Unbelief is a major theme throughout the Bible. It refers to a lack of faith or trust in God and can manifest in a few different ways. Here are some key Bible verses about unbelief:
Doubting God’s Power and Provisions
“But he answered them, ‘You give them something to eat.’ They said, ‘We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.’ For there were about five thousand men.” (Luke 9:13-14a)
“On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, ‘May no one ever eat fruit from you again.’ And his disciples heard it.” (Mark 11:12-14)
These verses show examples of people doubting that God could or would provide for their needs. In Luke, the disciples doubted Jesus’ ability to feed the five thousand with just five loaves and two fish. In Mark, Jesus curses the fig tree for not having fruit to satisfy his hunger, demonstrating a lapse of faith that God would provide for him.
Rejecting Jesus as Messiah
“He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” (John 1:11)
“For even his own brothers did not believe in him.” (John 7:5)
These verses refer to the sad reality that many of Jesus’ own people, the Jews, rejected him as their long-awaited Messiah. Though Jesus performed many miracles and taught with great authority, many refused to believe he was the Christ.
Doubting Jesus’ Resurrection
“When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.” (Mark 16:11)
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.'” (John 20:24-25)
Though Jesus prophesied his death and resurrection multiple times, many of his followers struggled to believe once it actually happened. Even eyewitness accounts from Jesus’ own disciples failed to convince some, like Thomas, of his resurrection.
Trusting in Man Over God
“Some were relying on their Judaism and thought that it would save them. Others were relying on the fact that they were Greeks. Both groups were bragging about something they had done. But we brag only about Christ Jesus when we meet God. We brag that we belong to Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 6:3-4)
“Stop trusting in human beings, who have only a breath in their nostrils. Why hold them in esteem?” (Isaiah 2:22)
Relying on anything or anyone other than God reflects a lack of faith in His supreme power and authority. These verses warn against finding one’s identity or security in anything besides Christ.
Presumption of God’s Mercy
“What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
“Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6)
While God is rich in mercy, He is also just. Continuing in unrepentant sin while assuming God’s grace gives license to sin is dangerously presumptuous. True saving faith results in obedience and turning from sin.
Failure to Endure Trial
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28)
“Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” (Hebrews 12:3-4)
Trials can either strengthen faith or expose unbelief. Abandoning faith in the face of adversity demonstrates an unrooted, untested belief. But those who persevere through hardship reveal genuine trust in God.
Ineffective Faith
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)
Intellectual assent to the truth of the gospel alone is not a saving faith. True living faith produces good works as evidence of a transformed heart.
Unbelief’s Consequences
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)
“Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:18)
“But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.” (Revelation 21:8)
According to Scripture, unbelief cuts us off from God’s promises, inviting His judgment rather than blessing. It demonstrates a heart of rebellion against God.
Prayers for Faith
“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!'” (Mark 9:24)
“Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:12-13)
If we find ourselves struggling with unbelief, we don’t have to stay there. God is gracious to respond to sincere prayers for help believing and persevering in faith.
Promised Blessings for Faith
“And Jesus answered them, ‘Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.'” (Matthew 21:21)
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?'” (John 11:25-26)
God rewards those who step out in faith, no matter how small. His promises are freely given to those who believe in Christ and confirm their faith through obedience.
Examples of Great Faith
“When Jesus heard this, he marveled and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly, I tell you, with no one in Israel have I found such faith.'” (Matthew 8:10)
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” (Hebrews 12:1)
Scripture gives many examples of faithful believers who trusted God in extraordinary ways, often in the face of great adversity. Their bold faith challenges and encourages believers in every generation to exercise unwavering confidence in God and His promises.
Faith Overcomes the World
“For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” (1 John 5:4-5)
“Be on guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13)
Genuine faith manifests itself in many ways, but ultimately it overcomes the world and all its unbelief. By God’s strength, believers can stand firm in faith and not succumb to doubt.
In summary, the Bible has much to say about unbelief. It manifests itself in doubting God’s power, rejecting Christ as Savior, doubting His resurrection, trusting in human strength over God, presumption of grace, failing trials, or an ineffective intellectual faith. Unbelief has serious consequences, but God is merciful. With prayer and obedience, believers can overcome unbelief by God’s strength and rest in His faithful promises.