Belief Without Faith

Scripture shows belief is not a straightforward binary, that you either believe or you do not.  It would be convenient if this were the case, but at the same time any our unbelief would surely doom us!  The truth is, people who believe in God's existence, the truth of God's promises and His power to fulfil them do not always walk by faith in God.  A man who brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples of Jesus exclaimed after they were unable to help him in Mark 9:24:  "Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"  While all things are possible to him who believes in God, this man recognised nagging doubts and fears within himself he could not shake.  Without God's help, we cannot even believe--for without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

I read a passage in John 4 today that also illustrates how people can have degrees of belief that fall short of saving faith.  The smallest amount of genuine faith in Jesus is able to save a soul from hell, and it is good we examine ourselves to ensure we are truly in the faith.  A nobleman came to Jesus likely because he heard of His ability to miraculously heal the sick.  John 4:48 reads, "Then Jesus said to him, "Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe."  Rather than protesting he did believe, the man urged Jesus to accompany him home and heal his son.  John 4:50 then states, "Jesus said to him, "Go your way; your son lives." So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way."  Reading these verses, one could claim the man he had faith and works--he believed Jesus could heal and came to Him, and then he believed the word Jesus said through his obedience.  Not so fast!

John 4:51-53 says, "And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, "Your son lives!" 52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him." 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, "Your son lives." And he himself believed, and his whole household."  The words of Christ came to pass, for the child was miraculously healed of the fever.  Curious, the nobleman asked precisely when the boy began to recover from his illness--and it was at the same time Jesus had spoken the word and the man departed.  He could not believe the rapid recovery of the boy was a coincidence and knew Jesus had healed him!  Verse 53 says in light of all that Jesus said and did, "...he himself believed, and his whole household."  Previously he believed Jesus could heal, he believed Jesus' words, yet he had not yet believed Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God.  As Jesus said, the miracle He performed was an important sign that showed without a doubt Jesus is the LORD, the Son of David.

This word of Jesus concerning seeing signs and wonders as necessary for belief in Him also came to pass.  It is important to note we are called to pursue Jesus and not "signs and wonders" to convince us of the Christ's divinity, for all the mirculous signs Jesus did in the Bible--culminating in His death, burial, resurrection and ascension before many witnesses--are more than sufficient to prove beyond doubt Jesus is the promised Messiah.  For those who might assert miracles beyond scripture are necessary for people to believe, recognise eyewitnesses of countless miracles Jesus did rejected Him and refused to believe.  God continues to do miracles every single day, and the fact we will stake our lives for eternity on Jesus being the Way, the Truth and the Life is one of them.  Believing Jesus had or could heal people, believing His word and obeying Him, does not automatically mean we believe in Him and actively rely on Him for salvation.  Do you believe on Jesus?

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