What Do You Believe In?

Last evening we talked about What We Believe In.  Growing up we all had various ideas about life, but as we find out more information, our beliefs and attitudes change.  We looked at the Bible and at Jesus and read a few passages, with the goal of understanding how our beliefs can still change as we learn more about God and about His word. 

Please find below the notes of our discussion.

April 2, 2011

What Do You Believe In?

Opening question: What things did you believe in when you were a child that now that you have learned more about life you do not believe it anymore?

When we were children, we talked like children, we thought like children, we reasoned like children.  But when we became adults, we learned more, we studied more and we put our childish ways behind us.  This is what Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 13:11. 

There was a time when Paul followed the lessons of the Hebrews, thinking that that was the right teachings of God.  But when he learned more about the word of God, he became a Christian and began teaching people about the Bible and Jesus.

We will look at a few things from the Bible about those things that we can believe today, after we analyze and learn all the facts about ourselves.

1.         I Believe in the Bible

We have been studying the Bible every week, opening its pages and reading different verses.  But, what is the Bible?  Why are we studying it?  What can we believe about the Bible?

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we read: 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,  17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

What do these verses say?

Every word in the Bible came from God and we can benefit from these words.  We can learn from them and be corrected in our ways.  We can be trained by the Bible, so that we can do good works for God.

Another few verse that testifies to the supernatural character of the Bible are found in 2 Peter 1:20-21: 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

What do these verses say?

In the same way that a president’s speech is not written by the president, but by someone under the president’s authority, the writers of the Bible wrote under the authority of God as the Spirit of God guided them.

There are many other characteristics about the Bible that lead us to believe it is the Word of God.  40 people were its human authors and they wrote over a period of time of more than 1,600 years.  They were of a different background of origin, some where Hebrews and there was at least one that was not.

Many scholars have tried to disprove the Bible and its authority, claiming the Bible is full of errors and inconsistencies.  However, if studying carefully and patiently, the Bible is proven to be without any error and everything in it is true and correct.

I believe that the Bible is the word of God and that it can teach me how to know God and how to learn about what He wants from me.

2.         I Believe in Jesus

We have studied about Jesus and who He is.  Today, we are going to look at a couple of passages about why do we believe in Jesus and what do we believe about him.

In previous lessons we have seen God speaking to man, commanding them to listen to Jesus and believe in Him.  In Matthew 3:17, we read that: 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” God Himself gave testimony that Jesus is His son and that He was pleased with Jesus’ work on Earth.

In John 14:6, Jesus declares that: 6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If we want to go to the Father, know God and be with Him, we can do this only through Jesus, by believing in Him and doing what He asks from us.

What does “except” means?

It eliminated every other option, every other man, every other ideology.  We can go to our Father only through Jesus.

And in Acts 4:12 we read Peter saying that: 12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

If I want to have peace and salvation in this life from my sins and eternal life with Jesus and God in heaven, Jesus is the only one who can give me that.  I believe that Jesus can do that for me, if I follow Him, learn about His will for me and do his commandments.

Conclusions

The Bible is the Word of God, spoken through His mouth and written through the word of people guided by the Spirit of God.  If we believe that, then we will consider its lessons as holy and we will obey them.  If we believe in Jesus, that He is the Son of God and that He can save us, we will follow His words and fulfill His will.

Campus Bible Talk 2011