There is a reason they are referred to as ‘unbelievers’. 

They don’t believe. Not hard to figure that one out, is it. That’s not to say they don’t have generic or vague ‘personal’ beliefs about ‘some god’ out there; but they tend not to align themselves with the teachings of Christ and the message of the cross. A message that is ‘foolishness to them who are perishing’, Paul wrote. (1 Cor.1:18). He would later explain the reason for their ‘perishing’ is because the ‘god of this age has blinded the minds of them who do not believe from seeing the light of the gospel’. (2 Cor. 4:3-4). He said their ‘minds had been veiled’ - but....but...when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away’. (2 Cor 3:16) 

It's the growing number of ‘unbelieving-believers’ out there that concerns me. 

Yes, you read that correctly- unbelieving believers. They are quick to say they ‘believe’, but their actions and lifestyles and their ‘fruit’ suggest otherwise. (Tit. 1:16). And for the record, fruit-inspecting has not become a new hobby of mine. I’ve got plenty of others things to tend to. But it’s not hard to recognize and see a fruit tree for what it is, whether it is bearing lemons, apples or figs. Jesus is the one who taught us that a tree is known by its fruit. (Luke 6:44) 

Where things can get squirely, fast, is when someone tries to convince others that a tree bearing oranges is putting out pears this year. We just automatically conclude something is ‘not quite right’ with them in the head. Sort of how we are quick to conclude that when men decide they are women all of a sudden and want to compete in women’s sports claiming to be a female now. We really get quite up in arms over that and...for good reason. The world wants us to bow down and accept this latest craze while people in church (and even non-church folks) are reluctant to embrace this ‘confusion’ and rightly so. How dare the world expect us to accept without questioning that if a man calls himself a woman, then by golly...’he/she’ is now a woman. How dare we judge what they believe to be true despite...the obvious. 

 And yet...how quick are we to recoil and snap back at those who question our claims to be a ‘follower or believer in Christ’ which implies we walk like Him (1 John 2:6) all the while we are producing ‘fruit’ that would suggest otherwise. (Tit. 1:16)

Remember Samuel’s question to King Saul: “What is the bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” (1 Sam. 15:14) 

How dare anyone judge my faith. When someone points out the ‘fruit’ they are seeing or hearing, we are quick to inform them that we are ...‘transitioning’. We might use other verbiage, but is that not what we are telling them? Sounds like the same thing transgenders lay claim to. A bit ironic, is it not? 

I don’t know about you, but that illustration I used yesterday about being able to swim indefinitely underwater has been working on me. It had me wondering about what the record is for the longest period anyone has ever stayed under water unaided by any snorkel or scuba gear or air-tanks. I knew I had read before how those native sponge divers in the South Pacific region can stay down for crazy amounts of time without coming up for air. But the world record is like close to 24 minutes. I believe he spent time breathing straight O2 before he set that record which even with doing that is quite remarkable. 

But the bottom line is - humans are not water creatures capable of living and breathing under water like fish do. It is....impossible. And despite my ‘fictional scenario’ I used yesterday, humans are just different creatures than fish and there is no medical procedure that I am aware of that can change that. (You’d have to have read yesterday’s post to understand where I’m going with this here.) 

However....the analogy I used serves a purpose. 

I do believe that the example of those three different swimmers I used yesterday is a legitimate example to illustrate how so many sincere ‘believers’ have lived out their Christian lives. They might make great strides...and exercise good self-discipline and grow in their ability to live decent, moral lives. But they’ll still be the first to tell you they are ‘imperfect humans’ who are ‘incapable of living without sinning’. They all have those bad days and moments where ‘flesh’ rises up and they sin. And we all get that because that is how most of us have lived; and been taught that is how we will live as ‘believers’. I mean, don’t even ‘unbelievers’ live similar lives but without laying claim to any faith practice? 

But the message of the gospel that Jesus came preaching did not tell us to go do our best to live decent moral lives. What Jesus taught took this to such a new shocking level that our first reaction is to respond with ‘that’s impossible’...nobody can ‘go and sin more’! (John 5:14; John 8:11). Nobody can be ‘perfect like our Father in heaven is perfect’.(Matt. 5:48). This idea of anyone truly ‘abiding in Christ and no longer sinning’ is absurd to give consideration to because we are humans. 

And that is the point in which I want to focus on, and I believe with all my heart God’s word is screaming at us from the pages of our bibles to come and re-examine. 

Of course...we could not go and live like Jesus did because we were indeed...fallen, sinful humans. 

Which is why Jesus said we needed to be ‘born again’. (John 3:3-8). Why have we allowed for that verbiage to become simple, poetic-religious language that carries more symbolism than it does substance? 

Why do you think Jesus came to earth and laid out this plan for us to follow Him? He came to transform us...to make us a ‘new creation’. So that we could do the will of God like He did. 

We are talking about God now, are we not? Why have we dismissed, scoffed at, and rebuffed what God said He was going to do in those who called upon His name and turned from their wicked ways and come to Him with all their hearts?

Did Paul not say we were a ‘new creation’- IF...IF...IF...we were ‘in Christ’? (2 Cor. 5:17) 

I know this is going to spook many of you...but I cannot keep this to myself. Romans 8:28-29 explains explicitly what God’s plan was...to conform those who love Him to the image of His Son, Jesus. Jesus was to be the ‘first born of many brethren’. When a person is abiding in Jesus, they ought to be walking just like He walked according to 1 John 2:6. If a person has truly been ‘born of God, they cannot sin because God’s seed is in them.” (1 John 3:9) 

Those are not my words and I am not making this up. I’m telling you what is right there in your own personal bible. 

Now before you dismiss me as having lost my mind...please hear me out. We are not talking about some mental make-over where we infuse positive words and vibes to change our way of thinking. This is not some attempt to practice mind over matter or positive confessing. And No, this is not some ‘top-secret medical procedure’ to make humans like fish as I hinted at yesterday. 

We are talking about God Almighty, the creator of heaven and earth; the one who first overshadowed a young virgin with His Spirit who then conceived and brought forth Jesus. Then, 33 years later, as an exclamation point, God raised Him up from the dead three days after he was crucified on a cross which was payment for the sins of the world. 

The last time I checked, two of the core, fundamental, bedrock beliefs held by supposed ‘believers’ had to do with the immaculate conception (Jesus born from a virgin) and the resurrection of Christ from the dead. I don’t really think God had to exert much effort to accomplish either of those feats, do you? I mean, He is God after all. Nothing is impossible for Him. That’s what the angel told Mary there in Luke 1:37 after she did inquire how this could possibly be. And do you know how Mary responded to that word that revealed God’s plan to her? “Let it be to me according to your word” (38). 

God did not need to use some in vitro fertilization (IVF) technique to impregnate Mary. It was a divine miracle performed by God. It was supernatural. It defied the laws of nature and human understanding. God is capable of doing such things, is He not? I mean, He is God...after all. (I actually read some time back where over 50% of those who profess to be 'Christians' don't believe in the 'virgin' birth.)

Mary didn’t scoff and start rebuking angels or demons. She did not laugh and say there is no way this can happen. And I don’t read where she ran to the local synagogue so some rabbi could look into his commentaries to explain why she was deceived. Her natural mind was incapable of understanding, let alone grasping what was about to happen...but to her credit...she figured if God Almighty said it was about to happen, then the least she could do is agree with God. And the rest, they say, is history. Nine months later we have the event that we all rally around and celebrate every December 25th. 

Two thousand-plus years later, God did not need to send an angel to bring this ‘news’ to us. We have the Gospel laid out in our nice leather bound books. And He seeks out those who will take Him at His word and respond in the same way Mary did when He chose her to birth something new within her. She had faith. What about you? Or are you an ‘unbelieving believer’. 

“When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). There is only one reason why God is limited in what He can do in our lives: And you’ll find what that is in Matt. 13:58.