Those who have faith in God. After Pentecost, the term came to be used specifically to refer to Christians, that is, to those who believe and trust in God, as he has made himself known through Jesus Christ. The NT stresses that Jesus Christ brings the faith of OT believers to perfection and to its proper fulfilment.
Believers as those who have faith in God
1 Kings 18:3–4 See also John 4:39–42; Acts 16:15; James 2:1
and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD, for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
OT believers looked forward to the NT faith
Hebrews 11:13 See also Hebrews 11:39; 1 Peter 1:10–12
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
The church is referred to as the believers
Acts 5:12 See also Acts 1:15, Acts 2:44, Acts 4:32, Acts 9:41; 1 Timothy 4:12
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people, and with one accord the believers gathered together in Solomon’s Colonnade.
In the early church a distinction was sometimes made between Jewish and Gentile believers
Acts 15:23 See also Acts 10:45, Acts 11:1–3, Acts 15:5, Acts 21:20–25
and sent them with this letter: The apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
The term believer is synonymous with Christian
1 Corinthians 7:12–13 See also Acts 15:2, Acts 16:1; 1 Corinthians 6:5, 1 Corinthians 14:22; 2 Corinthians 6:14–15; 1 Thessalonians 1:7; 1 Timothy 5:16
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If a brother has an unbelieving wife and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her. And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
Believers are members of God's family
Galatians 6:10 See also 1 Timothy 6:2; 1 Peter 2:17
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.