Do You Believe Your Beliefs?
I admit it. I have OCD. But not the kind you think. OK, sure, I can't stand open cupboard doors, and I never take exactly four cookies out of the cookie jar, but that is a discussion for another time. No, I have the other OCD. The one I made up. Obsessive Contemplative Disorder. Simply put, I think too much. Oftentimes one word or phrase will be enough to trigger an episode. It is not a debilitating disease. I am still able to function relatively normally in society, even in the midst of an attack. Such was the case just last weekend...
Sunday afternoon, about 4 p.m., I am helping Kacie with her homework, only to find out she was dead in the water until I procured a new print cartridge. So I grab my wallet and my iPod, (required equipment for any errand), and headed to Target. As I am pulling into the parking lot, I am listening to the latest podcast from the "Upper Room", their Easter service, and I hear the following line in the opening prayer: "...we really believe that you have risen...". Nothing out of the ordinary. A line that was probably uttered by thousands of pastors on that day. But this time, it just struck me as never before, and it set me to thinking...
What does it mean to say, "I believe"? It is to say, at its most basic, that I assert the statement to be true. That it really happened. That it is not myth or legend. That there really was a man who walked this earth 2000 years ago, who was killed, and who three days later was walking this earth again, in real space and time. Think about what that means. That is quite something to believe to be true. It just doesn't happen every day. And the corollary to this, if I do believe such a thing, what does that mean for my life? Shouldn't it make a difference? Why then does my life look so strikingly similar to those around me who do not believe this to be true? And all this while I was parking the car. So I walk into Target, pick out just the right print cartridge amongst hundreds, and proceed to pay for it, sliding my card in the little machine and signing my electronic name and walking out, bag in hand, all the while deep in thought, contemplating the nature of "belief".
Then invariably what happens next, is that others come by to join in on the conversation in my head. Mostly authors and podcasters whom I have never met and probably never will meet, but they have something to say to me. For example...
I get home from Target, we get Kacie's homework printed out, and Kacie takes off for small group, and Marcia takes off for "Upper Room" (see above), and I am left Home Alone! Yes, just like the movie, I get out the big bucket of ice cream, but instead of watching TV, I sit down to read "Blue Like Jazz", by Donald Miller. I open to my bookmark at Chapter 10, entitled, you guessed it, "Belief". It starts out like this:
"My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care..."
And it ends like this (if you want to know who Andrew the Protestor is, buy the book):
"Andrew is the one who taught me that what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do...If Andrew the Protestor is right, if I live what I believe, then I don't believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else. I am learning to believe better things. I am learning to believe that other people exist, that fashion is not truth; rather, Jesus is the most important figure in history, and the gospel is the most powerful force in the universe..."
Exactly what I was thinking in the Target parking lot, that if I truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then why are food and clothing and shelter (and print cartridges) foremost in my thinking?
And I wasn't done (and sadly, neither are you). Next morning, I am driving to the bus stop, listening to a podcast of "Truth for Life" with Alistair Begg, dated 4/17. He is expounding upon the story of David and Goliath, and describing the plight of the Israelite army. Keep in mind that I am now 16 hours into this OCD episode, contemplating this idea of belief and what difference it makes, when I hear this...
"Ask the question, do I believe my beliefs? You may actually also ask the question, have I learned how to doubt my doubts?...It is clear, because their behavior makes it clear, that they did not really believe what they affirmed. I can illustrate it for you.
They believed that Yahweh is the living God, yet they were acting as if he was dead.
They believed that Yahweh is the Lord Almighty, yet they were acting as if he were powerless.
They believed that Yahweh was the Faithful Covenant-Keeping God, yet they were acting as if He were indifferent to their plight.
They believed that Yahweh was the Deliverer, but they acted in such a way as to suggest that they did not expect him to deliver them.
In short, their behavior made it clear, that they did not believe their beliefs."
Wow. That summed up the whole argument for me. "Do I believe my beliefs?" I will close with a story. I think I heard this story many times from my InterVarsity days, but I could not remember the details. All I could recall was something about "crawling over broken glass". So I Googled that phrase, and after sifting through pages of entries on "broken glass Republicans" (Google it), I found it:
"On July 4, 1854, Charlie Peace, a well-know criminal in London was hung. The Anglican Church, which had a ceremony for everything, even had a ceremony for hanging people. So when Charlie Peace was marched to the gallows, a priest marched behind him and read these words from the Prayer Book:
"Those who die without Christ experience hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring."
When these chilling words were read, Charlie Peace stopped in his tracks, turned to the priest, and shouted in his face, "Do you believe that? Do you believe that?
The priest, taken back by this sudden verbal attack, stammered for a moment and then said, "Well I suppose I do."
"Well, I don't," said Charlie Peace. But if I did, I'd get down on my hands and knees and crawl all over Great Britain, if it were paved with pieces of broken glass, if I could rescue one person from what you told me."
Do I have a "crawling over broken glass" kind of belief in the risen Jesus? Do I believe my beliefs? Something to contemplate...
Sunday afternoon, about 4 p.m., I am helping Kacie with her homework, only to find out she was dead in the water until I procured a new print cartridge. So I grab my wallet and my iPod, (required equipment for any errand), and headed to Target. As I am pulling into the parking lot, I am listening to the latest podcast from the "Upper Room", their Easter service, and I hear the following line in the opening prayer: "...we really believe that you have risen...". Nothing out of the ordinary. A line that was probably uttered by thousands of pastors on that day. But this time, it just struck me as never before, and it set me to thinking...
What does it mean to say, "I believe"? It is to say, at its most basic, that I assert the statement to be true. That it really happened. That it is not myth or legend. That there really was a man who walked this earth 2000 years ago, who was killed, and who three days later was walking this earth again, in real space and time. Think about what that means. That is quite something to believe to be true. It just doesn't happen every day. And the corollary to this, if I do believe such a thing, what does that mean for my life? Shouldn't it make a difference? Why then does my life look so strikingly similar to those around me who do not believe this to be true? And all this while I was parking the car. So I walk into Target, pick out just the right print cartridge amongst hundreds, and proceed to pay for it, sliding my card in the little machine and signing my electronic name and walking out, bag in hand, all the while deep in thought, contemplating the nature of "belief".
Then invariably what happens next, is that others come by to join in on the conversation in my head. Mostly authors and podcasters whom I have never met and probably never will meet, but they have something to say to me. For example...
I get home from Target, we get Kacie's homework printed out, and Kacie takes off for small group, and Marcia takes off for "Upper Room" (see above), and I am left Home Alone! Yes, just like the movie, I get out the big bucket of ice cream, but instead of watching TV, I sit down to read "Blue Like Jazz", by Donald Miller. I open to my bookmark at Chapter 10, entitled, you guessed it, "Belief". It starts out like this:
"My most recent faith struggle is not one of intellect. I don't really do that anymore. Sooner or later you just figure out there are some guys who don't believe in God and they can prove He doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and they can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago and now it's about who is smarter, and honestly I don't care..."
And it ends like this (if you want to know who Andrew the Protestor is, buy the book):
"Andrew is the one who taught me that what I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do...If Andrew the Protestor is right, if I live what I believe, then I don't believe very many noble things. My life testifies that the first thing I believe is that I am the most important person in the world. My life testifies to this because I care more about my food and shelter and happiness than about anybody else. I am learning to believe better things. I am learning to believe that other people exist, that fashion is not truth; rather, Jesus is the most important figure in history, and the gospel is the most powerful force in the universe..."
Exactly what I was thinking in the Target parking lot, that if I truly believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then why are food and clothing and shelter (and print cartridges) foremost in my thinking?
And I wasn't done (and sadly, neither are you). Next morning, I am driving to the bus stop, listening to a podcast of "Truth for Life" with Alistair Begg, dated 4/17. He is expounding upon the story of David and Goliath, and describing the plight of the Israelite army. Keep in mind that I am now 16 hours into this OCD episode, contemplating this idea of belief and what difference it makes, when I hear this...
"Ask the question, do I believe my beliefs? You may actually also ask the question, have I learned how to doubt my doubts?...It is clear, because their behavior makes it clear, that they did not really believe what they affirmed. I can illustrate it for you.
They believed that Yahweh is the living God, yet they were acting as if he was dead.
They believed that Yahweh is the Lord Almighty, yet they were acting as if he were powerless.
They believed that Yahweh was the Faithful Covenant-Keeping God, yet they were acting as if He were indifferent to their plight.
They believed that Yahweh was the Deliverer, but they acted in such a way as to suggest that they did not expect him to deliver them.
In short, their behavior made it clear, that they did not believe their beliefs."
Wow. That summed up the whole argument for me. "Do I believe my beliefs?" I will close with a story. I think I heard this story many times from my InterVarsity days, but I could not remember the details. All I could recall was something about "crawling over broken glass". So I Googled that phrase, and after sifting through pages of entries on "broken glass Republicans" (Google it), I found it:
"On July 4, 1854, Charlie Peace, a well-know criminal in London was hung. The Anglican Church, which had a ceremony for everything, even had a ceremony for hanging people. So when Charlie Peace was marched to the gallows, a priest marched behind him and read these words from the Prayer Book:
"Those who die without Christ experience hell, which is the pain of forever dying without the release which death itself can bring."
When these chilling words were read, Charlie Peace stopped in his tracks, turned to the priest, and shouted in his face, "Do you believe that? Do you believe that?
The priest, taken back by this sudden verbal attack, stammered for a moment and then said, "Well I suppose I do."
"Well, I don't," said Charlie Peace. But if I did, I'd get down on my hands and knees and crawl all over Great Britain, if it were paved with pieces of broken glass, if I could rescue one person from what you told me."
Do I have a "crawling over broken glass" kind of belief in the risen Jesus? Do I believe my beliefs? Something to contemplate...
posted by wilsonte | 11:35 PM
3 Comments:
God really seems to be stirring a lot of hearts and minds to contemplate the very nature of belief.
We can even take the discussion further - like into the formula that we have ascribed to the gospel.
"Repeat after me...
Do you BELIEVE you're a sinner?
Do you BELIEVE that Jesus died on the cross for your sins?
Do you BELIEVE that he rose again?
Then if you BELIEVE these things - repeat my prayer and you will be SAVED!
That's it".
If belief simply meant mental agreement, then why was Jesus always placing obstacles on the road to salvation? Sell all you have... Go and sin no more... Follow me...
Maybe belief isn't acquired by a head nod, but it is proven by a life change...
I've also spent some time thinking about this idea lately.
My thinking runs along the lines of, how freeing it would be, to TRULY live by, and believing, what the Bible says.
First, a "believing" example.
Philippians 4:6,7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Now that's freedom! Do we believe that? Do we live that? If not, what's stopping us? Something to think and pray about.
Now, a "living by" example.
Do not covet.
Three little words with big implications. Free from the control of wants. Free from the control of comparison (i.e. keeping up with the Jones). In my not so deep mind I see it like this...
The new ipod comes out and it's really cool and I really want it and I think alot about getting it and ways I could justify the purpose and so and so forth.
Versus...
The new ipod comes out, and it's really cool, and I'd really like it, but, I already have one, and I'm thankful for it, so I continue to (with gratitude) use the one I have, and someday, when I acidentally run over this one with the van and break it, and then have the available funds to replace it, I'll get the new one, if I can truly justify it as a useful tool in my life.
(I think I'll be able to make that replacement this fall)
To take this all to deeper levels... I'll let you OCD types handle that.
Freedom Rocks!
PS You forgot to inform us that you had a new post.
I love what James says about belief in the context of true faith -- "Show me your faith by what you say and I'll show you my faith by what I do."
"Faith without works is dead."
In the grid of my christianity I was raised in (see Cliff's previous comments on the "belief questions"), these verses always scared the mess out of me.
I firmly agree with Cliff's conclusions concerning belief being about a life change. Not only did Jesus set the bar high regarding belief, He said these words to His followers -- "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord we did this and that in your name.' But the Lord will reply, 'Depart from me you workers of iniquity. I never knew you.'" (my paraphrase).
I'm scared to think about the "many" mentioned. They could be people we know and love. Let's remove the physical veil a bit and contemplate the enemy's strategy. Could he use the organized church to spread a false message of "simple easy mental belief" knowing this is not truly what gives someone eternal life?
Sorry to ranble. Thanks Tom. I believe I have your disorder as well. Now I'm shot for the next 12 hours.
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