“Did not Moses give you the Law, and yet none of you carries out the Law?’” John 7:19
Throughout the Bible we see people of faith; those willing to believe that what God says is true. We also see those who seemingly want to believe but aren’t necessarily willing to believe. Which type of person you are boils down to how you respond when confronted with truth. In John 7 Jesus confronted the Jews with the truth of the Law—truth they refused to obey. The discussion that followed demonstrates the difference between the willing and the unwilling.
While the willing seek transformation, the unwilling seek information (vv25-27). It seems they want to believe because they’re always asking questions about Jesus and the Bible. However, they walk away time and time again, basing their judgments on human reasoning rather than having faith in Christ. Many in the crowd wanted more evidence proving Jesus was the Christ, but ignored the truth standing in front of them. To these people Jesus cried out, “You both know Me and know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. I know Him, because I am from Him, and He sent Me” (John 7:28-29).
Those willing to believe surrender to Who they know based on what they know. “But many of the crowd believed in Him; and they were saying, ‘When the Christ comes, He will not perform more signs than those which this man has, will He?’” (v31). They heard the love in the voice of Jesus as He spoke and saw the compassion of Jesus as He healed the sick. They willingly responded to the authority of Jesus as He cast out demons and taught the Scriptures.
When the willing are confronted with truth, they are converted by it and, therefore, conform to it. They want what Jesus offers in John 7:37-38, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
Are you willing to believe in Jesus Christ? As the question suggests, it’s an act of your will. And when we submit our will to the Lord we conform to His Word and His way. Maybe you’re already a believer and the Holy Spirit is convicting you about a certain biblical truth you’re not currently obeying. Remember, what you really believe is proven by how you respond when confronted with truth.