What the Bible says about Disbelief
(From Forerunner Commentary)

Luke 6:46 Can anything be more paradoxical than professing Christians not following the words of the One they claim as their Savior? But such is the sad state of affairs in this Western civilization that, we are often told, was built upon a "Judean-Christian ethic." In a 2001 study by the Barna Research Group, 60% of all American adults agreed that, "the Bible is totally accurate in all its teachings"—45% agreed strongly, and the remaining 15% agreed somewhat. Yet, if the 45% strongly believed rather than just strongly agreed, the face of this nation would be radically different. Millions of people profess to know and to follow God, but when it comes down to believing Him enough to follow His instructions and examples, they deny Him (Titus 1:16). Although it would be rare to find it officially stated, there is an understated and understood idea in Protestantism that Jesus Christ's death is more important than His life, either before or after His crucifixion. Protestant theologians focus on Christ's death because of what it accomplished—forgiveness of sin and justification. But by taking this one event out of context and allowing it to overshadow both His earthly ministry and His service to us now as High Priest, Mediator, and Intercessor, the result is a great deal of intellectual agreement—and very little true belief. This disproportion is often revealed in topics such as Christian obligation, works, God's law, and especially the seventh-day Sabbath. Protestant theologians put a dividing line at Christ's death to determine what instructions are still binding. But in doing so, they essentially throw Christ's life and teachings right out of the picture. It matters not a whit to them that Jesus kept the Sabbath (Luke 4:16) and said that it was made on account of mankind (Mark 2:27); Protestants protest that, after His death, there is not a direct command that Christians should keep the Sabbath day. Never mind that Jesus states that He did not come to destroy the law (Matthew 5:17-19), that He will reject and destroy those who practice lawlessness (Matthew 7:23; 13:41-42), that keeping His commandments is a requirement (though not the means) of entering into life (Matthew 19:17), and that loving God and keeping His commandments are inextricably bound (Matthew 24:12; John 14:15, 21, 23-24; 15:10; I John 5:2-3; II John 6). These and many other teachings are still somehow considered to be "Old Testament." Appeals instead are made to the writings of Paul, as if his word—often misunderstood at that (see II Peter 3:15-16)—somehow trumps the Word. The practice of putting a line of demarcation at Christ's death essentially invalidates everything He said and did—except dying for our sins. It is as if His example and teaching were only relevant for 3½ years, and now we are saved by Paul. The truth, though, as trite as it sounds, is that true followers of Christ will follow Christ! And they will follow Paul as he followed Christ (I Corinthians 11:1)! Several times, James states emphatically that faith—belief—without works is dead. A system of belief that does not produce corresponding and fitting behavior has no life in it. Belief produces obedience; disbelief produces disobedience. It is easily seen that anyone who rejects the example and teaching of Jesus Christ disbelieves Him. They are willing to accept His perfect sacrifice but unwilling to accept the life of obedience that follows. The bottom line is that carnal man believes what he wants to believe, or what he has grown up believing, rather than what God says directly through Jesus or through the inspired writings of His apostles—which do not contradict Him. There is a large measure of fear involved in changing one's ways and submitting to God's Word—fear either of what it may cost the individual or what others may think. This is why Jesus says, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me" (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; emphasis ours). It takes personal sacrifice to worship God "in spirit and in truth," and many simply disbelieve the One they claim to follow—and much of the rest Bible—because of what it would cost. David C. Grabbe Disbelief Related Topics: | Christ as High Priest | Christ as Mediator | Created for Good Works | Disbelief | Disobedience | Faith Without Works | Following Christ | Following Christ's Example | Forgiveness | Forgiveness not sufficient for Salvation | Jesus Christ as Intercessor | Jesus Kept Weekly and Annual Sabbaths | Justification | Sabbath Keeping | Sabbath Made for Man | Submitting to God's Law | Worship in Spirit and Truth

John 6:26-27 John 6:26-27 provides a major reason why we fast on the Day of Atonement. Some of the same people Jesus had fed the day before through a mighty miracle make up the audience in this episode. He tells them that they were seeking God for entirely wrong reasons. They wanted to use God for their own ends—not to serve Him, but to be served by Him. This sounds like modern socialist thinking. What is the basis of our relationship with God? Is it solidly founded on belief—or on what we can get from Him? Why is disbelief so serious? Refusing to believe God is to be guilty of slandering His righteous character. It assumes He does not know what He is talking about. It assaults His integrity and love. It is quite similar to an immature and inexperienced whippersnapper telling a much older and wiser person who has been "around the block" a few times that he is wrong. Disbelieving God, though, is far more serious because sin is involved in rejecting the loving counsel of the Eternal Creator who does not lie. Genesis 3 shows with stark simplicity that Adam and Eve did not believe God's Word. They thought they knew better. In the pride of their limited understanding, they declared their independence from God and exercised their free moral agency to sin against His government, bringing on the need for atonement. Mankind, like its parents, simply thinks it knows better. Only when we do not think so much of ourselves, feel helpless, weak, and backed into a corner will we listen with the intensity required to truly believe, repent, submit, and become unified with Him. So often God has to resort to stern measures before we will allow our minds to change. He would rather have us submit willingly and change ourselves. Thus, in His wisdom, He has ordained fasting as a part of Atonement because it induces a weakness we can physically feel, not just intellectually agree with. Fasting is a self-imposed trial that should help us both know and feel what we are in comparison to God. Its purpose is not to impress God with how disciplined we are (though it is a good exercise in discipline), but it is to remind us how much we need the things He so freely and generously supplies. God has life inherent; He is self-sustaining. But when we, even for a relatively short time, are denied the food He supplies, our weakness and dependence quickly become apparent. Food gives us physical strength and satisfaction. If we deny the body the food it needs, we become weak and die. Food is a type of God's Word. Likewise, if our spirit is denied this manna from heaven, we become spiritually weak and would eventually die spiritually. If in our pride we reject God's food, even though we may have a form of godliness as shown by performing the formalities of worship, our weakness will become apparent through sin—the strength of God's Word is missing. Remember, His Word is spirit, and it is life (John 6:63). Fasting can help bring us face to face with what we really are: very mortal beings who need all the help we can get. Because fasting usually intensifies the feelings of self-concern, it reminds us that we are still flesh and how much of our time is consumed caring for ourselves. This is indeed humbling. Being humble is a choice! Peter brings this out in I Peter 5:6: "Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God." James 4:10 agrees: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord." Even as we can choose to fast, we can choose to allow our minds to change and submit to God to become one with Him. Hardening our hearts or exercising our pride are choices too (see Hebrews 3:8, 15). The means of reconciliation that lead to at-one-ment are the death of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins and the life of Jesus Christ as He lives as our High Priest. Our part in fighting our pride by choosing to submit to God's Word cannot be left out of the process. We fast to feel and demonstrate our dependence on God that we might continue to grow into His image. The time is coming when there will be no cause of disagreement and thus no separation from God. "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all [God's] holy mountain" (Isaiah 11:9). What an awesome future to prepare for! John W. Ritenbaugh Fasting and Reconciliation Related Topics: Day of Atonement | Dependence Upon God | Disbelief | Disbelief in God | Fasting and Humility | Free Moral Agency | God's Word as Spirit | Humility as a Choice | Self-Discipline

Hebrews 4:1-2 The Israelites would not use their faith; they would not step out. They held back because the bottom line was that they did not really believe it. Do we believe what we are hearing from the Word of God? If we do not believe it, we will do nothing. We only do what we believe. Everybody in the world operates by this principle—they do what they believe! But do they believe God? No. We are in God's church because we believe, and because we believe in the right way, we obey God. In Hebrews 3, Paul equates "belief" and "obedience." It makes for an interesting study. Despite being significantly different, the effect of one should be the product of the other. This is why one can find words like "belief" or "unbelief" in Scripture, and see in the margin that "obedience" or "disobedience" can be an alternate translation. The words can be taken either way. We do what we believe.The real problem is becoming apparent. The reason the Hebrews were apathetic—the reason they were neglecting their spiritual priorities—was because their belief system had undergone a serious change since the time that they had first heard. When Satan wants to divide or destroy a church, he often does so through inspiring changes in the doctrines. When the doctrines change, the belief system changes accordingly. And when the belief system changes, those who believe the same basic way will flock together, and those who believe a different way will coalesce into another group. When a belief changes, a change in conduct must follow. This is what happened to the Israelites in the wilderness. They did not believe God, and they failed. They all died. That whole first generation died as a result of their disbelief. John W. Ritenbaugh Hebrews: A Message for Today Related Topics: Apathy | Believing | Believing and Doing | Disbelief | Disbelief Equates with Lack of Faith | Disobedience | Drifting Spiritually | Faithlessness | Hebrews as Apathetic | Hebrews as Lethargic | Lethargy | Neglecting Spiritual Priorities | Obedience | Spiritual Apathy | Spiritual Lethargy | Spiritual Priorities | Word of God

Find more Bible verses about Disbelief:
Disbelief {Nave's}
 

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