FAITH

Faith is so much more that assent or acceptance of a set of beliefs. Oh yes, belief in who Jesus is and what Jesus has done for us is critical. We know from John 1:12, Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. Faith, though, also involves submitting your life to Jesus which involves “following” after Jesus in obedience to his commands and guidance. In C.S. Lewis’ fictional book about a senior demon advising a younger demon on how to derail a new Christian’s faith, Screwtape, the older demon, advises, “It remains to consider how we can retrieve this disaster. The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance…. Let him do anything but act….” Once Peter has repented, Jesus encourages him in verse 10b ─ 10 …. “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” Simon is now forgiven. No need to fear God. His relationship with God is renewed. Simon now shows us the only response that makes any sense and the only one Jesus expects there in verse 11 ─ 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. Our belief must come with action.