Help My Unbelief…!
July 31, 2008
I am growing weary over the battle for supremacy being waged at my house between me and the ants (yes…I know this is improper grammar, but I refuse to put the ants before me in this sentence). This summer seems to have been especially bad. The ants just keep coming, and I just keep spraying. Is there no end to their march?
Every once in a while we grow weary in a battle that seems to pop up over and over again. Jesus, whose power is inexaustible, never grew weary in His battles against unbelieving religiosity. In John 5 He continued to battle against the unregenerate religious, as they opposed Him for doing a miracle on the Sabbath. They were more concerned that a lifelong lame man was carrying his mat on the Sabbath than they were that a lifelong lame man was walking.
By the end of John 5 Jesus had indicted them pretty well. After a long message, he ends it by saying, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” (italics added)
Jesus indicts them for what may be the greatest crime. The greatest accusation is not some particular sinful behavior, but it is unbelief. Unbelief is the most severe and crushing indictment against someone brought by our Lord. As sinful as individual sins of the flesh might be, how much more is the sin of unbelief in an omnipotent Savior?
Unbelief doubts the very power of God. Unbelief undercuts the ability of the Savior. Unbelief questions the power of the Sovereign Lord.
Yes, other sins damage a testimony and harm the Body/body. Other sins chip away at the integrity of the testimony of a believer. Yet, unbelief questions the very existence of God. If God really does not have the ability or presence to do what He says, then does He even exist as He claims? Unbelief is a despicable, damaging, detrimental sin against the God-head.
Holy God, may we walk in absolute trust and belief.
