In the seventeenth century, there was a trial called “The Galileo Affair.” It was significant because it challenged the accepted geocentric view through the lens of heliocentrism. Galileo was an astronomer who believed that the Earth revolves around the sun. He was found to be a heretic and sentenced to house arrest. Although he published Sidereus Nuncius, describing the observations he made with his telescope, rooted in science and truth, he was ultimately condemned because unbelief is not always loud; it’s strategic. Unbelief doesn’t simply doubt truth; it crucifies it when truth disrupts comfort or control. This is what Jesus confronted in our question this week.
“Did not Moses give you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?”
~John 7:19
Unbelief justifies evil under the illusion of righteousness.
In this passage, Jesus is surrounded by people who claim to be loyal to the law of Moses. The leaders sought to silence Jesus, not because His works were evil, but because His words were righteous and convicting. He revealed their sin, exposed their hypocrisy, and disrupted their influence. It was clear that if they genuinely believed Moses, they would have believed Jesus. By claiming the law but rejecting its fulfillment, they exemplified true unbelief. Though they knew God, they didn’t honor Him… thereby becoming futile in their thinking… claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Rom 1:21)
Jesus knew their hearts and secret murderous intent, and their hypocrisy needed to be challenged. Legalism is a form of self-idolatry that blinds the heart to the true purpose of God’s law and inevitably leads to opposition against God’s redemptive work. While we can’t say these men were “atheists”, because they upheld the law, quoted scripture, and held spiritual office, they sought to destroy the very fulfillment of the law they claimed to revere. They wore holy masks while hiding rebellious hearts. They lived in a state of “strong delusion”. Their rejection of truth eventually led them to fabricate to sustain their rebellion. Unbelief doesn’t just resist God, it reinvents Him.
Our culture doesn’t mind God; it just wants Him silent when truth gets too personal. Whether in politics, education, media, or even some churches, truth is tolerated only when it agrees with the system. If we speak up about biblical values, we could be “killed”, not physically, but with character assassination, cancellation, or public scorn. I will interject a personal story from my own life here. Many years ago, when I worked as a clerk at a hospital, in a conversation with one of the nurses, I inquired about whether he’d ever accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Not only did he reject what I said, but he lied to the CEO to have me fired. He wanted my voice silenced permanently.
We all have our areas where truth could easily threaten our comfort. The question is: what do I do when Jesus exposes those places? Do I surrender, or justify? Do I welcome the correction, or quietly try to silence the conviction? Unbelief is not just an atheist’s issue. Last week at One Community, when Christine Caine preached, she said something so profound: “We live in a culture of a lot of unbelieving believers.” It’s a culture where many would rather control God than be mastered by Him. This kingdom principle calls us all to ruthless honesty, daily surrender, and openness to be corrected by truth, even when it’s inconvenient.
Time of Reflection:
** Unbelief is not always loud rejection—it often hides beneath religious language and good intentions.
** Truth, when uncomfortable, is often the most necessary truth of all.
Heart Probe-Moment:
** Where in my life do I silence conviction instead of surrendering it?
References:
John 7:19
Rom 1:21-22
John 5:46
2 Thess 2:10-12
Acts 7:54-60
Thomas Chronological Study Bible
Closing Prayer:
Lord, I don’t want to be someone who wears faith outwardly but resists You inwardly. Expose every place in me where unbelief still speaks louder than surrender. Give me the courage to face the truth even when it costs, and humility to be changed by it. Amen
