Conviction of Things Not Seen

Earlier in John 10, Jesus depicts himself as the good shepherd who willingly lays down his life for the sheep. He warns that one must enter the sheepfold by the gate, whereas thieves try to find another way. Indeed, explains Jesus, he is the gate: “Whoever enters by me will be saved” (John 10:9).

According to the Johannine text, many of the Jews dislike these claims. They are divided concerning how to understand the discrepancy between these strange words that run counter to Jewish expectations of the Messiah and Jesus’ actions of healing that display divine power. So, the Jews address Jesus saying, “If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly!”

How many times have we also cried to God, “Tell me clearly what to do, what to believe”? Too often we desire certainty. But certainty is not faith; indeed, it runs counter to faith. The author of Hebrews defines faith as the “assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (11:1). If something is certain, what need does faith fulfill? Things not yet in evidence require faith.

Yet a vast difference exists between certainty and conviction. Certainty grips firm control to secure a claim on truth, often to wield it for a particular agenda. It seizes power rather than relinquishing power to the Almighty. Conviction, however, grasps softly with the knowledge that the journey of faith is always under construction. Faith recognizes that all human knowledge is finite. At any moment God might reveal to us a deeper truth, a truth that could overturn parts of what we thought we knew. Likewise, some might claim certainty about who are the true sheep and who are not, but such certainty is not ours to claim; rather, we live by faith.