Christ's Doctrine of Faith: A Study of "Believing" in John's Gospel (John 16:31)

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The eighty-ninth occurrence of “believing” in the Gospel of John is found in John 16:31. It reads: “Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?” (KJV). So, as always, what is the context of this passage, and what are some facts about faith that we can gather from it?

First, the context. Right after Jesus’s disciples say to their Lord that they are now sure that He knows all things and doesn’t need anyone to ask Him, before saying that it is by this they believe that He came forth from God. Christ answers them by asking them if they now believe. This is the context of John 16:31!

Second, the facts about faith. One fact is that people can know, and answer based on their knowledge of themselves, what they believe in, whether it is Christ or anything else. Because the disciples were able to answer whether or not they believed in Christ (they did) and Christ afterward asked them if they did believe on Him now, assuming that the disciples could know the answer to the question. A second fact is that we should be ready to believe in Christ when we hear enough truth about Him. Back in verse 27, the Lord Himself declared that His disciples believed that He came out from God, but after Jesus speaks some more, the disciples realize He is speaking plainly and not allegorically, before saying that they were now sure that He knows all things and needs no man to ask Him. They then say that it is by this that they know He came forth from God. Jesus then asks them if they do believe. Jesus had already said His disciples believed this truth about Him, but they later say that it is by hearing more and concluding that He is omniscient that they then believed He came from the Father. These are some facts about faith from John 16:31!