Read Mark 9:15-29
Focus verse-Mark 9:24
24. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe: help thou mine unbelief--
Faith: (Noun) The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God’s will.
Can also be: The body of dogma of a religion: The Christian Faith.
Believe: (Verb) To have firm faith, especially religious faith.
To have faith, confidence, or trust: I believe in your ability to solve the problem.
The lack of complete or fully developed faith, or put another way, the inability to fully believe is without any doubt one of the biggest stumbling blocks in the modern Christian church. But, this is not something new. Our very nature, that sin nature we are born into, insists that we do not need to believe in something or someone beyond ourselves. All to often we think we can do it by ourselves. It is usually only after we have tried and exhausted all devices available to us that are under our direct control or influence that we come to God and say, "How did you let me get into this mess?"
In other circumstances it may be something similar to what this man was experiencing. He believed, that is, he had faith, but he was also aware within himself that as much as he wanted to fully believe, he still had some doubt. Remember what was spoken,
Notice that Jesus only said, "If thou canst believe". He did not say ‘if you believe and do this, or if you believe and put enough in the offering plate, but only, “If you believe”.
The response was that "I believe, but I am not sure if I believe enough, Help me to believe."
Now, before we look too harshly upon this man, let us look at a couple of historical figures. There are many to choose from, but I will use just two as examples.
Martin Luther: This man suffered periods of deep depression and anxiety throughout his life. In his early years as a monk he went through a period of deep internal questioning of his own salvation. While he was a deeply religious man, he became concerned that his ‘good works and sacrificial penance’, which were supposed to justify him before God, (according to church teaching), left him feeling helpless. The more he studied and read, the more convinced he became that these acts were insufficient. In an effort to put his fears to rest, he tried several paths. He delved into Mysticism which also proved to be inadequate for him. It was after he became an instructor of scripture at the University of Wittenberg that he found the passage which would eventually change the church world as we know it, but which also set him free of his fears. His faith had been misplaced as a result of the teaching of the church, It was, in his case, not so much an unbelief as much as it was believing in the wrong way.
John Wesley: John was an Anglican priest who had been sent to the shores of America to pastor in Savannah, Georgia. As a result of an incident during his crossing on ship, where he became aware of his concern more for himself over his concern for others; and a conversation he had with a Moravian named Gottlieb Spangberg, John became very doubtful of his own salvation. He returned to England, having failed as a pastor, and contacted the Moravians again. Peter Boehler became his religious advisor. When John told him he felt unworthy to preach because of his lack of saving faith, he was told to keep preaching until he found it, and then to continue preaching because he had it. On May 24, 1738, John attended a society meeting in Aldersgate Street where someone was reading Luther’s preface to Romans, the text of which folows here.
This is the preface to Romans by Luther:
Faith is not that human notion and dream that some hold for faith. Because they see that no betterment of life and no good works follow it, and yet they can hear and say much about faith, they fall into error and say, "Faith is not enough; one must do works in order to be righteous and be saved." This is one reason that when they hear the gospel they fall-to and make for themselves, by their own powers, an idea in their hearts which says, "I believe." This they hold for true faith. But it is a human imagination and idea that never reaches the depths of the heart, and so nothing comes of it and no betterment follows it.
Faith, however, is a divine work in us. It changes us and makes us to be born anew of God (John 1); it kills the old Adam and makes altogether different men, in heart and spirit and mind and powers, and brings with it the Holy Ghost. Oh, it is a living, busy, mighty thing, this faith; and so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are any good works to do, but before the question rises; it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. He who does not these works is a faithless man. He gropes and looks about after faith and good works, and knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, though he talks and talks, with many words, about faith and good works.
Faith is a living, daring confidence on God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man would stake his life on it a thousand times. This confidence in God’s grace and knowledge of it makes men glad and bold and happy in dealing with God and all His creatures; and this is the work of the Holy Ghost in faith. Hence a man is ready and glad, without compulsion, to do good to everyone, to serve everyone, to suffer everything, in love and praise to God, who has shown him this grace; and thus it is impossible to separate works from faith, quite as impossible as to separate heat and light from fire. Beware, therefore, of your own false notions and of the idle talkers, who would be wise enough to make decisions about faith and good works, and yet are the greatest fools. Pray God to work faith in you; else you will remain forever without faith, whatever you think or do.
Written by Martin Luther in 1552; this translation by J. Theodore Muller. This preface was read at a Moravian society meeting at Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738. John Wesley was present and testified that "about a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."
We are not alone in our doubts. These two men, both great theologians and leaders, among many others, of the Great Reformation, had doubts. They felt their lack of faith, or felt they could not believe as strongly as their teaching had required of them, just as the men in the text passage had doubts as to the strength of his belief.
How can we overcome that doubt? How can we become so strong that we no longer doubt, but fully trust in every way?
Let us go back a little to the beginning of our Christian life.
Did you know that it is only by God’s grace that you are even here today? The initial faith (the faith it took for you and I to accept the invitation to receive Christ was a gift from God and not of our own. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:" (Eph 2:8) We are born with a certain awareness of God, a residue of the original fellowship that existed before the fall of man in the garden. But we are unable to act upon it of our own initiative because of the rebellion against God that is our sin nature. It is only with God’s help, through his initial gift of faith, that we have any hope at all. How fortunate it is that we are all given that gift.
Many times throughout his ministry Jesus stated to his followers, or those around him "O ye of little faith" He did not say "ye of no faith" but of little faith. They had not yet learned to ’grow’ their faith. It was much the same here with this man. He knew he had faith, but he also knew he needed an extra boost. But, he knew where to go for that boost.
God does expect us to ’grow’ our faith. He does expect us to become stronger as we continue in our walk with him. But he does not condemn us if our faith is weak, and we ask for help. Recognizing our shortcomings, knowing that we cannot do it on our own is the first sign of faith in action. It tells us that we have recognized a need that is outside of our ability. Once we have recognized that need, then we are able to act upon it.
"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom. 10:17)
One of the reasons that gathering in common fellowship on a regular basis is important, is to enable us to share in our experiences with God. We can build our own faith by hearing how he has worked in the lives of others, and we can build another’s faith by sharing how he has worked in our life. The old adage, "seeing is believing" has a lot of truth in it. It is one of the primary reasons Jesus performed miracles. It was to convince those around him that he was who he claimed to be. If we can share with someone how Jesus has worked something out in our life, or how something ’miraculous’ happened, it helps to shore up their faith.
Another reason we gather is to share in the exposition of God’s word. Yes, we all read the bible, we pray regularly, maybe we even have a home bible study, (whether private or family), but it is vital that we also share in community services. While everyone can get something out of every sermon, It is a rare occasion when someone does not feel that any given sermon was intended just for them. God has a way of opening up his word to an individual while in a group setting that is beyond our comprehension. I am reminded of the First Pentecost where, when the Apostles spoke, everyone heard in their own language. The same message was being proclaimed to all, yet each heard in a way he (or she) could understand. Attentive listening and good sound preaching will accomplish the same thing, While the same words are being spoken to the whole body or assembly, each individual may receive a different message. God has a way of reaching into our hearts and filling our needs in ways that we usually cannot understand or fully comprehend.
And of course, community worship is also why we gather together, "where two or more are gathered, there am I also".
There is strength in numbers. As a man who has served in the military I can attest to the fact that I would be hesitant to go into battle alone against an army of the enemy. But if I were a part of a bigger army I would be more assured of victory. Well, the fact of the matter is that we are in battle, an ongoing battle against forces which are very strong. It is much wiser for us to present a united front, to go into battle with a combined force than it is to try it on our own. Yes, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and we can draw on the very power of God, and we do so on a daily basis. But, it is also vital that we come together, to build our strength, to ‘fill our tanks’ on a regular basis. We pray for each other, holding each other up to build that strength. In this day of trial and trouble at every turn, we should be proud when we can return to the assembly and know that we are still able to do so, that we haven’t fallen into the trap of the secular world.
Faith is a ‘something’. It is not an idea, or a fad, but a solid foundation upon which we can build. We are given an initial ‘dose’ to help us get started. By our own choices and decisions we have the ability to expand that foundation. God gives us the base. We build upon it all through life, I don’t think we can ever say we have all the faith we need, but we strive to achieve it.
Belief is an action. This is the doing component of faith. Two letters when combined in a short word can make a vital difference in our lives. “IN” Believing in God, or, Believing God.
Believing in God is the easy one. Most people in the world today (unless they are avowed atheist) will freely admit to a belief in God or at least ‘some higher power’. As Christians, we believe in God, and in the salvation granted through his Son Jesus.
Believing God is more difficult, This is where the doubt shows up. Do we believe that God will do what he says he will do? Every time!
One of the basic characteristics of God is his immutability, that is his unchanging nature. God has not changed, will not change, and cannot change. He is who he is, (I AM THAT I AM). So if he cannot change, and he has fulfilled his word in our past, then who are we to question his ability to fulfill it again in our present or even our future.
“I believe, Help thou mine unbelief” we all have our doubts at times. Great leaders of the church have expressed their doubts, and yet found reassurance in God’s word. Our growth in our Christian life depends on our ability to believe that God is who he says he is and will do as he says he will do. When we find ourselves having doubts, (and I think that we all have them), this is the time to seek out another, the time to covet the prayers of the gathered saints, to build that ability to trust. It may not always be easy. It an at times be very difficult. Many times it is what we sometimes call ‘blind faith’. Trusting and believing without necessarily seeing the result.
I think that God has given us all of the tools necessary for us to advance. He has, by his grace, given us the foundation. He has given us the sacrifice of his Son. Jesus has given us the atoning sacrifice of his blood on our behalf. Jesus has risen in bodily form from the dead to provide us the same opportunity at his second coming. Our only responsibility is to accept.
The church in the middle ages had become so encumbered with doctrine and dogma that it no longer represented true Christian teaching. Its requirements of penance for confessed sins, for works of redemption, and numerous other unscriptural teachings had so overburdened the ‘believer’ that they were never certain of their salvation. Luther was constantly beset by the fears of having omitted some sin in his life that he spent hours agonizing over it, making long lists of his sins trying to insure he had covered them all, yet still never certain. He was set free from this burden when he came to the realization that it was by faith in Jesus’ death burial and resurrection that his salvation was assured in his mind. John Wesley went through much of the same process. He doubted his salvation when he knew he could not meet the standards set forth by the church. Yet when he understood the truth of God’s message he was set free and became a dynamic man of God, the eventual founder (much against his desires) of a new denomination (Methodist).
If we go back to our reference verse, I do not believe that Jesus condemned this man’s ‘unbelief’ as some commentaries state. I do believe that he saw the conviction of this man’s heart, the desperate need of his child, and therefore provided the healing that was necessary, not only in the child’s life, but in the father’s as well. His faith was much stronger I am certain. If we look at the end of this story, we see the Disciples ask why they were unable to affect this healing. Again, we see no rebuke from Christ, only the statement that “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” (Mark 9:29). It was not a lack of faith on their part, nor on that of the father, but only that of unfocused ability. Jesus had not yet died, His Spirit had not yet come to ‘infill’ these men, and they had not yet learned all they would need to learn to become effective in His ministry. This would come in time.
When we learn to place God in proper perspective with regards to our own lives, it helps to re-enforce the concept of total faith and active belief. This is a short excerpt from a sermon delivered just over 275 years ago by a man named Jonathan Edwards, one of America’s premiere theologians.
“We receive all from the power of God. Man’s redemption is often spoken of as a work of wonderful power as well as grace. The great power of God appears in bringing a sinner from his low state, from the depths of sin and misery, to such an exalted state of holiness and happiness. Eph. 1:19. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us- ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power."----
We are dependent on God’s power through every step of our redemption. We are dependent on the power of God to convert us, and give faith in Jesus Christ, and the new nature. It is a work of creation: "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature," 2 Cor. 5:17. "We are created in Christ Jesus," Eph. 2:10. The fallen creature cannot attain to true holiness, but by being created again. Eph. 4:24. "And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." It is a raising from the dead. Colos. 2:12-13. "Wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Yea, it is a more glorious work of power than mere creation, or raising a dead body to life, in that the effect attained is greater and more excellent. That holy and happy being, and spiritual life, which is produced in the work of conversion, is a far greater and more glorious effect, than mere being and life. And the state from whence the change is made -- a death in sin, a total corruption of nature, and depth of misery -- is far more remote from the state attained, than mere death or non-entity.
It is by God’s power also that we are preserved in a state of grace. 1 Pet. 1:5. "Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation." As grace is at first from God, so it is continually from him, and is maintained by him, as much as light in the atmosphere is all day long from the sun, as well as at first dawning, or sun-rising. -- Men are dependent on the power of God for every exercise of grace, and for carrying on that work in the heart, for subduing sin and corruption, increasing holy principles, and enabling to bring forth fruit in good works. Man is dependent on divine power in bringing grace to its perfection, in making the soul completely amiable in Christ’s glorious likeness, and filling of it with a satisfying joy and blessedness; and for the raising of the body to life, and to such a perfect state, that it shall be suitable for a habitation and organ for a soul so perfected and blessed. These are the most glorious effects of the power of God, that are seen in the series of God’s acts with respect to the creatures.”
(Jonathan Edwards, preached on July 8, 1731 at the public bible lecture in Boston.)
We believe! There is no doubt of that. Yet sometimes it is difficult to maintain that belief. It seems that there is no support, that we are walking on thin air, and if we look down, we will end up like the coyote from the road runner cartoons, falling off the cliff. Hang on to the one thing that can get you through. Even in times of difficulty, trust and believe.
