If Faith vs. Though Faith
There are two kinds of faith we often
see—“if” faith and “though” faith. “If” faith says, “I will trust God if He
answers my prayers… if He keeps me from suffering… if life goes well.” But “though”
faith declares, “Even though things go wrong… though my prayers go unanswered…
though sickness comes… nevertheless, I will trust Him anyway.” Dr. King once
said that the real test of faith is not how we praise God in times of blessing,
but whether we still hold on in the storm. Today, I want to invite us to that
kind of faith—a “though” faith that stays close to God, not just in comfort,
but especially in suffering.
Peter’s Journey: From If Faith to Though Faith
As we read the Book of Acts, we see how
Peter’s faith has changed—from “if” faith to “though” faith. He used to be a
man of many moods. At one moment, Peter gave a perfect answer to Jesus, saying,
“You are the Son of the living God!” But the next moment, he was rebuked by
Jesus: “Get behind me, Satan.” On another occasion, he boldly stepped out of
the boat to walk on water, but within seconds, after seeing the wind, he began
to sink. But now Peter has changed. He is no longer easily swayed. He has
become steadfast, like a “rock”—true to his name.
Just a few weeks earlier, Jesus had stood before the Sanhedrin court—falsely
accused, unjustly condemned, and then crucified. At that time, Peter denied
Jesus three times. Now, in Acts 4, Peter himself stands in the same place
before the same group. The traumatic memories must have flooded his mind. And
he is asked the same question Jesus was asked (cf. Luke 20:2): “By what power
or by what name did you do this?” (Acts 4:7).
But Peter is no longer afraid. He stands bold as a lion. What happened to him?
What made him a man of “though” faith? We can find the answer in today’s
passage.
By the Power of the Holy Spirit
As Peter prepares to answer the
Sanhedrin, Luke—the author of Acts—writes: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy
Spirit, said to them…” (v. 8). Peter might have been handed over to the Romans,
suffered, or even been killed. Yet he remained calm and courageous—by the power
of the Holy Spirit.
How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit? Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be
given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to
you… If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask
Him?” (Luke 11:9–13)
Later in Acts 4, after Peter and John were released, they returned to the other
believers and reported what had happened. When the believers heard it, they
lifted their voices together in prayer. They asked for more of the Holy Spirit,
so that they might stand firm in faith.
Then what happened? “When they had prayed, the place in which they were
gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and
spoke the word of God with boldness.” (v. 31)
The pattern is clear:
- They prayed.
- They were filled with the Holy Spirit.
- They stood firm with courage.
So by what power did Peter and John do all this? The Holy Spirit!
By the Name of Jesus
Peter continues his response: “This man
is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth”
(v. 10). This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by the builders—the powerful
ones—but He has become the cornerstone. Jesus was rejected and crucified, but
God raised Him from the dead. God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name
above every name. By the powerful name of Jesus, this man was healed. By the
wonderful name of Jesus, we are healed and saved. There is no other name by
which we must be saved.
When we read the Bible, we should not see it as a collection of 66 isolated
morality tales. Instead, we are reading one big story that points to one
Person—Jesus Christ. The gospel is not primarily about us. It is not about our
happiness, health, or safety—though God cares for those things. The gospel is
all about Jesus.
The Bible says, “Jesus died for us so that we should no longer live for
ourselves but for Him who died for us and was raised again.” (cf. 2 Corinthians
5:15) Peter repented, turned, and believed this gospel. He believed in the name
of Jesus. And by that name, he was forgiven, saved, sustained, and
strengthened—by the power of the Holy Spirit and the name of Jesus Christ.
Companions of Jesus
The religious leaders couldn’t take
their eyes off Peter and John because of their courage. They were even more
astonished when they realized these two were laymen—without formal training or
education in Scripture. Then Luke gives us the answer: “They recognized them as
companions of Jesus.” (v. 13, NRSV) Other translations say, “They recognized
that they had been with Jesus.” (ESV, NIV) Michael Ramsey once said, “Do not
worry about status… There is only one status that our Lord bids us to be
concerned with, and that is the status of proximity to Himself.” [1]
So where does our strength and courage come from? It comes from our closeness
to Jesus. And often, in Scripture, closeness to Jesus and suffering go hand in
hand. In the Bible, suffering is often presented not as a curse, but as a
blessing:
· “Whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” (James 1:2–3)
· “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word… It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.” (Psalm 119:67, 71)
· “We must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22, NLT)
Hebrews 11 reminds us of our spiritual
ancestors who suffered greatly to enter God’s kingdom. Some were mocked,
persecuted, tortured, or killed. But in suffering, they stayed close to Christ.
They were commended for their “though” faith—called more than conquerors.
More Love to Thee, O Christ
When I think about suffering and
persecution, one story always comes to my mind. In 1974, a North Korean
newspaper announced that the government had finally wiped out the last known
group of Christians in the country. For nearly two decades, about 30 brave
believers had lived underground. They hid by day and scavenged for food at
night.
One day, as the government was constructing a new road for Kim Il Sung’s visit,
workers discovered the Christians’ hiding place. The believers were dragged out
and forced to lie down on the road. A steamroller was brought in. To maximize
the pain, it began crushing them from their feet up.
As the Christians lay there, waiting for death, one of them began to sing. And
soon, the others joined in[2]:
“More
love to Thee, O Christ, more love to Thee!
Hear Thou the prayer I make on bended knee…
Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;
Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best;
This is my earnest plea: More love, O Christ, to Thee;
More love to Thee, more love to Thee!”
When
we pray, things may or may not get better outwardly. But when we pray, God
always promises to strengthen us, help us, and sustain us—by the power of the
Holy Spirit and by the name of Jesus.
Through whatever trial we may face today, may we draw even closer to Jesus—our
Savior and our Companion.
Let us keep asking: More love to Thee, O Christ. More love to Thee. Amen.
