Why I Believe What I Do ^{And Not What I Don’t}

Even at its strongest, believing and faith are subject to change because we, ourselves, are ever-changing. One key attribute of maturing (as opposed to merely aging) is a deepening faith (in whatever) that brings greater and better consistency to how we live – what we do. “Crises” may benefit us if we find, as is most commonly the case, what we have believed is not adequate to carry us through the crisis, we “repent”  (radically change) what we believe or, if finding our faith has been largely proper, “tweak” it to even better meet immediate and expected future challenges. In any case, faith is a never-ending ever increasing struggle and fight – maintained and increased only with constant care and renewal. The idea that faith is a once-only event or decision is foolishness –no one, in faith, has fully “arrived.” Faith is to the mental and spiritual what muscles are to the physical body – they are developed and maintained only through on-going exercise (while lost through inertia) and they provide the strength to meet the challenges we face very day.

There are things I believe, things I definitely don’t believe and many things I don’t know whether to believe or not. But, hopefully, as we age, our batting average of knowing what is true and right improves. To accomplish this requires a theme and reliable source for the underlying faith and belief; my source and theme are the Bible because the more I read and understand the Bible the more everything around me makes more and better sense.  Where or to whom else can we look?  While teachers may know more about a specific topic,  they don’t necessarily know any more about the significant issues of life – what gives us personal freedom (as opposed to societal “freedom” that may, in fact, lead to personal bondage – like the freedom to lie, take drugs, etc.). No one teaches us how to be happy. There are no meaningful lessons on money (other than if you have it – or can borrow it – “go for it . . .”).  We are largely left to ourselves to determine what we should do when we grow up – telling anyone “You can do anything . . .” (as is today’s “enlightened” approach) is obvious silliness!  No, in life, we are largely on our own unless we can find something or someone to help us – the Bible (and those who faithful preach and teach it) is the only thing I have found!  And on three levels (Cosmically, Historically and Personally) only the Bible makes sense – provides a framework for what has occurred, what is happening around at the present time and, therefore, on which I can most logically depend on to tell me what will happen in the future – including eternally. Faith, in its essence, is finding that or who best explains, and makes sense, of yesterday as a means of leading me in how best to live today with a view to best “investing” for the future – strong faith must encompass a view of yesterday, now and tomorrow – no mean feat!

Yes, it is, or should be, easily and clearly understood that what we really believe drives and guides what we do and how we live. Our beliefs may be unstable and change from day-to-day, but what we believe is the necessary catalyst to action, basic living. Everyone believes (even if just momentarily) in something or someone – and we act on these beliefs.

In the context of life’s uncertainty and our limited natures and views it should be no surprise that faith is, indeed, a never-ending ever increasing struggle and fight – maintained and increased only with constant care and renewal. There are things I believe . . .

Cosmically ^{God is Sovereign}

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. ^Ps 19:1-2

Imagine creating the best possible vacuum facility science can – would we imagine in 100, 10,000, 10 billion, 100 trillion years that all of a sudden, without any outside influence (the vacuum still intact), that a great explosion would occur?

OK, even stretching our minds to say this could happen, the result would be obvious confusion and disorganization, not great precision and order on an unimaginable scale.

As Wikipedia explains it: “The Big Bang theory developed from observations of the structure of the universe and from theoretical considerations. In 1912 Vesto Slipher measured the first Doppler shift of a ‘spiral nebula’ (spiral nebula is the obsolete term for spiral galaxies), and soon discovered that almost all such nebulae were receding from Earth. He did not grasp the cosmological implications of this fact, and indeed at the time it was highly controversial whether or not these nebulae were ‘island universes’ outside our Milky Way. Ten years later, Alexander Friedmann, a Russian cosmologist and mathematician, derived the Friedmann equations from Albert Einstein's equations of general relativity, showing that the universe might be expanding in contrast to the static universe model advocated by Einstein. In 1924, Edwin Hubble's measurement of the great distance to the nearest spiral nebulae showed that these systems were indeed other galaxies. Independently deriving Friedmann's equations in 1927, Georges Lemaître, a Belgian Roman Catholic priest, predicted that the recession of the nebulae was due to the expansion of the universe. In 1931 Lemaître went further and suggested that the universe began as a simple ‘primeval atom,’ perhaps echoing previous speculations about the cosmic egg origin of the universe.

“Starting in 1924, Hubble painstakingly developed a series of distance indicators, the forerunner of the cosmic distance ladder, using the 100 inch Hooker telescope at Mount Wilson Observatory. This allowed him to estimate distances to galaxies whose redshifts had already been measured, mostly by Slipher. In 1929, Hubble discovered a correlation between distance and recession velocity—now known as Hubble's law. Lemaître had already shown that this was expected, given the cosmological principle.

“During the 1930s other ideas were proposed as non-standard cosmologies to explain Hubble's observations, including the Milne model, the oscillatory universe (originally suggested by Friedmann, but advocated by Einstein and Richard Tolman) and Fritz Zwicky's tired light hypothesis.

“After World War II, two distinct possibilities emerged. One was Fred Hoyle's steady state model, whereby new matter would be created as the universe seemed to expand. In this model, the universe is roughly the same at any point in time. The other was Lemaître's Big Bang theory, advocated and developed by George Gamow, who introduced big bang nucleosynthesis and whose associates, Ralph Alpher and Robert Herman, predicted the cosmic microwave background (CMB). It is an irony that it was Hoyle who coined the name that would come to be applied to Lemaître's theory, referring to it as ‘this big bang idea’ during a 1950 BBC radio broadcast. For a while, support was split between these two theories. Eventually, the observational evidence, most notably from radio source counts, began to favor the latter. The discovery of the cosmic microwave background radiation in 1964 secured the Big Bang as the best theory of the origin and evolution of the cosmos. Much of the current work in cosmology includes understanding how galaxies form in the context of the Big Bang, understanding the physics of the universe at earlier and earlier times, and reconciling observations with the basic theory.

“Huge strides in Big Bang cosmology have been made since the late 1990s as a result of major advances in telescope technology as well as the analysis of copious data from satellites such as COBE, the Hubble Space Telescope and WMAP. Cosmologists now have fairly precise measurement of many of the parameters of the Big Bang model, and have made the unexpected discovery that the expansion of the universe appears to be accelerating.”

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The Big Bang sounds both scientific and logical, placing “beginning” at a single point and cause . . . I therefore, believe creation was caused by a Big Bang – what good, however, does it do to know the what if we don’t know the Who – who caused the Bang? I believe . . .

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ^Ge 1:1

And as science believes there was a beginning, even more important, they believe there will be an end – about which I believe:

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” ^Rev 21:1-4

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.  But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. ^2Pe 3:11-13

I don’t have any problem believing the theory of the “Big Bang;” in fact, if God chose to create with the Big Bang, then believing He could create man, animals and” decorate” the little earth in another 5+ days wouldn’t be hard to believe at all!

Order and Precision vs. Irrationality – For God is not a God of disorder. ^1Co 14:3

Without a “God,” a Who, in the creation equation (if without a who this were even possible – highly unlikely!) we would expect a Big Bang to “peter out” virtually instantaneously without a guiding, regulating and organizing hand; that is simply how things work. Confusion and disorganization, even from a beginning position of order, will “naturally” happen without a guiding and sustaining hand – there is no logic or example showing order can “evolve” from mayhem and confusion!

And we see this precise order (purpose) on both a cosmic and personal basis – in the universe and in man. It involves greater and greater “leaps of faith” to believe the cosmic order was paralleled by the precision of the human body (to name two of many unexplainable, at least by science, happenings). Uncontrolled and chance theories of evolution are simply too convoluted and complex to grasp. Belief in the supernatural does not deny the reality of natural causes – it simply says that the underlying origin of natural causes (including evolution) is Supernaturally “programmed.”

Irrationality of Man

Man’s body, spirit and soul are meticulous beyond comprehension, yet much of what we do is irrational – another reason I believe “In the beginning God created” . . . man sinned (and spiritually died) . . . the precision of the body (including the mind) is vastly superior to the rationality of the mind – something would have to explain this – the Bible is the only credible revealer of this dilemma.

As one example, it is the ultimate of irrationality that man, faced with our universally understood certain and short life, will still look to, seek and depend on idols like money. Or those who claim to have faith, having seen a glimmer of “light,” settling back into darkness rather than, with all they have, seeking the light. Only the Bible ventures the reasons and, even more boldly, the solutions to this conundrum. Within a universe of unbelievable size and order, and a body of fantastic precision and harmony our minds are often so poorly organized and disorderly!

Evil

Related, and often indistinguishable from the irrationality of man, we clearly see the hand of destruction all around which could not occur if order were so readily and easily the norm and “natural” consequence of the Big Bang. And unless there were a stronger force and cause of order and good we would expect this evil force to overwhelm and destroy everything, but order is winning!

And it is not adequate to say there is simply a force of decay without observing the clear influence and power of evil, even if not the norm; a scientific model that does not explain or account for evil is inadequate (especially for day-to-day living within this context). Evil (the deliberate, purposeful conscious force of destruction) is a fact of life; the Bible explains it very well – even to the point of saying how to overcome and thwart it. I can’t rationally ignore this force by believing in theories that deny and don’t account for evil.

God’s Ways

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge. ^Ps 19:1-2

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of
men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse ^Ro 1:18-20

I cannot comprehend how God can control/know everything; however, it is not a great stretch of faith to believe that maybe man might not be the smartest creature in heaven and earth!

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
Neither are your ways my ways,”
Declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.” ^Isa 55:8-9

Faith in any subject, or any one, is built on what we do know, and can understand, not by questions about and focusing on what we don’t know and cannot understand. Believing God will be faithful, in the future, to . . . is based on reviewing how God has been faithful into the past. “But I don’t understand how God can . . .” In many cases, neither do I! But I can and would be wise to build a faith based on what I have seen and experienced!

It is little different from how a couple can and should grow in trust over the years; when they first start dating they should not place too much faith in the other person – if they do, more than likely, they will end up being hurt and disappointed. But after being married and living together, and being faithful and loving, for many years you would be shocked and surprised if one asked: “How can I be sure he (or she) won’t leave me for someone else?” The reasonable response would be: “You can’t be absolutely sure of anything in the future – this takes faith, but don’t these years of faithfulness and love give you confidence, faith, for the future?”  God does not ask or expect, in the face of evidence to the contrary, that we believe He will be faithful in the future. But if He has been faithful year in and year out, He reasonably says we should have faith in Him, increasing faith, for the future – even eternity!

Cosmically, the signs overwhelming point to a Creator.

Historically ^{God is Good}

We know that his testimony is true.
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written. ^Jn 21:24-25

Jesus Christ lived and is undeniably the most compelling and significant person who ever lived; anyone disagreeing with this simply lacks credibility. No single person (no 10 people combined!) have had the impact, either past or present, of Jesus; while embracing him as the “answer” is not necessary, denying He existed (or his significance) is foolish!

But let’s face it, Jesus was only 33 when he died, he was only a “public” figure for 3 years and that 2,000 years ago. It would probably only take 15 minutes or so to read what he said (as recorded into the Bible) – to reasonably “believe” in him requires more than this short testimony.

The Bible

The Bible, in contrast, is 1,500 pages or so and, if Jesus is its focus and purpose, it might provide more support and evidence for him being (as he claimed):

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” ^Jn 14:6

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” ^Jn 11:25-26

What credibly testifies to the fact that the Bible is unique in any way and not just another religious book? A single author can craft a fairly interesting and compelling religious fairy tale – in the same way any novel is written; if well-written it should be without contradiction, have a consistent theme, etc. – this is not a task beyond the capabilities of a good writer.  But is not an easy task to compile a book written by many different people, over 1,500 – 1,600 years, and expect it to be of any interest or value 2,000 years later! Yet the Bible has no credible critics claiming error or inconsistencies – amazingly it fits together like a perfect puzzle or picture. It is timelier than today’s newspaper or TV newscast. More people, by far, benefit from it than from all the Psychologists and Psychiatrists combined. The Bible is exceptional and, on any long-term faith basis, is necessary if we expect faith to grow and increase. The Bible is a key piece of the faith “puzzle.”

The Jews

Often overlooked as a significant and obvious “sign” of the truth and credence of the Bible, and what it claims, are the Jews. The Jews are unparalleled in history; we are so use to having Jews around we don’t consider their distinctiveness. Yet considered closely, we must admit, while they individually are not atypical, there has been and is something distinctive and exceptional about the Jews.

Jews (except of the occasional stereotype found in any ethnic group) are not unusual looking – we could not easily pick them out of a crowd. Most Jews, including the vast majority in Israel, are not very religious. While on average, maybe a little smarter, they are not far smarter than others. In short, Jews, in large measure, successfully integrate with those around them, wherever they are in the world; while, in another sense, they remain Jews, distinct.

No people group in history have been dispersed not once, by twice, and then 2,000 years later reassimilated into their ancient homeland, while even those not returning to Israel remain evident as Jews. Within a 100 to 150 year period, most American Indians, not killed, have been assimilated, without distinction, into American society – and those remaining (except as owners and managers of casinos) continue to be further assimilated. Italians, Scots, Russians, Vietnamese, Japanese . . . are “absorbed” if not within a single generation within 2 or 3 generations. All the while, the Jew remains the Jew. And just about the time they get really comfortable in a society, something causes an arousal of an irrational simmering anti-Semitism resulting in their persecution.

Historically, Jews have been productive and beneficial wherever they have lived. Some are highly religious, but most are nominally religious like everyone else, a threat to no one. But there is the irrational hatred – a groundless hatred only explained if what they Bible says it true – the Jews are the “chosen” people (then and now), hated by the devil and the devil’s people.

There is simply no explanation or parallel example, for the Jews, other than that given in the Bible, an important validation of the Bible itself.  Yes, the continued distinctiveness and importance of the Jews, in world happenings, is a clear sign that the Bible can be trusted.

And there are many other historical confirmations of Judeo-Christian truth, but if a person is not satisfied by the irrefutable evidences of Jesus, the Bible and the Jews, it is doubtful anything else would convince a skeptic.

Historically, the signs overwhelming point to Jesus Christ as the only Way and Hope!

Personally ^{God is Personally Powerful}

The least compelling to other people, but the most convincing to a believing individual, are the personal evidences that occur on the path of Christianity and grace. Unless God is personal, it is really of little value that He might be sovereign and good – many people claim to believe in a God, but they do not experience His reality because they have no faith He is personal, that He can make a difference on a daily basis, in a mundane day-to-day individual life. Rather they believe the popular notions of Voltaire, Somerville and others who say:

Each player must accept the cards life deals him or her. But once they are in hand, he or she alone must decide how to play the cards in order to win the game. ^Voltaire

You are the master of your own destiny. Use your strengths well. They are the keys to your destiny and your success in life. Once you know yourself and take action to realize your dreams, you can unlock the doors to your own potential.  ^{Neil Somerville}

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Either I have an internal and inherent untapped power that I need to seek, find, develop and act on (in effect saying: “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.”) or, conversely, “realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” ^Rev 3:17 The former goes against the clear reality of life and man’s collective and individual position in it – we are helpless and hopeless in the face of life and especially death. Conversely, the humility of the latter is the catalyst and condition for finding God’s grace, His power on a personal level to successfully face that which threatens us.

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.” ^{Pr 3:34, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5}

Why, if this is true, are the personal evidences the least (rather than the most) apparent and convincing to others? There are three key reasons for this:

• We are so good at hiding our “real” selves to others – so our real “bad” is somewhat masked. If, in fact, we find ourselves (with the help of God and His Grace) getting better, few will probably notice the differences because we were previously so good at hiding how bad we really were!
• Second, we are so self-absorbed, we really don’t see much in anyone else unless it directly and personally affects us, and then only if it benefits us – people simply do not see or care about others very much.
• Third, and the Bible best explains this:

  Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. ^{1Co 1:26 -29}

  In short, God chooses pitiful people so that even when they make progress it may not be so evident to others. Who is going to be impressed by an alcoholic that stops drinking? Those without this weakness certainly won’t – they will just attribute to the alcoholic finally waking up, and exercising enough self-discipline, to stop the destructive behavior and lifestyle. The adulterer becoming faithful? Just what he should have done all along; the one able to overcome gambling, anger, lying, stealing . . . problems? Ho hum, unless we are the one finding help to do what was previously impossible to overcome – through God’s Grace!

So that, even when “saved,” others may not notice too much difference since the Christian typically starts from so far back.

There are whole branches of “Christianity” (most, in fact,) that deny Jesus Christ should or can make much difference in real life; the Bible explains this as well:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. ^2Ti 3:1-5

The Bible repeatedly declares (in different ways, but consistently by all its writers) that Grace must be evident to be real – at a minimum to ourselves – maybe to others:

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” ^Jn 3:21

News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ^Ac 11:22-23

I can boldly proclaim “I believe (whatever) . . .,” the risk and real proof is in how I handle and act upon what I say – this is the only meaningful belief and faith. As just one example, how many fathers say they love their children while destroying their marriages and families in affairs or uncontrolled devotion to their real gods, their jobs?

Finding God’s grace involves a real cost based not on what we say, but what we do – how we live:

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my [Jesus’] sake will find it.” ^Mt 10:39

“No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money [or any other idol].” ^Lk 16:13

“Those who cling to worthless idols
forfeit the grace that could be theirs.” ^Jnh 2:8

Any religion is a waste of our soul and time if it does not attribute special power to God’s Grace – like the most conventional Southern “Christian” religion that effectively says everything is based on our “free will” – if, in fact, it depends on my free will any one of a thousand “self help” programs or books will be just as helpful, now and eternally!  I believe we are “saved by grace” ^Eph 2:8 not only eternally, but in myriad ways NOW as well. Faith for eternal salvation can only logically be sustained by personal observation of God’s grace given on a daily basis.

(The following is not a popular thought, even though a major theme of the Bible) – God is totally sovereign when it comes to the salvation of particular men and women – He does not leave it to them because if He did no one would be saved!

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. ^Eph 2:8

Which is inconsistent and at odds with believing we are saved by our supposed “free will;” the Bible knows nothing of, and does not speak or support, free will.

The heart's slavish and dogged devotion to its idol is what fathers of the Church have called 'the bondage of the will.' This bondage becomes most painfully apparent in our lives when we earnestly feel the need of changing but cannot; when we are attracted to another value that for one reason or another conflicts with the desires of our true god--that value nearest and dearest to us.  ^{Robert L. Short (b.1932)}

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. ^Ro 8:29-30

Without faith it is impossible to please God. ^Heb 11:6

Faith is the currency, and only “legal eternal tender,” of and for salvation. Faith is acceptance of Grace. But (and here is the big catch and condition), grace is not an addendum to what we do and what we want or available at our beck and call when we are in trouble; grace stands next to God’s will requiring us to leave our own desires, our supposed “security” (the bird in the hand), humble ourselves, repent and THEN (and only then) will we see the grace offered.

They sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. ^Ac 11:22-23

It is not those so confident in their faith, self-righteous and self-assured, who have the right kind of faith – the only faith that is pleasing and acceptable to God is the faith that is a gift from Him.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” ^Mt 7:21-23

I Believe Joshua had It Exactly Right

Joshua had maybe the best advice of anyone in the Bible when he said:

If serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served . . . But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” ^Jos 24:15

It is, or should be, easily and clearly understood that what we really believe drives and guides what we do and how we live. What we believe may be unstable and change from day-to-day, but what we believe is the necessary catalyst to action, to basic living. Everyone believes (even if just momentarily) in something or someone – and we act on these beliefs.

I Believe the Evidence Supports What the Bible Claims:

Cosmically ^{God is Sovereign}

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Historically ^{God is Good}

Jesus, The Bible and Jews being three key sources of rational faith.

Personally ^{God is Personally Powerful and Available}

This power is in the form of grace – withheld or given conditioned on pride or humility;  pride being the feeling “I can do it myself!” with humility based on the opposite belief – “I can’t do anything meaningful without God and His grace!”

“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.” ^{Pr 3:34, James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5:5}

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I believe Jesus Christ is “the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” ^Jn 14:7  . . . because the evidence for not believing is so small and poor – that everything we see (the order and beauty) was the result of spontaneous combustion that somehow, without any meaning found a “mind” to expand and progress . . . You want me to believe what?  You have got to be kidding; I will go with the evidence! Yes, there is a cost, but there is a greater cost to not believing!

I believe God is sovereign – good and personally powerful and available.
This is the Good News, the Gospel!

The challenges of and to faith never end, we are never beyond the need for grace – so the prayer must continue (in fact increase): “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” This is our only safe hope!