Beyond Opinion

1. Challenges to faith arise from misconceptions about God and reality

"What is the cause, [Paul] asks, of this appalling condition that has developed in this world? . . . It all arises, he says, from wrong ideas about God."

Wrong ideas about God can lead us to protect ourselves from Him or mistakenly find comfort in a false view of Him. These misconceptions often stem from:

• Unorthodox doctrine or weak theology
• Unmet expectations and painful experiences in our first relationships
• Faulty conclusions drawn from difficult life circumstances

Left unexamined, such misbeliefs can carry us into difficult valleys in our spiritual journey, where we may:

• Keep our distance from God
• Settle for a controllable version of God that always responds to our desires
• Suppress the truth of God's sovereign claim on our lives

2. Idolatry distorts our understanding of God and ourselves

"An idol is something within creation that is inflated to function as a substitute for God."

Idolatry manifests when we elevate created things to the status of ultimate importance in our lives. This can take many forms:

• Relationships or goals deemed as absolute necessities
• Security and a constant sense of God's presence on our terms
• Anything we cling to or rely upon as a substitute for God

The consequences of idolatry include:

• Distorting our knowledge of God, ourselves, and others
• Exposing our deeply held fears and longings
• Rendering us spiritually deaf, dumb, blind, and senseless
• Ultimately bringing emptiness and confusion

3. Denial and doubt can be defense mechanisms against difficult truths

"There is often a protective cynicism that runs in the hearts of those who live in the reality of unanswered prayers."

Denial acts as a defense mechanism to keep at bay what we do not want to face. It protects us from looking directly at truths we find difficult to accept or live with. This can manifest in:

• Halfhearted prayers
• Avoiding examination of our deeply held assumptions about God
• Suppressing or denying emotions, especially anger toward God

Doubt can also serve as a form of denial, protecting us against difficult questions:

• Intellectual doubts
• Existential doubts surfacing through pain
• The clash between the desire to believe and the fear to believe

4. Cognitive dissonance leads to rationalizing behavior or avoiding truth

"Did God really say?"

Cognitive dissonance occurs when we attempt to hold two opposing views simultaneously. To reduce the painful dissonance between conflicting emotions and stark reality, individuals may:

• Change the conditions ("Did God really say?")
• Add new conditions ("My spouse doesn't love me anyway")
• Change behavior
• Rationalize behavior ("God understands my weakness")
• Refuse to acknowledge the truth (avoidance)

This struggle is not always a moral dialogue between right and wrong; it can be a desperate deliberation between hope and fear, especially after traumatic experiences.

5. Unresolved doubts erode faith and our view of God over time

"Whether it is solved is not a matter of indifference to faith but a matter of life and death."

Avoiding or refusing to settle certain questions about God and faith can have serious consequences:

• Erosion of faith over time
• Distorted view of God's character and intentions
• Inability to trust God fully

The story of Israel at the threshold of the Promised Land illustrates this:

• Despite God's promises and evidence of His faithfulness, the Israelites refused to enter due to fear and doubt
• Their unresolved doubts led to a distorted view of God: "The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us"

6. Spiritual growth requires facing our fears and misconceptions

"To learn this is to learn Christ. To know this at first hand, to have the mystery of the cross so explained, is to have tapped the very source and spring of Christian faith."

Spiritual transformation involves:

• Examining our deeply held beliefs about God
• Facing our fears and doubts honestly
• Allowing our misconceptions to be challenged and corrected

This process often requires:

• Willingness to experience discomfort and uncertainty
• Openness to new understanding of God's character and ways
• Courage to trust God even when circumstances seem contrary to His promises

7. God's Word and supportive relationships are crucial for spiritual transformation

"Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs. . . . They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."

Spiritual growth is not a solitary journey. Key resources for transformation include:

• God's Word: Providing truth to counter our misconceptions
• The Holy Spirit: Revealing God's Word and working in our hearts
• Fellowship of believers: Offering support, encouragement, and accountability

These resources help us:

• Navigate through difficult valleys in our spiritual journey
• Find strength and hope in times of doubt and struggle
• Grow in our understanding and experience of God's character

8. True knowledge of God is relational and reciprocal

"Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God. Nearly all the wisdom we possess, that is to say, true and sound wisdom, consists of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves."

Knowing God involves more than intellectual assent to certain truths. It is:

• Relational: We know God as we experience Him personally
• Reciprocal: As we know God, we gain deeper knowledge of ourselves

This knowledge is integrative and mirrored in relationship:

• We know ourselves only as we come to know God
• We know God as we gain knowledge of ourselves through His Word, Spirit, and church
• It's not just that we know, but also that we are known and begin to live in the light of this awareness

9. Prayer reveals our deepest beliefs about God and ourselves

"Our lips do not always communicate accurately the heart's true cry."

Our prayers serve as a mirror, reflecting:

• What we truly believe about God's character and intentions
• Our understanding of ourselves in relation to God
• Unspoken assumptions and presuppositions about reality

Prayer can reveal:

• Areas of unbelief or doubt
• Misdirected affections
• Fears and longings we may not consciously acknowledge

Examining our prayer life can be a valuable tool for spiritual growth, helping us identify areas where our understanding of God may be distorted or incomplete.

10. Suffering and trials can deepen our faith when approached with honesty

"God himself confronts us in person and makes his presence near in and through defeat, sorrow, pain, humiliation, anguish, failure, sin and death."

Trials and suffering can serve as catalysts for spiritual growth when we:

• Face our doubts and fears honestly
• Bring our questions and laments to God, as modeled in the Psalms
• Allow our misconceptions about God to be challenged and corrected

Through suffering, we can:

• Develop a more nuanced understanding of God's character and ways
• Experience God's presence in unexpected ways
• Grow in our capacity to trust God even in difficult circumstances

The key is to approach suffering with honesty, bringing our raw emotions and questions to God rather than suppressing or denying them.

Last updated: August 8, 2024