Believing in God Is Not Enough: Have You Put Your Faith in Him?

Introduction

It all started with a conversation at work. Andy Buhren, who brings the message that Sunday at South West Baptist Church in Australia, says he had a long talk with a colleague he respects. The man calls himself an atheist, though he is really more of an agnostic: he does not deny God, he simply thinks we cannot know. Andy had been warned that this colleague likes to challenge Christians on their convictions. "Perfect, let's talk."

They talked about the origin of the universe, evolution, the way God speaks, moral laws, death and what comes after. For his colleague, we are here by chance, with no purpose, and when everything stops, it is over. They shook hands, with no bitterness on either side. But as he walked away, Andy Buhren noticed something: almost everything they had discussed were statements of faith, "not faith itself."

His message then walks through some of the Bible's great affirmations, from Genesis 1:1 all the way to Revelation. For each one, the same question comes back: is this a statement of faith for you, or only a statement of belief? Then he leads to what makes faith a saving faith: God's grace received in Jesus Christ and the new birth.

Outline of the Message

1. In the beginning, God created: a fact received by faith

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). For Andy Buhren, this is a fact, and he will always defend it as a fact.
But were you there? No. The only one present was God. You believe what he had recorded for us, so this is a statement of faith.
He could go back over all the scientific arguments he exchanged with his colleague, but he does not. His brother has often asked this question: if someone brought irrefutable proof of evolution, would you still believe that God tells the truth? "Of course, absolutely." That proof will never be found, he adds, because it is not true.
Yet believing that God is the origin of the universe can remain a mere belief, without faith in God.

2. God speaks to his people: the call of Abram

A few thousand years later, Abram is just "an ordinary man." Then God speaks to him: "Get out of your country, and from your relatives, and from your father's house, to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1). Abram leaves at 75.
This is a historical fact, but none of us was there, and it cannot be proven by any document other than the Bible. It is again a statement of faith: God communicates with his people.
If you have been a Christian for a while and you are honest about your faith, God has spoken to you. Maybe you told him, "Lord, I'm struggling, I need help," and what you needed showed up in your life out of nowhere. "I saw it. It happened to me."
Yet you cannot prove it to anyone else. Here too, it can be a statement of faith or a simple belief.

3. The Ten Commandments: a law everyone knows

In Exodus 20, God speaks to the people he has just brought out of Egypt: "You shall have no other gods before me." No idols, whether made or served. Blessing for those who obey, a curse for those who hate him.
Many believe this in the form of karma: bad things happen to bad people, good things to good people. For Andy Buhren, that is "a half-truth."
He points out that among thousands, perhaps millions of names, the one people choose to swear by is the name of the Savior. He also notes that the Sabbath is not carried over to Christians in the New Testament, and that adultery has become commonplace, lived without shame or regret.
These laws existed before they were written down: very early on, one brother kills another, and that murder is condemned. Almost every nation condemns murder and theft without ever having read the Bible.
His colleague saw in this the simple product of human nature, developed over the course of evolution. Believing that these rules come from God is a statement of faith. For billions of people, it is only a belief.

4. "I am the Alpha and the Omega": believing that God exists is not enough

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end" (Revelation 21:6). From the start to the end of the Bible, God says who he is.
Years ago, with other young people from his church, Andy Buhren preached in a series on Jesus' "I am" statements. He had asked to start with the first one: "I AM WHO I AM," the word spoken to Moses. God exists by himself, with no beginning and no end. We understand what he has done, but we cannot fully understand him, and we do not see him.
He looks at creation and wonders how anyone could not believe. His colleague looks at the same world and wonders how anyone could believe: if we see created things, why do we not see the Creator?
Many admit that God exists. Some think he has lost interest in the world. Others say: "Yes, God exists, but look at all the suffering in the world, he is a bad God."
James 2 speaks of beings who believe in God and tremble. They were even in his presence, and a third of the angels fell. They know he exists, yet they make no statement of faith. All these beliefs do not mean much without a specific act of God.

5. All have sinned, but God's gift is free

Romans 3:21-25 speaks of God's righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe, because "all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God."
That is a wonderful statement for a Christian. But if you have not put your faith in God, only one thing is left for you: you have sinned and you fall short of his glory. You can believe that God exists, that he speaks, that he gave the law, and still not understand that you have broken that law.
Andy Buhren works in a prison, among people who are paying for breaking human laws. Imagine that Australia still had the death penalty and you deserved it. You tell the judge, "I'll give all my savings to a charity," then "I'll serve society for the rest of my life." The judge answers: no, you knew the penalty, you pay what is owed.
"Each of us has looked at God and said: I know the law, but I'm going to do this instead." This is not karma. You knew, and you broke God's law.
"For the end of those things is death" (Romans 6:21). In the deepest sense, death is a separation: eternal separation from God. The body passes away, the soul continues to exist, contrary to what his colleague thinks, for whom there is no soul and nothing after.
Set free from sin and made slaves of God, our end is eternal life. Not a body that lasts forever: "I'm only 29 and it's already falling apart." Eternal life is God's presence forever. We were created to be in fellowship with him.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). The wages are what your life has earned. The gift is free, and it comes through Jesus Christ: that is where you must put your faith.
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). In his view, the Greek ties this "that" to grace: when you put your faith in God, he freely gives you his grace.
A person he knows kept saying for years, "I'm not sure I'm saved." The question put to her: is your faith still in yourself, in the idea that you have not done enough? Have you turned your faith away from yourself and placed it in God? That is the heart of the problem.

6. You must be born again

"Unless one is born anew, he can't see God's Kingdom" (John 3:3). For someone who does not believe, this makes no sense. Nicodemus did not understand either: how can anyone be born when he is old?
What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Whoever believes in the name of the one true living God receives spiritual life, a restored connection with God.
"For God so loved the world," the whole world, "that he gave his one and only Son." God came in human form and paid the penalty we deserved. A fellow human can take the penalty of one other person. God, because he is eternal, is the only one who can carry all your sins, up to your death, if you put your faith in him.
God did not send his Son to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved (John 3:17). The law already condemns. And the condemnation is that the light has come and people loved the darkness instead. Many just want to "live a good life" here and now.
One way to be reassured about your salvation: answered prayer. Have you prayed for something specific and seen God answer? His colleague calls that a coincidence. Another colleague calls himself a Christian but thinks his good deeds outweigh his bad ones: "That's not how it works."
Another proof: wanting to talk to others about God. A man from his church, a very good leader, does not feel called to be a pastor, but he excels at street evangelism. Each has a part, and the message is the same. No one knows the day or the hour, but the time is short. To his colleague who told him, "You haven't really lived," he answers: "I actually feel like I've really lived."

7. At the Lord's table: fixed faith or shifting belief?

The message leads to the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11). If you have not put your faith in God, do not be ashamed to not take part: it is better that way.
For God's child, it is a remembrance. It does not make you more spiritual or a better Christian. We remember what was done and look toward what is coming: "For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes" (1 Corinthians 11:26).
The final question: is your faith moved by what people say, by the latest doctrine or a new teaching, or is it fixed in God?

Key Takeaways

You can hold creation, God's word, his law and his existence to be true without having put your faith in him.
Believing that God exists does not save: the demons believe it too, and they tremble.
All have sinned. No good deed pays the penalty: the wages of sin is death.
Eternal life is a free gift, received by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.
You must be born again. A faith fixed in God does not move with the opinions of the day.

Personal Application

When you read the Bible, is it a statement of faith for you or only a statement of belief?
Does your confidence still rest on the good you do, or have you placed it in God?
Do you remember a moment when you said, "Lord, save me"?
Which specific prayer have you seen God answer? Have you told anyone about it?
If tomorrow someone claimed to prove the opposite of what the Bible says, would your faith remain fixed in God?

Verses Cited

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a statement of faith and a simple belief?

For Andy Buhren, you can hold creation, God's word to Abram, the Ten Commandments or God's existence to be true without having put your faith in God. These truths then remain simple beliefs. They become a statement of faith when you acknowledge that you are a sinner and place your trust in Jesus Christ to save you.

Is believing that God exists enough to be saved?

No. The preacher recalls James 2:19: the demons believe that there is one God, and they tremble. According to Romans 6:23, the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus. You must be born again by putting your faith in him (John 3:3).

How can I know whether I have put my faith in God?

Andy Buhren asks several questions: have you stopped relying on your own efforts to entrust yourself to God? Have you seen God answer a specific prayer? Do you want to talk about him to others? Does your faith stay fixed when science, the media or a new doctrine claims something else?