Faith vs Belief; What is the difference?

Answer: On one hand, there is no difference between faith and belief. The two terms are often used interchangeably. The Gospel of John was written so that “you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). The Gospel of John does not even use the word faith, although the concept of faith is thoroughly woven into John. Throughout Scripture, there is no distinction between faith and belief.

On the other hand, in popular English usage, the word faith often has a deeper meaning. Belief often refers to an intellectual acceptance of facts. If you ask the average person on the street if he believes in Alexander the Great or Abraham Lincoln, he would probably interpret the question to mean, “Do you believe that such a person existed?” Most, no doubt, would answer in the affirmative. However, faith, in modern usage, has the added idea of trust and commitment.

Many people believe that Alexander the Great existed. When he was alive, many had faith in him as well, trusting him to protect them, lead them into battle, and expand the Greek Empire. However, it would be safe to assume that no one alive today is trusting him to do anything for them. They believe in his existence, but they do not have faith in him.

Most people believe it is important to eat healthy foods and exercise regularly; however, most people do not personally eat healthy food and exercise regularly. They believe that a certain set of facts is true, but they have not committed themselves to the implications of the facts. They have belief but not faith, in the modern sense.

Likewise, many people today believe a certain set of facts about God, and in some cases their facts may be completely orthodox. However, if they have never committed themselves to God, if they have not trusted Him, then they do not have faith or biblical belief in Him. Biblical faith (biblical belief) is never simply giving assent to a certain set of facts. Biblical faith is trust and commitment that result in a change of behavior. James 2:19 puts it this way: “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” The demons believe that God exists, and they may even know more about God than people do, but they do not have faith in Him. Unfortunately, many people have the same kind of belief that the demons have, but that it is not sufficient for their salvation.

This concept can be illustrated another way: three people board a commercial airliner to travel to a distant city. The first is an engineer who designs and builds airplanes. He is also a pilot. He knows how everything works. Furthermore, he is a personal friend of the pilot who will be flying that afternoon, and he knows him to be very competent. He boards the plane with full confidence. The second person is just the average business traveler. He knows a little bit about airplanes but just doesn’t think about it too much. He takes his seat and starts reading a magazine. The third is deathly afraid of flying. He breaks out in a cold sweat. It takes all he can do not to turn and flee down the gangway. With much fear and trembling, he gets on the plane, sits down, and hopes he can fall asleep and not wake up until they land. So the question is, “who has more faith in the plane?” The answer is that they all have the same amount of faith. All of them have boarded the plane and committed their safety to the plane and the crew. They will only arrive at their destination if the plane arrives. If the plane goes down, they will go down, too. All the people who got on the plane were committing themselves to the plane—they believed (or had faith) in the plane. Those who stayed at the airport, even if they had complete confidence that the plane would arrive as scheduled, did not exercise faith in the plane. They did not commit themselves to it.

In summary, faith and belief are used interchangeably. However, the New Testament does recognize that people can have false faith or incomplete belief, which is inadequate. The difference is not between the two words but between the concepts of mental agreement and wholehearted commitment. In modern usage, belief often refers to mental agreement, and faith refers to wholehearted commitment. As long as that distinction is maintained, it doesn’t matter which words are used. However, we need to be careful not to import the modern usage back into specific New Testament passages.

What does it mean that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life?

Answer: Second Corinthians 3:6 says, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” With these words, Paul summarizes the key difference between the Old and New Testaments: the first covenant was based on obedience to the written law (the “letter”), but the second covenant is based on the blood of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

There are two parts to this answer, as we look at both the letter and the Spirit.

First, what does Paul mean by “the letter kills”? Simply that the Old Testament Law, which is good and perfect (Psalm 19:7), reveals all people as law-breakers (Galatians 3:10). The law “kills” in that the penalty for breaking God’s law is eternal death in hell (Romans 6:23; Revelation 21:8). As God told Moses the lawgiver, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book” (Exodus 32:33). Even if you sin only once in your whole life, it’s the same as breaking all of God’s laws (James 2:10), just as breaking only one link in a chain breaks the whole chain.

The written law—“the letter”—was chiseled in stone by the finger of God and is the unchanging standard by which all are judged. The law cannot give us righteousness or eternal life in heaven (Galatians 2:16). It can only condemn us as sinners, and the sentence is death. Heaven is where perfection is required (Matthew 5:20, 48; 19:16–21), and “the law made nothing perfect” (Hebrews 7:19).

Second, what does Paul mean by “the Spirit gives life”? Simply that the Holy Spirit rescues us from our hopeless situation. God saves us from death and grants us eternal life when we are born again through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6), and, later, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are Spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).

The Holy Spirit was active in the Incarnation of our Savior (Luke 1:35). It was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus offered Himself as a sacrifice to God for our sins (Hebrews 9:14). The Spirit is the cause of the new birth (John 3:3–8). It is the Spirit who lives in believers (John 14:17), seals them (Ephesians 1:13), and sanctifies them (Romans 15:16).

Jesus came to give us an abundant life, or life “to the full” (John 10:10). The Holy Spirit living in believers is how Jesus fulfills that promise. The abundant Christian life is marked by the fruit of the Spirit, which is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22–23). The Old Testament Law could not produce any of that fruit; only the Holy Spirit can, as He lives in us.

The Spirit gives life in that He enables us to reach God’s ultimate goal for us, to be transformed into the glorious image of God’s own Son (2 Corinthians 3:18; also see Romans 8:28–30). Until the day that we see Christ, the Spirit intercedes with God on our behalf, ensuring our continued forgiveness and preserving the promise of God (Romans 8:26–27).

“The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Elsewhere, Paul teaches the same truth: “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code” (Romans 7:6).

If Jesus was a Jew, why aren't Christians Jewish?

Answer: If Jesus was a Jew, why is it that Christians don’t follow Judaism? The Laws of Judaism were given to Moses for the children of Israel in a very sacred and special covenant at Mount Sinai and recorded for us in the book of Exodus. In this covenant, God wrote His laws on tablets of stone, and Israel was commanded to be obedient to all that was revealed to them. But this wonderful covenant was only a picture of a new and better covenant that God would one day give to His people, both Jew and Gentile.

This new covenant is recorded for us in Jeremiah 31:31-34, “‘The time is coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,’ declares the LORD. ‘This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, “Know the LORD,” because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,’ declares the LORD. ‘For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.’”

Christians don’t follow Judaism today because the Mosaic covenant has been fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17). And the writer to the Hebrews wrote, “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13).

As Christians we don’t need to follow the old covenant any longer because that old covenant has been replaced. We now have a better covenant, with a better sacrifice, administered by a better High Priest! “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23).

My spouse came out as gay. what should I do?

Answer: Due to the explosion of sexual confusion in our world today, more spouses are facing questions like this one. Whether it is a husband who comes out as gay or a wife who declares she is a lesbian, the spouses who love them are broadsided with a thousand questions. Is divorce an option in this situation? Should I stay in the marriage for the sake of the children? What does the Bible say that would help a spouse know what to do when his or her “other half” comes out as gay?

Definitely, some decisions must be made when a spouse comes out as gay, but before those decisions are tackled, we need to clarify some terms. The word gay brings with it implications of homosexual encounters, but the term is often used to refer to orientation, rather than behavior. For Christians who find themselves same-sex attracted, acting on those homosexual urges is not an option. Sin is sin, regardless of how strongly we want it. Christians have chosen to die to the sin nature and live in a way that honors the Lord (Romans 6:1–6). So, if a Christian husband or wife comes out as gay, other questions must be asked: is he or she acting on those urges or simply admitting the attraction? Either way, the spouse who comes out is being honest and vulnerable. A loving partner will recognize that his or her spouse is deeply broken and needs help walking through the cascade of emotions that torment him or her.

If the spouse who has come out as gay is willing to stay in the marriage and remain faithful, dealing with his or her same-sex confusion through accountability and counseling, the marriage can be preserved. We wouldn’t leave a spouse if he or she was wrestling with other sinful temptations, so we shouldn’t leave him or her in a struggle against homosexuality. Simply having urges does not impel a person to act on them. We all have twisted desires in various areas of our lives.

A husband or wife who comes out as gay, like all who come to terms with same-sex attraction, has a choice to make. Homosexual acts are never acceptable (Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Jude 1:7; Romans 1:24–27). We are not always in control of how we feel, but we are always responsible for what we do with those feelings. People who have committed themselves to honor the Lord with their bodies cannot live a sexually immoral lifestyle, and that includes homosexual behaviors (1 Corinthians 6:18–20). If a husband who comes out as gay insists on pursuing his homosexual lust, his wife is freed from her vows, and vice versa. A homosexual affair is adultery, just as a heterosexual affair is. “If the unbeliever leaves [the marriage], let him go. The believing brother or sister is not bound in such cases. God has called you to live in peace” (1 Corinthians 7:15).

A husband or wife need not rush to a decision the moment his or her spouse comes out as gay. If the struggling spouse follows the Lord, then he or she will desire to live honorably before Him. If one spouse confesses difficulty in relating to the other sexually, the other can still provide support and encouragement in pursuing purity in thought and action. Together, they can seek biblical counseling and let Christian advisors guide them to a new understanding in their marriage. But if the one identifying as gay is ready to embrace a gay lifestyle, or if he or she abandons his or her role in the marriage, the other spouse may have little choice but to ask him or her to leave.

If the marriage has produced children, then there are other considerations as well. Parents can make two mistakes in trying to shield their children from the disruption in their family. On one hand, an angry spouse may threaten to cut off all contact between the children and the spouse who came out as gay. Except in extreme situations, that may not be in their best interest. However, equally harmful is the spouse who pretends the gay spouse’s same-sex partners are welcome in their lives and acts as if nothing is wrong. Wisdom is needed (see James 1:5).

There is no “right answer” for a Christian whose spouse comes out as gay. Every case is different, and not every person who struggles with homosexual desire does so in the same way. If both spouses love the Lord, they can seek God’s direction together and face this ordeal as they face many other difficult life situations. However, if the spouse who comes out as gay demands to act on those urges, he or she is violating the marriage covenant. The husband or wife should not be expected to validate adultery, and separation or divorce is in order.

Was Jesus circumcised?

Answer: Circumcision was the sign of a covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants (Genesis 17:9–14; Acts 7:8). The Mosaic Law repeated the requirement that all males be circumcised (Leviticus 12:2–3). So every Israelite boy, as well as any man desiring to become part of the Hebrew people, was circumcised (Exodus 12:48). Since Jesus was a Jew living under the law, He would have been circumcised on the eighth day as were all male Hebrew babies.

Luke 2:21 records the fact that Jesus was circumcised: “On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, he was named Jesus, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived.” Later in the same chapter, Luke emphasizes that Joseph and Mary followed all the Jewish requirements, doing “everything required by the Law of the Lord” concerning their newborn son (verse 39). In following the law, Joseph and Mary would undoubtedly have circumcised Jesus. Failure to do so would have been a clear violation of the law.

Jesus spoke in the synagogues and taught in the temple courts in Jerusalem (Luke 4:16; 19:47). If He had been uncircumcised, Jesus would have been excluded from those activities. He would not have been allowed inside those areas.

Later in His ministry, Jesus said, “I always do what pleases [the Father]” (John 8:29). Jesus could not have been fully pleasing to God if He had not been circumcised, because disobedience to the law cannot please the Lawgiver. One purpose of Jesus coming to earth was to fulfill the law (Matthew 5:17–18). He, as a Man, lived in perfect obedience to all God had decreed for humanity. In doing so, His life was without spot or blemish and completely acceptable to God. Only as the perfect sacrifice could Jesus provide atonement for sin (Leviticus 4:32; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:19).

We know that Jesus was circumcised because, in that day, God required it. The law has been fulfilled. Circumcision is not a requirement for the church and has nothing to do with one’s standing before God (Galatians 2:16).

Is the devil/satan a person or a force/personification of evil?

Answer: Although he has persuaded many people that he doesn't exist, Satan very definitely is a real, personal being, the source of all unbelief and of every kind of moral and spiritual evil in the world. He is called by various names in the Bible, including Satan (meaning “adversary”—Job 1:6; Romans 16:20), the devil (i.e., “slanderer”—Matthew 4:1; 1 Peter 5:8), Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), the serpent (2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9), and many others.

The existence of Satan as a personal being is proved by the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ recognized him as such. Jesus referred to him frequently by name (e.g., Luke 10:18; Matthew 4:10) and called him “the prince of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11).

The apostle Paul called Satan the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and the “prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). The apostle John said, “The whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19) and that Satan “leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). These could hardly be descriptions of an impersonal force or a mere personification of evil.

The Scriptures teach that, before man and the world were created, God had created an “innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22), a heavenly host of spiritual beings of great strength and intelligence. The highest of these beings are the cherubim, who are attendants at the very throne of God, and the “anointed cherub” was originally Satan himself (Ezekiel 28:14). He was “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.”

God did not create Satan as an evil being, however. The angels, like man, were created as free spirits, not as unthinking machines. They were fully able to reject God’s will and rebel against His authority if they chose.

The basic sin, in both man and angels, is the twin sin of unbelief and pride. Satan said in his heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will be like the most High” (Isaiah 14:13,14). Again, these could hardly be the actions or motivations of an impersonal force.

Jesus also told us of some of the characteristics of Satan. Christ said he was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him, and that when he speaks he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).

It is crucial that Christians recognize the reality of Satan and understand that he prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). It is impossible to overcome sin and temptation from the devil by ourselves, but Scripture tells us how to be strong. We need to put on the full armor of God and withstand temptation (Ephesians 6:13).

WHY DOES GOD REQUIRE FAITH? Why doesn't God "prove" Himself to us so there is no need for faith?"

Answer: Our relationship with God is similar to our relationship with others in that all relationships require faith. We can never fully know any other person. We cannot experience all they experience nor enter into their minds to know what their thoughts and emotions are. Proverbs 14:10 says, "The heart knows its own bitterness, and a stranger does not share its joy." We are incapable of even knowing our own hearts fully. Jeremiah 17:9 says that the human heart is wicked and deceptive, "Who can know it?" In other words, the human heart is such that it seeks to hide the depth of its wickedness, deceiving even its owner. We do this through shifting blame, justifying wrong behavior, minimizing our sins, etc.

Because we are incapable of fully knowing other people, to some degree faith (trust) is an integral ingredient in all relationships. For example, a wife gets into a car with her husband driving, trusting him to drive safely, even though he often drives faster than she would on winter roads. She trusts him to act in their best interest at all times. We all share information about ourselves with others, trusting they will not betray us with that knowledge. We drive down the road, trusting those driving around us to follow the rules of the road. So, whether with strangers or with intimate friends and companions, because we cannot fully know others, trust is always a necessary component of our relationships.

If we cannot know our fellow finite human beings fully, how can we expect to fully know an infinite God? Even if He should desire to fully reveal Himself, it is impossible for us to fully know Him. It is like trying to pour the ocean (seemingly infinite in quantity) into a quart-measuring jar (finite)... impossible! Nonetheless, even as we can have meaningful relationships with others that we have grown to trust because of our knowledge of them and of their character, so God has revealed enough about Himself through His creation (Romans 1:18-21), through His written Word, the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:16-21), and through His Son (John 14:9), that we can enter into a meaningful relationship with Him. But this is only possible when the barrier of one's sin has been removed by trusting in Christ's person and work on the cross as payment for one's sin. This is necessary because, as it is impossible for both light and darkness to dwell together, so it is impossible for a holy God to have fellowship with sinful man unless his sin has been paid for and removed. Jesus Christ, the sinless Son of God, died on the cross to take our punishment and change us so that the one who believes on Him can become a child of God and live eternally in His presence (John 1:12; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Peter 3:18; Romans 3:10-26).

There have been times in the past that God has revealed Himself more "visibly" to people. One example of this is at the time of the exodus from Egypt, when God revealed His care for the Israelites by sending the miraculous plagues upon the Egyptians until they were willing to release the Israelites from slavery. God then opened the Red Sea, enabling the approximately two million Israelites to cross over on dry ground. Then, as the Egyptian army sought to pursue them through the same opening, He crashed the waters upon them (Exodus 14:22-29). Later, in the wilderness, God fed them miraculously with manna, and He guided them in the day by a pillar of cloud and in the night by a pillar of fire, visible representations of His presence with them (Exodus 15:14-15).

Yet, in spite of these repeated demonstrations of His love, guidance, and power, the Israelites still refused to trust Him when He wanted them to enter into the Promised Land. They chose instead to trust the word of ten men who frightened them with their stories of the walled cities and the giant stature of some of the people of the land (Numbers 13:26-33). These events show that God's further revelation of Himself to us would have no greater effect on our ability to trust Him. Were God to interact in a similar fashion with people living today, we would respond no differently than the Israelites because our sinful hearts are the same as theirs.

The Bible also speaks of a future time when the glorified Christ will return to rule the earth from Jerusalem for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-10). More people will be born on the earth during that reign of Christ. He will rule with complete justice and righteousness, yet, in spite of His perfect rule, the Bible states that at the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will have no trouble raising an army to rebel against Christ's rule. The future event of the millennium and the past event of the exodus reveal that the problem is not with God insufficiently revealing Himself to man; rather, the problem is with man's sinful heart rebelling against God's loving reign. We sinfully crave self-rule.

God has revealed enough of His nature for us to be able to trust Him. He has shown through the events of history, in the workings of nature, and through the life of Jesus Christ that He is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-wise, all-loving, all-holy, unchanging, and eternal. And in that revelation, He has shown that He is worthy to be trusted. But, as with the Israelites in the wilderness, the choice is ours whether or not we will trust Him. Often, we are inclined to make this choice based on what we think we know about God rather than what He has revealed about Himself and can be understood about Him through a careful study of His inerrant Word, the Bible. If you have not already done so, begin a careful study of the Bible, that you may come to know God through a reliance upon His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to earth to save us from our sins, so that we might have sweet companionship with God both now and in a fuller way in heaven one day.

TEN MINUS ONE- Grains of truths from the ten lepers

TEN MINUS ONE

Ten lepers. All ten healed. Only one of all ten lepers bothered to return thanks to the source of their healing. Oh, how very interesting! Leprosy is a disease you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. It is characterized of bodily deformities and painful white patches on the skin destroying the nerves. Like every other of life’s challenges it reduces one to a selfish entity. All you care about is yourself, your troubles, how you can manage, how you can get by, what you can do to better your lot, how every single thing in life affects your own prospects. It is very defeating, this world; bending humanity out of shape. And so ten lepers, each aware of the other, were miraculously healed by the Great Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Sadly, this change in circumstance did not change their core. Their limbs and skin may have revived but their souls were still deformed. The selfishness had not dissolved from their souls. The fear of the future, the overbearing need to put themselves first, the drive to compete one with the other; these worldly traits still consumed the lepers even though they were physically healed. But one of the ten lepers acted differently. He lived in the same world as did the other nine lepers and experienced the same challenges as they all did. But this one raised himself from the sea, he roused himself from sleep, he acted differently. He made a break with the authoritarian grip of human nature, and he was unstoppable. He did the right thing. He sought the One who had bothered with him; the one who cared about him where everyone looked out for themselves; the one who didn’t do ‘cool stuff’ for social media fame; the One who healed him. The healed leper bothered to seek Him, to find Him and thank Him for making this difference in his own life when the simple fact is Jesus didn’t have to. God made man; man went his own way. It should be man for himself but Jesus bothers with us for just one reason- love. To the leper this became clear; it had more weight than anything else; more weight than the leprosy, the healing, the future, everything. He had to find this embodiment of love and connect with Him. And he found Him! Yes he did! The scripture says, ‘seek and you will find’. Anyone who seeks Jesus will find Him. To the seeker Jesus said, ‘Just you? Weren’t there ten of you I had healed? Only you got the message? Well, now you’re whole’. (See Luke 17:11-19) What does this mean for the other nine whose physical condition did not improve their spiritual condition? The nine whose promotion did not redress their self-centeredness, fear of the future, rivalry. What does this mean for them? It means they were still ‘lepers’. Their material lots may have improved but their souls were still out of shape. They were still sick, still not whole. The one that found Jesus found true wholeness- true healing. David said,

Psalm 103:2

Let all that I am praise the Lord;

may I never forget the good things he does for me.

The thing is the goodness of God escapes our notice because we are like the nine lepers. If only one out of the ten lepers was healed, the miracle would appear more tremendous than it did when everyone else experienced the same thing. Sleeping and waking, standing and sitting, eating and drinking, tooth that fell out and re-grow, cuts that naturally heal up- these are masterpieces of God. Do you only think of God when there is need for deliverance from kidnappers? Is God to receive heartfelt thanks only when there is a new house or new car? Is God wonderful only when the cancer goes away? The cancer and the healing, poverty and new job, prison and liberation, leprosy and restoration; all these are naught but signposts pointing to the One who alone is God; the one that loves and care for you; the one thing that matters most. If your situation, good or bad, does not bring you nearer to Jesus; yes you are sick and needs to be made whole. It didn’t matter that the nine lepers were walking about the city happy and fit, living and enjoying life; they were still sick with a greater sickness and Jesus knew this. This is why Jesus informed the one with Him, ‘you are the one made whole. You are the one no longer sick’. A person’s physical body may waste away but the soul within that body brims with life because that soul is with Jesus. Be the one minus ten.

Christians and Miracles

Children of God don’t need miracles. We live a miraculous life in this world but we don’t require miracles. The Bible says in Luke 24:40 that as Jesus spoke He showed them His hands and feet that still bore the marks of His crucifixion. This was actually not His original optimism. When Jesus rose from the dead He deliberately maintained a level of secrecy because He wanted to determine if His people would believe His resurrection without actually seeing Him physically. But Hs people could not believe it; how disappointing. Then Jesus physically appeared to them, still,

‘…the whole group was startled and frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost! (Luke 24:37).

 Nothing in life can be more real than Jesus and His word but the human mind considers Him ghostly, unreal, unrealistic. Many people who profess the Christian faith subconsciously think Jesus a myth and the Bible no more than a book of legends. The people couldn’t see He was real; they couldn’t wrap their minds around His word. They thought He was a ghost even with Him standing right in front of them. What did Jesus do? He gave them His word saying, ‘why do you doubt me? –look, it’s really me’. To save them from their failure, the first thing Jesus did was to give them His word. His word is the key, not the miracles. The word takes precedence; it should have been enough. But because of their natural limited minds, Jesus also showed them the nail marks on His hands and feet as He spoke. The action complemented His words. Miracles are extra, not standalone proof of God. It was the same people before whom God parted the red sea like a curtain that later doubted God’s ability to give them meat. His word encapsulates His power to save, deliver, and triumph. Miracles astound the natural mind; it unsettles the lost and the unbelieving like light dazzles the eye that have been in the dark too long. A child of God must know this; the word of God is more than enough to change any situation and accomplish any feet.

Ps 33:6

The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created.

He breathed the word, and all the stars were born.