It matters what you BELIEVE . . .

The Apostles Creed begins by saying, “I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.”

Like the Apostles CREED when crafting a personal statement of faith it makes the most sense, of course, to start at the beginning. God is that beginning. Belief in the Creator is the foundational, the beginning step in our journey of faith.

I find it amazing, sometimes appalling at how many Christians don’t know what they believe. Have you ever been asked by someone outside the faith of why do you believe what you believe?

I believe that everything we see, and all that we cannot see, in the world around us was created by God Himself - spoken into existence. With one word He brought light to the darkness of the universe.

Genesis 1:1-3 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Compare that first verse to this one in John
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.

The recognition of a Creator has many implications. Once we acknowledge His existence, we must acknowledge His authority over His creation.

Romans 1:20 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 men are without excuse.

Once we acknowledge God and He reveals His nature to us, we begin to see ourselves as we really are, in the light of His qualities. That’s what belief does.
Let me ask you a revealing question: How has coming to know God brought you into a deeper understanding of yourself?

Remember when Jesus said to Thomas “Stop doubting and believe", what was the result and reaction?

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" The personal revelation that Jesus was God and therefore must be Lord as well.

When we say that we believe in Jesus yet do not follow Him as Lord, we are deceived by this conflicting truth. A friend of mine Jim Leek says each day on Joy 1250 “If Jesus is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all.” How true! How convicting!