Confessions of Faith...

This is like my Gospel of Mark crossover. Mark gets a little repetitive in the beginning of his letter, wanting his audience to understand the wonder and amazement at Jesus. The text starting in 3:7 has crowds pressing Jesus to the point that he was worried the crowds would crush him. This thought ends with vs. 11 where people with unclean spirits see Jesus, they fall down before him and shout “You are the Son of God!” and Jesus orders them not to speak.
An interesting thought hit me while I was reflecting on this. These words coming from the unclean spirit are pretty important and powerful. They are, after all, very similar to Peter’s confession for which Jesus gives some nice words to Peter. So, what’s the difference? I recall the words James writes “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder.” (James 2:19; NRSV). I think James point in the greater context of ch. 2 is the same difference between the confession of the unclean spirit and the confession of Peter – it’s all about what you do with that belief. Believing in God is about more than just believing in God – it is about having a relationship with him; it is about living out your belief in him (not in a legalistic – earn soul points to get into heaven; but a faith compelled acting out of your belief). I suppose I wouldn’t be one of Martin Luther’s favorite students – but I agree wholeheartedly with James. We can profess our belief in God all day, but ultimately actions speak louder than words: are you in a back and forth relationship with God? Are you in a relationship with God’s church (a functioning part of the body)? Do you utilize your talents and gifts for ministry in the Kingdom? These are important questions to ask ourselves because just believing in God isn’t all that big of an accomplishment – it only puts you on par with unclean spirits. God give us the heart of Peter in our faith in you.