I Believe! Help My Unbelief!
“Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” the father in Mark 9:14-29 confessed to Jesus. That confession should also be on our lips every day of our lives as baptized children of God–we should confess our sinfulness, and we should confess our faith. But confession is not something we are able to do on our own, without the Lord first giving us His Holy Spirit. The Word of God is the only thing that can enable us to confess our sin or faith. His Word of Law reveals our sin and unbelief, and His Gospel delivers forgiveness of sins, which creates faith and moves us to ask the Lord to get rid of the sin and unbelief that remain in us. The Lord speaks first, and only then can we respond with a correct confession at all. This is what happens in Mark 9. The father of the demon-possessed boy did not realize his unbelief until Jesus rebuked him, but after Jesus spoke, then the man was able to confess: “Lord, I do believe! Help my unbelief.”
10/04/2023 12:00 AM