I would like all readers of this blog to consider themselves part of a jury. Instead of making a group decision, you will each be required to make your own individual verdict. You will be accountable for your own decision, and it will impact how you move forward in your spiritual walk once you have seen all the evidence. This is what you must decide: does the evidence prove “the truth” or is there “reasonable doubt”?

Exhibit A: Authority

From the very start of His ministry, Jesus demonstrated extraordinary authority in His teaching, over sickness, and over spiritual darkness. Mark 1:21-27 tells us the crowd was amazed because He taught with authority, unlike the scribes.

The authority Jesus demonstrated was not intended to cease with Him. In Mark 3:13-15, He gave that authority to His disciples. In Luke 10, we read that Jesus appointed seventy to go out with the same authority. After Jesus died on the cross and was resurrected to heaven, He delegated that authority to us His church!

Exhibit B: Belief in Action

Authority alone isn’t enough—faith is required. And faith isn’t passive; it moves. Jesus illustrated this in the Parable of the Sower (Mark 4). Only the seed that fell on good soil produced a harvest—thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold. The difference? The hearer received the Word and acted on it. Right after teaching this parable, Jesus had some important things to say.

“Then He said to them, ‘Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.'” Mark 4:24-25 NKJV

This passage is often taken out of context and only associated with giving, but it actually says, “Take heed what you hear.” The point of this evidence is that, with the same measure you use, the Word of God will be measured back to you. To those who hear the Word, more belief will be given. For whoever has faith in the Word, more will be provided, but those who do not believe will enter more into unbelief.

Two Scriptural examples:

• The woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5): Despite cultural risk and physical weakness, she pressed through the crowd—maybe even crawling—to touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Her faith was active, and she was healed.
• The friends of the paralytic (Mark 2): They didn’t let a packed house stop them. They tore through a roof to get their friend to Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, He healed and forgave.

Belief mixed with action brings results.

Exhibit C: Hardheartedness

This term means something deeper in the Bible than we often think—it’s not just being unkind. Scripture speaks of spiritual blindness and stubborn unbelief.

• Mark 3:1-5: The Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath so they could accuse Him. Jesus said that they were unmoved by a miraculous healing and said this revealed their hardness of heart.
• Mark 4:37-40; 6:49-52: These passages describe two different storms the disciples were in. In the first storm, Jesus was asleep in the boat and demonstrated His power by calming the storm. In between the storms, Jesus multiplied food to feed 5000 men, plus women and children. When Jesus walked on the water to come to them in the second storm, He said that the disciples’ hearts were hardened because they did not believe even after seeing the miracle of the loaves.
• Mark 16:9-14: After His resurrection, Jesus rebuked the disciples for unbelief and hardness of heart because they refused to believe eyewitnesses.

Hardheartedness isn’t just a Pharisee problem—it can happen to any of us when we let the enemy, circumstances, or distractions choke out our faith. Think back to the parable of the sower. We could say that the first three examples showed unbelief and hardheartedness.

• The one who hears the Word, but immediately Satan comes to steal it.
• The person who has no root, so tribulation or difficulties take away the Word.
• When the cares of life or the desire for other things more than the Word cause a person to lose out.

The disciples had the privilege of being eyewitnesses to Jesus’ acts, and they struggled with unbelief and hardheartedness. Today, we are to believe in the promises of the written Word, and we can’t allow the enemy, circumstances, or the cares of life to steal belief in the Word.

Jesus was limited by unbelief. Even in Nazareth, Jesus “could do no mighty work” because of unbelief (Mark 6:5–6).

• Mark 5:37-42: In the miracle of raising Jairus’ daughter, Jesus limited the unbelief by putting all but the parents and Peter, James, and John out of the room.
• Mark 8:22-25: Jesus had to lead a blind man out of a city of unbelief before He could heal him.

The Verdict

The evidence has been presented:

• Jesus has all authority, and He has delegated it to His followers.
• Belief, when combined with action, produces a breakthrough.
• Unbelief and hardheartedness can block the work of God in our lives.

So—what’s your verdict?

Will you return a verdict of Truth, embracing God’s authority and moving forward in active faith? Or will you return Reasonable Doubt, allowing unbelief to keep you from walking in the fullness of His promises?

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Closing Challenge

If you recognize doubt in your heart, you don’t have to stay there. Ask the Lord to turn your unbelief into faith.

If you’ve let the Word be stolen by the enemy…
If life’s hardships have caused you to stumble…
If distractions have choked out your spiritual growth…

…today is the day to break that cycle.

Your life has too much purpose to be slowed down by unbelief.
The case has been made. The jury is you. The verdict is yours.