"Believeth Thou This?" -2

"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see Life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:36) For almost every word that is used for 'believe' in the New Testament that word that is used is the word 'pisteuo', with only a few exceptions. In the verse above there are two different words that are used in the same verse; the first is 'pisteuo' for the word "believeth", which means to believe, have faith in, trust; particularly, to be firmly persuaded as to something. The other word used is 'apeitheo' which is from the word 'apeithes' which means disobedient; but the word here in John 3:36 that is used for the expression of 'believeth not' is much like disobedient, but with intent. It is kind of like you know what is right and true, but refuse to accept it the way it needs to be accepted; instead, you have your own version of how it is to be, something more in line with the way you wish to live your life. This word 'apeitheo' is one that means not to be persuaded or believe, to disbelieve, or to be disobedient; and it is spoken of disbelievers in Christ, of those that are disobedient to God, and those who disobey, like unbelievers and heathens. Quite frankly, it is a word that puts a person on the road that leads to destruction, which is opposite the Glory Road! The verse above that was taken from John 3:36, was the last verse in a string of verses spoken by John the Baptist to his disciples, who had come to him after arguing with the Jews about purifying, because both John and Jesus were baptizing. We can see their question in verse 26: "And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, He that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou bearest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to Him." What is interesting about this portion of Scripture, is how the fact that a question about 'purifying' would bring about a question of the authenticity of Jesus baptizing people, and the fact that He was gaining crowds of people. The word used for 'purifying' is the word 'katharismos', which means to make clean; but the deeper meaning that is implied, because this word is a noun, means to be free of guilt; as water cleanses the body in baptism, the grace it symbolizes cleanses the soul. {Guilt is a state of impurity which manifests itself in a consciousness of alienation from God and antagonism to the divine Law.} It is this sense of guilt that the blood of Jesus is said to 'sprinkle' or 'cleanse' men of, which is similar to the 'sprinkling of the blood' that the priest would perform during a sacrifice. The thought here is, that the 'sprinkling' was not for the benefit towards God that ones sins were forgiven, but for the benefit of the one which was 'sprinkled' so that his conscious would be clear. This is important to the believing process that we must have, because the blood of Jesus is able to cover or cleanse us from all of our sins; however, this requires us to bring all of our sins to the open that they might be sprinkled... "While it is said, Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was He grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcasses fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware He that they should not enter into His rest, but to them that believe not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." (Hebrews 3:15-19) {quoted from source}