3:310 – Believe – What Does It Mean?

#faithbites #faithjourney believe

Setting

Last night, after a rough day, I posted on Facebook, that I believe that there are two Americas. I said that based on what I’ve been seeing in people’s thoughts, words, deeds, and actions. A friend, asked me if I believe in God or in two Amerikas (his spelling). I was confused by the question, so I decided to dig into it.

Merriam-Webster defines believe as “to consider to be true or honest”, “to accept the word or evidence of”, “to hold as opinion”, “to accept something as true, genuine, or real”, “to have a firm or wholehearted religious conviction or persuasion: to regard the existence of God as fact”, “to have a firm conviction as to the goodness, efficacy, or ability or something”, and “to hold an opinion”.

He was equating my belief in two Americas in the same light as the definition that relates to God as fact. He brought up a really good point about what is going on in our culture. Words have meaning and often have multiple meanings. Saying I believe ham and pineapple is the best pizza toppings doesn’t mean I don’t believe in God or that the level of belief is the same or has the same meaning. While I hate the semantics games we all (and me too) play, we need to look at what the person really means and if we don’t know, ASK.

What does God say about the word believe?

Scripture

• 1 Thessalonians 2:13 – And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as a human word, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is indeed at work in you who believe.
• 1 Timothy 4:10 – That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
• Acts 16:31 – They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”

Reflection

Believe or belief in the Bible isn’t about which political candidate you trust, what toppings go on pizza, or what your opinion is on just about anything. This is a belief that goes beyond all other meanings of the word. This is a belief in God as our creator, Christ as our savior and redeemer, and the Holy Spirit as the Builder of Faith. This is the hope we have put into God for our immortal soul.

We can believe in many things as the word, just as many others has different meanings. We need to be careful as words have power. In these situations we need to say what we mean and if we aren’t clear, clarify. If we aren’t sure what someone means, we should ask for clarification.

I will end with the Apostles Creed:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian* Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Challenge

Today’s challenge is to look beyond the words someone says. Try to seek out meaning. As we saw with the word “Believe” there are many definitions. Which one are they trying to get across.

Prayer

Father God, we believe wholly in you. You never fail to keep your promises. Lord, we ask that you grant us understanding. You brought all the languages of the earth to stop the building of the Tower of Babel. We are still wrestling with that today. Even when we speak the same language our words have different meanings. Help us to see into the heart of the speaker, ask clarification when needed, and approach each situation to love and not to win.

We ask for your protection on our country and our world as we see the dangers of twisting words and misunderstanding. We know you are the creator of the world and can do all things. In your name, Amen.