All or Nothing

First off, it has been quite some time that I have posted anything and I am sad that I didn't not set aside time to write, for there has been much on my mind. However, I am once again writing and the absence has given me a renewed desire to share what God has been putting on my heart.

What I was thinking about today originates in John 2:23-25.

²³ Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. ²⁴ But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, ²⁵ and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man. (NKJV)

This comes after the passage regarding Jesus cleansing the temple and seeks to show that Jesus knew the hearts of men and was therefore, deity. Verses 23 through 25 stuck out to me and I had to read them quite a few times to understand an important truth behind them.

The first thing we notice is that He was doing signs at Passover and many saw these signs. Once they saw them, they believed in His name and felt free to associate with Him because of the miracles. However, we see that Jesus does not entrust Himself to them because He knows what is in their hearts. Belief cannot be a mere claim one stakes based on a miraculous event. True belief is faith that is seen through actions and a way of life that is based upon those beliefs.

Furthermore, there are even those who believe in the name of Christ and from the looks of things, their lives seem to pretty good (i.e. attend church, help others, give generously, etc.). However, as John points out, Christ knew and knows all men. He knows what is in each person's heart and He is not fooled when it comes down to the truth of their lives. As John MacArthur points out in his commentary of verse 24, "Jesus looked for genuine conversion rather than enthusiasm for the spectacular." It is easy to claim belief when something amazing is displayed to you, yet it is another thing when your whole life and heart are changed when confronted with truth. A commitment to Christ and His truth must be a part of true conversion and not just a mere "intellectual assent" can be given.

To take this one step further, if we look at Matthew 16:24-26, we see what true belief entails:

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

I am sure we've heard this passage countless times and hopefully, the weight and meaning of it hasn't been lost in familiarity, but really think about how this ties into the previous passage. True conversion involves a desire to follow, a denial of self, and a donning of Christ's way of life. If we merely agree that Jesus is God but don't incorporate that into our lives, then we are still living for ourselves and we will desire to save ourselves because we value our life more than anything else. Yet, if we truly believe in Christ and therefore, live each day with Him as our guide, allowing changes to be made where they must, following His commands, and desiring to honor Him through ourselves, then He and His Kingdom are greater to us than our worldly selves and we will gladly follow Him and not the way of the world.

This hints at the section in James 2 where it is shown that faith is seen through action and not by words alone. I see that passage as a fitting way to end this discussion and I hope it is as much of a challenge to you as it is to me.

¹⁴What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?¹⁵Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

¹⁸But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.

¹⁹You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

²⁵In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.