Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 (NIV)
Abram Believed – The Believe Series – Part 1
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6 | PART 7
After Jesus had resurrected, he appeared to his disciples and friends. Many of them were overwhelmed with his “aliveness.” How could it be that their saviour, whom they watched die, who was buried and sealed into a tomb, now walked and talked among them, scars showing, breathing in and out, eyes open, heart beating, alive?
But then, there were those who saw him, heard him speak, and yet doubted. (Matt 28:17).
WHAT?!
How could they not believe?
It’s easy to think that had we been there, had we seen Jesus resurrected, that we would have believed straight away. No questions asked (more on that later). No doubting Thomas's here! Judging history makes us all self-proclaimed heroes.
I can’t say for sure what I would have believed.
The word ‘believe' means, “to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.”
In Ancient Hebrew, the word for believe is “Aman.” Yep, it's where we get ‘Amen’ from. It means “firm, to affirm.” In Genesis 15:6 we read that “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” The meaning here implies that Abram was firm in his devotion to God.
Today, we make incredible claims around what we believe. And a lot of the time, our ‘beliefs’ are the very things that create rifts, rivalries and divisions between us. Estranged family members, relationship fallouts, picket lines, social lines, no-go zones, people we won’t speak to, places we won’t go, protests, politics, wars… the “sides” we gravitate to in life are driven by our belief systems.
That's not a bad thing. Except for when truth and beliefs become our God; when they become immovable, rigid and stubborn. My belief in God is different to my belief in an idea. I don’t believe the same things I did ten years ago, on many issues. And neither does our world. Remember that the church itself preached that the world was flat and anyone who said otherwise was a heretic.
I’m going to unpack these thoughts over the next week, so if you read something you're not sure of, just give it a few days – haha! Read the series through. But also, I’d love for you guys to come on this journey with me. Let's talk about what we believe and why we believe it, and what purpose our beliefs serve – for us and those around us. Leave a comment or if it's sensitive, email us.
There’s something beautiful about Matthew mentioning that some doubted after Jesus resurrected. I find great comfort in Thomas, who will be forever known for his doubt. For I too am a human full of doubts. Full of questions. But even though I have these doubts and questions, I am a believer. I do believe. I affirm that the best place I can doubt and question and wonder and think and employ my autonomy and individuality is in the presence of the divine.
That's one of the only beliefs I’d stake my life on.
What is it you have doubts about? Leave us a comment below.
Go to Part 2 – Doubt and Faith »
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