9 Truths For Living God's WaySýnishorn

The Bible: Our Sourcebook for Life

Our belief system governs our lifestyle and choices—it’s the foundation from which we form our opinions and make decisions. For Christians, it’s absolutely essential to know what we believe and why. Most people inherit their convictions from their parents and simply absorb those ideas without really investigating them.

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.

False doctrine is usually mixed up with just enough truth to make it sound good. Many Christians who aren’t grounded in their faith are easily led astray by doctrines that are genuinely too good to be true. They eagerly support an agenda that’s inconsistent with God’s Word because it offers license to live according to one’s fleshly desires (2 Tim. 4:3).

Believers should know their convictions so that they can present those beliefs convincingly to others. While it’s the work of the Holy Spirit to bring the lost to Christ, God may choose to use us to instruct unbelievers in the way of truth. Our world is full of people who are desperate, lonely, and hurting. They yearn for the amazing hope that we have. But they desire hope sourced in truth, not on someone else’s opinion.

There’s no question our society is permeated with godless ideas and philosophies that can ultimately destroy us. But if our belief system is based upon Scripture, we’ll recognize deceitful teaching when we hear it and will address real need with real answers.

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