You Are What You Believe

Have you ever observed the following interesting comparisons and contrasts about some of your friends and acquaintances? You have some who, as you have acutely observed from time to time, seem to have some unusual theological perspectives, yet they appear to have a very Godly home, a great desire for the truth of God's Word, a bountiful love for the things of God, and a healthy appreciation of God's world. Then you know others whose theology much more closely aligns with your own, and yet their walk with God seems ... well, ... let's just say that you have some concerns about the direction in which some of their current trends may be taking them.

Hhmmm.... It's pretty easy to see what I'm getting at, isn't it? Now don't start running through all your reasons for ignoring the obvious. Don't tell me about how "Life's more complicated than that," or "It's the attitude of the heart that matters," or "God cares about the motivation behind my friends' behaviors more than the behaviors themselves," or that "Only eternity will show who was pleasing God and who wasn't."

Ignoring obvious truths usually coincides with also subscribing to pragmatic alternative falsehoods. Such falsehoods might be summed up in statements like "Unity means not focusing on those areas of disagreement with my brother," or "If it's not an absolute worthy of becoming a test of fellowship, then it's not worth arguing over," and other such similarities to the world's perspective on tolerance.

Are you willing to sacrifice your marriage, your children, your congregation, or your country for the sake of avoiding argument? What if your Christian brother is right and you're wrong about a particular doctrine? If you really love truth, shouldn't you be gratefully desirous of what he could teach you? If you really love your brother, shouldn't you be desiring greatly that he would benefit from what you could teach him? If you are convinced of what you believe, then a poor argument from your brother should only solidify your convictions. But if your beliefs currently stand upon a weak foundation, well then ... perhaps that's really why you're avoiding debate.

Just in case the big point here is in danger of getting missed, let me state plainly: What you believe affects what you do. What you do affects what you and those around you become. What you become – what you are – has everything to do with the whole purpose for which God created you.