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Believing
Doesn't Make It So!
The Bible speaks of those who “believe the lie, that they all may be
condemned who did not believe the truth...” (2 Thessalonians
2:11,12). We wish that all could see that simply believing something to
be so doesn’t make it so.
We witnessed this past week the tragedy that occurred at the Sago mine
in West Virginia. For some three hours, because of some misconstrued
information that spread like wildfire, families of eleven miners who
were trapped inside believed their loved ones had survived. For three
hours there was joy and jubilation because of this belief. But their
information proved false, and the short period of joy turned to one of
grief, shock, mourning, and anger. Sadly, what they believed to be
wasn’t so.
In the religious world today, many “believe” things to be the truth.
Many “believe” the doctrines and practices of the church they attend to
be “all right.“ They may or may not be, but one thing is sure: Simply
believing something to be the truth doesn’t make it the truth. Only
God’s word is truth, and only by examining our faith and practices in
its light can we know whether they are according to truth (John 17:17).
Nor is it safe to think to ourselves, “Well, I possibly could be wrong
in what I believe, but the Lord will give me a pass for my sincerity.“
Look again at the passage quoted above. Who are those who will be “condemned”?
Those who “did not believe the truth” -- those who “believe
the lie.“ What that means is that believing religious misinformation
may cost us our soul. This is serious business.
The Bible says, “There is a way that seems right to a
man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). Are your
religious beliefs and practices based on Bible truth or on something
else? Please think about it.
--Mike Noble
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