Do you believe in God, or you Believe God?

John 14:7-14

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.’ Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’  ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him, ‘and you still do not know me? ‘To have seen me is to have seen the Father, so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason. I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask for in my name I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask for anything in my name, I will do it.’

Food for thought!

We owe to Philip very very much; his daring remark made Jesus tell us something special: "You must believe me."  What does Jesus mean by this? What is the difference between "believing in Jesus" and "believing Jesus"? Well, "believing Jesus or even believing God," is something we rarely do. Many people "believe IN God," but very few actually "believe God." 

As the Bible says, even demons believe IN God: "Do you still think it's enough just to believe that there is one God? Well, even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror! (James 2:19). As Cherie Hills tells us, Confessing that you believe “in God” means that you simply believe that there is a God. 

Believing in God alone is quite meaningless—it’s the obvious. The difference is in "Believing God." This expression means believing in God's Word, His Son; believing in what He tells us to do. Satan believes IN God, but does not believe God. What Jesus wants from you and me is not believing in him, but believing him. That is, he wants us to live with confident assurance that, as he put it, "The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason."

It is not enough to believe in God; it is equally important to believe God. This means that the Word of God not only brings us peace and hope, but it increases our faith, as we are assured that God will perform His Word. 

Faith is more than just believing in God. It’s about trusting in Him, even when there is no evidence that you should. As Jesus told us yesterday, we must believe in God still. "I always remember that the Lord is with me. He is here, close by my side, so nothing can defeat me." (Psalm 16:8).