I started thinking last night
about some of the things we learn while growing up that can lead us to believe
wrong things about God. These ideas come from our families, friends,
classmates, teachers, preachers, society, and numerous other sources. Even if
we know they are not true according to Scripture it can be hard to live in
light of the real truth. The following are just a few examples that came to
mind.
Untruth: God loves and accepts me if I perform up to His expectations.
Sources: Earn good grades; obey without question; don’t get into fights; be nice to your siblings; do your chores; graduate from high school/college; get a good job…
Truth: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3).
Sources: Earn good grades; obey without question; don’t get into fights; be nice to your siblings; do your chores; graduate from high school/college; get a good job…
Truth: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jer. 31:3).
Untruth: Happiness and peace are found in success and possessions.
Sources: Climbing the corporate ladder; finding the “perfect” house; higher education is necessary to get a “decent” job; the next job will be better…
Truth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10b).
Sources: Climbing the corporate ladder; finding the “perfect” house; higher education is necessary to get a “decent” job; the next job will be better…
Truth: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (Eph. 1:3). “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18). “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10b).
Untruth: If I don’t fit in, there’s something wrong with me.
Sources: Girls must be “feminine” and boys must be “masculine”; you talk too much (or not enough); cliques; bullying; don’t make waves; follow the crowd…
Truth: “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:14,16). “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
Sources: Girls must be “feminine” and boys must be “masculine”; you talk too much (or not enough); cliques; bullying; don’t make waves; follow the crowd…
Truth: “I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made… Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in Your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:14,16). “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10).
A couple others related to my
last blog--
Untruths: It’s not sin if you don’t get caught; it’s not sin if it doesn’t hurt anyone else; or conversely, I’ve sinned and therefore I am a failure and can’t do anything right.
Truth: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23b). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:9-10).
Untruths: It’s not sin if you don’t get caught; it’s not sin if it doesn’t hurt anyone else; or conversely, I’ve sinned and therefore I am a failure and can’t do anything right.
Truth: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23b). “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 Jn. 1:9-10).
My point in listing some of
these untruths is to get us (myself included) to think more clearly about what
we believe about God and why we believe it. A book I just started reading,
which I won’t disclose by name, makes the comment that our purpose in thinking
back over memories that can be painful or shameful is not for the memories
themselves, but so that we can evaluate what they taught us about God and
ourselves. Once we see the untruths for the lies they are, we can begin to
focus on the truth and let it saturate our thoughts and actions. But a lifetime
of wrong belief isn’t changed overnight. I’ve said it before—we need constant
reminders of the truth through Scripture, godly preaching and counsel, brothers
and sisters in Christ, etc.
I would suggest that we also need to consider how
our words and actions may be influencing someone else’s beliefs. Parents,
remind your kids that you love them even when they disobey. Friends, let your
friends know you appreciate them for who they are, not just what they do for
you. Youths, join the anti-bullying movement and be intentional about reaching
out to the rejected.
“Let us consider how to stir up
one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the
habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day
drawing near” (Heb. 10:24-25).
