I’ve long been curious about John’s use of the word pisteuo. As you probably know, he used the verb form of pisteuo, (“believe”) on nearly 100 occasions but didn’t use the noun form pisits (faith, belief) at all, whereas the other three gospels used pistis quite extensively. In fact, John used the word pisteuo more than the other three gospels combined! I find this fascinating and his uses give us a richer view of this word. Scholar Leon Morris, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Eerdmans), notes in particular that John’s use of pisteuo with the preposition eis (which gives us “believe in/into”) indicates that “faith for John, is an activity that takes people right out of themselves and makes them one with Christ” [emphasis added].<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[6]

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You asked for solely extra-biblical sources, but you can’t ignore the most famous behavior of all connected with the New Testament’s use of the word “believe”: “repent” (e.g., Mark 1:15 and Matt. 21:32).

I’m barely familiar with your term of “synergism” as a theological term, and I assume you don’t mean “syncretism” (something I’m much more familiar with and more pertinent to biblical study). My use of “synergized” was simply a quick way (in my attempt to stay within my 600-word limit) to describe the connection between belief and behavior. I certainly was making no reference to synergism.

There is action involved in trusting our souls to Christ. Our attitudes adjust. Our outlook changes. We turn around. Our kindness becomes more Christ-like. We forgive as we have been forgiven. In the words of Verbrugge, our lives are “constituted” to line up with our belief. If none of these things happen in a life, could one make a case that a person really doesn’t believe?

I hope this helps you see this is not opinion, conjecture, or interpretation, but rather an observation that is deeply rooted in scholarly word study. Based on these examples of extra-biblical literature alone, you cannot ignore the Greeks’ connection between belief and action. Belief meant something. It meant acting on a particular belief. But remember, the belief precedes the action. Believe, then act. Let’s use this information to help our students deepen their commitments and lock into the kind of belief God is looking for: belief that changes their lives.

Thanks again for your heart and attention to detail.