When
this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to him and
begged him to come and heal his son, who was close to death. “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”
Jesus told him, “you will never believe.” — John 4:47-48
In this account, man asked Jesus to heal his son
of an illness. Jesus said the issue was
really the man’s belief – faith in Jesus and not his son. Jesus healed the man’s son and the man and
his whole household believed in Jesus. The others in the household did not believe
because the man believed but because of the man’s testimony.
Salvation is a transaction between one person and
God though faith. My faith cannot be inherited by my children. (Ephesians 2:8-9) I have heard some people say
“I have always been a Christian.” That
is not Biblical. We are born into sin
and must be saved out of it by faith. You may not be able to recall the exact
moment – for some salvation is like a hurricane and for others a gentle
breeze. But we all know that we have
placed our faith in Jesus. The danger is
that some rely on religion – church life for their salvation. They think that it is the same as saving
faith. Organized religion will not save
us. Only faith in Jesus can do that.
I believe that the man, by his testimony, planted
a spiritual seed in the hearts of those in his household. Each one had to believe without actually
seeing Jesus, by faith – evidence of things
not seen – substance of things hoped for.
Jesus said: “Because
you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed.” – John 20:29
The source of our faith does not come from the
things or events of this world. God,
through His Spirit, uses the things of this world as seed and water, but
salvation comes from the yielding of the heart because of an encounter with
Truth and the Spirit. Today, we believe in Jesus without seeing Jesus. In times
past, for some it was in the coming of Jesus, for others it was seeing Jesus
while He walked this earth, and for us, it is the resurrection and ascension of
Jesus with the expectation that He will return for His Bride – the Church.
Just pause and consider what you believe in and
why you believe in it. And if what you have placed your faith in proves not to be
Jesus - alone, then yield your heart to Him today. This thought gives new
insight into these verses.
Trust
in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all
your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.
– Proverbs 3:5-6
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