Part 2 — what God actually asks of us
All God asks is trust
If sin is broken trust, then salvation is restored trust. That's why, Maxwell says, "all God asks is trust — even of us damaged sinners. For if only we trusted Him enough to listen, He could readily heal the damage done." Faith isn't a magic password. It's a healed relationship.
What faith really is
Maxwell's definition
"Faith is a word we use to describe a relationship with God as with a Person well known… It means having enough confidence in God — based on the more than adequate evidence revealed — to be willing to believe what He says, to accept what He offers, and to do what He wishes — without reservation — for the rest of eternity."
And here's the punchline
"Anyone who has such faith would be perfectly safe to save. This is why faith is the only requirement for heaven." Heaven isn't a reward for performance — it's a safe place that can only be shared with people who have learned to trust. Trust is what makes the universe safe again.
Why "just believe" isn't shallow
Some hear "all God asks is trust" and think it sounds too easy — a free pass that skips obedience. Maxwell's point is the opposite: real trust is the deepest thing there is, and it produces everything else.
The misunderstanding
"Faith is just mental assent — believing the facts are true. So I can believe and live however I want." But "the devils also believe — and tremble" (James 2:19). That's not the faith that saves.
The real thing
Saving faith is trusting a Person you've come to know and admire — so completely that you're willing to listen, to receive His healing, and to do what He says. That kind of trust can't help but transform a life. "By his action… the integrity of his faith was fully proved" (James 2:22). Trust is the root; the changed life is the fruit.
Faith that dares to ask "why?"
Maxwell makes a striking point: real friends of God aren't afraid to ask Him questions. God called Abraham and Moses His friends — and both reverently questioned Him.
Friendship, not servile fear
"Like Abraham and Moses, we know God well enough to reverently ask Him, 'Why?'" A God who only wants unquestioning compliance would be the arbitrary tyrant Satan described. The real God invites understanding: "Come now, and let us reason together" (Isaiah 1:18).
The healing model of salvation
Because sin is damage and God is a physician, salvation is described as healing, not just a legal pardon. "As our physician Father, God longs to make His children well. Our part is not to heal ourselves but to cooperate." Jesus asked the paralytic, "Would you like to be made whole?" (John 5:6).
Our only part
Not to manufacture our own cure, but to trust the Physician enough to stop running from Him and let Him work. "Receive your sight; your faith has healed you" (Luke 18:42). The faith didn't earn the healing — it received it.
Sam says
Think of a frightened patient who won't let the doctor near. The cure exists, the doctor is willing — but fear keeps the patient sick. All the doctor asks is: trust me enough to hold still and let me help. That's it. That's the whole gospel in Maxwell's telling: stop being afraid of God, trust the Physician, and let Him heal what sin has damaged. 🩹
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See where Maxwell & Lehman agree