The inspiration for this article came from a line spoken by actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus in the third episode of the third season of The Chosen, titled “Physician, Heal Yourself.” This moment is part of the show’s creative expansion of the scene at the synagogue in Nazareth, where Jesus reads from the scroll of Isaiah. In this rendition, they have Jesus say the following:
If you cannot accept that you’re spiritually poor and captive, in the same way that a Gentile woman and a Syrian leper recognised their need…if you don’t recognise that you need a year of the Lord’s favour, then I cannot save you.
This reflects a very common line of thinking in Christendom. One we don’t necessarily agree with. In the Christian faith, there is a crucial distinction between believing what God says and understanding the full extent both of what God says and of why He does say it. This difference is often subtle but profound, and oftentimes Christian implies that you cannot really believe God’s promises unless you have full understood them, especially when it comes to the promise of eternal life.
Yet, Scripture shows us time and again that faith is rooted in trusting God’s word, even when full understanding eludes us. Belief doesn’t always require complete comprehension, but it calls us to trust in the reliability and truthfulness of God, even when we don’t fully grasp the depths of what He’s revealing. This is also why we fundamentally reject the idea—common is some circles of the Free Grace community—that assurance of salvation is of the essence of saving faith.
Let’s explore this theme through both Old and New Testament examples, where faith often came before understanding, and how this dynamic plays out in the lives of believers.
Abraham: Faith Without Full Understanding
Genesis 15:6 tells us that “Abraham believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.”
God made a staggering promise to Abraham—that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars (Genesis 15:5). But Abraham had no clue how this promise would unfold. He didn’t understand the long years of waiting, the struggles with Sarah’s barrenness, or the attempt with Hagar. Yet, despite these challenges, his belief was counted as righteousness.
Hebrews 11:8 further highlights this: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going.”
Abraham’s belief didn’t rest on understanding every detail of God’s plan. His faith led him to follow, even when the end result was beyond his comprehension.
Israel at the Red Sea: Trusting God’s Plan Despite Fear
When Israel was trapped at the Red Sea, they faced an impossible situation. The sea in front, Pharaoh’s army behind—there was no way out. Fear and panic consumed them (Exodus 14:10-12). Yet, Exodus 14:13-16 records Moses telling the people to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.”
Israel had no understanding of how God would deliver them. But they had to trust in His word, even when the way forward seemed utterly unclear. Hebrews 11:29 reflects on this act of faith: “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”
Job: Trusting Without Explanation
Job, in his suffering, provides another compelling example of faith without understanding. Job 13:15 reads, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.”
Despite intense suffering and a lack of understanding, Job holds fast to his belief in God’s goodness. By Job 42:3, he confesses, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” In the end, Job’s understanding of God’s nature deepened, but it was his trust in God’s character that sustained him through the trial.
The Disciples: Believing Without Full Comprehension
Throughout the Gospels, the disciples consistently show belief without full comprehension. In Luke 18:31-34, Jesus foretells His death and resurrection, but verse 34 tells us, “they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what was said.” In Matthew 16:16, Peter declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” and Jesus affirms this revelation as divinely given. Yet, when Jesus speaks of His suffering and death, Peter rebukes Him, not understanding God’s redemptive plan despite believing in Christ (Matthew 16:21-23).
The disciples believed in Jesus as the Messiah, but they couldn’t grasp the significance of His impending death. Faith in Christ was not about understanding every mystery of His mission—it was about trusting His word, even in the face of confusion.
Faith in Jesus as the Christ Will Save
As we’ve explored, throughout Scripture, faith often precedes full understanding. Abraham believed God’s promises without understanding how they would unfold. Israel trusted in God’s deliverance at the Red Sea, even when they didn’t see the way forward. Job, in his suffering, held onto faith in God’s goodness, even when he couldn’t comprehend His ways.
This principle carries through to salvation itself. We don’t believe that a person must necessarily understand the full extent of their spiritual bankruptcy (as it is often phrased), that is, that they are a sinner in need of a Savior, in order to magically unlock Jesus’ ability to save them. Instead, salvation occurs when a person believes Jesus’ claim about Himself—specifically, that He is the Christ, the Son of God.
This is in line with the clear message of the New Testament. The question of Jesus’ identity—“Who do people say that I am?”—is what is central to the gospel, not the identity of the person that needs saving. Peter’s confession in Matthew 16:16 (“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”) marked the moment of his salvation (better still, it guaranteed his transition to the new covenant, since we believe the disciples were already believers under the old covenant), despite not fully understanding the depths of Jesus’ mission or the necessity of His death. Similarly, in John 20:31, the Gospel’s purpose is clear: “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
The same focus is seen in the early church’s proclamations, such as Acts 16:31, where Paul tells the Philippian jailer, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” This is a declaration about who Jesus is, not about a complete understanding of sin, atonement, or the full implications of the gospel.
Thus, salvation is about trusting in the identity of Jesus as the Christ, the Savior, not about having a full grasp of all theological details at the moment of belief. Belief in Jesus as the Christ is the key to eternal life, and this faith, even in its simplicity, is sufficient for salvation.
Faith precedes understanding, and in God’s graciousness, He saves those who believe, even when their understanding is still unfolding. The focus is not on how much we know, but on who we believe:
Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the living God.
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