Are You a Believer?

Jan Smith

A friend and I were talking one day about some particular point of our Christian faith. I asked him, “Do you believe that?”

“Yes”, he replied, “I definitely believe that.”

“But”, I continued, “Do you just believe it intellectually? Or is it a deeply-held conviction, something you believe in so strongly that you are acting on it as would a person who knew with all his heart that it was absolutely true?”

That’s always the question, isn’t it?

Here’s a true story that illustrates how this works in the real world.

A physics teacher was lecturing his class on the subject of pendulums. He filled the chalkboard with formulas and diagrams proving mathematically how, if you start a pendulum swinging, the arc of each successive swing is slightly shorter than the previous swing. Eventually, the pendulum will come to a stop.

After careful explaination and many questions, the teacher asked if they understood the process. They did. He asked if they believed it. No one doubted; they all agreed that it must be true.

Next he took the class into the physics lab, where he had attached a steel chain to the highest point. A large, heavy steel ball was attached to the bottom end of the chain. The ball and chain formed a large pendulum.

Taking the steel ball, the teacher swung it over to the side of the room where he had placed a chair. Stepping up onto the chair, he pulled the ball right up to his face.

“Now, do you understand”, he asked, “that if I release the ball, it will swing back and stop just before it hits my face?” Once again, the teacher seemed to have complete agreement.

Then, instead of releasing the ball, the teacher stepped down from the chair.

“All right”, he asked, “who wants to be the first one to try it?”

Not one of the students was willing to stand on that chair and put the theory into practice. They had all believed it… intellectually. But in their heart if hearts where they make their decisions, every one of them was afraid that the steel ball would swing back and smash their face! Thus they betrayed their unbelief.

Most Christians treat their faith in God just like that. If they can’t see all the dots connected, and understand all the details, their belief is at best a mental assent to the words. But they won’t act on it.

Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (Mark 11:24)

Let me just ask you: do you believe that, or don’t you?

The bottom line is: until you act on it, you don’t really believe it.