Editorial: “To Be, Not Merely to Believe“
I am unimpressed by “John 3:16” unfurled from a fan’s seat along the front tier of a baseball stadium, or graffitied on a wall or stall.
Yes, believing in Jesus is important. It’s a first step. But John 3:16, taken out of context and presented as the whole picture, means little.
I don’t want to merely believe. I want to be. Being is more important than believing.
Never in the history of the world have humans accumulated so many words. But—and this is a profound truth, not a cliche—actions speak louder. I’ve met too many people who claim to believe in God, but aren’t particularly nice or kind. They’re content believing they’re saved, and to hell with the rest of you.
Literally, in some cases—like if you’re an immigrant in Springfield, Ohio.
There are many allusions to a final judgment in the Bible, but Jesus describes it only once. He pictures people lined up on either side of him. The folks on one side shout out, “Hey, Jesus: we were extremely good Christians: we believed all the doctrines about you.” And Jesus says, “Yeah, but you weren’t nice.”
The others are, it appears, rather weak on theological content. But they excelled in practical religion. “When you saw people in need, you helped them,” Jesus says, and he invites them into the kingdom.
I see a lot of enthusiastic believers in churches. I see fewer true Christians of the practical sort, the kind who actually inspect their hearts and their motives and try to be more like Jesus.
I know which I’d rather be. I’d rather be a Christian than merely believe in it.
Loren Seibold,
Adventist Today Executive Editor
11 October 2024
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