Is Belief in God Enough?

According to a June 2008 survey conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 92% of Americans believe in God or a universal spirit. What does it mean to believe in God? Is belief in God the same as faith in God?

The Bible is clear that faith is more than just belief. It says, “You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror (James 2:19).”

One gets the sense that faith takes belief to another level – that faith is belief with a purpose.

Last Sunday night, I heard Dr. Paul D. Tripp speak on the topic, “What is Faith?” Dr. Tripp agrees that faith is belief in the existence of God; however, he takes it a step further and focuses on the implications that flow out of faith in God. According to Tripp, if one has faith in God, one must believe that God is Creator, God is Sovereign, and God is Savior.

If you have faith in God, you must believe that God is Creator. The earth is not a cosmic accident. It was created by God and was created with a purpose. The Bible says, “God created everything through him (Jesus), and nothing was created except through him (John 1:3).”

If God created everything, we are His creations. As creations, we are not our own. We belong to Him. We were created for His purposes. He can do with us as He pleases. How foolish for us as God’s creations to try and live our lives apart from our Creator or to question His purposes.

Faith in God also means believing God is sovereign. God is the supreme ruler with absolute power and authority over His creation. Not only has God created the world and everything in it, He sustains and controls it. Nothing happens without his knowledge and permission. The Bible says,

“God promised everything to the Son (Jesus) as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe. The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command (Hebrews 1:2-3).”

Faith in God means believing He is Creator and believing He is in charge. Yet all of us live our lives like we are in charge. We all reject God’s authority over us and His standards. The Bible says, “All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own (Isaiah 53:6).” It also says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard (Romans 3:23).”

Sin is not something made up by men to make others feel guilty. It is man’s rejection of God’s authority and standards. It is our rejection of Him.

This brings us to the third thing we must believe if we are to have faith in God – God is Savior. If God is Savior, it implies we need saving. From what do we need to be saved? From our rejection of God and His authority over us – our sin. The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23).” The consequence for our rejection of God is separation from Him forever.

But there is good news! Our Sovereign Creator God has provided a way to save us from our rejection of Him. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).” And again, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”

What about you? Are you one of the 92% of Americans that believe in God? What difference does that make in your life? What do you believe about Him? Do you know Him as Creator, King and Savior?