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You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
(James 2:19)
Scriptures to explore: James 2:19
Before believing what God says, we must start with God Himself and His existence. Faith is grounded in God's existence. Without faith our heart is not aligned with God nor do we do what He says because we do not know that He has said anything. First we must become convinced that He exists and rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). Until our first step towards God is taken, we are either blind to His existence or intentionally denying it, which the Bible says is characteristic of a fool (Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1). In this state, God is both unknown and unknowable, for we are ignorant to the fact that He wants us to know Him (Psalm 46:10; Isaiah 43:10). At this point we do not believe anything we hear about God since we already think that there is no truth to or evidence of God's existence.
God took the initiative (John 3:16; Romans 5:8; I John 4:19) which enables us to begin the journey of discipleship, by revealing Himself to humanity. He has chosen to utilize human beings in making Himself known, and in particular those who help us take steps towards Him. Furthermore, our desire to know and believe Him grows out of the seed of desire that He plants in our heart (Song of Solomon 7:10; I Timothy 2:3-4). Through God's initiative, we take a step closer towards following Christ when we respond to the sense that something or someone greater than ourselves might exist. Perhaps someone mentions God, leading us to wonder what He is like. Maybe someone invites us to church, or we meet a person who is different from most everyone we know. We might find ourselves in a situation beyond our ability to handle that causes us to question if there is more to life than what we are experiencing. We are getting our first glimpse of God making Himself known. God is not working to make His existence known, so that we might recognize that He is completely trustworthy. Knowing God includes knowing His promises and warnings, as well as His grace and mercy. He offers Himself to His creation without forcing any of us to know Him. Thus we get a sense of something greater than ourselves and hunger to investigate Him that we could not cultivate on our own. Hearing about God leads to believing that He does indeed exist (Romans 10:14). Our understanding of Him is limited since it is just beginning, thus our knowledge has holes, inconsistencies, and inaccuracies. Nevertheless, we are a step further along in faith in trusting that God really does exist.
God's existence is the starting point, not our final destination. Some claim to believe God exists, yet remain on the launch pad by not listening to Him. But the maturing Christian moves beyond the mere existence of God primarily through encounters with God via the biblical record. The Bible does not argue for God's existence, but holds His existence as a foundational assumption from cover to cover. The Bible is also the primary way God has chosen to reveal Himself, given as proof that He exists. Maturing as a disciple, we no longer question whether God exists, though we may struggle to explain to others in a convincing manner why we are certain that He does exist. By faith we move beyond doubt to fact. Belief in what God has said comes through hearing Him in Scripture, and by observing the lives of those who know and love Him. Time spent listening and responding to His word as it is spoken, preached, and read, deepens our faith as we notice God speaking to specific people within their situations throughout Scripture. We discover things He has done across history for the sake of His name that is to the benefit of those who were trusting Him. At this point we focus more on how God spoke to others rather than how He may be speaking to us. Nevertheless, we are even more convinced that, not only does God exist, He speaks and can be understood. One thing that begins to stand out to us are passages where people hear God speak but do not listen to Him. In one account after another we see people who did not follow what God said, revealing that ultimately they did not believe Him or trust that what He said was true (Luke 6:46). Some refused to believe God had spoken. Like our ancestors in the Garden of Eden, all of us are tempted to doubt God (Genesis 3:1) and do what appeals to us (Genesis 3:6; James 1:14; I John 2:16), not believing God or following what He prescribes. As we grow and recognize this pattern occurring throughout Scripture, we become aware of how this has also been the pattern of our life. We begin to be convicted that we had not listened to God either. The next transition in our growth depends on whether or not we actually start hearing and applying what God says. Our faith in God is moving beyond a reasonable doubt and that is challenging us to live out our faith through our actions.
It might be in an ah-ha moment or through a thought that quietly slips into our heart and mind, but it dawns on us that when God spoke to His people, He was also speaking to us. That light clicking on shows we are growing. We move from simply hearing the accounts of God and humanity passively, to grasping that what He says applies to us personally. An important and necessary step in our growth as Christ's disciples is realizing that Scripture applies to our life. It is more than a historical account, it is His living word which is to be applied to our life. The challenge we face as followers of Christ comes in seeking to live out what God has said. In reality we cannot and will not live a life consistent with God's word on our own, but will continue to fall short if we attempt to do so in our own strength. As we listen to His word we hear that we need the power of the Holy Spirit, that we must be born again (John 3:3-8). Part of the gospel message is that Christ dwells in us (I John 4:13). He is the vine and we are a branch, and apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). If we fail to grasp this truth, we will struggle to live the Christian life when we seek to live it on our own, not in Christ. But in hearing and believing that Christ is in us and we are in him (John 14:20), it becomes a joy for us to live for God following His ways. Maturity in Christ is not something we cause, it is God working in us so that we desire and act according to His will (Philippians 2:13). Our part in the equation is simply to believe what God says and to walk in the steps He laid out within His word which is being written on our heart (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 10:16). We are learning to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16) and discovering what it means to die to self (Matthew 16:24). Maturity occurs in light of believing what God says, not simply in His existence.
Growth in maturity continues long after we move beyond whether God exists for we are always learning to apply what God says to our life. Yet, there comes a point where our love for God shifts from our looking at how His words apply to us, to looking at how we might be a light in this world so that others may know Him as well (Matthew 5:14-16). We move from being interested in what we might gain, to living in an intimate relationship with God, knowing that whatever He says is best for all of His creation. We know God is faithful and just. We know His promises and warnings. We listen to what He says, as we live in communion with the Living God. Our greatest desire has become to see others come to know Him, not just to hear how they think that some kind of God exists.
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