In Matthew 16, Jesus asked his disciples:
“Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
They answered, “Well some say John the Baptist, or Elijah or another prophet.”
And He said, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!”
And Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 16:13-20)
Anyone who worships Jesus as God believes because God has revealed it to them. In John 6:35-40, 44, Jesus said:
“I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of Him who sent me. And this is the will of Him who sent me, that I lose nothing of all that He has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day… Do not grumble among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him and I will raise him up on the last day.”
Not only does the Father reveal the Son, but the Son reveals the Father. In Matthew 11, Jesus prayed:
“I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you’ve hidden these things from the wise and revealed them to little children; yes, Father for such was your gracious will. All things of been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:25-27)
So, the reason a person doesn’t believe in God is God’s fault?
No it’s because of our sin. The Bible says:
None is righteous, no, not one. No one understands; No one seeks for God… No one does good, not even one…
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. (Romans 3:10-12, 23-24)
The mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to Him. (Romans 8:7-9)
Those who are in the flash are hostile toward God, but those would be changed by his Spirit do what is pleasing to God – including believe on His Son, Jesus Christ.
We love Him because He first loved us. That we don’t know God is a judgment because of our sin. That we know God is a blessing because of His mercy. It’s by His amazing grace that anyone is saved… when we understand the text.
(Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don’t! When We Understand the Text is an internet-based video ministry committed to righting some of the wrong understanding of scripture, all while advancing the gospel of Jesus Christ. Check out more at WWUTT.com!)