Why Believe?
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Introduction: Is Belief Necessary?
Introduction: Is Belief Necessary?
Start with Romans 10:1-4
In 2018, Pew Research Center conducted a survey including 4,700 U.S. adults on the question Do you believe in God? The study revealed the following:
80% of the respondents replied yes
19% of the respondents replied no
33% believe in some high power, spiritual force
56% believe in the God as described in the Bible
*The conclusion is that 44% of all Christians in this study believe in an unbiblical view of God, though they do believe in some god.
When the world becomes uncertain about the reality of God, man becomes left to their own thoughts, ideas, and assumptions—making themselves gods. What’s worse is the reality, some Christians are masquerading their faith in God with faith in themselves.
So the question is why should we believe? Why not just live as [super] rational beings who depend on their limited knowledge of things, with a hope of discovering truth that will forward the earth and societies into a progressive reality?
Philosophically, we believe because faith is the most basic human instinct we were given. This is because belief is about trust.
A bird stays in the nest for at least 10 days before they fly off on their own
Calves are normally begin standing 3 minutes after birth and are generally able to stand on their own after 11 minutes.
Horses, giraffes, ducks, and deer are all able to become mobile quickly after being born because they are precocial.
Humans are altricial, which means when we are born our brains are not fully developed and we need further nourishment to get where we are going, ultimately. Additionally, we tend to take the longest to get to that maturation point. Accordingly, humans are naturally given the instinct of belief, as long as we understand belief is actually trusting. This trusting comes in the form of relying on our parents who are given the charge of nourishing, developing, and assisting us in our maturation process.
So, we believe because it is natural. Additionally, we believe because it is necessary to our existence.
Theologically, we believe because the Bible teaches us we cannot please God without faith. Hebrews 11:6 reads, “Now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
John G. Paton, pioneer missionary to the New Hebrides in the Pacific, was hard put to find a word for “believe,” in the sense of trust, in the language of the South Sea Islanders, for whom he was translating the New Testament.
Finally he found the solution, by thus translating the answer of Paul and Silas to the question of the Philippian jailer, “What must I do to be saved?”: “Lean your whole weight upon the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved.” Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (p. 185). Bible Communications, Inc.
Notice, Hebrews 11:6 teaches to please God one must believe that God exists and He rewards. Meaning, one must believe in God ontologically, but also practically. God must not be viewed as the theoretically existing God. Rather, He must be viewed as the truly existing God that participates in the affairs of mankind. And so, we believe because first, it is natural. Second, it is biblical.
What or Who Do We Believe In?
What or Who Do We Believe In?
When we speak of belief, we must then ask the question who do we believe in? What do we mean when we use the word “god?”
John bore witness to Jesus’s coming and verified He was God in John 1:1-2, 14. John uses the term λόγος, which means message—logic more specifically. That is in the beginning was God’s computed or logical message.
If we follow John’s explanation, God is His Word and His Word is His thoughts. Consequently, God is what He thinks and what He thinks is what guides creation. At a specific point in history, God decided to send His Word into the earth in the form of a human—Jesus Christ (John 1:14).
The totality of God’s existence is found in Christ. Colossians 2:9 “For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ,” So when we use the word God we are referring to Jesus Christ. And we beheld the glory of the Word made flesh. The biblical testimony concerning Jesus Christ is the unique story of the God who, from the beginning, had a plan to reveal Himself through His Son.
Why Believe in Jesus?
Why Believe in Jesus?
The previous explanation demonstrate to believe in God is to believe in Jesus. Now this leads us to a final question.
Why believe in Jesus and not some other? Why not Allah, Buddha or some other god?
The simple answer is the resurrection.
John 20:24–29 “24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.””