Have you ever done something for so long and then suddenly realize you have no idea why you do it?
This happened to me not that long ago. For nearly 20 years I’ve done a quirky goof-ball thing where I hold up my hand while saying, “How” and quickly change the hand to a gun position saying, “do you do?” For almost 20 years I did it without really thinking anything of it. Then, one day, I did it and wondered why on earth I even do that. After asking my mom if she knew, and finding out both of us were completely clueless, I was baffled as to how I could not know why I did it, especially since I’d been doing it for so long. Months later I was watching An American Tail and there was a scene where a cat was captured by mouse Native Americans. The cat realized he was in a dire situation and proceeded to do the exact same quirky motion. As soon as I saw this scene I excitedly proclaimed, “Ooooh, it makes so much sense now!” The crazy thing is, growing up I didn’t even watch that movie very much, it was more my older siblings’ jam. Yet, I still carried away a funny memory without even realizing it!
We all have those things we do and have no idea why we do it. A lot of times, this happens with our faith. There are things we do and believe that we just do it because someone else has always done it, or we saw it somewhere at some point. Unfortunately, in those cases, we end up building up faith practices that we really have no reason or conviction behind. We just do it because it’s what we do; we couldn’t even explain it to someone else if we tried!
This issue happens a lot with kids. They rely on their parents faith, copy their parents to make it through, and then they come out not really having a relationship with God. Then, at the first signs of difficulty, they bail on it because there is nothing inside them that helps them see the importance or necessity of carrying through with faith. Unfortunately, I’d say that’s one of the leading causes of young adults walking away from the church or making really unwise choices once they’re out of the house. They built up a routine to satisfy the status quo, but never really understood who they were worshiping or why. Without the conviction, why would we expect it to stick?
But set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts and always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks about the hope you possess. Yet do it with courtesy and respect, keeping a good conscience, so that those who slander your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame when they accuse you. 1 Peter 3:15-16
New English Translation
1 Peter 3:15 informs us that we need to understand what we believe so that we can explain why we believe. If you aren’t able to explain what you believe and why, then you should probably take a step back and ask yourself where a certain belief came from. That leads us to this question: where should my beliefs come from?
It’s easy to rely on your church’s traditions or family ties. However, that’s not the source for faith. No matter if either is praised for their faith, you should always go to Scripture and let it guide your beliefs. After all, truth is in those pages. There are going to be times where the answers aren’t as black-and-white as we’d like them to be, and those are the times where we need to take the time to carefully read the Word of God and allow Him to speak to us through the written words. People often make their case for immoral behavior by stating, “well the Bible never said…” However, this is actually a false statement. Sure, the Bible never used those exact words, but if you read the words that God did put in there, He addresses the heart of the issue without having to be so specific. That’s the great thing about God, He knows how to talk about everything without having to mention directly everything.
About a month ago, I was talking to a student who was venting about Pentecostal beliefs that he didn’t agree with. He kept citing theologian after theologian, and I just sat there and listened… after all, when you attend a Pentecostal university, I seriously doubt that many people let you just rant like that and give you an honest ear, so I figured, why not. When we parted ways, I realized that his entire case was built on the thoughts of others, and that he never once referenced Scripture or stated that he was reading in this place in the Bible. Yet, while I was listening to him, my beliefs that contradicted his (which I kept to myself to let him feel heard without feeling like he had to argue) all went back to Scripture. Every time I thought, “I don’t think that’s right… didn’t Paul teach…” or “I thought Peter wrote…” That’s because I built my convictions on Scriptures, not on the word of man. Where do you build your convictions?
Am I saying that you can’t learn something from others? No, of course not! If I believed that, then I wouldn’t be typing this out right now. But, what I am saying is that even if you think you’ve learned the greatest thing ever, you need to go to Scripture and make sure that what the human said agrees with what God wrote. God’s words are the final authority. No one and nothing else can trump Him. After all, Scripture teaches that even the foolishness of God is wiser than the wisest wisdom of man (1 Corinthians 1:25). Even if we don’t like what God says, that doesn’t mean He’s wrong. It just means that we have some sin in our lives that we need to deal with. God is always ready to help us work through that.
So, here I am asking you, do you know why you believe what you believe? If I were to start asking you about the way you live your life, would you be able to reference Scriptures that have helped you develop that lifestyle? If not, there’s no time like the present to take a step back and let God work things out with you. He knows Scripture better than anyone (He did write it), so He knows the ins and outs of how to apply it to your life. I encourage you to take time today for some serious self-evaluation. If you find things that don’t match Scripture, ask God to help you set it aside and replace it with His truth. He’s always ready to give you a helping hand. Let’s live intentional lives grounded on Scripture starting today and lasting always.