“Only believe!”

     “Just have faith!”

     Has anyone ever said those words to you while you were in the midst of a huge struggle? What was your reaction? I know what mine has been–there’s no “only” or “just” in my struggle! And, I was right and so are you. In a world full of deception and lies, believing Christ is hard work. Christ even inferred it is when his disciples asked him what should they do to work the works of God. Christ’s answer? “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him who He has sent” (John 6:28-29). Christ didn’t give a long list of activities we could participate in and then pat our backs for accomplishing great things for God. No, he kept it simple and personal. The work God has called us to is to believe in and on (as the KJV puts it) Christ. And, this work of believing happens on an individual basis, not in a group setting.*

     A paradox is at work here–many, many people believe in Christ, yet some of them may not be aware of  the work that believing takes. Let’s look at an example of a man who came to understand this paradox. Mark 9:14-29 relates the story of a father who brought his afflicted son to Christ’s disciples so they could cast the evil spirit out. After the disciples failed to cast out the spirit, the father came to Christ and asked him to do whatever he could. Christ answered with these words, “…All things are possible to him who believes.” The father understood the paradox of believing Christ in the midst of overwhelming evil and yet, not believing. He responded with a cry many of us understand, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” He knew there was a battle against his believing that his son would be delivered and he asked for help.

     “I do believe, help my unbelief.” All of us who have come to Christ have believed; however, the power of deception and lies is still working around and within us. And, those deceptions and lies stand between us and the power of all things being possible to him (or her) who believes. The work of God happens when we go to God and get the help we need to overcome the obstacles that are keeping us from succeeding. Thank God that Christ made the way for us to believe on him!

     So, we have the rationale behind believing on Christ as the work of God, but what about the how-to? How do we believe on Christ? Again, believing is a process, not a one-time deal. Yes, experiencing the new birth and the baptism of the Holy Spirit are starting points, but there is more required to bring believing Christ into full bloom in our lives. I would like to propose that a consistent element in the process of believing is repentance. In fact, I think we can safely say that, without repentance, the work of believing on Christ is nearly impossible.

     Wait a minute! Isn’t repentance what sinners do in order to convince God to forgive their sins? Not exactly. In Acts 2:38, Peter said “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins…” On the surface, this verse seems to imply that people need to repent and be baptised in order to be forgiven. But, didn’t Christ obtain the forgiveness of sins for everyone while he was on the cross (I John 2:2)? Do we really need to convince God to forgive us through repentance and water baptism?

     You see, that little word for has quite a few different definitions. Along with the meaning “in order to,”  for can also be defined as “because of.” If we use the second definition, then Peter would have said “Repent…(because of) the forgiveness of sins.” In other words, repentance is only possible because our sins are already forgiven. And, repentance has a goal. Listen to Peter’s words in Acts 3:19, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Let’s take what Christ has done for us on his cross and turn to God, so He might wipe away our unbelief and refresh us! What joy! What freedom!

     Repentance is simply turning around. Before we came to Christ, we didn’t have the access to God that enables us to overcome the deceptions and lies that dominate our world. Once we accept Christ into our lives, we have the right to go to God and find the knowledge, understanding, and wisdom we need in order to be refreshed. Repentance is not some harsh, self-flagellation of ourselves–it is simply running to our Father, climbing in His lap, and pouring out our hearts to Him.

     Christ illustrated God’s heart for the human race when he told the story of a young man who disregarded his father’s love, left home, and went after what the world offered (Luke 15:11-32). When this younger son reached the end of his rope, he decided to go home even though he thought his father would not receive him as a son. Was he ever wrong! Not only did his father welcome him back with open arms, but his father also threw a great party for him. Likewise, when we turn to God in repentance, He clasps us to Himself and rejoices. Do we understand the power of the love God has for all of us?

     Repentance is a task we won’t outgrow until we totally overcome the kingdom of evil and Christ returns to our home here on this earth. Christ acknowledged this when he washed the disciples’ feet after the last meal he had with them (John 13:5-10). Peter was taken aback that Christ would lower himself to a servant’s position and resisted the foot washing until Christ told him that, without it, Peter would have no part of him. Of course, Peter then asked Jesus to washed not his feet, but his hands and his head. What Jesus said next is so important to remember about repentance: “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…” The disciples needed to have their feet washed because they walked in sandy places. We need to have our “feet” washed–we need to repent–because we walk in a world currently full of evil. Satan is trying his hardest to dirty us up in ways we don’t always understand. But, by turning around and running to God,we gain the power to stay clean and be refreshed! Then we can go on to the second task of the work of God–faith!

 

     *This is not meant to imply that individuals who believe will not be part of group settings. Throughout all of my posts, we have been talking and will be talking only about the one-on-one relationship with God. Group dynamics are not my purview.

 

     As always, feel free to comment–just keep things respectful.

 

     @2009-2010 by Patricia Zell. All rights reserved.