Is there a difference between rejection and unbelief?

I believed the story of Christ since a child of 8 and yet rejected him until the age of 19. Rejected Him how? By not trusting Him as Lord and Savior. By not serving Him.

Yes, one can believe and still reject Him.

 

My brother died last year a drunkard refusing to speak to any of his family that was saved because he did not want to hear the gospel.

And yet, he knew the gospel. He was raised in Church. Every time he got drunk in his later years, he would talk about how Christ died for him.

The Bible says no drunkard will enter heaven. My brother is a classic example of one believing who Christ was and what He did on the cross and yet still ended up in hell.

I am reminded of Agrippa, who said "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian."

Yes, one can believe and still reject Christ.

 

There are many who profess Christ with their lips and yet their hearts are far from Him.

They believe He is Christ, and yet, they have no love for Him. They love darkness rather than light.

 

Some people disagree with me on this but here goes anyway. :tongue3:

I think there is belief and BELIEF.

When we are told to believe and we will be saved, this isn't just a mental assent. This is a belief that includes trust and willingness to put your life in Christ's hands.

My husband is a good example of this in my own life. For years he "believed" that Christ died for his sins. He "believed" in God. But one day he was saved. And at that time he submitted to God in his heart, not just his head. He will tell you that there is definitely a difference in believing someone exists and believing (or having faith and trust) that they can save you.
The saving belief must be accompanied by a realization that you have sinned against God.
Many people believe in the existence of God, but don't believe they are sinners in need of a Savior.

 

One must be careful not to pick & choose verses to "prove" a point.

To use a couple of ridiculous examples, one can prove that it's biblical to "weep", or "commit adultery" by selecting the following to justify same:

John 11:35 - Jesus wept.
John 8:3a - And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery;

Luke 10:37b - -- Go, and do thou likewise.

In real estate it's "LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION"
In scripture it's "CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT"

Incidentally the following verse is applicable to this discussion:

James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

 

There's a vast difference between having a head knowledge of Jesus and having a heart knowledge of Him. The first believes that He existed and died, but not necessarily that He rose from the dead and still lives. Even if a person believes that Jesus is alive now, that doesn't guarantee that he knows Him personally. Even satan believes that Jesus exists, but he doesn't personally know Him as his Saviour and never will.

 

Not to mention that He needs to know us.

"...depart from me....I never knew you."

Some hard (but true) words to hear.

 

Understandable that it doesn't make sense to you. Free will doesn't make sense to you, so why should rejection?

 

My, my....you are one of the best twisters of people's words on the BB. I know what SFIC said and you have misquoted him once again. Seems nothing makes sense to you except that you are one of the "elect". Lying is bearing false witness...which is sin. Was this all "predestined" and "foreordained" by God?

 

Yes there is a difference between rejection and unbelief.

Most of the lost reject Christ out of ignorance. They do not fully realize what they are doing or the eternal consequences. This ignorance of course is not an excuse for their actions. Romans 1:18-22 makes it clear that because they rejected the things they knew of God a full revelation was never made clear to them. Still, their rejection is at least part made in ignorance.

What is really scary is those who reject Christ with a full knowledge of who he is and what they are doing. Jesus addressed this group in particular when he spoke to the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day. Yes, some of the Jews rejected him out of ignorance not knowing who he was, but some of them did know. Specifically those among the religious leaders, those who knew the prophecies and recognized Jesus for the Messiah he was, yet they realized that by acknowledging him they would be giving up their power and positions on this earth. They sacrificed eternity for the things of this world. Sad. Even worse, it still happens today. People know who Christ is and what he offers but chose to stay with their sin, lifestyle, or whatever else this world offers them that they value more than eternal life.

 

Once while doing some outreach visitation with my partner, we knocked on the door of a home occupied by three bachelor brothers. They invited us in, and eventually the conversation turned to spiritual things.

I asked one of them how he thought one came into a right relationship with God. He answered without hesitation, "well, you must realize that you're a sinner, must repent of your sin, and trust Christ for salvation."

Usually, you'll get some vague answer about trying to live right, be kind to others, etc., but this fellow nailed it and I was taken aback for a moment. "Well, has that happened in your own life?" I asked.

"Naw, and I don't plan to any time soon. And if we ever do, we'll go to the Presbyterian church down the street where our parents used to go."

Now here's a fella who clearly knew the way to salvation, acknowledged its truth and its claim on him. He believed it to be true, but refused to act on that knowledge. He acknowledge that he was a sinner, needed to be saved, and that Jesus was the way--but he would not.

Now, was this a case of unbelief? Rejection, of course. Seems to me more like a refusal to repent than a refusal to believe.

 

Which further proves that rejection is not unbelief and further solidifies my stance that rejection is a choice.

 

I agree.

Jam 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jam 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

 

It is still a choice to not obey the gospel of Christ. Is disobedience a sin?

2Th 1:8 in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.