth — not "believed once" but "keeps on believing."
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When the KJV renders the verb as believeth, the -eth ending marks the Greek present indicative active — an aspectual form that signals ongoing, continuous trust. "Believeth" doesn’t mean "once mentally agreed"; it means "keeps on trusting."
John 3:16 — "whosoever believeth in him should not perish" — carries the perseverance of trust right inside the verb. The Greek participle ho pisteuōn (the believing-one) cannot be translated punctiliarly without losing the doctrine.
Same continuous force in John 5:24: "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life." Hearing and believing are both ongoing dispositions, not single events. The grammar is the gospel’s perseverance doctrine.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
To trust, rely upon, commit oneself to.
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To credit upon the authority or testimony of another; to be persuaded of the truth of something; in Scripture especially to rely upon, trust, and commit oneself to God’s revelation of Himself in Christ. The verbal correlate of saving faith.
📖 Key Scripture
John 3:16 — "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
Romans 10:9-10 — "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."
James 2:19 — "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Reduced to mental assent ("I believe in God" as opinion-statement) rather than the trust-and-commitment Scripture means.
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Modern English uses "believe" for opinion-holding ("I believe it will rain"). Scripture’s belief is trust-with-self — throwing your weight onto the One you believe. James draws the line sharply: even demons "believe" the facts; what they lack is the throwing-of-self.
The therapeutic age has further shrunk "believe" to "hold positive feelings about" — making faith a mood. Recover the Greek aspect: faith is the soul’s sustained leaning, not its current emotional weather.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek pisteuō — trust, commit, rely upon.
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['Greek', 'G4100', 'pisteuō', 'to trust, believe, commit']
['Greek', 'G4102', 'pistis', 'faith, fidelity']
['Hebrew', 'H539', 'aman', 'to be firm, support, trust']
Usage
"To believe is to entrust the self."
"Demons believe the facts; they do not believe Christ."
"Saving faith keeps on believing — it does not retire."