Elder's Corner
Updated on June 2010
Detecting Unbelief
by Lydia Brownback
Unbelief. It's what makes God seem like a taskmaster instead of a father and friend.
But we don't get that, because unbelief doesn't announce itself in our hearts as
unbelief. It wears all sorts of disguises. I found a
"Faith vs. Unbelief" list by John Bunyan,
and here it is (tightened up a bit):
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Faith believes the Word of God; unbelief questions it.
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Faith sees God's promise to help; unbelief says, "How can that possibly be?"
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Faith makes you see love in Christ's reproofs; unbelief imagines only wrath.
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Faith helps the soul to wait; unbelief gives up if made to wait.
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Faith gives comfort in the midst of fears; unbelief causes fears in the midst of comforts.
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Faith finds sweetness in God's discipline; unbelief finds no comfort in mercy.
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Faith makes great burdens light; unbelief makes light burdens heavy.
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Faith helps us when we are down; unbelief throws us down when we are up.
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Faith brings us near to God when we are far from him; unbelief puts us far from God when we are near to him.
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Faith sees friendship with God; unbelief sees a hard taskmaster.
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Faith puts man under grace; unbelief holds him under wrath.
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Faith purifies the heart; unbelief keeps the heart polluted
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Faith rests in Christ's righteousness; unbelief clings to the law.
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Faith makes all our work acceptable to God; without faith it is impossible to please him (Heb. 11:4).
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Faith gives peace and comfort; unbelief gives trouble and tossing
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Faith shows Christ precious; unbelief sees no beauty in him.
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Faith gives life in Christ's fullness; unbelief causes spiritual starvation
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Faith gives freedom from the law of sin and death; unbelief shackles us to them.
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Faith shows us excellence in things unseen; unbelief sees only this world.
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Faith makes all God's ways pleasant; unbelief makes them heavy and hard.
From Come and Welcome to Jesus Christ (Banner of Truth).