We Don’t Believe What We Believe

Posted on May 23, 2019 by America's Keswick in Freedom Fighters

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” — John 5:39-40 (NKJV)

When it comes to your everyday battles do you have a day-to-day, practical theology? Does Scripture come alive for you during your morning devotional time or do you ever have a morning devotional time? Some many of us have a lot of head knowledge about Jesus Christ but have we let it travel the fifteen inches or so to our hearts? Why does this Freedom Fighter have to start out with these kinda questions when all you were looking for was some encouragement? Maybe the writer scratches his head when he wonders why we don’t believe what we believe.

Even though I’ve written things in the past that have raised an eyebrow or two, I don’t think I ever have said anything that would make anyone seek to take my life. I do spend my time with Scripture and I “think” I know my way around it and I would also like to “think” that it has penetrated my heart so that I at least “think” I’m doing His will in my life. However, during Jesus’ time on the earth He had to contend with men who boldly stood in front of folks and told them they didn’t know The Law…including the Guy who wrote it. (Can a brother get an eye roll please?)

In the fifth chapter of John, Jesus will reprimand the Scriptural hot shots of the day…those wacky Pharisees!! Now all Jesus had to do was a slight miracle on the Sabbath to raise their ire and make them want to take His life. Oh, I left out the “calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” part, sorry. Anyway, Jesus will spend a bit of this chapter declaring His character and His authority to those guys who shoulda seen Him coming, but they didn’t, and maybe that’s why they’re mad. Or maybe it’s because He says to them, after telling them about their searching in Scripture for eternal life…

“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?” (John 5:44-47)

And so, like those wacky Pharisees, we too need to ask, “If we doubt what is written in our Bibles, but say we are Christians, how are we gonna believe His words? Hmmm, I “think” I may be able to answer that…go to Romans 1:21, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.” How can I say that? Well, as a child of God, I do find myself a resident of Secularland and as much as my Bible tells me to be in the world and not of it, I can’t help getting tripped up over the debris of its wreckage and it’ll leave me to doubt. Yeah maybe you “think” that verse is for the unbelieving heathen (and you’d be right) but if you doubt the Word of God, it’s for your too.

There are many out there who are the “Sunday Christian Phenomenon.” That’s where we are joining the Newsboys by singing, “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah He Reigns” On Sunday morning and waking up Monday singing “How Great I Art.” That’s the duality of not believing what we say we believe. May that be any of us.

I do spend a great amount of time with theologies that other men wrote about by using God’s Word, and some of it I actually can understand but if I’m not taking those red letters to heart all that other theology is of men and makes for a great coffee table book. (well except for Calvin, Bonhoeffer and oh yeah, Luther) Anyway….

We need to be careful that we don’t just “think” God’s Word is such that it is only one-dimensional. Those wacky Pharisees spent so much time in the “Thou Shalt Not’s” that it let very little for mercy, let alone any grace. Jesus Christ, and what He said, will rightly divide any belief or disbelief system right down to the marrow — all we gotta do is be yielded enough, in our hearts, to let Him and do His work.

While He walked among us all He was saying, “Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you: ABIDE in My love.” (John 15:9) All we need to do is believe that. Amen?

Written by Chris Hughes: Chris, a graduate of The Colony of Mercy (11-2003) has been married for 25+ years (Kathy), has a married son (Kevin) and a daughter in college (Karen). He has been a Freedom Fighter contributor since 2008.

The Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4-6, Matthew 12: 24-50| You can download our 2018 Daily Bible Reading Plan by clicking here

Think About This:  “When our desires conflict with Scripture, human beings do not always live according to what we say we believe. We can say we believe one thing, but our lives betray other allegiances.” — Ed Welch

This Week’s Verse to Memorize: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. – 2 Corinthians 13:5

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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