As a relative newcomer to the Christian faith, I still have loads of questions which I regularly ask Rev. Graham about through this website. I guess, no matter how long people have been Christians , it is still a matter of wonderment and a process of learning. None of us will truly know until we die whether our religious beliefs were just a matter of blind faith or if they were justified when we get to see God and meet up with our loved ones.
There are so many people, especially in our society, who now don’t have a religious belief. They do not feel the need to have the comfort of a deity, a church, or a religious belief system. Many do not bother about what will ultimately happen at their life’s end.
Mo – I know you have had a strong religious belief throughout your life plus you have studied theology so may yourself have asked these very same questions. Can you therefore explain why should we believe in God?
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Similarly, we hear a lot about “faith” but what actually is it?
If we want to go to Heaven when we die, we presumably have to lead a good life and follow the teachings of the Bible. I’ve heard that, even in the final stages of someone’s life, God can forgive them their sins if they truly repent and believe in Him, despite leading a less-than-perfect life. Can you give me some idea what makes a good Christian in our modern society?
Finally, much is said about learning to get to know God and loving Him. This is one of those areas I still find most difficult as I’ve never met Him or had the chance to know Him enough to truly love Him from the depth of my being, although I know many Christians who do feel this way. So, can you tell me what it’s all about?
Rev. Mo’s Response:
Carol – firstly can I say that these are very big questions that a lot of (if not most) people ask. You do well to put them under the heading ‘What’s It All About?’
Why should we believe in God?
The Bible says that every person is made in the image of God. I believe that, therefore, in every person there is something of God to be revealed. At its basic level there is a desire to be loved, to be truly known, to live in community. That is innate in each person.
Contrary to modern belief, there is strong evidence for God in nature and science. Many scientists etc who started out trying to disprove the existence of God have found the opposite. At a deep level there is something within us that draws us to His existence and I think that God has placed that there Himself. It is why so many people believe in something ‘other’. I have always said that I cannot prove the existence of God but I have had enough proof in my life that He not only exists but He has done everything necessary for me to have a relationship with Him.
Those people who deny the existence of God cannot prove the opposite! Their ‘no belief’ system is also actually a belief system. Their ultimate goal will be their family, politics, self-advancement, money or career, etc. Often, God is suppressed or denied because of a wrong understanding of what He is like or because He has not done what He should have done according to expectations of Him. I believe that God rejected is a God not really known or allowed to be truly God.
As you say, I have been brought up within the Christian belief system and in some ways I always believed or had faith. I went to church and would pray occasionally at home if I needed something. But in 1981 I realised that there had to be something more of this God who was distant and, in many ways, unknown. I prayed that night ‘O God if You are there, I think I need to know You.’ It was as if my eyes and ears were opened to see and hear Him and I began to read the scriptures. There were many ways to discover Him and my ‘faith’ came alive.
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So often we want to make a God in our own image to perform what we want. That is the wrong starting point. We have to start with the fact that we are imperfect, we are NOT God, we can never earn our way into Heaven, no matter how good we think we are, and that He is God. That even our good works are as nothing. But all is not lost! He loved us so much that Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours for our self-centredness, pride, striving, being our own saviour apart from Him, so that we could really know the depth of the Father’s love. Getting into heaven at the end of our lives does not depend on being good but because Jesus has laid down His life as a bridge for anyone who accepts what He has done. That entering-in can happen now and be lived out now and will only come to its fulfilment when we finally meet Him face to face. But we can have a relationship with Him now.
I have indeed studied theology which is about the understanding of God and His ways in the world but this would be as dry as dust without the daily turning to Him in prayer, reading about Him in scripture and getting to know Him alongside my fellow believers. Christianity is not a philosophy; it is a relationship. As you say, it is a pilgrimage of wonderment and learning.
Living a good Christian life comes out of knowing and loving Him. It is a response to all He is and has done. The more I learn of Him and encounter Him, the more I love Him.
For anyone who wants to know God more I suggest a prayer similar to the one I prayed.
O Lord God, I acknowledge that there is so much about You that I do not know. I know too that I am far from perfect and, though I try to live my life well, I so often make mistakes. I am sorry for my failures and in repentance turn to You. Holy Spirit of God, please fill me today and help me to understand more.
Lord Jesus, I thank You for what You did on the cross when You took my place and built a bridge between me and Father God.
In the words of St Richard I pray:
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know You more clearly,
Love You more dearly and
Follow You more nearly
Day by day
Amen.
And then afterwards to find some prayerful people who you can share with and who will help you to pray and understand scripture and grow in the knowledge and love of God.
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