Eclipsed by Glory

And he himself believed, and all his household.

Text: John 4:27-45

True belief occurs when the things the person seeks for themselves get eclipsed by Jesus Himself.

One of my favorite Bible scholars, D.A. Carson, writes this about assurance of salvation:

"The biblical writers offer believers all the assurance they could ever want, grounding such assurance in the character of God, the nature of the new covenant, the finality of election, the love of God, and much more beside. But they never allow such assurance to become a sop for spiritual indifference; indeed, the same vision is what drives them to insist that the God who has called them to his new covenant works powerfully in them to conform them to the likeness of his Son, to the fruitfulness the Spirit empowers us to produce. This becomes both an incentive to press on to the mark of the upward call in Christ Jesus, and an implicit challenge to those who cry “Lord, Lord” but do not do what he commands."

Twice in our text, this father is said to have believed (4:51-53). John is showing us several truths about authentic faith. Authentic faith always results in continued belief. True salvation is an event, a moment in time as opposed to a progression. Salvation happens at the moment a person repents of their sin and places their hope in Jesus. The father’s belief in verse 50 was more about believing Jesus could heal his son. Salvation happens when a person desires Jesus, not just the stuff Jesus provides. The man's belief in verse 53 shows he placed his hope in Jesus as Messiah. Verse 54 speaks to this: "This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee." These "signs" were to display Jesus' true identity. The man followed the clue—the healing—to the treasure: King Jesus!