RTBS: 04/29 John 4:34 (2)

RTBS | John 4:48

Faith and Signs — The Nature of True Belief

2. PASSAGE EXEGESIS

John 4:48

2.1 What words, phrases, or images stand out?

“Unless you people see signs and wonders…” “you will by no means believe.”

This is not encouragement.

This is rebuke.

Jesus is not praising their faith—

👉 He is exposing it.

John 4:48 — “Unless you… see signs and wonders”

“Unless” — ἐὰν μὴ

This is conditional language.

👉 Their belief has a prerequisite.

They will not believe unless something happens first

Not truth. Not Christ.

👉 Experience.

“You people” (plural)

Jesus is speaking to one man—

But the language is plural.

👉 This is bigger than the nobleman.

Jesus is exposing a pattern:

Galilean culture

Jewish expectation

human nature

👉 A demand for signs before belief

“Signs” — σημεῖα (sēmeia)

A sign is not just a miracle.

👉 A sign points beyond itself.

The miracle is not the goal—

👉 It reveals who Jesus is.

“Wonders” — τέρατα (terata)

Wonders emphasize:

amazement

spectacle

emotional reaction

Together:

👉 Signs = revelation 👉 Wonders = reaction

Key Problem

They are focused on:

👉 the wonder

Instead of:

👉 the revelation

“You will by no means believe”

This is the strongest possible denial in Greek.

👉 Absolute refusal

Jesus is not saying:

“You struggle to believe”

He is saying:

👉 “You will not believe apart from signs.”

THE PROBLEM — CONDITIONAL FAITH

The people are not rejecting Jesus outright—

👉 but their faith is conditional

They believe:

if they see

if they experience

if they benefit

Key Observation

👉 This is not faith in Christ

👉 This is faith in outcomes

EX: It is common now for individuals to come to christ because they claim they heard from him, or God supernaturally convinced them somehow

Now I don’t believe God speaks audibly to people anymore

God can do whatever he wants though, and he wanted to show a sign to someone to get them to believe he could, and he very well may

However I think that most of the time these are coincidences that people are already subconscioulsy looking for that push them over the edge to believe

EX: I heard a story once of a man who goes to swim in a pool at night, and he goes up to the high platform diving board, looks out and sees a reflection of a cross in the window. It causes him to believe in Jesus, and comes down off the diving board only to find out later the pool he was getting ready to jump into was empty, and it would have killed him if he had jumped

Was this God showing a sign to a stubborn unbeliever - maybe - however I think people who are being convictred by the spirit tend to have minds shaped to see signs in everything

IT’S LIKE THEY ARE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING PHYSICAL TO CONVINCE THEM BECUASE JUST HAVING FAITH IN THE WORD OF GOD ISN’T ENOUGH, AND SOME ORDINARY THING HAPPENS BUT IT GIVES THEM AN EXCUSE TO NOW BELIEVE

This is exactly what Jesus was warning against, and I think in most cases this is why

We are called to have faith in the message of the gospel, the word of God that has already been proclaimed and clearly shared, if we needed more signs all the time, then that would make the messagte insufficient

WHAT IS BIBLICAL FAITH?

Most people think:

👉 Faith = belief after proof

But Scripture teaches:

👉 Faith = trust in what God has already said

Primary Texts:

John 4:48 Hebrews 11:1 John 20:29 2 Corinthians 5:7

Hebrews 11:1

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

“We walk by faith, not by sight.”

KEY DISTINCTION

1. Sign-Dependent Faith

needs proof

needs outcomes

collapses without results

2. Word-Dependent Faith

trusts what God has said

stands without visible evidence

endures regardless of outcome

KEY OBSERVATION

👉 Signs can produce amazement

👉 But only truth produces faith

Discussion Question 1

What does a church look like that is focused on signs and wonders instead of faith in the word of God?

Guiding Points / Follow-ups:

What happens when the goal of a service becomes a feeling or moment instead of truth? → Experience becomes the center → People judge church by how it felt

If signs and experiences are central, what happens to preaching? → The Word gets minimized → Less depth, more emotional focus

What happens when nothing “big” happens for a while? → People get discouraged → Faith becomes unstable → People start doubting or leaving

If people expect constant signs, what pressure does that put on leaders? → Pressure to manufacture moments → Exaggeration or emotional manipulation

If faith is built on what you see, what happens when you don’t see it? → Up-and-down Christianity → Faith tied to circumstances

Push deeper if needed: Why is that kind of church attractive to people?

Key Lines to Use:

“When experience is central, truth becomes optional.”

“If signs are the foundation, faith collapses when signs disappear.”

“A church focused on signs produces consumers, not disciples.”

“You start following what God does instead of who God is.”

Important Balance: This doesn’t mean God doesn’t work or do miracles—it means those are not the foundation of our faith.

THE THEOLOGICAL ISSUE

Faith becomes:

👉 transactional

Instead of:

👉 relational

Discussion Question 2

“Why do you think Jesus healed the paralytic without requiring faith—but challenged the nobleman before healing?”

Now understand Jesus approached the paralytic man, and the nobleman approached him. But what this is focusing on is they both still had faith in something results based.

(Nobleman - miracles of Christ - Paralytic Man - Pool of water)

Guiding Points / Follow-ups:

“Why wouldn’t Jesus just respond the same way to both?” → Jesus doesn’t treat everyone the same → He’s not formula-based → He deals with the heart, not just the request

What do we actually see from each person? → Paralytic → no clear expression of faith → Nobleman → gets pushed into real faith

What does that tell us about how Jesus works? → Faith isn’t always the starting point—but it is the goal → Jesus is moving people, not just responding to them

Did either of them earn their miracle? → “Did the paralytic earn healing?” → No → Miracles are not rewards for faith

3. KEY DOCTRINE

3.1 Key Doctrine

The Doctrine of Non-Circumstantial Faith

Definition

Non-Circumstantial Faith is trust in God that is grounded in His Word and character, not dependent on visible outcomes, signs, or personal circumstances.

3.2 What Does This Doctrine Teach?

1. True Faith Is Grounded in God’s Word

Not:

signs

emotions

outcomes

But:

👉 what God has said

2. Faith That Depends on Circumstances Is Unstable

If your faith requires:

constant proof

visible results

👉 it will collapse

3. Christ Calls for Belief Before Evidence

Not blind faith—

👉 Word-based trust

4. Signs Do Not Produce Lasting Faith

They may:

impress

amaze

But they do not: 👉 transform

What This Doctrine Is Not

This is not:

a rejection of miracles

a denial that God works in circumstances

irrational belief

Clean Theological Summary

Faith that depends on what you see is not biblical faith.

True faith rests on what Christ has said—

and remains firm whether circumstances confirm it or not.

WHY THIS MATTERS

If faith is based on circumstances:

it rises and falls

it becomes unstable

it shifts constantly

If faith is based on God’s Word:

it remains steady

it grows deeper

it endures

FINAL LINE

Jesus does not chase people with signs—

👉 He calls them to believe His Word

👉 The question is not: “Have I seen enough to believe?”

👉 The question is: “Will I believe what Christ has said—before I see anything?”