Why do some people believe in God while others do not? Why do some believers walk in faith easier than others? A number of Christians say the believe the entirety of the Bible, but their lifestyle does not seem to reflect it. While belief is at the core of people’s lifestyle, their heart is at the core of their belief system or lack thereof. While we’ll briefly touch on nonbelievers, the primary focus here will be on believers.
Belief is a choice we all must make. Who or what we believe in is our decision. That being said, rebellion is the reason many refuse to believe, who claim to be atheists.
As we recall, Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that does evil hates the Light, neither comes to the Light, lest his deeds should be reproved” (John 3:19 – 20). We also find that idolatry is attached to unbelief (see Romans 1:18-32). Atheists want to do their own thing without being held accountable for their actions. While deep down in their heart of hearts they know that God exists, they choose disbelief in order to continue in their rebellion against Him. Of course, their pride will not allow them to acknowledge they know He exists. In extreme cases, some even curse God while on their deathbeds. There are those who do have a change of heart when they are at the threshold of eternity. Similar to the saying, “There’s no such thing as atheists in foxholes.”
Another reason some disbelieve is anger.
They are angry at God for their lot in life, or perhaps for some loss they experienced. They blame Him for their hurts and failures. He did not live up to their expectations; therefore, they choose unbelief as an act of retaliation. For the most part, they hold God in unforgiveness. These are just a few reasons “atheists” exist.
As stated before, each of us have choices as to what we believe. One reason some fail to embrace truth is they have strongholds.
Meaning, they learned things that were in error. In many cases, from others who had influence in their life. Because they accepted error as truth, they find it difficult to believe truth when it comes along. Similarly, Christians can have theories they espouse as truth and refuse to be corrected. However a person received a stronghold (defined in 2Corinthians 10:3-5), it makes it difficult to see truth. In order to tear down and combat strongholds, we must be willing to hear or see the truth as God intended.
Religion is another reason some believe partial truth.
As long as a person wants to be in control of the Faith, truth will elude him. Those who seek control, pick and choose what they believe. That’s why many overlook passages of Scripture that contradict their belief system.
Another similar trait is found in those who abuse grace.
Essentially, they want to live the way want to live and still be saved. Instead of conforming to God’s standards, they seek to conform God to theirs. This is embedded in idolatry as well. They know they are suppose forsake those thing contrary to the Word of God, but will not. They esteem their idol or pet sin above God. When people do that, their imaginations become vain and their foolish hearts become darkened. Grace never sanctions or sanctifies sin; rather, it sanctifies believers and empowers them to live holy. Some need to stop using grace as some sort of “Get out of hell free” card.
At the same time, there is the religious crowd, who fail to grasp what grace is all about.
They put things on people, and even their own selves, that they have no business putting on. They hold people to standards they themselves cannot keep. They put themselves in bondage by becoming more concerned about what they cannot do. Failing to realize that our righteousness is in Christ Jesus (2Corinthians 5:21). When we have our eyes on Him, everything falls into place. Instead of enjoying the freedom found in the Spirit of the Lord, they’re miserable following the spirit of religion. Yep, they make others miserable too. The minute you try to become a “better Christian,” you enter into dead works. Religious people (Pharisee types) fail to believe Jesus did it all. Somehow, they think they are better Christians than others, because of what they don’t do. In some cases, they fail to love.
When we love God, we will obey Him. Part of obedience is belief. If we are to believe the right things, we need to love Him enough to embrace His truth. We have to esteem Him and His Word above all else.
