Chad Coley
The Gospel According To John
True Belief
John 4:43 - 54
9 May 2021
Not all belief is saving faith. The officer from Capernaum is an example of this superficial belief - but we later see him come to true faith in Jesus Christ.
Religious fervour does not save. The Jews followed many customs, but did not give Jesus the honour He deserved. They followed Him excitedly for all His miracles, but they did not believe that He was the Son of God.
Superficial belief does not save; faith means submitting the intellect and heart to the truth about God. The crowds had much interest in what Jesus was doing, and emotions were high, but they followed Him for the wrong reasons. Like them, the officer from Capernaum came to Jesus just because He was a miracle-worker, and his son needed healing.
But true faith saves. The officer came to Jesus, and although he was royalty, humbled himself before Him. Jesus showed His power by completely and instantly healing his son from a distance. The man obeyed Jesus' call to return to his son, and he left believing that Jesus had healed him. The officer went from ignorance and superficial belief to faith in the person of Jesus Christ.