Breeds Of Belief
There is a difference – a distinction – between believing in something and believing it
You can believe in airplanes – but be afraid to fly
You believe that airplanes are a good thing
But do not believe that thy will carry you safely to your destination
In the same way, there is a big difference between believing in God and believing God
James reflected this truth when he wrote:
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (James 2:19)
Demons know God its real, but obviously, they don’t serve Him
For many people today they try hard to believe in God without fully believing God
There are at least three types of faith on the spectrum between “believing in” and “believing”
I think that I have experienced them all!
1> The first kind of faith is held by the person I would call a casual believer
Such a person believes in God but has not fully surrendered to Him
He may be a church attender
He could be a very moral person
He most likely is kind and generous
BUT, even though this person believes in God, he lives his life as if God doesn’t really exist – He would be a Christian atheist
These people – casual believers – appear to be Christians
They pray a polite prayer at Thanksgiving and Christmas family meals
They attend church on Christmas and Easter
They tell you they are “thinking about you” during difficult time
But these same people
Don’t let God affect their spending habits
Don’t take God into consideration regarding the movies they watch
He doesn’t keep them from swearing – using God’s name in vain
He not involved when they fudge on their expense reports
Gossiping, Stretching the truth, telling a white lie
They believe in God, but they still do whatever they want
2> The second kind of faith is that of the convenient believer
This is the person who waves the Christian flag whenever it involves a potential benefit.
This person is quick to talk God-talk if it might help seal a business deal or score a date
They will speak “Christianeze” if it helps them to get a promotion
This person uses God to leverage a situation for personal benefit
Their life is a mess as they do whatever they want to do whenever they want to do it; and when it reaches crisis mode they call the pastor
3> The third type of faith belongs to the committed believer
This is the kind of faith Jesus calls us towards
The road to committed faith is paved with personal abandonment and self-denial
Life ceases to be about is – and it begins to be all about God
The committed believer doesn’t waver because of the crowd and what others might be doing
He isn’t moved by other people’s opinions
He is a Christ follower all the time – complete obedience and faithfulness are his goals
A 99 percent commitment to Christ is not enough
So, what kind of faith is yours?
Casual belief – you are a good person who believes in God, but doesn’t let your faith dominate your life?
Convenient belief – living right when someone’s watching, or when it might benefit you, but doing your own thing when you want?
Committed belief – wholly devoted to the One who’s wholly devoted to you
