lack of self-confidence?

Someone pointed me to a broadcast of Hour of Power. In his sermon, Robert Schuller spoke about Matthew 14, where Peter, during the storm, stepped out of the boat and walked across the water to Jesus; “but when he saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink, and cried: Lord, save me!” (Mat.14: 30). Schuller said: In an explanation about this, you always hear that Peter did not have enough faith in Jesus and that he was simply scared. However, in fact, Peter did not doubt Jesus, but had doubts about himself. This explanation fits much of today’s preaching. It is also popular in the New Age movements. A man should believe in himself. How misleading! As long as Peter’s eye only focused on Jesus and on what HE is able to do, all went well. He began to sink when he ‘zoomed in’ on the wind and the waves. It was not lack of self-confidence that caused Peter to go down, but it was due to his eyes latching onto something else than on Jesus alone. Every sermon in which people are directed to pay close attention to their own faith is a disastrous message. Also in “experimentally-Reformed” circles, we find this emphasis, where man is constantly called upon to examine himself: Is my faith real? Do I have enough faith? I assure you: for anyone honestly asking these questions, the answers will always be in the negative. Who looks within himself, never sees faith. That is logical, because faith will only be found where we rely on HIM. Only where I see HIM, there HE sees (not I) my faith (> Mat.9:2.22). ——————————— translation: Peter Feddema

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