An insightful friend of mine, Fr. Robert, said, “Being able to change is simply part of being a Christian!”
True, and too bad the vast majority of “Christians” don’t see it that way. They simply believe either what they are taught or what naturally fits their personal predisposition; no questions asked, no putting their beliefs on the shelf until scripture either proves or disproves their most closely held belief, no bowing prostrate before God and crying out, “LORD teach my mind and my heart what is True so that I may throw away these erroneous beliefs that contradict you.”
Why, in the name of Christ, do we not learn from Jesus’ summary rebuke of the Pharisees and say, “Teach me LORD. Send your Holy Spirit to teach me what I need to know, what I need to believe; empower me to revile even these subtle beliefs that contradict the Truth of You, the Truth of Your plan for me! I am your created human and you are my God. Teach me what You want me to believe.”
Why? Because we don’t want to.
We love the familiar and hate what is not. If Truth does not change your mind on a regular basis, God is not your God. Your god is the convenience of belief.
Todd Beal
See also: What Makes My Belief True?
Truth Behind Reality 
Pingback: What Makes My Belief True? | Truth Behind Reality
Nice statement: “Your god is the convenience of belief.” Sadly this is too often the position of many churches and even theology, so called!
LikeLike
Absolutely, Fr. Robert. When you wrote this post’s opening statement on your blog it lit a fire in me. Truth is not called to conform to our belief. We Christians are called to conform to Truth. Yet if one were to ask most any professing Christian to back up his/her beliefs (including denominational doctrine), the most common reply would be either according to what that person was taught or what that person finds convenient to believe – the comfortable, the familiar. And without taking all topic-intrinsic scripture into account, choosing this verse or that verse, one in favor of another – based on what will most readily synthesize an isolated self-supportive argument – he or she will claim until blue in the face that that belief is true.
It is unsettling, I know, to discover that something we believe does not line up with scripture. The experience feels personally threatening because we naturally invest so much of our self in both our beliefs and disbeliefs – it feels like our very sense of survival, our most personal solid foundation, is crumbling beneath our feet and we are falling inward. I have found that just because something contradicts what I currently believe or disbelieve, that doesn’t automatically mean that that something is false. In fact, experience has taught me that quite possibly my belief or disbelief is instead the problem. So what is one to do?
Seek Truth.
My personal experience is that only Truth gives an unbreachable peace as evidence of right belief. I have learned that when I quiet my internal noise, open my Bible, and humbly ask God to direct my heart and mind toward what He wants me to know, the answer always comes. And I tell you Fr. Robert, the peace that settles in is completely devoid of that nagging inner split between me versus right. I have learned that by nature I am not right, God is. I am naturally full of inconsistencies, fallen and corrupt; He is not. My wisdom is fallible; His is eternally complete.
I’ll end this “get it off my heart” comment with the following definition of Truth: “Truth is the source of all non-contradiction, the wellspring of life.” Do we not all strive for one thing in this life – peace? I say, why not give Truth a try? Where there is no contradiction, only peace remains. After all, Truth makes us whole, and contradiction divides us into angry pieces.
God is Truth; God’s Truth is peace; God’s peace is forever.
Thank you, Fr. Robert, for this conversation.
LikeLike
Todd: Simply a great piece! I love it! Rock on in the great “Truth” of God! … Btw see the Hebrew for GOD/”Elohim” (plural) in Genesis One! The Creator in relation to HIS creatures.
PS..And we all do this so imperfectly, don’t we!
LikeLike
Fr. Robert,
I needed to hear that affirmation as much as I needed to write what has been on my heart for years. Thank you so very much for engaging me on this most important subject. My heart is so sad for the Church today – we are complacent and view truth as a secondary extension to our self. Since 2010, I have felt this weight on me to wake up the Church to what it has become, both at the individual and collective levels. Sometimes the reality of it is almost too much to bear. I long for my Christian brothers and sisters to return, wholeheartedly, to Paul’s Christ-breathed theology and the author of Hebrews’ definition of faith: Hebrews 11:1.
I feel more strongly as days go by that I will invest my final time on this earth living in Israel. I want my time here to count. I want Jesus to tell me, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Enter into my rest.” When I breathe my last, Fr. Robert, I want to know I did my best for Christ – my very best.
Please pray for me, that I will follow Christ’s call and not waiver.
Thank you again.
LikeLike
Todd: My years in the late 90’s living and teaching in Israel were a great providence for me, as a time of God’s theological change in my life! I love the people who are the physical descents of my Lord, surely the Jews and the Jewish people! But of course just being a physical descent of Abraham does not mean inheriting God’s promise to Abraham, that must be done by faith! But, GOD does have eternal and spiritual promises to Israel, but only a chosen remnant will survive to this God’s Covenant/covenants blessings! But the fact will forever remain that the Messiah came through them: “of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” (St. Paul, Romans 9:3-5)
Blessings as you seek to invest in God’s purpose and will for you, and HIS great “Israel” of God! Both the People and Land of Israel, as His Church and Body-Life ‘In Christ’! (Gal. 6: 15-16). In some spiritual sense, both Jews and Gentiles have become “the Israel of God.” But always “to the Jew first, and also to the Greek or Gentile.” (Rom. 1: 16) Surely first, “Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers: And that the Gentile might glorify God for his mercy..” (Romans 15: 8-9, etc.)
LikeLike
Thanks and well said. I have a feeling we will be talking further about this in the future.
LikeLike
Hi Todd,
I found it interesting that on 1-6-16 I was studying Hebrews 11 on Faith. Today I was re-reading it and on the “Power of Hope”.
As you know, I am 74 now and alone. My husband, children, parents and siblings are all dead. My Mother was the last and died in September, 2011. This has been a difficult time for me, I am finally healed and going forward. Letting go of all that is behind and looking forward.
I learned that no matter how much I loved them and no matter how hard I tried, it was not up to me. It was between them and God. I pray that they are home with Jesus now, but wherever they are, I know that I did the best I could to help them. I had to accept the fact that my best is not good enough. If it was, they would not need Jesus. I prayed, I did what I was able to do, I prayed constantly and I know that they are in the safe hands of perfect truth. Only Jesus can judge them and me. Whatever He decides, I know it is right.
2015 was an amazing year for me. Jesus took care of me in ways that there was no rational explanation to claim any personal credit for or to give credit to anyone else.
He has taken me into a whole new realm of provision. When I have no resources, He provides. I am His and He is mine. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.
I believe also that I am in Israel and I want my time here to count. We are in perilous times and I have put myself on the line.
Of course I know, that even if I die, I get to go home, so how bad can that be?
Please pray for me that I will follow Christ’s call and not waiver. Stand firm and when all else has failed, stand.
Elizabeth
LikeLiked by 1 person
Elizabeth,
I love Hebrews 11, and especially verse 1 – the only definition of faith found in the whole Bible.
| I had to accept the fact that my best is not good enough. If it was, they would not need Jesus. |
Excellent! I have never thought of it that way. Thanks for saying that.
I have already prayed concerning your request, Elizabeth. I also pray periodically for each of my blogging friends as I feel prompted inside. I want so much for all of us to meet in heaven and give each other the biggest hug ever – and then, of course, “we will ‘know’ even as we are known” because God will complete our understanding. What a day that will be!
Thank you Elizabeth.
LikeLike
Todd,
I spent quite some time reading and digesting all that you discussed. —–Heavy stuff! The entire world would change if those principles were adhered to across the board. A lifetime of teaching and preaching unfortunately would not turn the world around. Jesus spent his entire life teaching and preaching those principles, only to be mocked, rejected and crucified.
The human spirit must be open and willing to understand, accept, and live the principles behind that philosophy. With all of the evil in the world, especially in these days, the biblical prophecies are being fulfilled right before our eyes. Most people do not even understand, let alone see what is happening in the world. The garden of Eden embraced it all, but in the end, satan destroyed the peace that existed from the beginning, the plan that God had for man — a companion, someone to supp with, to communicate with. Man blew it!! Man had it made right from the beginning, but just could not keep his act together and lost it for all of mankind.
LikeLike
Thanks for plowing through the post and comments. Your words made me spontaneously say “absolutely!” out loud while reading your reply.
LikeLike
Indeed the “Admaic” Sin is all pervasive and effects us all (still and until the end), for Adam was/is our Federal Head! But thanks be to God, “The first man, Adam, became a life-giving soul.” “The Last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” (1 Cor. 15: 45, see also, 1 Cor. 15: 20-26, etc.)
LikeLike
Excellent, Fr. Robert.
LikeLike