I recently watched Rob Bell’s Nooma video “Dust” and ended up doing a bit of study on its content. Some people seem to have criticised him for suggesting that we need to believe in ourselves (and for saying that maybe the reason for Peter sinking after he walked on water was because he doubted himself). They say that being a Christian is about belief and faith in Jesus, NOT ourselves. My studies have led me to this conclusion: those critics have missed the point.
Here’s why: Rob Bell isn’t addressing non-believers. He’s talking about being a disciple of Jesus. Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). There are two stages to this:
Coming to faith is all about faith in Jesus. But Rob Bell isn’t talking about this. He’s talking about Stage 2. When someone comes to faith in Jesus, the next stage is believing that they can actually be used by God. They need faith in their own actions: that when the Spirit prompts them to do something, that it is the right thing and will actually have an impact.
Matthew 14:22-33: Jesus calls Peter to come to him on the water. That was the prompting, and it was the right thing to do. But when Peter saw the wind, he began to doubt. Now was this doubt in Jesus, or doubt in himself? The Bible isn’t clear, but Rob Bell’s point is that Peter clearly didn’t lose faith in Jesus, he just didn’t believe that he could actually do the things that Jesus asked of him.
And it’s the same for us. We need to believe that we can actually do those things which are asked of us. We need to believe that we can change ourselves for the better... because we have the Spirit in us. We need to believe that we can impact the lives of others... because of our faith in Jesus. We need to believe that we really can do all things... because Christ strengthens us.
Faith in Jesus is only the beginning of a transformed life. It's what marks the start of the adventure!
Here’s why: Rob Bell isn’t addressing non-believers. He’s talking about being a disciple of Jesus. Jesus said to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). There are two stages to this:
- Coming to faith.
- Living the faith.
Coming to faith is all about faith in Jesus. But Rob Bell isn’t talking about this. He’s talking about Stage 2. When someone comes to faith in Jesus, the next stage is believing that they can actually be used by God. They need faith in their own actions: that when the Spirit prompts them to do something, that it is the right thing and will actually have an impact.
Matthew 14:22-33: Jesus calls Peter to come to him on the water. That was the prompting, and it was the right thing to do. But when Peter saw the wind, he began to doubt. Now was this doubt in Jesus, or doubt in himself? The Bible isn’t clear, but Rob Bell’s point is that Peter clearly didn’t lose faith in Jesus, he just didn’t believe that he could actually do the things that Jesus asked of him.
And it’s the same for us. We need to believe that we can actually do those things which are asked of us. We need to believe that we can change ourselves for the better... because we have the Spirit in us. We need to believe that we can impact the lives of others... because of our faith in Jesus. We need to believe that we really can do all things... because Christ strengthens us.
Faith in Jesus is only the beginning of a transformed life. It's what marks the start of the adventure!
