Christian, You Too Are an Unbeliever
You Are An Unbeliever
It is true. We are all unbelievers in some way at some time, misbelieving or disbelieving the truths of who God is and what he has done for us. Yes, it is possible to be a Christian and struggle with areas of unbelief. I don’t mean that you no longer believe in Jesus as your Savior, losing the salvation that has been graciously given to you. I mean that even while trusting in Jesus for salvation, we often fail to believe other truths, truths that we have knowledge of and would even say we believe.
I know, that sounds a little crazy if you’ve never considered it, but stick with me.
We know things about God - that he is all-powerful, sovereign, loving, and good for example. As Christians we have heard those things and we likely affirm them to be true. If we were asked, “Do you believe God is all-powerful, sovereign, loving, and good ?” Our answer would be, “Yes!”
BUT when life gets chaotic or there is suffering, hurt, or uncertainty we often grow anxious, worry, and become controlling. Why? Because while we have knowledge of those truths of God, in the moment chaos and uncertainty, we are not believing them to be true. We don’t trust them. That is unbelief! We are filled with anxiety and worry; we become controlling and manipulative because we don’t trust that God is powerful enough to handle our situation or that he truly sovereign over all of the moving parts and players. Perhaps in the thick of things we fail to believe that God loves us and is out for our good so we try to take over, manipulating, maneuvering, protecting ourselves, trying to fix what only he can fix.
In that, I haven’t lost my saving faith in Jesus, but I have lost rest, peace, sleep and maybe friends because of my worry and need to control.
Attack Your Unbelief
The way to attack this unbelief (misbelief/disbelief) isn’t to “work harder,” “do more,” or to be “more disciplined.” It is to simply believe! The apostle Paul said to the Colossians, “Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,” (Col. 2:6).
How did you receive him? Was it not by faith?
”So,” Paul says, “walk with him also by faith.”
The way to overcome the sins of worry, anxiety, control, and manipulation is by faith, faith that God is indeed all-powerful, sovereign, loving, and good. Don’t just “know it,” believe it. Trust it. Rest in it. Trust that he ruling in the chaos and able to fix the brokenness. Believe that he is loving and working all things together for good even when you don’t see how. Believe in your heart what you know in your head.
The Part You Can’t Miss
The belief that we are striving for is a faith in who God is and what he has done. The place that we see this most clearly is in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus! That’s why we call this “Gospel Fluency.”
Think about Romans 5:6, “ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” So much is packed into these words! At just the right time - we see God’s power and sovereignty in the reality of those words. God had protected and provided for the line of Abraham and the line of David just as he had promised to do leading up to just the right time. He had ordered the rise of Rome and the Peace of Rome for just such a time as this. Herod could not kill the infant Son. Death, sin and Satan himself had no power over him as he was raised from the dead!
And what goodness and love we see in him! His life a gift for those around him as he ministered. His life a gift for us, perfect and holy. His suffering in our place, not out of duty but love. His resurrection securing our future resurrection!
Do you see it? In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus we see most clearly who God is. Jesus is the face of our all-powerful, sovereign, loving, and good God. The gospel reminds us that God is in control so we don’t have to be. He loves us and is looking out for our good far better than we ever could. This is what it means, I think, to walk in him as you received him - by faith.
It is seeing and believing these truths in the gospel then that calms the raging heart filled with anxiety and worry. This belief frees us from manipulation and allows us to relinquish our false sense of control to the one who truly has control and there to find peace and rest.
We Are All Unbelievers
At times we are all unbelievers, struggling to remember and truly believe. It is often difficult in those times to see clearly.
That’s why we need one another.
That’s why we need to be surrounded by a community of people who love us enough to remind us. That’s why we need a gospel fluent family, to point us back to Jesus and remind us that faith in him isn’t only for the salvation of those who are lost, but for everyday believers who often waiver in their belief. Believer, today you need the gospel as much as you did the day you first believed!
For more on Gospel Fluency visit: https://www.gospelfluency.com/
