Modern preaching often claims that God is waiting on us. The idea is repeated everywhere: God wants to act, but He cannot unless we have enough faith. This turns the living God into an anxious bystander who depends on human will. Scripture gives no place for such a view. The God of heaven does whatever He pleases, and no lack of faith can bind His hand.
Doctrinal Clarity:
Unbelief is sin, but it does not limit God.
Faith is the means by which we receive His promises, not the power that enables Him to keep them. The Lord rebukes unbelief because it dishonors Him, not because it weakens Him. He parted the sea for a fearful Israel. He healed Naaman before Naaman understood the God who healed him. He raised Lazarus while everyone around Him doubted, and Lazarus was not merely sick. He was dead. Faith glorifies God by trusting Him. It never supplies ability to Him.
Scripture teaches that God is sovereign in mercy and judgment.
Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in the heavens. He does all that He pleases.”
Romans 9:16 says salvation does not rest on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy.
John 6:63 teaches that the Spirit gives life. Flesh accomplishes nothing.
Faith is commanded, but faith does not empower God. Faith is the response God awakens by His own grace so that all glory belongs to Him alone.
Application:
Examine the hidden belief that God remains inactive unless you stir Him by effort. This mindset turns faith into a tool of manipulation instead of an expression of trust. The question is not whether God can work. The question is whether we will bow to His authority, receive His Word, and repent when He exposes our unbelief.
Semper Reformanda:
Objection: “Jesus could not do many works in Nazareth because of their unbelief.”
Response: The text says their unbelief revealed their hardness, not that it reduced His power. Christ judged them by withholding miracles. Their unbelief did not restrain Him. It condemned them.
Objection: “God waits for us to activate His promises.”
Response: Scripture teaches the opposite. God initiates. God grants faith. God fulfills His Word according to His will. The promises are certain because the Promiser is sovereign, not because the believer is strong.
Truth That Withstands:
God is never limited by man. Unbelief blinds sinners, but it never weakens the Almighty. Faith is a gift that honors Him, not a force that controls Him. He acts according to His will, for His glory, and for the good of His people. The call is simple. Trust Him because He reigns, not because He needs assistance.
Shortlink: reformlet.com/faith