Core Beliefs and Their Rationale

UV 1401/10,000 Core Beliefs and Their Rationale
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Hebrews 11 v 6

It is impossible to please God with our goodness as He can see through every façade and see our inner motive of selfishness behind every good deed. It is impossible to please God with a sacrifice as we cannot offer a perfect and blemishless sacrifice. It is impossible to please God with our accomplishments or attainments or lifestyle as He knows these are vain and futile. It is possible to please Him with faith in His Son Jesus. We can reach the Lord only through a narrow path though we would like to believe that all roads lead to Rome. The only thing that surprised and pleased Jesus was the faith He found in several people He came across : the woman who touched Him in the crowd, the four friends who brought a paralytic, the centurion who asked Him to just speak the word of healing for his paralysed servant.

Only the truth is worthy of belief. It displeases God when we disbelieve Him as we are in effect saying that He is a liar, a falsehood, a myth, a figment of someone’s imagination. It pleases God as we are agreeing that He is the truth, the way and the life. The basis of belief needs to be rational, historical, real and true to experience. We need to believe only two beliefs : one, that God exists, that He is the Self-existent being who spoke to Moses and said, “ I am who I am’, that He is Trinity- Father, Son and Spirit or three-in-One. Two, that He rewards, gives answers, reveals Himself or blesses those who earnestly, whole-heartedly and persistently seek Him and in so seeking, study diligently His Word, spoken and recorded by His prophets and servants through the ages. It displeases God when we disbelieve their witness for we are saying they are liars, frauds and imposters. It pleases God when we believe what they have written or recorded for we are affirming that they are truthful witnesses. When we believe, the Spirit of God in us will confirm to our spirits that what we believe and who we believe is true. We can have doubts and questions in all other areas of belief but as far as these two beliefs, we need to be certain and without a shadow of doubt. Then, this constitutes the mustard seed of faith. It is the seed of righteousness. When we sow the seed of righteousness in our hearts, we will reap the harvest of blessings in our lives. The word “belief” literally and etymologically means “be a part of the kingdom of God” as lief is an old English word for kingdom and if rearranged it produces the word, “life.” When we believe, we are opting out of the world and its systems and opting into the eternal Kingdom of God. Life and its temporal rewards do not enamour us any more.

Recently, I met a retired Colonel from the army medical corps who started seeking God at the age of thirty five. She sought the Lord with all her heart. She believed that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him diligently. Consequently, the Lord revealed Himself to her as He has promised, “ If you seek me with all your heart, you shall find me.” Searching the unsearchable God and finding Him is the first quest. The entire character and plans of God for mankind are revealed in His Word. But it requires diligence or earnest study to understand it with the help of the Holy Spirit. The greatest blessing is finding and knowing the Lord. The other blessings or rewards will follow and flow. How do we know if the Lord is pleased with our faith? We will sense His presence with us and His peace and grace in our hearts. We will receive signs and confirmations. God is not fastidious or difficult to please. We can please Him with the authenticity, sincerity and depth of our faith. We please Him when we live by faith and not by sight, when our faith impacts and influences every aspect of our lives.
Prateep V Philip