Romans 1:20
God Created the Universe
20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
John 14:6
The Way, the Truth, and the Life
6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 11:25-26
Jesus is the Resurrection
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 14:1
Believe in Me, Believe Also in God
1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
John 12:44-50
If We Believe in Jesus We Must Believe in God
44 Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. 45 The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.
47 “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. 48 There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. 49 For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. 50 I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Matthew 22:34-40
The Greatest Commandment
34 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:
36 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 37 Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
Philippians 2:3-11
Christ's Humility
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
I often wonder if what one believes is based just on facts and truth...After all, why believe in anything unless it is true?...So I do think we start out believing our faith is based on truth...But is their more than just the historicity of Jesus and the true stories (if one believes) in the gospels?...Is our faith added to by something or maybe complemented by something or things?...Is there something more than the facts that affects what we believe in?...
Jesus stood up two thousand years ago, and said He is Truth...He taught a lot about Truth, when He was on earth...He also taught us He is a Way of Life, the Absolute Truth in Life, and (and maybe the or) a Purpose in Life...Who believes this and why would they believe Him saying this and the other things He said?...These are facts, when you believe in Jesus...
St. Paul teaches us just by looking around and seeing the sun, the sky, the stars, trees, grass, and things like love (and many other invisible things) are evidences and reasons for believing in God...Some more of these invisible things are like, where did morals come from, why do I think people should have just one spouse, why should parents treat their children and young ones with love and respect and not teach them with negativity, shouting, and physical abuse (because we can learn from negative things and negative teachings)...These things come from somewhere or Someone...For me, St. Paul is saying there is Something Grand out there in the heavens, a Powerful Mind or Being, that controls and fine tunes the earth and the universe so that we can live here on earth...Just look around each day to all that is invisible, intangible, and not factual -and where does it come from?...But there are little tangible facts to support this feeling of one looking around and seeing all the things of nature -and after all it is just a feeling...
Throughout the four gospels Jesus connects Himself very much to God, His Father...After reading the four gospels, one can tell He has this unique and special relationship with God...And He tries to explain some of the things about this relationship throughout the gospels...He teaches us much about faith...But He mostly tries to convince us our need for faith and to have this need, this belief, this faith for Him and His Father...And some, if not many of His Words, are complex and hard to understand...Even some of His short teachings and verses are hard to grasp quickly (at least for me they are)...
Jesus teaches us that He is the Way in Life, the Truth in Life, and Life itself...This is a hard and confusing and very complex statement...He also gives us another hard and confusing and very complex statement, when He says (or asks) that “I AM the resurrection and the life...The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die...Do you believe this?”...He also states that whoever believes in Him, also will believe in His Father...He wants us to trust in Him, but trust also in His Father...How interesting to teach this and to tie Himself with God that closely and exclusively and uniquely...He also goes on to teach us much about LOVE, and says that the the Greatest Commandment is about loving God and the second is much like the first and is loving your neighbor as yourself...So in His teachings, He is always bringing LOVE into much of what He says -as well as Truth...
Believing in Him requires more than just believing in a set of facts...It requires some emotion, some feeling...I do not think the non-believer rejects Him after reading the four gospels based on the complex things that He says and teaches...I do not think the believer believes that God exists and Jesus exists based on all the factual information that is presented in the four gospels...And the greatest factual information about believing God and Jesus comes from all the Bible...There are those who probably think that the Bible is fictional, or some of the authors were writing about fiction or exaggerated, but I think one who has completely read the Bible, has given some thought to why they believe or do not believe in God...And I do not think that their non-belief or a person's belief is based on just the Truth, and entirely looking at facts, or what they believe are facts or Truth...I think we are also moved by the environment and in how we were brought up and currently live...Our youth and our young raising does have some bearing on the different things we believe and believe in -and how we think...But also we are moved by those around us in the past and the current...Some people have the power to persuade us to believe or not to believe...And we are also persuaded in our individual thinking of how the world and man got here...I think St. Paul's statement to the Romans is an example of the things that have been here since the beginning -can persuades us and be in our thoughts and how and what we believe...
I also think Jesus in saying there is this Jesus Way, and that He is the Truth, and the He is Life -itself makes us look at more than looking at the facts of believing in Him...He could have just said I AM Truth, but He didn't...He said I AM the Way, I AM the Truth, and I AM the Life, and no one gets to God except through Me...There is more to Him than just the Truth...And there are these other things, we can use for our belief system (like LOVE)...So we must look at more than the facts (more than the Truth), when we believe in Him...And when He sums up most of the Bible by saying the Greatest Commandments are about LOVE, specifically loving God, and loving each and everyone of your neighbors, including those you are to have mercy on -then emotions, specifically LOVE, gets into our belief system and how we view the facts and the Truth of things, including our beliefs and faith in Him and His Father...
So our Truths get clouded by our past, by our friends and family we most respect...(I doubt if one we know believes in God or doesn't believe in God and we greatly disrespect that person -that does or does affect how we believe in God)...And LOVE is out there getting in the way of the Truth (or connecting it) and our facts...We are swayed by love and God's LOVE...If the one or ones we really love, make a convincing argument on a belief, chances are, we will listen to them, and maybe at times get persuaded to believe their way, and change our minds...
Another thing that clouds things for me, is Jesus...Here the wisest, and yet a solitary (Man), and the most humble of mankind -I have ever read about...He could do any number of miracles, get anything He ever possible wanted, and could have any desire He had be satisfied -but He chose to teach about God and faith...Why?...And we often forget about His Power and all these miracles He did...He allowed us to hang Him from a tree...He did not even have to put up with one second of pain or any torture, because of His Power...Yet, He did and then died for us out of LOVE, and is our Savior for doing this Greatest of All Deeds...And as we study His life and His teachings, we see the mind of God, the nature of God, the attributes of God -we see God at Work...The Mind, the Attributes, and the Work are like no other ever before Him, or ever since...If God could become a Man, had a Son, become flesh, or one was to be His very nature -He would be exactly like Jesus...