D17 Part 1: From Unbelief to Belief in Every Area

A frantic man steps out of the buzzing crowd, his son in his arms, and the weariness of his son's affliction carved deep into his face. "Teacher! Here's my son. He can't talk. A spirit has possessed him - it thrashes him and pounds him into the ground. My son ... he ... foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth uncontrollably. And then he stiffens up as hard as a board. I've tried everything ... everything! I tried your disciples, and not even they could help." He didn't need to ask Jesus for anything - his utter helplessness was enough of a plea. Jesus steps forward, and the demon attacks the boy yet again, but for the last time.

9:21 Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 9:22 It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 9:23 Then Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” 9:24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

(Mark 9:21-24)

What an amazing admission! "I believe; help my unbelief!" I believe. I believe enough to bring my boy to your disciples. Even their failure doesn't deter me - I still believe you can have compassion and can help us. But I also don't believe. I hedge my request by asking "if you are able," because I don't yet fully believe you are. I don't really understand you, and I don't know all that it means for me if you actually pull this off. So, not only will you help us by saving my son, will you help me with my unbelief? Because you said anything is possible for those who believe.

Too often, we reduce following Jesus to a binary question, yes or no. Do you believe? Yes or no! Check one. How cruel would Jesus have been shove a note into this man's hand with only two checkboxes, yes or no, like the binary love letters we passed around in grade school. The man believes, but he doesn't believe. We believe, but we don't believe.

Yes, there is a singular moment when a person can pass from the kingdom of this world to the Kingdom of God, and that happens only through believing. But we don't pass so cleanly in binary fashion from belief to unbelief. We believe unto salvation, but even as we are born anew, we are not completely rid of unbelief. There remain areas of our lives where we continue in unbelief, sometimes for years.

I have received the irrevocable gift of eternal life (by grace through faith), but I still don't fully believe God in every area of life. For me, it's sometimes about my future. Sometimes, it's about taking a risk in the present, needing God to "show up," but not fully believing that He will. Sometimes, it's unbelief about where my true happiness will be found - in things or experiences, rather than in Christ alone. I believe! Help my unbelief!

"Discipleship is the process of moving from unbelief to belief in every area of your life in light of the Gospel." If we understand that the moment of salvation where we become "regenerate" (reborn) is an event of incomplete faith, but faith nonetheless, we can then see that the rest of our walk with Christ is the ongoing process of replacing every remaining area of unbelief with belief. My unbelief about my happiness or my future replaced by belief in the Gospel of Christ says about happiness and the future - that's me being discipled. In other words, becoming a more complete follower of Jesus. It's not "just believe Jesus more," but "believe Jesus in ways that I have been stuck in unbelief."

But remember, "discipleship" is not something that begins after salvation. Discipling someone can (and should!) happen before salvation. We see it in the pages of the Gospels, but also in our daily lives - those curious about Jesus, moving from ways of unbelief to belief in areas of their lives before they receive eternal life. Eventually, that faith intersects with God's sovereign election, and a person becomes regenerate. But he merely continues on, moving from unbelief to belief in more areas of life. Discipleship.

The Elders have been wrestling with a list we're calling "The Discipleship 17" - 17 truths about discipleship that cause us to dig deeper into what it means to follow Jesus and live life on mission. This truth of moving from unbelief to belief is the first of the "D17," a definition we pulled from a book by Cesar Kalinowski.

Spend a few moments pondering this definition. How does this truth affect what your life as a follower should be? How can you help one another move from unbelief to belief in various areas of light in light of the Gospel? How does this change how to raise your children? How does this help you interact with those who are unconvinced that Jesus is the Son of God? What would it mean for the areas of unbelief in your life were one by one replaced by belief?