Friday, March 22, 2013
Belief is an "Action" Verb
Mark Roberts:
Lord, I seek not merely to believe, but to be faithful - please help me.
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n common English, if someone asks you, "Do you believe in God?" you would rightly assume that they're asking "Do you believe that God exists?" Similarly, if someone were to ask, "Do you have faith in Jesus?" you might answer by saying, "Yes, I believe that Jesus is the Christ" or something like that. In both examples, the language of belief is used to indicate that which we think to be true. Belief has to do with our ideas.
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When Paul refers to the recipients of his letter as "faithful in Christ Jesus," he is not saying merely that they are "believers in Christ Jesus," though it is surely true that they acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. In fact, the phrase "in Christ Jesus" has profound significance far beyond the object of belief. We'll explore the meaning of "in Christ" throughout our devotional study of Ephesians. By referring to the letter's recipients as "faithful," Paul could be affirming their steadfastness and reliability, much as he uses the same word to describe his co-worker Tychicus in Ephesians 6:21 (the only other use of pistos in Ephesians). Yet, given Paul's use of this language elsewhere in his correspondence and its role in the address of verse 1, it seems likely that Paul is emphasizing the fact that the people to whom he is writing are people of faith.I wonder if this is what Jesus meant when He was talking about "Many are called, few are chosen?" It really is fairly easy to believe in Jesus, but life with Christ can be anything but easy. It is, nonetheless good, and therefore we should be "steadfast and reliable."
Lord, I seek not merely to believe, but to be faithful - please help me.
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