GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 1:45
45 How blessed is she who believed
that what the Lord had promised her will be fulfilled!”
The words credulous and incredulous are interesting to me because they are not opposites. To be credulous or to have credulity has at its root the word “creed.” Let’s get right back into Latin here, since the word “creed” comes from the Latin credo, “I believe,” as in credo enim Deo, “I believe in God” (Acts 27:25), or ad tempus credunt, “they believe for a while” (Luke 8:13). But in English, to be credulous is to believe too quickly, or to be ready to believe someone without reason. On the other hand, to be incredulous means to be disbelieving. So they are not opposites. They are both opposed to “believe,” on either side of the word. Elizabeth praises Mary as being blessed on account of her faith—her justified, real, and fully trusting faith in God. Mary is neither credulous nor incredulous, and this is not just Elizabeth’s opinion; it’s the declaration of the Holy Spirit who has enlightened Elizabeth.
What kind of faith is your faith? Don’t be deceived by the devil and his desire to lie to you. He wants you to think that because you came to faith when you were an infant that you were credulous—too eager to believe without reason. But a baby can be pleased that it’s saved from drowning or fire or falling—and the baby’s trust in the mommy or daddy or loved one who did the saving isn’t misplaced. You were saved from being lost in the devil’s hell of lies and other wickedness and suffering, and it’s no shame to trust in the One who saved you. Put your faith in Jesus. If you’ve been wandering outside the firelight in your haze of incredulity, then get in here! Jump into Jesus’ circle of salvation, into the light of the Son, and let go of your doubt and your nonsense questions. Let him grasp you by the hand and by the heart, and let him bring you home into eternal life.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: //http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota