Is Unbelief Okay?
Sometimes, faith in God seems so amazingly complicated. Have you ever paused for a moment and wondered if you were really leading a Christian life? I have and, even worse, there have been times after these kinds of pauses when I wasn’t so sure my belief was strong enough.
At times, the pauses were much needed wake-up calls that came from a trusted source, like a close friend or spiritual leader. Other times, the calls came from incidents that made me reevaluate my priorities. In the end, these pauses resulted in positive changes, and I’m glad they happened.
At other times, though, the feeling that maybe I wasn’t doing the whole Christian thing correctly was more problematic. I felt an uneasiness I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Maybe you’ve had these types of moments too. You might observe other Christians around you and wonder why you aren’t quite like them. The thought might cross your mind that because you aren’t moving across the world as a missionary, because you don’t host a small group, or even because you aren’t into the idea of starting every day with a cup of coffee and a devotion that you don’t believe enough.
Sure, all of those things are great things to do, but in themselves, they are not the core of the Christian faith. Belief is the key to Christianity. Everything else points you to that core.
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. -Romans 10:9
Christianity is full of denominations with rich traditions. I personally love learning about the different ways Christians express their faith and draw close to God, but I don’t have to feel as if I am doing something wrong when my own walk doesn’t look exactly the same as someone else’s, and neither do you. At the end of the day, the point of all the different traditions and practices Christians carry out is to strengthen our belief that God has raised Jesus from the dead and that we are saved as a result.
Following Christ is rooted in belief first. Everything else you do is a result of that belief.
That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. -1 Corinthians 2:5
Now, believing can be difficult. Even in the Bible, we find story after story of people who had a hard time with belief. In Mark 9, we read about a man who brought his son to Jesus to be healed. The man cried out to Jesus, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief” (Mark 9:24). This man already asked Jesus to heal his son and was literally in the physical presence of the Lord, but he still needed help to believe. But Jesus did not get upset with the man for not having enough belief. Jesus gave the man the help that he needed, spiritually for the man and physically for the man’s son.
Isn’t that such a reassurance? When we doubt, it is acceptable to ask Jesus for help with our unbelief. We don’t have to summon up this belief on our own. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that for the most part, it wouldn’t be possible for us to have this deep, unshakeable belief on our own.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. -Romans 10:17
Don’t listen to the nagging voice inside that tells you that you aren’t really a Christian because you aren’t more. More devoted. More visible. More religious. Instead, recognize God has called us to believe, and what’s more, He is willing and able to help you overcome any unbelief that you may have.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. -Ephesians 2:8-9
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth is an educator at heart. So far this has taken the form of a camp counselor, a museum assistant, and currently a middle school teacher. She loves to watch people grow and learn. You can read more of her writing at her blog Chronicles of a Southern Belle.