Romans 5:6

6 While we were yet in weakness [powerless to help ourselves], at the fitting time Christ died for (in behalf of) the ungodly.

  

There is a powerful Truth here in verse six and it is that we can do nothing on our own.

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. John 15:5

I was raised in a Full Gospel, Tele-evangelists, Mega Church. It was preached to us all of the time that we had to first believe in order for our Father to do anything in our lives. That teaching is so false and it is straight from the mouth of satan. The glorious Truth is that we are always powerless to help ourselves, Romans 11:32. We need Jesus for everything. We need Him for the big things in our life’s, the small things, and everything in between. We can never do anything on our own without Him, especially to first believe. 

Think about when Jesus came, no-one believed Who He was. The Disciples said they did, but they ran away when He was arrested and crucified. They doubted that He could feed the masses, even after they saw Him feed the masses. When Jesus was raised from the dead no one believed Mary when she told them that He had been. Thomas didn’t even believe that Jesus was alive when the other ten Disciples told him and none of the Israelites believed that He was the Lord. Yet even though no one believed, Jesus still died for all of them and He helped them. And He is helping us all today whether we believe that He is or not. 

Look at the sick man at the Pool of Bethesda. When Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed the guy didn’t believe that Jesus could. The sick man only complained to Jesus. He never acknowledged Jesus as Lord. He never even said that he wanted to be healed, yet Jesus healed him, John 5. Jesus acted first and the sick man responded. 

Our Father is never limited by our weakness. He does not need us to first do anything on our own for Him to then act in our life’s. Our Father is The Activator, He does not react. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith. Jesus is our Shepherd and shepherds lead, they don’t follow. A vine does not react to the branch, a vine first causes the branch to react, and Jesus is our Vine. All things, whether seen or not, exist for and through our Father and all things are for His good pleasure.

For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [by His service, intervention] and in and for Him. Colossians 1:16