bē̇ -lēv´ẽrs (in the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) of Acts 5:14 , for ποστεύοντες , posteúontes , the Revised Version, margin "believing"; in the King James Version of 1 Timothy 4:12 for οἱ πιστοί , hoi pistoı́ , the Revised Version (British and American) "them that believe"): Equivalent phrases, they (he, she) that believe (for οἱ πεπιστευκότες , hoi pepisteukótes ; οἱ πιστεύοντες , hoi pisteúontes ; (adj.), πιστός , pistós , etc.) occur frequently as a regular description of those who professed their faith in Christ, and attached themselves to the Christian church. The one essential condition of admission into the Christian community was, that men should believe in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31 ). The actual experiences of the men Thus denoted varied with all the possible degrees and modifications of FAITH (which see). Believers are nowhere in the New Testament distinguished as a subordinate class from the "Christians who know" as in the Gnostic antithesis of pistikoı́ and gnōstikoı́ , "believers" and "knowers."
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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