Chariot of Fire - 04.03 - Rising to the Call of Faith - Part 1

Chariot March 2004 - Rising to the Call of Faith

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

What a tremendous verse! Do you think there is another verse of scripture more popular than this one? We see it on placards at professional ballgames, on billboards, and just about anywhere the gospel is presented. The great scope of God's love, His wonderful provision in His Son, and the promise of eternal life all reside in this glorious verse of scripture.

However, this verse can be misleading if we don't include it with the rest of the story. If one doesn't consider the intent of the gospel writer, John, when he featured Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus, one might not make the important distinction between two kinds of faith: flesh-born faith and Spirit-born faith. If men are to become men of faith, they must recognize the qualities of both kinds of faith. Otherwise, they may be easily deceived and discouraged.

Have you ever felt that you needed a shot of faith in the arm? Perhaps you've had times where you felt that you just didn't believe enough. Maybe you've wondered why certain things didn't happen when you thought you did believe and trust God. One of the messages in the series, Rising to the Call, features the qualities of true faith, how it comes to us, and how we may rise to the call to faith as sons of God. This article will be the first of a series of articles I hope will anchor your faith in Jesus Christ.

To understand what Jesus was teaching, it is helpful to begin reading in John 2:23. We see in the end of Chapter 2 that there were people who believed in Jesus because of the signs He performed. But the kind of faith that comes by seeing is not the kind of faith to which Jesus gives Himself. Apparently that kind of faith is not saving faith. With that in mind, we see Jesus' meeting with Nicodemus in its proper perspective.

Flesh Faith

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs, which He was doing (John 2:23).

One day while I was teaching a first-grade physical education class, the class clown and troublemaker used the Lord's name in vain. The opportunity to reprove Stanley and teach him about God's presence was irresistible. After telling Stanley about God, he looked up into my face and quipped, "God's just a little ol' man way up in the sky." Where did he get that idea? Probably from his parents. Most likely, Stanley had no signs of God's presence or working in any of the lives around him. But most children who grow up in religious environments would not have responded like Stanley. If asked if they believe in God or Jesus Christ, they would say they do. Not because they have saving faith, but simply because there are undeniable signs that God is present and working in their world. You probably can remember a time in your own life when you had this kind of faith.

The first thing to notice from the last verses of Chapter 2 is that many believed because of the signs. These had the same kind of faith as children who grow up seeing signs of God at work. The following verses don't indicate that Jesus discerned this work to be the work of His Father and the Holy Spirit. We get an inkling from Jesus' comment in John 3:6 that this kind of faith is a faith born of the flesh--the natural man under the dominion of sin.

But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man (John 2:24-25).

Throughout the gospels we notice Jesus would not entrust Himself to just anyone who said he believed. He understood there is a kind of faith that is not saving faith. There is a faith, not born of God, but generated by seeing signs. This kind of faith enables a man to follow a teacher or a philosophy, but it is not saving faith. It is the same kind of faith unconverted children of regenerate parents might possess. These children see God working in their parents and in their church, and that work is undeniable, so they believe. By itself, however, this belief is not saving faith.

Finding examples of this kind of faith is not difficult. In my opinion it is the same kind of faith exemplified by Simon the magician, recorded in Acts 8:13. It is reported that Simon had been baptized and was "continuing on with Philip." But Peter apparently did not believe that Simon had a saving faith, for he exclaimed, "May your silver perish with you!" (Acts 8:20). Judas Iscariot also portrayed this kind of faith. In fact, even the demons are said to believe (James 2:19), but I don't think anyone would believe the demons to be regenerated! I think this kind of faith is the kind required of the children of elders as stated in Titus 1:6. But most important to us as we consider the context of John 3:16 is that Nicodemus exemplified this kind of faith.

In his book Future Grace, John Piper gives enlightening commentary on these verses. Maybe this will be of help to us.

There is a warning here that this "believing" may not be saving faith. It isbased on "beholding his signs." True faith can come through seeing the miracles of Jesus. But the danger is that some people were being carried away by the mere power of Jesus and its potential for overthrowing the Romans. Jesus rejected this kind of enthusiasm.

So when John says that "many believed in His name" (2:23) because they saw the signs He was doing, we are alerted to the fact that this "believing" may be a persuasion based on His power that does not go to the heart of who He is. This is, in fact, what seems to be the case with these believers. (See pp. 210-211.)

Bible Commentator Leon Morris wrote about these "believers."

"John is speaking of men who had made an outward profession, but in this particular case it did not go very deep." (The Gospel According to John, Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Pub. Co., 1971, p. 206.)

John continued his gospel by reporting Jesus' response to this sign-generated faith. He gave an example in Nicodemus. Certainly you have noticed in your reading of the gospels how Jesus tested his listeners by speaking to them in parables or through analogies. This was what He did with Nicodemus. Jesus tested him to see if His Father was at work. The way Jesus often tested people was by making statements that could only be understood by the Spirit's revelation. When people understood these statements, then it was the Spirit's witness to Jesus that they were children of God. Notice what happened in John's account of Jesus' encounter with Nicodemus.

Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; this man came to Him by night, and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him" (John 3:1-2).

We can see from this declaration what men such as Nicodemus and the "believers" in John 2 believed. They believed that God was with Jesus, but that is apparently not the same as saving faith.

Jesus answered and said to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:3).

If Nicodemus had received revelation from God, I think Jesus would have encouraged him that he had been born again. But there had been no work of the Spirit. Nicodemus could not see the kingdom of God in Jesus or in himself.

This first kind of faith precedes the kind of faith born by the Holy Spirit. We notice it is based on signs. Jesus did not recognize it as a work of God. It is a natural kind of faith that sees but doesn't see, hears, but doesn't understand. John observed many who had this kind of faith. I wonder if the same occurs today. Do you recognize this the kind of faith in anyone? Is this the kind of faith your children have in God and in Jesus Christ? Here are the characteristics of natural faith.

* It is based on signs.

* It is born by natural means.

* It cannot see and understand the spiritual realities of the Kingdom of God.

* It is a kind of faith, so one says he believes.

I think this is the kind of faith that the 90% of Americans have who say they believe in God. That's why Jesus' quality of life is lacking in their lives. He didn't give Himself to them so they don't have Him! But they say they believe. People who have flesh-born faith usually experience confusion and frustration when it comes to living the Christian life. It is not uncommon for children who have natural faith to become disillusioned with Christianity and the faith of their parents. They have been told they are saved because they believe; yet they don't have the power. Perhaps you may be surprised by the statistics I heard from a survey taken in the year 2000: 70% of young people from evangelical churches, age 18 and above, do not continue to be active in church. It would not surprise me if these same young people would all say they believe in Jesus.

How does this happen? Could it be they were not taught the difference between natural-born faith and Spirit-born faith? Let's not make the same mistake with our own children or with ourselves. If you detect that your child has this kind of faith, may I suggest that you don't try to convince them of their lack. Let the Holy Spirit do that! Simply teach the truth about natural-born faith and Spirit-born faith. You might show them examples of the first kind of faith (the demons in James 2, Simon of Acts 8, Demas in 2 Tim. 4:10). What other examples can your family think of? Discuss how one might feel and think about their relationship with God if they only had the natural-born faith. How might discovering that one may still be given saving faith be a cause of hope for someone who has tried to believe but constantly experienced powerlessness?

The article above is a part of the message, Rising to the Call of Faith in the RISING TO THE CALL series. The series is available on both audio cassette, CD and DVD. If you have enjoyed the Equipping Men Series, you'll also enjoy this sequel of twelve, practical, life-changing messages. This and other resources, including all past issues of the Chariot, are available at http://www.spiritofelijah.com.