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“I Believe” Or “The Bible Says?”
If you were to go up to someone on the street and ask them what one needs to do to be saved, they would probably respond, “I believe…” You could probably ask that same question to someone in the Lord’s church and receive the same kind of answer, “I believe…” You might be wondering what the problem is with this kind of statement. The problem is that this is a very “denominational” statement. This kind of statement is the result of there being so many different religious beliefs in our society. Thus, we say “I believe…” to distinguish ourselves from other religious groups while other religious groups make the same kind of statement to distinguish themselves from us.
The Problem Of Using “I Believe”
What kind of impression does this leave with a person? It tells that person that we believe something different, but that our religious belief is not necessarily better than the religious beliefs of any other group. Now maybe we can see the problem; the statement “I believe…” doesn’t really separate us from anyone else, but rather groups us in with every other religious group in society.
The Remedy To The Problem
How can we remedy this problem? The answer is quite simple. Instead of replying to a question with “I believe…”, we should rather state, “the Bible says…” We are giving the same answer, but instead of identifying ourselves as “just another religious group”, we are identifying ourselves with God’s word. This is exactly what we should be doing, considering that true faith and belief is based on the Word of God (Romans 10:17).
If one looks at first century Christians, he will see that when they were asked concerning their beliefs, they never responded “I believe…” Rather they pointed the questioner to the source of their belief …. the Word of God.
1) In Acts 6:13-14 , Stephen is accused of blasphemy. He is asked in Acts 7:1 if these things were true. Notice that Stephen did not reply “I believe…”, but he took them through the history of God’s dealings with His people (Acts 7:2-53 ). He pointed them to the Word of God.
2) In Acts 10:33, Cornelius wants to hear from Peter what the commands of God are. Peter does not say “I believe…” but delivers to Cornelius what God had delivered to Peter (Acts 10:34-43 ). He pointed Cornelius to the Word of God.
3) In Acts 17:19-20 , the Greeks at Mars’ Hill asked Paul concerning his doctrine. Does Paul say “I believe…”? No, he delivers to them the revelation of God (Acts 17:22-31 ). He points them to the Word of God.
4) In Acts 24:24, Felix questions Paul concerning his faith in Christ. Does Paul say “I believe…”? Once again, the answer is no. He reasons with Felix from the Word of God (Acts 24:25).
Conclusion
Let’s ask ourselves this question: Were Stephen, Peter, and Paul telling what they believed? Yes, of course they were, but the manner in which they went about telling their beliefs is what is important. They took the focus off themselves by not saying, “I believe…” and put the focus where it should be … on the Word of God!
The next time someone asks you concerning “the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15), determine to let them know what that hope is - not by saying, “I believe…” but by showing them why you believe it …. it is found in God’s Word!
Updated: February 01, 2008
The Ministers Desk
Weekly Lesson
By Mike Riley