Does It Matter What You Believe?

With so many different beliefs and practises, even within Christianity, does it really matter what you believe – or if you even believe at all? Do all paths lead to the same God? The answer to these questions come down to one thing: Who is God – and what matters to Him? This is what the Bible invites us to find out. “This is eternal life, to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ who you have sent” (John 17:3). Here’s why belief matters from a Biblical perspective.

Firstly, belief in God matters because salvation is about coming to God, and we can’t genuinely turn to a God that we don’t believe in (Romans 10:14, Isaiah 45:22). It’s easy to see why many people take the approach that if they live a good life, God, if he exists, will look after them. But this approach ignores what God really wants from us, which is a relationship. This is the first and greatest commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). God loves us and he wants us to love and trust him too.

Loving God goes beyond simply believing that he exists to believing in who God is.

“He who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Many of us have our own ideas about what God is like, but God rewards those who search out what he is truly like (John 4:24). God wants us to not just do the right thing, but to have a genuine inner desire to do the right thing that comes from really knowing him – and what God wants us to know is that he is a rewarder – that he is good: “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Adam and Eve sinned because they doubted God’s goodness, but David withstood temptation to strike his enemy because of a deep-seated love and faith in his God (Genesis 3 & 1 Samuel 26). 

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).

Our perception of God impacts on how we live. In the parable of the talents the man with one talent feared his master, and this prevented him from doing what his master really wanted. Similarly, many of the religious leaders in the New Testament were afraid of breaking God’s laws and instead of showing God’s love and mercy, they treated others harshly when they did not live up to their high expectations. When Jesus returns our service might also be rejected if it is based on a wrong understanding (Matt 7:21-23, Matthew 25, James 1:26). It’s important to know the God and the reason behind any religious practises for them to be meaningful and acceptable.

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)

So, what about the more technical doctrines, such as, what happens when we die? Do any of these matter? These technical beliefs also have practical implications. The religious leader’s incomplete beliefs led them to reject the one that God sent and many will make the same mistake when Jesus returns (Matthew 12:9-14). The good news that Jesus is the one that God has sent to be our king is the power of salvation to everyone who believes it (Romans 1:16, John 3:16-17, Acts 8:12).

Of course, no one will have perfect understanding of everything - even the close disciples of Jesus misunderstood what Jesus would do (Luke 18:31-34). The difference for them was that they were able to be persuaded by the evidence (Luke 24:13-35) and this is also what God wants from us.

“He who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Many people claim to believe in God, but how many are prepared to diligently seek him? Seeking, in and of itself is possibly the most important attitude we need to have because this is how we find out what we don’t know. Searching means remaining humble enough to accept that our understanding might not be quite complete. Even one of Jesus’ closest followers, Peter had to make a radical change when he learned that God intended for all people to know him, not just the Jews (Acts 10:28).

This doesn’t mean that we should hedge our bets and join multiple religious groups. It simply means that whenever we hear a different perspective, God wants us to consider it – just like the Bereans who searched the scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true (Acts 17:11). They didn’t blindly accept it, and they also didn’t blindly reject it. They searched it out.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

If there is a God, then this is an incredible and amazing thing to find out more about. This starts with believing in the possibility and goes beyond believing in theory to developing a personal relationship with God that transforms us from within. Belief matters because God doesn’t reward us just based on what we have done, but on what direction we are growing spiritually.

If you are keen to explore further, Take Heart is a beautifully illustrated book with short, practical reflections about faith, purpose and growing in God. Packed with snippets of wisdom for bringing God’s word into your everyday life, it is an uplifting and encouraging read whether new or old to the faith. Use this code to get 50% off at livinginkbooks.co.nz: T4KEHE4RT