Bible verse

Theme: The nature of belief and faith

John 3:16 (NIV), “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Question: What does belief mean to you, what is your personal experience of this verse?

Related verses: Matthew 17:20, John 1:12, 6:28-29, 20:29, 20:31,  Romans 1:17, 5:8, 10:9, 10:17, 1 Corinthians 12:8-9, 2 Corinthians 5:7, Ephesians 2:8-9, Hebrews 11:1, 11:6, 12:2, James 2:17

Intellectual Belief

A half century ago, I met a person who thought it natural to leave a church service after receiving Communion. For them, the benefit to one self was mechanically received in Communion and there was no point in stopping further or talking to anyone. I was astounded how belief could be interpreted that way.

James 2:19 reads, “Even the demons believe—and tremble!” So, belief which is only a mental or intellectual acknowledgment of the reality of God is worthless, it leads to fear.

Real belief is an appropriate response to seeing who God really is; a response of trust, thankfulness, obedience, and love, it leads to a heartfelt relationship with God which transforms us.

Blind Faith

Hebrews 11:1 refers to faith as being “things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
The secular world is sceptical of anything which doesn’t have material and visible substance, as human greed leads us to focus on materialism and what is visible and tangible, even while people are driven by invisible forces such as greed and the desire for power.
But the absolute reality and truth that makes sense of our material world goes above and beyond this visible world. It is invisible, and is given to us by the almighty creator of all, God Himself.

My reading tells me that human philosophies cannot make sense of our world; modern philosophies like Existentialism ultimately lead to despair. Only God’s truth makes sense, as He is the only wise creator and sustainer of what we know as reality.

Faith is not blind. In fact, it is the only means by which we can see what is truly real.

Belief from the Heart

Mankind is so engrossed in earthly things we can only become open to receiving God’s truth as the Holy Spirit opens up our hearts, so faith itself is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8 reads, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”

And Romans 10:9 points to the need for belief to come from the heart, “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

John 20:31 shows faith leads to a new life, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.”

For me, the term, “leap of faith” refers to when we put aside our complete reliance on the material world, and allow ourselves to rely on God’s revelation of Himself and what He has done in the bible, and step carefully forward as we learn to trust in Him.

When we begin to understand the forgiveness that Jesus has won for us through His sacrifice on the cross, and accept His miraculous gift, we cannot but respond with immense thankfulness, and a willingness to submit our lives to Him and obey Him. And we naturally respond with love to His infinite and unconditional self-sacrificing love for us, a love that is shared as we reach out to others, in the same way as Jesus loved us while we were still sinners.

To respond with anything less shows a blindness to the infinite value of Jesus’ victory on the cross, and a rejection of His gift of salvation.

But when we accept His gift, it is a life changing, it transforms our focus in life and allows His Holy Spirit to live in us and redirect our lives.

This is what I understand belief in Jesus means, because this has been my experience of it.
Praise God for the new life He gives, and what He does in my life each day.