The Power of Belief

How powerful is belief? It is beyond powerful: it is the key to not only entering the Christian life but also living for Christ in an effective manner.

The Power of Belief

"Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him."

(1 John 5:1)

The word translated "believes" in our biblical text for today's devotion is one of my favorites. I literally have it tattooed on my right arm!

Ashley and I had a wonderful time celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary last month. We spent a few days in Yosemite walking some of the trails and then spent a week on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas. On one of the boat rides for our excursion, I noticed two men sitting across from me who were looking at me and then whispering to each other. One of the men had his arm around the other man, and it was obvious that they were a couple. I could tell they wanted to ask me something, so I basically said, "Hey guys, what's up?" One of the men told the other to ask me. So, he asked me the question they had been pondering: what do the tattoos on my arms mean? I have two: one is the Hebrew word shub, which means repent, and the other is the Greek word pisteuo, which means believe. I showed them the tattoos on my arms, and one of the men said his grandmother is Jewish and lives in Thessaloniki, so he recognized the Hebrew word.

One of the reasons I got the tattoos last year was for this very purpose. When someone asks, I can share with them what the words mean. I shared with the homosexual men what the words meant. One of the men asked if I was half Hebrew and half Greek. (I thought that was kind of funny, actually, and I think he meant it as a joke.) But my response was, "No, I am not Hebrew or Greek; I just love the Word of God."

Throughout 1 John, the beloved Apostle states and restates his three marks of genuine Christianity. Those who are authentic followers of Christ, unlike the Gnostic heretics, believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (doctrinal test), love the church (social test), and obey God's commandments (moral test). In 1 John 5:1-5, John combines all three tests within the context of nike or overcoming.

John Stott states, "This compressed paragraph begins and ends with belief, but between these two termini he writes about love and obedience. The real link between the three tests is seen to be the new birth. Faith, love, and obedience are the natural growth which follows a birth from above." (Source: Stott, The Epistles of John, p. 171-72)

You may ask, how powerful is belief (pisteuo)? It is beyond powerful, and it is the key to not only entering the Christian life but also living for Christ in an effective manner. How well are you trusting and believing God?

Perhaps you do not have the Greek word pisteuo tattooed on your arm like me, but you may want to. It serves as a constant reminder that I must trust God every moment of every day. And you never know, someone just might ask you what the word means on a boat ride in the Pacific Ocean!