Chapter 5

Unbelief

“And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.” (Luke 1:18-25)

Here is Zacharias, a man of great faith and faithfulness, stricken dumb by the angel of God because of his unbelief. One of the first corruptions of the human race was the horrible sin of unbelief. It is recorded in Genesis chapter three that our mother, Eve, being beguiled by the serpent, was persuaded to unbelief. She believed the devil’s lie without reason and did not believe God, whom she had every reason to believe. Such is the natural wickedness of the human heart that we are all naturally inclined to believe the devil’s lie regarding all things, without the slightest justification for doing so, and naturally inclined not to believe God, when we have every reason for doing so.

Unbelief is an original and universal corruption of all men. It is the deepest seated of all corruption. And it is at once the worst of all corruptions and the father of all other corruptions. If pride is the mother of all sin, unbelief is the father.

Yes, I did say, unbelief is the worst of all the corruptions of fallen humanity. Nothing so highly honors God as believing him; and nothing so vilely dishonors God as unbelief. Yet, horrible as this offense is, it is the sin we most readily excuse in rebels and most easily justify in ourselves. May God the Holy Spirit unmask this devil who yet resides in us all, expose his ugly face, and inspire our hearts to oppose him with vengeance.

1.    Unbelief is found in the hearts of the strongest believers.

Zacharias was a truly remarkable man. He believed God when very few did. He worshipped God in Spirit when almost all around him were entirely given over to ceremonialism. Yet, when Gabriel told him that his wife would soon bear him a son, this faithful old man said, “Oh, no. You must be mistaken. Not my wife. I’m too old and she is too” (v. 18).

Why did Zacharias not believe the angel’s message? It was because the angel’s message was totally contrary to human reason, experience and science. The basis of faith is divine revelation; but the basis of unbelief is human reason. As J.C. Ryle, put it, “Where reason begins, faith ends.”

This well instructed priest in Israel had read in the Book of God about Abraham, Sarah and Isaac. He knew about God’s wonders with Manoah and his wife, and the birth of Samson. He was aware of what God did for Hannah. Zacharias knew all those historic facts better that we do. He knew very well that the Lord our God is the sovereign, omnipotent Monarch of the universe. He knew that with God nothing is impossible. He knew that the God who could cause the sun to go backwards ten degrees could easily reverse the aging process of an old woman’s womb.

There was nothing wrong with Zacharias’ doctrine. The problem was with his heart. When it came to the personal, practical application of divine truth to his own life and his own experience, Zacharias, this man of great faith, was overcome with unbelief! But we must not be too hard on old Zacharias. His fault is the common fault of us all. All God’s people on this earth are plagued with unbelief. It is a fault, a sin, a horrible evil in us all. The histories of Abraham, Lot, Moses and Peter stand as glaring beacons to warn us, to make us aware of this monstrous devil which resides in us all. Let us pray, honestly and earnestly, like the poor, distraught father in Mark 9, “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!”

How our unbelief must shock the angels of God. It was this same angel, Gabriel, who 490 years earlier brought a message from the throne of God to Daniel, assuring him of the coming and redemptive accomplishments of the Lord Jesus Christ, who would be cut off as the sinners’ Substitute, not for his own sins, but for ours (Daniel 9:26). Daniel believed God’s word. Daniel, a prisoner at Babylon, without one shred of external evidence, believed God! But Zacharias, who virtually lived in the temple, who had the entire Old Testament, with all the recorded miracles wrought by God, when that same angel spoke to him, turned his heart not toward God and his Word, but toward his own life experiences and learned reason. Therefore, he was filled with unbelief.

God no longer speaks to men by angels (Hebrews 1:1-3), though they were frequently messengers of mercy in days gone by. Still, the Lord God does have angels today (pastors - Revelation 1-3), by whom he speaks to men upon the earth, by whom he shows fallen men his wonders (Psalms 96:3-4; 105:3-7). But our unbelief puts a heavy, dark, thick veil over the Word of God. Unbelief hides the glory of God from us (John 11:40). Unbelief holds back the blessings of God from us (Isaiah 48:16-19). And Unbelief keeps the Lord from performing his mighty works among us (Mark 6:3-6). Obviously, God’s will and God’s work is not thwarted or even slightly impeded by our unbelief. Yet, the Scriptures make it plain that a man’s unbelief is an evil for which he is responsible. Faith is God’s gift and operation. Unbelief is our sin.

2.    No sin is more vile, reprehensible and dishonoring to God than unbelief.

As nothing dishonors God like unbelief, so nothing provokes him to wrath and judgment like unbelief.

“While it is said, today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses. But with whom was he grieved forty years? Was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.” (Hebrews 3:15-4:1-3)

What is it that makes unbelief such a base, vile thing? Unbelief is a denial of God’s power a denial of his Word, and a denial of his veracity (1 John 5:9-11). By unbelief, man asserts that God is a liar!

3.    Unbelief, perhaps more than anything else, compels our heavenly father to use his rod of correction upon his children.

God never punishes his people for sin. He punished our sins in his dear Son at Calvary. But he is a truly loving Father. As such, he chastens his children with the rod of correction (Hebrews 12:5-11). Zacharias’ unbelief brought the Father’s rod down heavily upon him. He was stricken deaf[1] and dumb by the hand of God for at least nine long months. Divine chastisement is sometimes lengthy; but always suitable. The ears that refused to hear God’s Word were stricken deaf, until Zacharias learned to hearken to the Word of God. The tongue that refused to speak God’s praise was tied, until it learned to speak forth Jehovah’s praise.

4.    Unbelief will bring sinners to eternal ruin.

"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John 3:35-36)

Yes, faith is the gift of God. No one can believe, except God give him faith. Yet, unbelief is the deliberate, willful choice of rebels. And God will not hold any guiltless for their rebellion against him and his Son.

5.    All unbelief will soon come to an end.

The Lord God will soon cause all men to see all truth with absolute clarity. In that day, those who perish in unbelief will be convinced of all truth, but brought into everlasting contempt. And, blessed be his name, in that day, when the Lord visits us again as he did Elizabeth of old (vv. 24-25), he will take away our reproach forever. Thanks be unto our God, we will not forever struggle with these evil hearts of unbelief!

Until that day, let us watch and pray against this terrible sin, by which our God is so greatly dishonored. Unbelief robs us of peace. Unbelief makes our knees weak and our hands heavy. Unbelief takes the joy out of our salvation. Unbelief destroys patience. Unbelief makes contentment impossible. It is written, "If ye will not believe, surely ye shall not be established" (Isaiah 7:9). Let us seek grace from our God to trust him implicitly, for the glory of his name. Unbelief trembles before a maid. Faith slays Goliath. Unbelief trembles in a thunderstorm. Faith sleeps in a lions’ den. Unbelief paces the floor. Faith believes God. Unbelief dishonors our God. Faith honors him.

Don Fortner

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