Why Do You Believe?

By -

Too many times I have found people's interest in Jesus Christ to be what He can do for them. Indeed there are life-breathing elements He brings to a dead soul. Through your belief that He is the Son of the Living God, sent from God to be a propitiation for our sins, we are saved from eternal separation from God the Father. By this grace, we love Him because He first loved us. 

Many of us seek Him or accept Him because of what He can do for us. He is sought for the means of financial and physical blessings as well as emotional and physical blessings.

Many times people seek Him out as a self-help guru. They read and focus on the "good parts" of the Word of God to validate their emotions. What's wrong with that? You may ask. The problem arises when your relationship with Him is based on HOW you feel, which is a foundation that can break at the moment of hardship. People with "emotional" relationships with Christ really do not have a relationship with Christ for it does not come from faith. Any bond with Christ that does not stem from  full, complete, loyal Faith and Trust in Him is NO bond at all. It is only by Faith can we have a true relationship with Him. When this relationship is true, it is validated by our genuine desire to ask, not what Christ can do for you, but what you can do for Christ.

What exactly IS Faith?

Hebrews 11:1 tells us that Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Let's break down this verse for clear understanding.

Substance

The term substance comes up as many definitions. Please click on the link Substance to see the complete details. The primary definition of the term is:

1. that of which a thing consists; physical matter or material: form and substance.

The first part of the definition of Faith in Hebrews 11:1 describes Faith as the substance of Hope. Faith makes up the "physical matter or material" that defines Hope. It is the very essence of  of the things that are hoped for. We can see the clear correlation between Faith and Hope in this short passage of Galatians  5:5

"For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

Evidence

Without Faith, there is no hope. The second part of the definition of Faith is "the evidence of things not seen". If Faith is the substance of Hope, it is also then the proof of things that cannot be seen. The use of the term evidence is powerful in the understanding that something is manifested from Faith that proves it's unseen existence. What IS manifested from Faith? It is Charity, in other words, LOVE! Love for HIM that results in a strong desire to do HIS will as opposed to our own.

"And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity"-- 1 Corinthians 13:13

Charity is the manifestation of Faith, the substance of things hoped for. The chapter of Hebrews 11 is full of examples of those who have FAITH that resulted in CHARITY, an actionable self-sacrifice, for the HOPE of the promises set before them. Read the 11th chapter and the characters it names as examples. Then go back to the Old Testament and read those actual stories for yourself.

So Why DO You Believe?

Why do you believe in Jesus? The Bible is clear, He does not promise us riches, or health. He does not promise us a life free of trouble.  He does not promise us perfect marital relationships. He DOES promise a life of trials.

"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you" -- 1 Peter 4:12

He DOES promise opposition with the "world".

"If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you". -- John 15:18

"Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you". --  1 John 3:13

He DOES have expectations.

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." -- Luke 9:23

So again I ask why do you believe in Jesus? If you come to Him seeking on how He may "fix" what is wrong with your life IN this world, you come to Him for the wrong reasons. Anyone can see this world continues to deteriorate under the reign of imperfect, sinful man. If you believe in a spiritual aspect of life, then you must recognize the evil aspect of that spiritual realm. It is THIS evil aspect that is currently reigning over this earth. He is called Satan, prince of this world. If we understand that, then we understand that this life we live, in this world, in this present time, isn't the life we want to have. It is the promise of Eternal life with Christ we HOPE for. It is only with this understanding does this passage make clear sense:

"He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." -- John 12:25

Related Posts:

Parable of the Sower

Parable of the Sower Addendum

Comments

  1. BobbyApril 25, 2008 at 5:46 PM

    Hello Hannah,
    I hope that you are doing well.

    “Why do I believe in Jesus?”

    I think that my answer might be a little on the selfish side.
    1. Simply put, I don’t want to spend eternity without His love.
    2. I have tried to run my life and failed…He does it so much better.
    3. I can do all things through Him.
    4. He is my strength, my shield from every danger.
    5. My only hope is in Him.
    6. I find rest in Him.
    7. He is my confidence.
    8. He is with me wherever I go.
    9. He understands me…all of me.
    !0. And He loves me just the same.

    Thanks Hannah, for making me reflect on this.
    God Bless!

    ReplyDelete
  2. HannahApril 25, 2008 at 6:49 PM

    Hello Bobby!

    Thanks for sharing your testimony! Thanks for visiting. Family and I (and baby) are well. Hope you and your loved ones continue to be blessed in His love.

    Give my love to everyone :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousMay 5, 2008 at 6:43 AM

    Very, very good post, Hannah. I'm hopeful that more people who have bought into the health and prosperity gospel will come to read this and ask themselves this question!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Comments are moderated.

Please note the changes to this blog. ONLY respectful comments and questions are accepted. Special note to other Christians: This blog no longer caters to debate and or arguments about the Bible. If you have a comment in SUPPORT of clear and concise understanding of the saving power of Christ Jesus, you are welcome to leave comments on this blog.

Popular posts from this blog

Confessions of a Former World Wide Church of God Member

By -
Now some of you may have heard of The World Wide Church of God. For those of you who haven't here's a brief, basic, summation of WWCG, as described by Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia : "The Worldwide Church of God (WCG), formerly the Radio Church of God, is a Christian church currently based in Glendora, California , USA. Founded in 1933 by Herbert Armstrong as a radio ministry , the WCG under Armstrong had a significant, and often controversial, influence on 20th century religious broadcasting and publishing in the United States and Europe, especially in the field of interpreting biblical end-time (eschatalogical) prophecies. However, within a few years after Armstrong's death in 1986, the succeeding church administration, led first by Joseph W. Tkach, Sr. and then his son, Joseph Tkach, Jr. , examined and changed the doctrines and teachings of which the WCG held fundamental differences with more mainstream Christianity. Many members and ministers left the WCG to ...
Read more

The Law of Sin and Death

By -
A relative and I were having a fascinating discussion about sin. He made a statement that rang very true to me. "So many Christians are obsessed with sin". For a long while, since reading other posts and forums about sin, I've been dwelling upon and studying about that matter. Although I've been compelled to analyze the subject by post, I haven't felt prepared to do so. As you all know, I'm experiencing a trial that proves to be a continuous battle for my faith. It has been a trial which continues to manifest the truth of Scripture, the Word of God, to my soul. It is during hard times such as these when the Glory of God is a sight to behold. And His goodness, a pleasant taste! "O taste and see that the LORD is good..." Psalm 34:8 Why do we obsess with sin? Either of our own or those of fellow Christians? Has Christ not set us free from the law of sin and death? "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of ...
Read more

Translation vs. Paraphrase

By -
Up until about four years ago, I studied primarily out of the New Living Translation. It was simple to read and I was comfortable with it. However, I did notice through out my studying in that specific translation, that passages just weren't making any sense. My husband preferred the King James Version and studied out of that, our studying together almost always ended out of the KJV version for the simple fact that the NLT was not adequate in conveying some of the principles of the Word. My husband, at that time worked for Tyndale House Publishing (which publishes the NLT version) gave me a Bible published by them called "The People's Parallel Edition". This edition had the KJV and NLT side by side. It was only then I began to see a true difference between translations. Romans 8:1 in both of these versions comes out different. Romans 8:1 KJV says "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the...
Read more