The Importance of Right Belief

I have heard it said that “what you believe does not matter, but that it is what you do that does. After all, when I go to heaven, will Jesus ask me whether I believed in the atonement and other doctrines?” At first glance, this statement appears to have some credence. However, this cannot be farther from the truth. Rather than our beliefs being irrelevant to what we do, what we do is determined by what we believe. Our actions demonstrate what we believe! Whether or not we believe in the atonement of Christ will be evident in what we do. These doctrines are not somehow detached as this person implies. Belief (pisteuó in biblical Greek) can also be translated as commit or entrust. The authors of the Bible understood that if one believes in something, that they would also show it in their actions. Jesus’ commandment for us to “believe” echoes this. Therefore, for example, to believe that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Saviour would mean that you would also live out that truth, and not contrary to it. Improper belief, therefore, would lead necessarily to improper action.

To put it simply, thoughts in our minds, whether emotive, instinctual, externally influenced, or consciously synthesized, come before an action. Even what is sub-conscious comes as a result of what we think. If I were to pick up a cup, I would first have to decide to pick up the cup. I do not simply pick up the cup first, then decide to do so afterwards. Rather, our thoughts, if brought to fruition, are the “cause”, and what we do is the “effect” (relatively speaking). Even in this simple act I must have some belief. In this case I would believe that I am capable of picking up the cup. I would believe that, if I reach my arm out towards the cup that I would have the necessary strength to lift it up. I would trust in the physical constants around me, that they would not simply change at random. This may be all well and good, but how does this relate to proper beliefs being important and not merely the effect?  What I have established here is that regardless of what we do, our actions are grounded in specific beliefs. We cannot do anything without it first being conceived in the mind, and what we conceive in our minds are determined by what we believe to be true. I believe that I can pick up the cup, I visualize how to do it specifically, and then I pick it up (regardless of how fast or slow the process may be). We can then deduce that certain beliefs are required before I can pick up the cup (other instances would be involuntary and, quite likely, meaningless).

When we extrapolate the concepts of belief, thought and action to a worldview, it quickly becomes clear that certain constants emerge. If, for example, one believes that pre-born babies are sub-human, they will be more likely to support abortion. If one believes that they are human, they will be less likely. In the cases where they do not follow-through with those beliefs would be when others override them in importance or immediacy. What we believe in a specific instance, inclines us to a certain action. What we believe as a worldview (the culmination of our beliefs) determines how we will respond. In other words, if one believes that unborn babies were human and still advocated an abortion, then, in the greater context of their worldview, something else took precedence over the life of that baby. The worldview as a whole has priorities, which determine which particular belief will win over another when they come into conflict in a particular instance.

Where do we go from here? Is not belief meaningless so long as a desired result is attained? To answer those questions one must ask: How is that “desired result” determined, and how has that belief come to be meaningful and all of the others meaningless? This notion is self-refuting. To have a desired result demonstrates a certain belief; a belief that holds certain action over other action. However, for that action to be an end in itself, irrespective of belief, one must ascribe to the meaninglessness of all belief. In other words, they are asserting, in effect, that there is no such thing as objective truth, and that the person who determined the desired result has a preference. To believe that belief is irrelevant so long as the desired result is attained is largely synonymous with being only preferential with regard to vision, goals and direction because there is no objective standard through which that desired action can be determined. This kind of thinking can only be human in orientation and only show one person’s preference over another’s. By making that statement, one has demonstrated that the source of their beliefs is human. If this is true, then how can such a statement be Christian? Such a statement denies God as its source.

What About Particular Doctrines?

There are three points that need to be hammered about proper belief:

1. Belief gives a context for relationship

2. Belief is a covenant

3. Belief is a guide and anchor

Belief gives a context for relationship. Think about it. Christians believe that God is holy. That holiness (separateness from evil) entails certain requirements for reconciliation with Him. The same is true of God being loving. If God is loving, we can know that God is interested in our lives. And the list of beliefs continue until they give us a context for knowing God, much the same as a wife learning about her husband. If I never believed anything about my wife or if I can believe anything that I want about her, do you think that we would have much of a relationship? Our relationship would be non-existent. Rather, I learn about her likes and dislikes. I learn about her life, what matters to her, and seek to get to know her for who she is. The same is true of our beliefs about God. There are right and wrong beliefs with God as there are with my wife. What I believe, whether right or wrong, about my wife sets the precedent for our relationship, as it does also with God. Belief makes relationships possible, proper belief enables them to thrive.

Belief is a covenant. Belief is like a contract between individuals. While not all beliefs require covenant/contracts, one cannot have authentic agreements or contracts without proper belief. My wife and I have made a covenant of marriage. Remember that proper belief entails living it out. My wife and I believe specifically in that covenant that we have become one, that we are to be married for as long as we both shall live, and that we possess each other in loyalty. Without these beliefs, our marriage could not happen. I could not simply believe anything that I want about our marriage and expect that to make no difference to it. The same is true of God and any legally binding document. When we give our lives to Him, we do just that. When we say that we will follow and abide in Christ (sanctification), as He enables, when we are converted, we make a covenant with God. As with any covenant or contract, there are very specific conditions; conditions, especially with God, that remain the same irrespective of our belief. To have improper belief here, as it would entail action, would be the same as breaking the contract or covenant. Specifics matter.

Belief is a guide and anchor. As with any set of believed instructions or framework for understanding reality, what we believe guides and grounds us. Belief helps ensure proper action, provides the context for that action, and offers direction, goals and a vision. Proper belief as a guide and anchor enables proper discernment to be possible. After all, without truth there can be no discernment between truth and error (i.e. no way to tell if one is deviating from the destination on a map). Improper beliefs are either aimless or lead into another direction that is not of the truth. If Jesus is the Saviour and Lord of our lives, then His Lordship will be our guide, and our most fundamental beliefs will be grounded in Him. Christ gives us specific vision, direction, instructions, and a framework for understanding reality. Anything else would be a deviation from Christ, regardless of one’s intentions. To its contrary, should we advocate a Christianity that is directionless, goalless and visionless? A Christianity that is bereft of any objective input from God? Shall we then be God’s arbiter? God forbid! This would be a denial of everything that makes Christianity Christian. To forsake Christ and His Word as our guide and anchor is no different from suggesting that we maintain an “uncertainty” in regards to His words. What a useful guide that would be! Indeed, this is a false humility. The Apostle Paul called people like this “children” when he instructed, “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:14-15). The Hebrews also fell victim to this and were instructed, “For when for the time you ought to be teachers, you have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat” (Hebrews 5:12). This is where that false humility leads. Indeed, no one can say that the disciples and early apostles found “humility” in lacking certain conviction of Christian truths. Quite the opposite. They taught them with utmost conviction and certainty. That is not to say that we can never be wrong, but that we always refine and reform our beliefs to the Bible that reflects our guide and anchor. The Bible is plain, and our assurance is clear. Therefore, “study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

In summary, our actions demonstrate what we believe. Improper belief leads to improper action, and proper belief leads to proper action. What we conceive in our minds to do is determined by what we believe to be true. What we believe in a specific instance inclines us to a certain action. What we believe as a worldview (the culmination of our beliefs) determines how we will respond. To hold that belief is meaningless so long as a desired result is attained denies God as its source and is self-refuting. Belief makes relationships possible, proper belief enables them to thrive. Belief is a covenant and, much the same as any legal document, is very specific. Belief is a guide and anchor, with which one derives their meaning, purpose, vision, and where discernment becomes possible. We are either going the right way or the wrong way. Proper belief enables proper action. We cannot follow God without it, we cannot know Him without it, we cannot hear Him without it, we cannot obey Him without it, and we cannot discern truth from error without it. In this, we must agree with Christ and the Apostles that doctrine matters and what we believe matters with an utmost importance. May we never downplay this.

As a final word, let us echo Christ when He said “to those Jews which believed on him, if you continue in my word, then are you my disciples indeed; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31-32).