Do You Know What You Believe?

Most of us know what we think on certain subjects—our beliefs on controversial ideas, life, values, and on and on.

But I beg to ask this question:

Why?

Do we know WHY we believe these things?

Do you know why you believe life is valuable? Do you know why you go to church?

Or why you pray?
Or why you believe there's a heaven and a hell?
Or why you believe Jesus is God?
Or why He has the right to forgive you?

Or maybe why you don't agree with some/any of the above?

Do we really stop to examine the "Why?"

Yesterday three of us on the team grabbed a Russian bible and sat down to pray. We decided it was appropriate for us to give a bible to one student we've been meeting with over the past few weeks. (His name is Igor. He works at Dunkin' Donuts. He's pretty much the kindest, gentlest guy you'd ever meet.)

"Father, we want to show him how much we care about him. We want to show him truth, freedom, life, hope, joy. We want him to know YOU. Please help us to pick out verses to underline and bookmark that would most clearly show him You. Father, we don't want to overwhelm him, but just to show him (in a small way) that we love him, and care deeply about his heart—just as you do. Help us pick out the top 15 or 20 scriptures that You desire to use to reveal yourself to Him."

(The prayer was something like that, not word for word.. Consider it more like a paraphrase. Right?)

But that's where our hearts were, asking God to use His divine scripture to reveal Himself to one of His yearning children. To bring him home.

It went really well. After a short while the three of us agreed on a set of verses/passages and later marked them up with highlighter and a few bookmarks. We're going to write him a note in the front cover and give it on Saturday before we leave.

(So please pray over it.)

But it got me thinking: If YOU had to pick 15-20 verses or passages out of the bible (or just the New Testament) to best illustrate the truth of the gospel, Christ's deity, God's character—love and justice— What would you pick??

It's difficult. It really is. But it's an incredible exercise and I highly recommend it. If you need to do it in a group, do so! For us, doing it in a group helped because what one of us didn't know someone else offered, and vice versa.

Which then brings me back to the post's first question:

Do we know WHY we believe what we do?

Do we search the deepest parts of the scriptures to understand God? To really know Him? To nitpick the gritty details about our faith? To feel the weight of the implications?

Or do we simply rely on someone else to figure it all out for us? Maybe the overly spiritual guy down the street.. Or what about Pastor _________, "Yeah I'll just soak up everything he has to say via podcast, no need for the actual good book itself!"

If someone asked you for a written out statement of faith of your deepest held beliefs, could you back it up with scripture? For instance, "I believe Jesus' words are truth because He claimed it in John 14:6, and then resurrected from the dead (Luke 24), conquering what no man ever has."

At this point I can't say that I could write out a set of beliefs and back them all up with scripture, not even close. But that's a goal of mine when I get back, and I think a very healthy one! A healthy one not because God will like me anymore for knowing more scripture—He's already fully and completely in love with me, and YOU—

Even still, I'd really like to not only know what I believe, but why! Wouldn't you? Partner with me, let's all do it!