A Question Harder Than You Think

“And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (Joh 11:26 AV)

The three word question of our LORD is not limited to eternal life.  In fact, it starts there.  There are other truths one must believe in order to be saved.  One must believe God exists.  One believe oneself to be a sinner and deserving of eternal punishment.  One must believe that Jesus Christ satisfied our sin debt on the cross of Calvary.  One must believe that God is LORD and must be obeyed.  Once these things are accepted, it is a matter of making these truths personally efficacious.  By accepting Christ as both LORD and Savior depending only on Him, we have eternal life.  This was the question above.  However, this question can be, and should be, oft repeated.  Whenever we are confronted with truth, the question should follow.  The question posed was not one of compromise.  In other words, the LORD is not asking, nor does He ask us, to agree with Him; thus making it true.  The truth is the truth.  By asking if we believe it, the LORD is challenging us to accept and submit to it.  Believing something to be true or untrue does not make it so.  Truth is transcendent and eternal.  The question is not a request for ascent.  It is a challenge to obey.

There is a show on the Weather Channel called Ice Road Truckers.  These warriors of the open road must travel through very difficult circumstances.  They often border on dangerous.  Where the show gets its name is the reality these truckers must cross frozen lakes.  The cargo they carry is only carried during the frozen winter months.  Once the spring thaw comes, supplies are no longer able to make it to these remote areas.  These very brave drivers go hundreds of miles between settlements without seeing so much as a candle.  There is no inhabitant for hundreds of miles.  If they break down or worse, break through the ice, they are stranded for a very long time.  Ice doesn’t seem particularly safe.  However, if the ice is four inches thick or more, it can pretty much handle any weight.  Recently, a driver made the news because he thought he could cross a small lake with his SUV.  He didn’t make it.  Near the shore, he broke through the ice and lost his SUV.  These truckers do this every day.  They travel the open lake while it is frozen.  The Alaskan state troopers and highway service place signs as to the safety of the ice.  However, unless the truckers trust that ice, they are not crossing.  Trusting or not, the thickness of the ice is what it is.  Believing it to be thick enough doesn’t cause it to freeze nor does believing not thick enough to cause it to thaw.  Either than ice is four inches or more, or it isn’t.  Asking if they believe it doesn’t determine the thickness of the ice.  It only determines what the trucker will do.

This is the cause for the importance of that question.  Jesus is asking that question and making it very personal.  Personal for the one being asked.  But personal for Himself.  He is asking if this person will trust Him.  Is He trustworthy?  His character does not change based on the response.  The same is true of all that God has revealed.  It is trustworthy.  No matter the doctrine, principle, or standard, it is true regardless of our belief or unbelief.  So, the question remains.  Do we believe it and what will we do with it?  These three little words cannot be passed off as inconsequential or non-binding.  Not in the least.  There is a duty to glorify our maker.  When He asks us this question, the response should be the same for all.  Individual soul liberty is not license to determine truth.  It is the ability to discover it on one’s own.  This three word question is the key to our relationship with the LORD.  There is only one response that works.