What You Believe Matters

In a recent survey, 60% of Americans said their reli­gious beliefs are very meaningful to them and make a difference in how they live. With the remaining 40% of the country guided only by what seems right in their own eyes, is it any wonder we allow the death of millions of babies, tolerate the devalua­tion of marriage, and turn a blind eye to violence in the home?

Our belief system governs our lifestyle and choices, it is the foundation from which we form our opinions and make decisions. For Christians, it is absolutely essential to know what we believe and why. Many people inherit their convictions from their parents and simply absorb those ideas without really investigating them. For instance, we hear, "My dad supported the union so I support the union," "My mother was Republican so I am Republican," and so on. But to be certain our system of thinking is accurate, we must base it on the Word of God and not on habit, culture, or even family heritage. A belief system is like a mental grid through which all outside informa­tion must pass. If our mental grid has been built on the truth of the Bible, then we can detect false doctrine and philosophy.

We need to learn to develope our Philosophy from our Theology