Close enough to see; too far to believe" (Part Seven)

He (The Centurian) praised God.

Isn't that a most unusual thing for a Roman soldier to do?

I assume he was a pagan. In his position, he was quite unlikely to be a Jew or even a Jewish sympathizer. Yet, he was willing to risk his military career with outspoken praise to God over the death of Jesus Christ. He knew God was involved in what he had just witnessed.

He passed personal judgement: "Surely this was a righteous man." By that he meant that Jesus was innocent. Yet, another historian reports that he said, "Surely this man was a son of God." Probably he said both.

I want to believe that he believed. I want to conclude that he became a believer at that very moment. Some suggest that he was the centurian who came to Jesus earlier in the scriptures. Yet, I know that would be reading too much into the record.

It isn't so much that he believed but that he did not disbelieve.

He was not Caiaphas-filled with malice and making up his mind against Jesus in advance.

He was no Pilate-unwilling to take a chance on the side of truth and God.

This centurion was open to real truth and to discover what God was doing.

There are many modern centurions. These are those who are on the fringe of faith. They are curious about Jesus. They are even open to Jesus. They have neither closed their minds to God nor compromised their integrity with political expediency. They are close-but not yet believers. Half way but not yet far enough.

You see, to be a Christian is much more than not disbelieving. Christians are those who have gone far past halfway. To be a Christian is to say more than that Jesus is a good man. Christians are those who believe all the way in Jesus. Christians are convinced that he is , the Messiah, the Christ, the one and only Savior of sinners. Christians are those who Repent and are baptized in his name and filled with his spirit.