Convinced

Are you convinced?

If I asked you whether God is real, you would likely say yes.

If I asked you whether He is powerful enough to save you, again, you would likely say yes.

If I asked you whether He is good, holy, and trustworthy, you would respond yes, yes, and yes.

I would respond the same way. You and I are prepared to profess that God is who He says He is. That is a really good thing! In fact, it is one of the things required of us in order to have real relationship with our God—we must declare with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9a)!

But how often do you say something without being convinced it is wholly true? A dictionary definition of ‘convinced’ is, “To bring (as by argument) to belief, consent, or a course of action.” If you are convinced of something, you don’t merely say it; You believe it! You act on it!

How did you respond the last time you were asked how you were doing? If you are like most people (including me), you probably responded with some version of, “Good, how are you?” It is perhaps the most common example of declaring something we may or may not believe. It is a profession of something of which we are not convinced.

So what does it matter? Why should you consider this delineation between declaring and being convinced?

You should consider it because it will mean the difference between spiritual life and death when your testing comes.

In 2 Timothy 1:12, Paul says, “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.”

Paul is suffering. Things are hard. There is every temptation to yield to shame and despondency. Contextually, it is even fair to say that simply uttering what is true about God would be appropriate. Even so, it is not enough on its own to transcend the circumstances of Paul’s situation.

It would be true—God IS able! He CAN be trusted to guard all that which He has promised to us! There would be nothing lacking on God’s side of the equation if Paul were to simply declare his belief in God. Likewise, there would be nothing lacking on God’s side of the equation were you to profess that He is able.

But are you convinced of what you profess? Have you been persuaded by argument to the point of consenting to the truth of what you declare? Do you believe your God is able to guard what you have entrusted to Him?

There is a way to know for sure whether you are truly convinced. Are you acting on your declaration? Has the argument presented produced not just your declaration, but also your consent and your action?

If you are convinced, you will act and not just declare.

Here is the truth: You must be convinced. While God requires your declaration of who He is, your salvation must also stand on a belief that God is who He says He is, and that He raised His son, Jesus Christ, from the dead (Rom 10:9b).

Are you convinced? You can be. He is able.

The following article originally appeared in Thann’s “The Equipped” Weekly Newsletter. For more information on Thann’s weekly email, click here.