Basic Belief
Christian belief is not primarily about knowledge or doctrine.
It’s about relationship, an experience of living in trust.
As a relationship, it cannot be contained in a statement of words. So, I find philosophical debates about Christianity miss the point — as useless as turning to philosophical conjecture to decide whether I marry Jane Jones, Rita Smith, or no-one. Instead, it’s a personal journey of living by faith in Jesus. So, our views will vary with where we are on that journey, and our individual circumstances.
This page starts with a brief summary of what is needed to begin that journey.
The further pages on the creeds and statements of faith can be useful as guideposts on the journey. but Christians trust in Jesus and not in creeds. So, while these can be useful references to stop us being led away from our journey, they are only human documents, and do not have the divine authority that I hope you will grow to see in the bible, which I think is the only reliable reference for Christian belief.
In the bible, we read of how God has acted to fix the broken relationship with mankind, and that is why the main focus in this website is on the “Life Questions” and “Discover from the Bible” sections.
Trust
The nature of living in trust is shown in the following Psalm 23, where David shares two beliefs:
(1) Above all earthly rulers there is a supreme ruler, “The Lord” our God;
(2) The nature of God is like a caring shepherd who guides, protects, and provides for his sheep. We can simply trust in Him to carry us through all we face in life.
Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.
Jesus
The bible verses below give the reason for the complete trust in Psalm 23 — for Jesus has laid down his life to rescue us from our fallen state and restore us to God.
Jesus has gone before us, through the darkest valleys of this life, to prepare the way so we have no need to fear.
And He has promised that by believing in Him, in what He has done for us on the cross and His resurrection from the grave, we will have new life in Him, and not even death can separate us.
John 10:10-11
(Jesus said to them), I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 11:25-26
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Personal response
As you explore the bible, you will find many more verses to clarify what faith is about, and you may find your personal response to the following questions changes and grows. Please reflect on them occasionally to see how your response develops.
Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God?
Do you confirm your sin, and your need of His forgiveness?
Do you accept him as your Saviour, and choose to follow Him as your Lord?
See also:
The body may grow weary
But our dreams and hopes
Still reach out beyond the shore
0 Comments