What Does It Mean to Believe in God?

Download File Here
What does it mean when you say that you believe in God?
What it means to believe:
- Intellectually believe that there is a God and that He lives today in the form of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It would be the same as believing that George Washington or any other historical figure existed.
- It is also personal acceptance. It is understanding that there is a God, that He exists, and that I accept the things that the Bible teaches about Him. This is the essence of believing (intellectual belief) and receive (personal acceptance).
This is what is described in John 1:12:
12 But to all who did receive him (personal acceptance), who believed in his name (intellectual belief), he gave the right to become children of God.
What do you think are the challenges to either or both of these statements?
Our belief in God is often based upon faith. Hebrews 11:6 tells us: 6 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 11:1 tells us” 1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Based upon those verses, what do you see are the some of the challenges in having faith in God?
Belief does not have to be completely about faith without “evidence” however. Your belief should be based upon things that God has done to prove Himself to you.
Are there tangible ways in which you have seen God?
Believing In God Is a Call to Act
When we believe in Jesus, there should be a call to action in our hearts. James 2:14-17 tells us: 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 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? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
While works (good deeds) are not how we earn favor with God, they demonstrate our faith in Him. Can you explain how this could be applied to your life?
In James 2:21-23 tells how Abraham demonstrated his faith by being willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
This story is told in Genesis 22. God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and Abraham was willing to do this because he trusted in his faith in God. This was an amazing act of faith, because God had promised him a son who would carry on the covenant God made with Abraham. At the time Abraham was to offer the sacrifice, both he and his wife, Sarah, were over 100 years old, so having more children seemed highly unlikely. However, Abraham was willing to make this sacrifice despite the fact that he likely thought that this was his only chance to bring forth a son to carry on the promise God made to him.
Are there things that God has asked you to “sacrifice” to demonstrate your faith in Him?
Consider the previous question from this angle. God asked Abraham to demonstrate his faith by being willing to give up his son. The “work” God asked of Abraham was not to help hundreds of people or to give lots of money. It was not traditionally how we would think of the word “works.” Instead, it was his willingness to sacrifice something that he greatly cherished. This was the “work.” Something that he thought was vital to his life and his legacy.
Are there “works” you could perform that would demonstrate your faith in God?
Believing Is Trusting in God and His Promises
God tells us to trust in Him. Proverb 3:5-6 declares, “5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
We demonstrate our trust in Him in a few areas:
His Promises – Trusting in the promises that God has made is one of the most essential parts of believing in God. God made many promises to people throughout the Bible, and always delivered on those promises. Can you think of some passages in the Bible where God promised somebody He would do something and He did?
God made many promises related to the Messiah, and Jesus fulfilled these through his life, death, and resurrection. Yet, some of those promises have not been fulfilled yet. He promised that Jesus will return one day, and we can have confidence in this because He has proven to be faithful and so many of His other promises.
God’s Character – The character of God is another area where God gives to us that we have good reason to trust in Him. He has demonstrated His righteousness by fulfilling all aspects of the Law. He demonstrated His mercy by Jesus dying on the cross to forgive all of our sins. He demonstrates His love by loving us when we care nothing about Him.
Paul explained this when he wrote in Romans 5:6-8, “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
What We Do Not See – We have reasons to believe in God because we have read about all the amazing things He did. However, Hebrews 11 says that our faith is also based upon the things we have not seen. We believe in a God who does not seem visible to us. We believe in a God who may not talk in an audible voice to you. We take, in faith, that the promises God provided in the Bible will one day occur.
You Just Don’t Know
There are many reasons why people doubt that there is a God or at least that there is a God who cares about them, but these reasons fall into three primary categories. The first of these is that they witness the horrible things that go on in the world and believe that a loving God would not allow these things to occur. Second, they have prayed to God asking for a miraculous thing to occur and God did not deliver, so they feel betrayed. The third is that they have done such horrible things in their life that they cannot believe that God could forgive and love them.
Are any or all of these areas where you feel challenged in your belief with God?
When we feel this way, it is often voices and memories of our pasts that convince us that God is not real or that He does not care about us. Are you finding that this is true in your own life?
Regardless, God does love and care about you. Your sin and failings are not bigger than God. Your sins are not worse than what anyone else has done. Even before you chose to follow Him or were even seeking after Him, Jesus died for you!
How Do I Increase My Belief and Faith?
No matter where you may be in your walk with Jesus, increasing one’s faith and belief is always the goal. Even those who have been followers of God for decades still seek to improve their faith in Him.
The question is how does one increase their faith? How would you answer that question?
Ask – Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8 that if you ask it will be given. If you want your belief in God to increase, then the best place to begin is by asking God to increase your faith. This is what the disciples asked of Jesus in Luke 17:5, and He told them that “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
Spend Time with God – Consider those that you trust and believe in the most. What gives you such confidence in them?
It is likely that you have spent significant time around them. In many instances, just because someone is a cousin, brother, sister, or other close relative does not mean that you would trust them completely. You have to spend time with them as well. You have to get to know them. There must be a history there. God asks the same thing of you. If you want to know Him better, then ask yourself how could you spend time with Him so that you could increase your belief and faith?
Perform Works – We learned that works are not about doing good deeds. This is not how someone increases their faith, by trying to earn the favor of God. Instead, we learned how works were related to our willingness to sacrifice those things we cherish to follow God. How do you think doing these types of things would help increase your faith?
Milestones – Consider some important moments in your life. It could be an event like the birth of your child, a wedding, or some other similar type of event. You likely can provide many details about those events and can explain how that dramatically changed your life in a good way.
This is true of your Christian walk as well. There are significant events that have occurred in your Christian faith – milestones – and these are things to spend some time considering. Reminiscing about how God has already acted in your life can help you to increase your faith. Recognizing how God helped you out of a dangerous situation or thinking about instances where things could have gone terribly wrong but didn’t helps you to have faith that He can guide you through significant events that occur in the future.
Can you think of some “milestones” in your life that have helped develop your faith and belief in God?
It may be a good idea to write these things down in a journal or in a file on your computer. You are likely going to find that the more you do this, the more you will find that God has moved in your life way beyond what you had imagined. In addition, it can be of great comfort to you during dark times when you are struggling in your faith.
There Is Great Power in Believing in God
There is great power in believing in God. That statement cannot be said enough. Jesus told the disciples that faith could move mountains. No one is saying that you are going to cast Mount Everest into the ocean, but big barriers to your life can be removed. It starts by believing in a God who can help you to overcome all challenges in your life.
However, there is also something else to keep in mind. You may be in a trying time or face a crisis and God may not remove that situation or heal you in your illness. It does not mean that there is not a God. It does not mean that God does not care about your problem. It also does not mean that you have nowhere to turn.
Challenges in our lives help us to grow. They also help us to prepare to help others.
Earlier, it was mentioned that “works” were related to the sacrifices you were willing to make to grow closer to God and to demonstrate your faith. Now, consider works from a different point of view. There are many you will encounter who will be going through dark times, times you can fully understand because you have been there yourself. This is a time where you can help them to overcome their challenges and to see how God is moving in their life.
God has taken you through a challenging time and now you can use that experience to help another. You will help to change that person’s life and give him or her a sense of hope. You may even help that person to create his or her own milestones.
How could your experiences help others?
So, this I the time to ask yourself two important questions:
Do you believe that increasing your faith in God will make your life better?
What are some actions you will take to increase your faith?
Bible Passages for the Week:
Monday – John 1:1-5
Tuesday – Deuteronomy 6:4-6
Wednesday – Hebrews 11:1-40
Thursday – James 2:18-25
Friday – Romans 4:1-25
Saturday – Pick a passage from Scripture that teaches about having faith in God.
Download File Here
© 2024 Dr. Robert Pannier, Hope CDA, All Rights Reserved