The Bible and faith
I am having a small debate/discussion with non-WELS friends and I would like to convey the belief I have that we believe that Christ died for our sins. The definition of believe is 'to accept something as true...' according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary. The friends are saying that it is a two-step process to 'accept' Christ... first to 'know' that Jesus died for your sins and then to 'accept' him as your Savior. I grew up in the WELS Lutheran church from birth and was baptized and confirmed in the same church. I recall this discussion over the years, but would like to know if there are any Bible verses that I could mention to them in addition to saying what I have here about the definition of believe. Thank you for your time.
Saving faith consists of knowledge (John 17:3), assent that the knowledge is true (1 Thessalonians 2:13) and, above all, trust in Jesus Christ as Savior (Psalm 31:14; John 20:28; 2 Timothy 1:12).
The Bible makes it clear that saving faith is not a human decision (Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 12:3; Ephesians 2:8. That last verse states clearly that saving faith is a “gift” from God. What Jesus said of his first disciples is true of all his followers: “You did not choose me, but I chose you…” (John 15:16).
The only reason you and I can accept as true what the Bible teaches is because of the Holy Spirit’s working in our hearts through that same word of God.
I hope this helps. God bless your conversations with your friends.