Just Believe.
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NLT
“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. . . . I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me?”
Romans 7:15-24 MSG
Have you ever felt like this? I sure have! Like the Apostle Paul, I have also come to the realization many times that I don’t have what it takes to be all that God wants me to be. I don’t pray enough. I don’t spend as much time studying Scripture as I should. I’m not always patient. I worry too much. And I seem to have trouble watching what I say. Maybe you can relate. If so, Paul has some good news for us:
“Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”
Romans 7:24-25 MSG
“The Old Testament ends with Malachi’s prophecy that the next prophet would introduce the long-awaited Messiah from Judah. But no one anticipated another four hundred years would go by until John the Baptist would walk out of the wilderness with this important announcement: ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'”
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
“From the start, Jesus appeared to be a different kind of rabbi. He seemed to disregard the many customary laws that defined proper behavior for Jewish people. He put individuals before laws. His ‘new way’ was forgiving and kind. Jesus didn’t come off as a rabble rouser but as a friend to people on the outside, people suspected of not being pure, people most religious leaders disliked.”
The Story
For centuries, the Jewish people had been attempting (often unsuccessfully) to follow all of the laws laid out for them: not only the laws given to Moses by God, but also the strict customs and traditions of the Pharisees and Jewish leaders. As Randy Frazee explains, “Pharisees were Jewish leaders who not only interpreted the religious laws but also were quick to judge anyone who violated those laws. Today we describe people like this as ‘legalistic’ — more concerned about rules than a relationship with God.” Consequently, the Pharisees were not exactly open to Jesus’ new way of doing things. There was one, however, who wanted to know more. One night, while Jesus was in Jerusalem, He received a visit from a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Here is an excellent portrayal of their conversation:
“For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 HCSB
The Pharisees were experts in the law, and it was their job to help the Jewish people apply it to their lives. But they were sometimes so concerned with rules that they missed the big picture. That’s what Jesus was trying to teach them — and us — about God’s kingdom. It’s not all about rules. It’s about a genuine relationship with God.
“For a Pharisee, this is a tough message to swallow. They — as well as a lot of us — have been led to believe it’s all about following the rules. This is a false picture of God that has caused many people — perhaps even you — to stay as far away from God as possible. They have this image of a stern old guy waving a long list of impossible rules, keeping track of all the times they have broken them so he can bust their chops. But Jesus says, ‘Just believe.'”
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
It’s easy for us to condemn the Pharisees as being judgmental, self-righteous, or hypocritical, but we can easily fall into the same trap. Sometimes we get so focused on trying to do what’s right that we forget why we’re doing it — not to earn God’s favor but to celebrate the fact that, through Christ, we already have it. And to share God’s grace with others who may not yet know Christ. Our job isn’t to show others how “good” we can be. It’s to point others to the only One who has the power to make us that way.
“This was the great irony of [Jesus’] day: The ‘righteous’ were more damaged by their righteousness than the sinners were by their sin. . . . The misunderstanding of true spirituality has caused immense damage to the human race. Tragically, it is possible to think we are becoming more spiritual when in fact we are only becoming more smug and judgmental. . . . Sheldon Vanauken wrote that the strongest argument for Christianity is Christians, when they are drawing life from God. The strongest argument against Christianity? Also Christians, when they come exclusive, self-righteous, and complacent.”
John Ortberg, The Life You’ve Always Wanted
We don’t have to earn God’s forgiveness for the wrongs we have done, and neither does anyone else. Jesus promises that when we believe in Him, we are forgiven from our sins and made right with God. Period. What comes after that is a lifelong journey of being conformed to the image of Christ, but we all move at our own pace. Only God knows what’s in a person’s heart and how far a person has come from where they started. So comparing ourselves to others is a waste of time and energy. The message Christ gives to all of us is simply this: Believe. He will take it from there.
“God always keeps his promise — even today.
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
Salvation is available to ‘whoever believes in him.'”
“For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.”
Romans 3:23-24 NLT
“When it comes to healing our spiritual condition, we don’t have a chance. We might as well be told to pole-vault the moon. We don’t have what it takes to be healed. Our only hope is that God will . . . step out of the temple and step into our ward of hurt and helplessness.
Which is exactly what he has done. . . .
I wish we would take Jesus at his word. . . .
When he says, we’re forgiven, let’s unload the guilt.
When he says we’re valuable, let’s believe him. . . .
When he says we’re provided for, let’s stop worrying.
God’s efforts are strongest when our efforts are useless.”
Max Lucado, Grace for the Moment
This week’s Scripture passages are all about faith. We are made right with God by faith in Christ. By believing in Him, we are saved: saved from sin, saved from death, and saved from our fears about not measuring up. Every time we stumble or fall short, it’s tempting to think that God must be mad at us or to worry that He might give up on us. But that’s not true. We didn’t do anything to earn God’s love and forgiveness, so we can’t do anything to lose them. That’s hard sometimes to believe. But that’s exactly what Jesus is asking us to do.
Without faith, it’s impossible to please God. But anything is possible for one who believes!
“We don’t have to try harder to be good, because that will never work due to our inherent sinfulness. All we have to do is believe.”
Randy Frazee, The Heart of the Story
References:
- Frazee, Randy. The Heart of the Story: Discover Your Life Within the Grand Epic of God’s Story. Zondervan, 2017.
- Lucado, Max. Grace for the Moment: Inspirational Thoughts for Each Day of the Year. J. Countryman, 2000.
- Ortberg, John. The Life You’ve Always Wanted: Spiritual Disciplines for Ordinary People. Zondervan, 2002.
- The Story: Read the Bible as One Seamless Story from Beginning to End. Rev. ed., Zondervan, 2008.
- “Teaching With The Chosen: Jesus and Nicodemus at Night, John 3:1-16.” YouTube, uploaded by johnhiltoniii, 15 December 2022, https://youtu.be/EDglwQvwQ6c?si=HoBBycV2in42A6pN.
Images:
- Cross Silhouette featured image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
- Cross image by cgrape from Pixabay
- Lamb and Cross image by gracethroughfaith from Pixabay
- Reaching to the Sky image by Meranda D from Pixabay
- Orange Clouds image by Dorothe from Pixabay
About The Author
Christa
My vision for Wondertakings was to create a devotional blog for "nerdy" Christians like me. I do believe, as Socrates said, that wisdom begins in wonder. So I love to read or watch anything that inspires wonder and figure out what I can learn from it. I view it all through a Christian lens. I believe that God can and does speak through many sources in many ways, even if those speaking are not aware of it. I am not an expert in theology or religious studies. My goal with this blog is simply to share what I've learned as a fellow student and sinner in the Christian walk. My hope and my prayer is that by doing so I may be able to help someone else. In Deuteronomy 5:33 (NLT), we are told: "Stay on the path that the Lord your God has commanded you to follow. Then you will live long and prosperous lives. . . ." So in the words of Moses (and Spock), live long and prosper, my friends!