Who, Then What

Belief may be the most powerful force afforded to mankind. We naturally divide beliefs into right and wrong, which makes sense to our minds and has life-altering ramifications. But what is belief, really? We may say we believe something, but our actions speak louder than our words.

Consider the chair you sit in. You believe it will hold you or you wouldn’t sit on it. Think about the home you bought on a 30-year mortgage. You probably believe that you can afford it for decades. You even put your life at risk every time you get in a shared ride, board a train, or travel by air. If you believed you would end up in a deadly crash, you’d never do it. Yet you trust your belief that you will arrive safely.

Actions unveil our beliefs.

When some followers of Jesus asked him what to do in order to “work the works of God,” He answered, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” These were the same people who had witnessed miracles and heard His teachings, yet He still said to them, “…you have seen Me, and yet do not believe” (John 6:28-29, 36).

Belief is well-defined by the American Heritage® Dictionary as, “The mental act, condition, or habit of placing trust or confidence in another.” Note the object of the trust: another. This seems to be the point that Jesus made. In a world where we place of beliefs in ideas, He challenges us to place our belief in Him. That’s the who, not the what.

There is an account in Mark 9 where a man brings his afflicted son to the disciples, but they cannot cure him. Jesus enters the scene and asks about the situation.

He asked them, “What are you discussing with them?” And one of the crowd answered Him, “Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it.” And He answered them and said, “O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!”

The inference is that the disciples believed they could cast out the spirit, but couldn’t. Their belief, whether in themselves or in a concept that had worked in the past, failed. The story continues…

They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

This last statement begs the question: believes in what? But that’s the wrong question. Just believing something doesn’t make it true. The man’s response sums up much of our human condition.

Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

I completely relate to that admission. I do believe in scripture. I believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah. But what I believe can fail me. The only solution is, as the dictionary definition states, to place my trust in another. And the only reliable “another” is Jesus Christ.

My former pastor frequently said, “If you don’t understand something, it’s because you don’t understand it.” There is much I don’t understand in this life, but I choose to place my trust in Christ, regardless of my fractured thoughts and emotions.

Jesus’ brother James takes that belief one step further by arguing that faith without works is dead, just as a body without a spirit is a mere corpse (James 2:26). Once we establish the who, then we can get to the what. Our faith in Christ alone allows us to express that belief through actions. Our belief anchors us to Christ, who then, through the Holy Spirit, can guide us in our words and deeds.

If you have been let down by your beliefs, examine the place that belief came from. Was it your own idea? Something taught in a religious setting? A worldly principle not rooted in Scripture? Move past your disappointment, uncertainty, and insufficiency and place your trust in Jesus Christ alone. He will never fail.