Help Our Unbelief (Mark 9:14-29)

In the midst of a confused age, one of the challenges for Christians is the idea of faith. What exactly is faith? What does it look like? We know that 2 Corinthians 5:7 states …

2 Corinthians 5:7 – 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 

But how exactly does that work. Does that mean that we throw off all precautions and jump into any unknown? Does this mean that we drive without our seatbelts on trusting that God will preserve our lives? Does this mean that in this time we act as though nothing is different and go about hugging everyone we meet and gathering with everyone we can?

I hope that the obvious answer to these things is “no!” This is not what faith is at all. So, what exactly is faith and what does it look like in our lives? Some of you by now have thought of the definition found in Hebrews 11:1.

Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is complete dependence on God and obedience to His Word and His Laws. It means that we believe in our heart what the Word says about God and we live in accordance with it. So, we don’t jump into the unknown throwing off all precautions because the Word commands us to be wise and plan ahead. We don’t drive without our seatbelts on trusting that God will protect us or today go about life as if all is normal because the Word commands us to love our neighbor and to honor and obey our authority. 

Faith means that we live lives dependent on God’s power. Unfortunately, we often live lives dependent on our own power. We depend on our own gifts and abilities. We depend on our own goodness. We depend on our own ideas and thoughts. We turn only to God’s Word when those don’t work and often, we try to twist the Word to fit what we think. 

The disciples had been with Jesus for some time now. They had seen Him work in marvelous ways. They had grown in their own abilities. Now Jesus had taken Peter, James, and John and had gone off to some mountain. He left them alone for a time and they began to act in their own abilities. Unfortunately, it ended in disaster for them. Through this next section of Mark, Christ teaches his disciples (and us through them) that His power comes only through faith and submission. And He calls us to believe and depend on Christ to accomplish all things.