Live Believingly

12/21/2016

John 11.25-26 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” 

John 9,10, and 11 are pivotal passages in the gospel. In chapter 9 Jesus gives sight to a man born blind. Lot’s of hoopla around that one – especially since He healed on the Sabbath. Chapter 10 is Jesus describing who He is and claiming the He and the Father are one. More hoopla and the selecting of stones to throw. And in Chapter 11, Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead. Wow.

One quick side note: Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, but Jesus himself would raise Himself from the dead. Resurrections always requires God…do the math.

Now, Jesus also says some astounding things in these three chapters. In chapter 9 He tells the man to whom sight is given, when he asked who the Messiah was: “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” (John 9.37) In chapter 10 He says: “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10.27-30)

And in chapter 11 He says the above: I am the resurrection and the life…But here, He also queries Martha: Do you believe this?”  It’s a powerful question and one I think all of us should ponder in our days, ways, and societal haze: Do you believe this? Well, do we?

Belief is the cornerstone of our faith. We either belief and are saved, or we don’t, and are damned. Jesus said: The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. So, death isn’t the separator; belief is. Death is a symptom of unbelief. Whoevuh doan believe: die. The Scriptures asked me again this morning: Do you believe this? My answer makes all the difference.

I’m not only to believe, but also to live believingly. Jesus said that: whoever lives by believing in Me… So, belief is not only a noun, but also a verb. Belief requires us (me) to live a certain way. Belief requires me to behave according to what I hold in my heart. My behavior doesn’t cause my belief – that’s Pharisaic; legalistic. My belief causes my behavior: I do what I do because of what I believe. That’s relationship.

Father in Heaven, fill me with Your Spirit today as I walk in my belief in Jesus the Messiah and live believingly. May all of who I am and do spring from my belief in the One who said: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”  Lord, I do! Amen