I think the best way to start this article is to just lay it out in pretty much the way that it first came to me – in a single statement.  I was just driving down the road and thought:

“I can teach a man..., any man..., to understand the scriptures…
but I cannot teach him to believe it.”

I’ve lost count of the number of times that I’ve had a discussion about salvation with someone whom I could tell really didn’t “get it.”

It was a process to them. Or it was like a relationship to them. Or it was a nice story to them, or had “good morals” or taught a good lesson. Or even that it was “profitable” or “valid” or even “righteous.” Lots of them would even go so far as to say that it would make a good sermon for Sunday morning.

Many of the people I’ve had these discussions with, I could tell that they were skirting right along the very cutting edge of understanding, where the slightest slip (one would think) would send them headlong into belief - where I was almost incredulous that they did not actually already believe. It seemed that everything was in place and they had no reason at all not to immediately confess their belief.  But they just wouldn’t do it.

They would come so very close, and then suddenly:

• "But that’s what you believe," or


• "We must all find our own way, mustn't we?", or


• "You have your truth and I have mine", or


• "God as I understand him", or


• "It's a relationship..."

...or some other nonsense, and the whole thing would collapse in miserable ruin.

Lots of people are this way. Most people are this way. In fact, I’d dare to say that most people who think they are Christians are this way.

Why?

Because in the modern world, especially in America and Europe (and increasingly in Africa), they are trying to teach men how to understand God - rather than exhorting men to believe Him.

But the process of understanding brings the validity of God's word into question as a prerequisite (because God and his word both are brought into scrutiny in the process of trying to understand and explain them), whereas believing him takes his word at face value - as something revealed - and impresses upon man the need to simply believe what he has read.

And in countless churches, they are trying, on a massive, even global scale, to teach other people how to understand Him, but not to believe Him. And guess what? It just so happens that it’s fairly easy to do just that. It's easy to understand even when it's not easy to believe. And it's easy to teach others the same. A lot of people are very successful in doing this or teaching others to do it because, hard or difficult, it can be done with nothing more than the pure intellect and understanding of a man, combined with enough time and resources. It doesn’t require God’s involvement at all.

For many, there's no need to sink to the embarrasing level of mere childlike belief when a rational, intellectual consent will do – it looks about the same and, emotionally, it’s a lot less expensive.

There are people who are trying to make salvation and the new life a mental activity, when in fact, real, true, life-changing Christianity is not a mental activity – it is a spiritual activity. And by spiritual, I do not mean anything that you can do with your mind. If you think it, it’s intellect. If you say it, it’s intellect. And in some cases, even if you actually do it, it’s still intellect.

Mathematics is a mental activity. Getting along with your girlfriend is a mental activity. Government and legislation is a mental activity. And, hear me, to a lot of people, even feeding the poor, loving your neighbour and preaching the Gospel is a mental activity.

“I can teach a man, any man, to understand the scriptures… but I cannot teach him to believe it.”

Now combine it with this:

“Blessed art thou, Simon bar-Jona. Flesh and blood have not revealed it to you. My father in Heaven has revealed it to you.”

The word of God can be read with the understanding, and can be used to apply and increase knowledge. That knowledge can even be applied and turned into action. In fact, Jesus even told us plainly that this would happen. It happens all the time and there are tens of thousands of churches in this country and beyond that have done exactly that. They understand – they really do understand “what saith the scripture.” And they may even be doing it – but they do not believe it, and more importantly, they do not believe the one who said it.

But it is only the Holy Spirit who can take the knowledge and understanding and then illuminate the heart and bring about real belief. Without this work of revelation by the Holy Spirit, man is operating on the sheer force of his intellect (what humanists and secularists, such as Watchman Nee, called the “latent power of the soul”) and on his own human willpower (as Charles Finney believed).

And make no mistake; the intellect in partnership with man's limited and corrupted willpower, can put on a pretty good show – very convincing. But the intellect cannot make a man believe no matter how hard he tries. And, no matter what Charles Finney thinks, a man can will himself to believe with no greater success. The intellect is the easiest of man’s faculties to deceive and his willpower is the weakest of provacateurs. Is it any wonder that God shuns them as a vehicle of salvation?

It was the Holy Spirit who removed the scales from Paul’s eyes. Not Paul. It was the Holy Spirit (in Jesus) who concealed Jesus from his disciples. “No man can know Jesus except the father lead him. And no man can know the father except those to whom the Son reveals Him.” There is no way for intellect to gain purchase here. This armour has no weak link. The union and bond between the Father and the Son is impenetrable, and can only be done by the consent and active work of both of them in inviting you into that union.

Without the revelation of God the Father, through his Holy Spirit, you will only ever understand the scripture. You may even profess an agreement with what it says. But you will never believe it and thus secure your salvation. Salvation is based upon believing God, in your heart, not in your mind, or in your emotions, or even in your understanding.

So long as your belief is the result of the revelation of God, you cannot be dissuaded. However, if your belief is, in reality, just a mental consent to “the facts”, or if you were argued into your position, then your “belief” is only as strong as the arguments that you use to bolster and fortify it – your “belief” is based upon “flesh and blood” (the intellect, or knowledge, or the mind). Your faith will fail in such cases because it is built on persuasion and not on revelation. All it takes is for someone more clever than you to come along and persuade you of something else. And one other good name for the tempter is the persuader. And the bad news for you is that he’s the expert – and you aren’t.

The whole presumption and point of this argument invalidates itself, I know. The simple writing of this article is a mental activity. I know that you can be led to understanding, but cannot be made to believe it. By now, if you are honest with yourself, you have already believed or disbelieved. You’ve known since about the first paragraph. And relatively little that I can say or do will change that.

You either believe it, or you do not. But you have already made a decision.

Now there’s food for thought.