What Do You Even Believe???

Do you even know what you believe? Why do you believe it? Do you hold it because you believe it, or because someone told you that it was true?

Here are a few questions for you to answer: (1) Can you explain and defend what the Bible says about God as Father, Son, and Spirit? This isn’t a deep theological issue. It comes down to the very basic question of ‘who is God?’ (2) Can you defend the doctrine of justification by faith alone, using the Bible? Again, this isn’t a knotty problem of theology. It is a core aspect of the Gospel! (3) If someone asked you to summarize the storyline of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, could you do it?

These aren’t hard questions. They are part of the core of Christianity. And unfortunately, many people who go to church weekly couldn’t even do these simple things. What’s wrong with us? I heard this recently: the average theology held by many of those in the pew is rife with heresy. Wow, that hurts.

 You are called to be a disciple of Jesus. A disciple is committed to a life of learning from the Master. Why are there so many ‘disciples,’ but so few who have learned from the Master? How can you claim to be a disciple of Jesus, if you haven’t even learned the basics yet? If you can’t even answer the simple questions above – do you even know what you believe? Maybe you’re just accepting what others tell you!

The Bible talks about holding fast to the Word of Life. Can you define what that is? It is your duty to hold fast to the Truth – but we live in an age when many Christians don’t even know what they believe. Of course young believers may need some time to grow in the faith: but there is no excuse for most of us.

Let’s get down to the point. The Bible has scary words for those disciples who aren’t pursuing Jesus. “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” When you made a profession of faith, you put your hand to the plow. If you are distracted by the things of this world and you aren’t actively learning from the Master like a disciple…you might be looking back.

This is the sad reality: we live in an age when many people don’t even know what they believe. No wonder we are so easily influenced by the latest celebrity preacher, church growth fad, or viral video clip. No wonder the church is struggling, our faith seems so impotent to the world, and our families and lives are just struggling to get by. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.