Unbelief
Mark 9:17-24, “Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, “Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.” He replied to them, “You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me.” So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father. “From childhood,” he said. “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Then Jesus said to him, “‘If You can’? Everything is possible to the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe! Help my unbelief.”
The keys to this passage are: “everything is possible to the one who believes”, and, “help my unbelief”. Now the truth of the matter is that everyone does believe, but the question is, in what do they believe? The well-known Grace Minister Andrew Womack has noted that unbelief is the belief in ‘un’. For example, we can believe we are un-worthy. In the time of our need to conquer our un-belief, the ‘cure’ is to be found in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. Jesus has gone before, becoming our High Priest, not defiling himself with the sins of un-belief, walking in the obedience of His true divine nature, reconciling us with our true identity, so that we can cast-off our doubts as we come to the recognition of our divinity as co-heirs of God’s Kingdom.
We also see an example of the fear induced by unbelief with John the Baptist in Luke Chapter 7 where because of circumstances he questions Jesus’ Messiahship. The response Jesus sends is essentially, “look at the reality of me and not the fear around you”.
The following table lists many other examples of ‘un’s believed in that are un-true.
| un-accepted | un-adopted | un-adored | un-affected |
| un-aided | un-akin | un-alert | un-alive |
| un-allowed | un-ambitious | un-anointed | un-apologetic |
| un-applied | un-appreciated | un-approved | un-armed |
| un-atoned | un-attractive | un-available | un-aware |
| un-balanced | un-beautiful | un-beloved | un-bidden |
| un-called | un-capable | un-certain | un-changed |
| un-circumcised | un-claimed | un-clean | un-clear |
| un-comfortable | un-committed | un-common | Un-conceivable |
| un-concerned | un-conditioned | un-confident | un-connected |
| un-conscious | un-consecrated | un-convinced | un-cooperative |
| un-couth | un-cultured | un-decided | un-dedicated |
| un-deserving | un-desirable | un-devout | un-dignified |
| un-eager | un-earned | un-easy | un-educated |
| un-enthusiastic | un-equipped | un-ethical | un-familiar |
| un-fit | un-focussed | un-forgiveness | un-empowered |
| un-godly | un-happy | un-hinged | un-holy |
| un-homely | un-immune | un-planned | un-planted |
| un-honest | un-honoured | un-hoped for | un-ideal |
| un-identified | un-illuminated | un-illusioned | un-imaginable |
| un-important | un-imposing | un-impressive | un-improvable |
| un-incisive | un-indorsed | un-influenced | un-informed |
| un-inspired | un-instructed | un-integrated | un-intelligent |
| un-intended | un-interesting | un-inventive | un-invited/ing |
| un-joined | un-joyous | un-just | un-justified |
| un-kempt | un-kind | un-known | un-laureled |
| un-learned | un-led | un-lettered | un-liked |
| un-lordly | un-lovable/ed | un-lovely | un-lucrative |
| un-manly/feminine | un-mannered | un-married | un-mastered |
| un-material | un-meant | un-mediated | un-melodious |
| un-memorable | un-merited | un-nameable | un-necessary |
| un-needed | un-nerved | un-noble | un-noticed |
| un-official | un-ordained | un-original | un-owned |
| un-pardoned | un-paid | un-peaceful | un-pedantic |
| un-pedigreed | un-perfected | un-persauded | un-placed |
| un-pleasant | un-pledged | un-polished | un-popular |
| un-possessed | un-praised | un-predictable | un-prepared |
| un-presentable | un-principled | un-privileged | un-prized |
| un-productive | un-profitable | un-pronounced | un-prosperous |
| un-protected | un-provided | un-purchased | un-pure |
| un-purged | un-qualified | un-quickened | un-raised |
| un-ransomed | un-reached | un-ready | un-real |
| un-received | un-recognised | un-recompensed | un-reconciled |
| un-redeemed | un-refined | un-refreshed | un-regarded |
| un-related | un-relaxed | un-remembered | un-renewed |
| un-renowned | un-repaired | un-replenished | un-represented |
| un-required | un-restored | un-rewarded | un-righteous |
| un-robed | un-royal | un-sacred | un-saved |
| un-salted | un-sanctified | un-satisfied | un-sealed |
| un-seated | un-secured | un-seemly | un-selected |
| un-sensational | un-sent | un-shod | un-shown |
| un-son | un-sought | un-spiritual | un-strengthened |
| un-substantial | un-suitable | un-sung | un-supported |
| un-sure | un-sustained | un-sweet | un-taken |
| un-talented | un-tempered | un-throned | un-titled |
| un-transformed | un-usable | un-valued | un-venerable |
| un-vindicated | un-wanted | un-washed | un-watched |
| un-weaned | un-wedded | un-welcome | un-well |
| un-wholesome | un-wise | un-won | un-wooed |
| un-worthy |
