One of the most dangerous things we can do is to allow ourselves to just be comfortable. There is a risk of being so comfortable in life that we allow others to think for us and we don't ask any questions, we just trust the "experts." It's also possible to be so comfortable that we don't ask ourselves any questions or self-reflect on why we do what we do, and we just go through life on autopilot. This behavior can most certainly be true in the realm of worldviews too, as in formulating our belief system that seeks to address the core questions most people have about life, such as: how did the world come to exist, how did humanity come to exist, and what is the meaning of life? I believe that everyone has a worldview. I think that whether you believe in God or not, you have some sort of belief system that shapes how you live your life, whether you are aware of it or not. What this post is intended to invoke reflection upon, is the question of, "why do you believe what you believe?"
If I asked you right now, do you believe in God, what would your answer be? My challenge to you is to think about how you came to hold your belief system, especially as it pertains to God. Whether you do believe in Him, don't believe in Him, or whether you claim that you aren't really sure if you do or don't, again I ask you, well...why is that? Is it possible that you came to hold your set of beliefs through situational or cultural osmosis because of the people in your life? And although for a good belief system that is certainly a good starting point, sooner or later everyone needs to decide why they believe something, or it will fall apart when life gets hard and may challenge your undeveloped foundation (Matthew 7:24-27). Or perhaps you have a more cynical worldview, doubtful of God's existence and of any good reason for anything to exist, is it possible you arrived at this belief due to your life circumstances, perhaps having been dealt a bad hand in life? As someone who has struggled with much in life myself, my heart goes out to you if this is your situation, but that too, is a fragile, emotionally-based way to view the world. What I want you to really think about, is to consider the actual evidence that you have based your beliefs on. Is there actually any evidence that you have looked at and considered, or are your beliefs based on weak presuppositions that you may have chosen to fit in with other beliefs you have, allowing your emotions or desired behaviors to actually shape how you view the world?
If you don't think you believe in God, do you actually know why? I have observed that often, people who claim no belief in God, when questioned on the evidence they hold to against His existence, often have none in fact, but rather simply point to Christians that turned them off to the idea of God. Although I absolutely do not minimize the importance of Christians living out our faith in a way that aligns with what scripture teaches, I have to point out the inconsistency of rejecting faith in God on grounds that actually have nothing to do with Him. I would actually agree with the person who asks, why aren't Christians being more Christ-like? To that person I would say, you are right, Christians are supposed to act like Christ, but the fact that the disconnect in their behavior bothers you so much only reinforces true Christianity by proving that the biblical moral standards by which you are measuring Christians themselves, is a standard worth comparing to, or you wouldn't be doing it with them. By bringing this argument forward, you are actually in a sense reinforcing the principles of Christianity itself. By pointing out the inconsistency of a Christian who is not being Christ-like, you are pointing to Christ and the bible as the standard against which we should be compared, which is valid. Your issue is not against God or Jesus, but with some of His followers, which is a topic that I could elaborate on separately, but for now only acknowledge that it is a tragic reality we find ourselves in while living in this broken world.
For now, I just want to say, if you are in this camp of people who rejects God because you have been hurt or burned by Christians, or the church, my heart is with you, because that is something that should not be. Unfortunately, it is the reality of living in our broken world, in that even those that love God don't get it right all the time. I would encourage though you to go to the source and try reading the bible and looking at Jesus himself, he's the one we should all have our eyes focused on, because he is "the pioneer and perfecter of faith," (Hebrew 12:2). Does the idea of God or Jesus as God sound silly to you, like some sort of kid's fairy tale or something? Well, I thought you might say that, in fact the bible said that you would say that:
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God," -1 Corinthians 1:18 NIV.
If you have a hard time believing that the bible could be true, have you considered other things in your life that you believe and looked at those for inconsistencies? Do you hold faith in other spiritual ideas or practices, while at the same time claiming it is too unlikely that there is a God who created the world? If you claim no faith in God and you believe the world came from nothing, have you ever considered the amount of faith that it takes to believe something like that? I can tell you that I don't have enough faith to believe this world is totally random, because an honest look at modern science data will show just how precisely fine-tuned the universe is for life, and the sheer odds of it being random are staggering. Many scientists have actually become Christ-followers because of the volume of evidence they witnessed when looking at creation itself through a scientific lens. Did you know that the bible actually says that's how it should work if you truly look at the world and consider how wondrous and amazing it and life are?
"For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse," -Romans 1:20 NIV.
The world itself was made in a way that it should cause us to be amazed and to wonder about the core questions about life and how we got here, because God created it all to point back to Him, and to cause us to look for Him. If you already believe in God, my question to you would be, are you living as if it's the most important thing in the world? Does your faith define the way you live your life, or is it just an accessory that you put on when you go to church on Sunday? C.S. Lewis once said: "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important." A lukewarm Christian faith is not really a faith in Christ at all. To you who are lukewarm I would also ask, why do you believe what you believe? Do you believe in God because your parents did? If so, that's a good start, but have you considered the evidence for His existence? Have you looked at the facts, have you talked with Him and asked Him to meet you in your journey for truth? He will meet you if you are sincere in your pursuit for Him, I assure you, He will. When you truly encounter Jesus, it will change your life, but everyday we have to make a choice to follow Him. Belief, and allowing ourselves to be changed by truth in how we live our lives, are different things, but we are called to both as we follow the Lord.
God is real, I would stake my life on it. Where are you with your set of worldview beliefs, are you lukewarm for God, do you disapprove of His existence, or are you so comfortable with your life that you don't care enough to even think about the big picture? Either way, are you so convinced of your beliefs based on a careful review of the evidence that you would stake your life on it? Stop being comfortable for a change. Challenge what you think you believe and be willing to look at the evidence. Stop living your life based on secondhand information, or what your emotions led you to think. I will tell you with complete confidence that an honest look at the God of the bible and Jesus of Nazareth will stand up to the test, and will most assuredly only increase your faith in the end. Maybe that's what you're scare of though. Sometimes we want to be comfortable because we are afraid of what we'll find if we go searching for the truth. Is it better to live for an uncomfortable truth, or a comfortable lie? I'm all in for the truth man, I don't care how uncomfortable it makes me sometimes. As for you though, well, the choice is yours. How about you try getting out of the comfortable boat and walking towards Jesus (Matthew 14:28-32)?
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