DO YOU REALLY BELIEVE GOD? (PART 1)
"Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth." (Mark chapter 9 verse 23, King James Version).
Asking if you really believe is a very pertinent question because the undeniable consequence of believing is that "all things are possible to him that believeth".(Mark chapter 9 verse 23)
As vital as the matter of salvation is, and in spite of God's desire to save man, we see that it's important for him to believe in God for his salvation. Besides, there are very many promises that God has made to us, most of which are contained in the Holy Bible, God's Word. To see them fulfilled in our lives, it's important that we believe Him that made them. This is so because believing God's Word has the tendency to not only make those promises real in the spiritual realm, but also to make them available for our enjoyment in the physical realm. This accounts for Jesus lamenting why He was not believed by those that heard Him.
"And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" He asked in John chapter 8 verse 46.
But if believing in God is that important, then what does it really mean to believe? Today the meaning of the word "believe" has been very terribly weakened. In the eyes of most, it has become a mere acknowledgment of a certain fact. For example, when you ask someone if he believes in Jesus, he may well reply in the affirmative. Yet to him, it may mean simply nothing more than assenting that Someone called Jesus, God's Son once came and was crucified on the Cross for us. But in actual fact, the word "believe" has more meaning in the Scriptures than mere acknowledgement or just mentally assenting to a fact.
When you study the Bible carefully, you'll come to understand that the word "believe" is synonymous with "obedience". To believe carries along with it some demonstrative action that is in consonance with that acknowledgement or mental assent given to a certain fact. It's like faith, if without works, is dead (James chapter 2 verse 17). The bottom line therefore is that if you believe in Jesus, you must in response, accompany it with some intense and warm-blooded acts of obedience.
To believe has so much to do with obedience. For instance, in 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 6 to 8, the words "believe" and "disobedient" are represented as opposites. There, you'll see that if you BELIEVE, it means that you are not DISOBEDIENT; and vice versa. It says,
"Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that BELIEVETH on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which BELIEVE he is precious: but unto them which be DISOBEDIENT, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being DISOBEDIENT: whereunto also they were appointed." (1st Peter chapter 2 verses 6 to 8, King James Version; emphasis are mine)
Remaining true to the context of 1st Peter chapter 2 verses 6 to 8, we can safely say that the major element of believing is "obedience". In other words, if you say that you believe, then you have to show it by acts of obedience. Simply put, if you believe in Jesus, then you should obey what He commands. What's more, we know for certain that it is not difficult to obey when you know the character and love of the One to whom you are submitting. In our relationship with the Lord Jesus, love is the bottom line; I mean the love for His Person. If that love is not firmly in place, it becomes easy to offend and stumble; and the reverse is very much the case!
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me:", Jesus says in John chapter 14 verse 21.
One of the numerous reasons we love the Lord Jesus and would obey and keep His commandments is that He showed us love at a time when we were utterly unworthy of His love. The Bible says,
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans chapter 5 verse 8)
PRAYER:
Lord, truly, I believe You and I demonstrate it by my obedience to Your Word!