The Opposite of Faith

But He said to them, "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Mark 4:40

In grammar school language studies we learned about opposites. Some were simple to understand like directions (up versus down), but others had shades of meaning that required more careful thinking (nice versus not-nice). When we come to opposites in the spiritual life, we move even further away from simple meanings. For instance, what is the opposite of faith? The easy answer is "unbelief." If we have faith, we believe; if we don't have faith, we don't believe.

But when Jesus called His disciples to account for their lack of faith, He suggested the opposite was fear instead of unbelief: "Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" Why is fear the opposite of faith? In the setting where Jesus chastised His disciples, the issue at hand was the future. They were in the middle of a storm on the Sea of Galilee and the disciples didn't think they would make it to shore. So when we approach the future we can approach it one of two ways: with faith or with fear.

If you are in the midst of a storm and concerned about the future, let your perspective be the opposite to that of the disciples. Choose to have faith in Christ to see you through.

The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of faith is the end of anxiety. George Muller