We are all believers. We believe in God, in Jesus as His Son and our Saviour. We believe in the Bible. Yes, we say we believe many things — and we do. And what happens then?
There is a quality to belief. There is belief that arises from intellectual exercise. For instance, at one time most men believed that the world was flat, but by observation and deduction men came to the conclusion that the earth was round. Similarly, with belief in God, by the sheer logic of the wonders of design and purpose in nature and in the universe, men can conclude that there is a great designer, a Creator, God. But what is the quality of such a belief? It may arouse no greater sense of awe than that in the mind of the men who first believed the earth was round. It can be the same with the Bible. It can be a fascinating book to study and our intellectual appreciation can lead us to say we believe it, but what is the quality of such a belief? There were the disciples handpicked by our Lord. How he taught them, corrected them. They witnessed his remarkable miracles. Yet they were all unprepared for the tragedy of his death to which he had repeatedly referred. Their belief was lacking in quality.
It was Paul who wrote, “…if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9, 10). There are two actions required. The confession, “Thou art the Christ the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16) but the confession was not enough. Peter had perceived with his mind sufficiently to utter such words, but his belief was lacking in quality. Later the Master said to him, “when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” (Luke 22:32). Peter’s conversion was incomplete, so also that of his fellow disciples. Then came the impact of their Master’s death and resurrection. There was a race to the tomb by Peter and John and they saw “the linen clothes lie” and it is recorded of John that “he saw and believed” (John 20:6, 8). But he had believed before and so had Peter! The difference is surely that now it was a matter of the heart, their belief was developing a new quality, it was affecting their deepest thoughts, it was to become part of their being, they were becoming what some would call — totally committed. Are you that kind of believer?
Paul further wrote of “…the word of God, which effectually worketh in you that believe” (1 Thess. 2:13). The word must first work on our conscience. Its two-edged sword must cut deep, so deep that it destroys the carnal thinking that once had its abode in the heart. There must be no opportunity for the “previous owner” of our heart to pervert the “effectual working” of our belief into one of fleshly egotism or other kindred vices. The Israelites made this fatal mistake when they went into the promised land and their failure to utterly destroy all the idol-worshipping nations was a continual thorn in their side.
We are like the man who came to Jesus and said, “Lord I believe) help thou mine unbelief” (Mark 9:24). Let that be our prayer.
Reflections on the Potter and the Clay