The Call.10

"Because I have told you such things, 

        do you believe? 

Truly, you will witness even greater things than these."

--Jesus

Mountains of books have been written on knowing "what" you believe.  Few ask the question: "Why do you believe?"

If George MacDonald was placed on this earth for any reason, it may very well have been to refocus us on the one essential of faith: believing IN Jesus.  

Not stuff about Him.

To those who put correct doctrine above active obedience to the Lord of Life:

When attempting to understand Jesus' words we often ask the wrong question such as: 'Do I believe or feel this thing right?'

But the true question is: 

'Have I left all to follow him?' 

To the man who gives himself to the living Lord, every belief will necessarily come right; the Lord himself will see that his disciple believe aright concerning him. If a man cannot trust him for this, what claim can he make to faith in him? 

What I insist upon is, that a man's faith shall be in the living, loving, ruling, helping Christ, devoted to us as much as ever he was, and with all the powers of the Godhead for the salvation of his brethren. It is not faith that he did this, that his work wrought that—it is faith in the man who did and is doing everything for us that will save him: without this he cannot work to heal spiritually, any more than he would heal physically, when he was present to the eyes of men. 

Do you ask, 'What is faith in him?' I answer:

• The leaving of your way, your objects, your self, and the taking of his and him  

• the leaving of your trust in men, in money, in opinion, in character, in atonement itself, 

and doing as he tells you. 

I can find no words strong enough to serve for the weight of this necessity—this obedience. It is the one terrible heresy of the church, that it has always been presenting something else than obedience as faith in Christ.

(MacDonald, Unspoken Sermons II, The Truth In Jesus)

Why do I believe?  Because He said it!  I believe in Him!