Belief Systems

Have you ever thought about the things you believe and asked yourself why you believe things you do? Has anyone asked about what you believe and why? Have you ever been faced with the realization that just because you believe something, doesn’t make it true?

This episode will take a look at belief systems, how they are formed, how they are influenced, and how this  defines how we interpret our environment, our culture, the people around us including God.  

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Hey friends, thanks for listening to another episode of Unfiltered with Jesse B. In this episode, we will look at God's sovereignty versus our belief systems and the collision that happens between the two. Do we actually believe God is sovereign, or do we believe God's sovereignty only when it's in agreement with our beliefs? Have you ever paused to think about some of the things that you believe most strongly but never really made the choice to believe? For example, maybe you inherited some of these beliefs, maybe some of the beliefs were learned from your parents, maybe it's what your church always taught, or maybe it was your culture or environment that reinforced your beliefs along with your own personal experiences that shaped them. Maybe somebody hurt you and you developed a belief about a certain type of people. Maybe somebody disappointed you and you developed a belief about trust. And getting on down the wire, what happens when you were taught that God always does things a certain way as long as you say these words and do this act, then God is sure to come through for you. And yet when he doesn't, you start questioning God instead of the validity of what you were taught. And what happens when God's sovereignty collides with our belief systems? And we all have belief systems, and whether we realize it or not, these belief systems will influence how we interpret Scripture, how we interpret other people, how we interpret circumstances and even how we interpret God. So we can understand this, but the problem is, and what we all need to realize is that God is not required to fit inside the belief system we have built about Him. So what exactly is a belief system? It's basically the framework through which we interpret reality. Our individual belief system answers questions of what's right and wrong, who I can and can't trust, what God does or doesn't do, what's a Christian look like, what's a blessing look like, and what it means to suffer, and so on and so forth. And these beliefs don't just appear out of nowhere. They're formed through family, culture, experiences, education, church traditions, personal wounds, successes, failures, and what we've been repeatedly told. Having beliefs isn't the problem. The problem is when we become so convinced that our interpretation is God's absolute truth, and we're no longer willing to allow Scripture to change us. Proverbs 1412 says there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. And the key phrase for this context is seems right. Something doesn't have to feel wrong to be wrong. Something doesn't have to sound ridiculous to be false, just like something doesn't become true just because we've believed it for twenty years. So how does belief become a lens? So I want you to imagine putting on a pair of glasses and everything you see is filtered through those lenses. If the lenses are tinted red, everything will have a red tint. That kind of reminds me of the proverbial going through life with rose colored glasses. Our belief systems can work the same way. For example, if I believe God only loves the good people, you know, the ones who behave a certain way, then I'll interpret everything through that belief. If I believe God only works through people who look a certain way, dress a certain way, worship a certain way, or carry a certain last name, then I'll interpret God through that belief. If I believe God isn't hearing my prayers because I've done something wrong, then I may conclude I'll never be good enough to pray for anything more than forgiveness. In Isaiah fifty five, eight through nine, we are given a reminder, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. And I'm reminded of a quote by Brennan Manning which says We think God is as grumpy and bigoted and narrow minded as we are, and we forget that Jesus has the biggest, softest heart in the universe. Brennan Manning argued that humans frequently projected their own flaws, prejudices, and emotions onto God, therefore creating a deity in their own image. God doesn't think like us and doesn't operate according to our expectations, and God certainly isn't obligated to follow the rules that we have created for him. Now on to the hot button topic. Does God override our belief systems? I've heard teaching that says yes and I've heard teaching that says no, and both have valid points when taking into consideration free will. So the short answer does God override our belief system? Yes, but not by forcing us. God challenges our belief systems by confronting us with the truth. And we can take the disciples, for example. They had a belief system about the Messiah. They expected a kingdom, expected a big show of outward victory, they had expectations about things Jesus would do, but Jesus didn't fit neatly into their expectations. We see in Matthew sixteen, twenty-two through twenty-three, where Jesus actually rebuked Peter when he said, Far be it from you, Lord, this shall not happen to you, and Jesus responded, saying, Get behind me, Satan, you are an offense to me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of men. Now think about that. Peter loved Jesus, and he believed Jesus. Peter was committed to Jesus, and Peter was still wrong. Sincerity doesn't automatically make a belief correct. You can sincerely love God and sincerely be wrong about something. Also, God does not have to ask permission to be God. Sometimes we act as though God needs our approval. Oh God wouldn't do that. God can't possibly work through somebody like that. God would never forgive something like that, or God would never allow this or that. God would never call somebody that. Where do we get these conclusions? Did Scripture say it? Or did our experiences teach us? There's a difference between saying the Bible says then I've always believed or I've always been taught. Sometimes what we've always believed and what we've been taught is not necessarily what the Bible actually says. Jesus constantly challenged religious belief systems. Mark 7.8 says, for laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. Jesus repeatedly confronted religious traditions that had become more authoritative in people's minds than God's word, and that's dangerous. And don't listen to this thinking that I'm negative on tradition. There are some very positive things about tradition because tradition can preserve wisdom, it can teach, and it can provide structure. And these are all positive, healthy things. But where the toxicity comes in is when we stop asking whether tradition actually agrees with Scripture and start making tradition a substitute for the gospel. Jesus didn't attack people for having traditions. He confronted traditions that replaced God's commandments. And that can still happen today because it doesn't just happen in churches, it can happen on the individual scale of things too, because we can also carry some very deep personal traditions. For example, God always does it like this, and he never does it like that. He did it that way in the past, so he'll do it that way again. A real Christian would never do this or say this or that. A real Christian always does things this way, or God will never use the likes of a person like that. So if you can show me scriptures that actually say these things, great, share those with me, but if not, then we need to stop and really think about the words that are coming out of our mouths. God's sovereignty means just that God is God, not us. God's sovereignty means that He possesses ultimate authority. Psalm one hundred fifteen three says, But our God is in heaven, he does whatever he pleases. That does not mean that everything that happens is God's moral approval. And we know that, just look around at the world today. We know that people can sin, rebel, disobey, and make destructive choices, and that's nothing new. Scripture tells us all about it from Genesis to Revelation. God's sovereignty means that human rebellion does not dethrone him. Proverbs nineteen twenty one says there are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless, the Lord's counsel will stand. We can have our plans and preferences and expectations, and Lord knows we all have our opinions, but even so God remains God. The danger of making God in our image Romans one twenty two says professing to be wise they became fools, and then Paul goes on to describe humanity exchanging the glory of the incorruptible God for created things. That's idolatry. But here's a question. Could we create an image of God without ever carving a statue? Could we create God in our minds based on our beliefs? A God who always agrees with us, a God who hates exactly what we hate, blesses exactly what we bless, condemns exactly what we condemn, a God who never interrupts our plans, a God who never tells us that we're wrong and so on. This isn't sovereignty. This is a God we've customized. I wonder if the biggest struggle for people isn't believing in God but rather believing in the God who actually is. And what happens when God doesn't fit our expectations? Let's spend some time with Job. Job believed he understood what was happening. His friends believed they understood what was happening, and everybody had an explanation. Then God spoke. God didn't give Job a neat little explanation, instead God revealed his greatness. Job thirty eight two says, Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge? God begins asking Job questions. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Can you bind the cluster of Pilates? Can you bring out Masaroth in the season? In other words, God said, Job, you don't have enough information to sit in the judge's seat. Job eventually responds in chapter forty two, verse two, saying You can do everything, and that no purpose of yours can be withheld from you. That's surrender. Not because we understand everything, but because we recognize who God is. Now does faith mean turning off our brains? To some of us this might be laughable, but to others it might be a wake up call. God doesn't ask us to become intellectually careless. Acts seventeen eleven, the Marines were praised because they examine what Paul taught against the scriptures. Thessalonians five twenty one reminds us to test all things and hold fast what is good. Christian faith isn't blind loyalty to whatever somebody says. We're supposed to test, examine, study, and discern, but there's also another side to this. We can become so committed to testing everybody else while never testing ourselves, and it is possible that the belief system that really needs to be examined is our own. So what happens when experience becomes the authority? Now experiences matter, but experience isn't automatically revelation. Maybe you've experienced betrayal, but that doesn't mean everybody is untrustworthy. Maybe you've experienced hypocrisy from a pastor, but that doesn't mean every pastor is a hypocrite. Maybe someone used scripture to manipulate you, but that doesn't mean scripture in and of itself is the problem. And maybe you've prayed for something and didn't receive the answer you wanted, or have yet to get an answer, but this doesn't mean that God isn't listening or God is not able. Our experience is not the final authority. Proverbs three, five through six says, Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, and all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths. Our understanding is finite. God's knowledge is infinite. Can God change what we believe? Absolutely. In fact, spiritual growth requires it. Romans twelve two says, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Transformation involves the mind. Sometimes God doesn't change our circumstances. Sometimes God will use the circumstances we're in to change us. When I'm asking God to change Sister Sal, God may respond to that prayer by trying to change me first. By the way, you might have heard me refer to Sister Sal several times, and some of you may be wondering who is this Sister Sal that Jesse keeps talking about? Well, she's not a real person per se, just a character trait, but I can tell you that every congregation has one, maybe two or three, depending on the size. But anyway, the times we may ask God, why are you allowing this? God may be using that very thing to teach us to trust him, even when we don't understand. And what about our control? And here's where it gets uncomfortable or maybe meddlesome. Is our belief systems sometimes an attempt to control God? And let's look at this. If I can define exactly what God will do, when he will do it, how he will do it, and who he will use, then that really doesn't require trust, does it? What I've done is create a formula and predictability which contradicts faith, and faith requires trust. Hebrews 11 1 says, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Faith doesn't mean that we know everything or anything, for that matter. Faith means that we place our faith in the one who does. And God's sovereignty doesn't void our responsibility. God's sovereignty doesn't mean we get to walk around claiming that whatever happens or doesn't happen, it's God's fault. It also doesn't mean that we don't have to make choices because God is in control. Scripture holds both truths together. God is sovereign and human beings are responsible for their choices. Joshua 24, 15 says, Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. We have responsibilities. We have to make decisions, we choose whether to obey or disobey, we can choose whether to repent or we can refuse to repent. We choose to forgive or hold bitterness. We choose to believe or reject. God's sovereignty does not turn us into robots. So how do belief systems get put into practice then? We don't just have belief systems, we live them. Belief systems produce behaviors because it's the mind's natural reaction to seek things that support our beliefs and ignore the things that don't. Now, I had a male relative tell me, and me being a female, mind you, so I don't know where he got the brass to actually say some of these things in front of me, but he did. I don't know if it was alcohol or anger or both, but anyway, uh he was angry and hurt, obviously, over an ex-girlfriend, and he went on to say, and I quote, all women are just sluts, they're shallow, worthless, and only interested in getting laid and getting the wallet, and that's it. When they find somebody better, they move on and they don't even think twice. I said, Well, if that's your belief, then you're going to keep validating it with your choices. And he started to get defensive, and I said, Let's think about something here before you start cussing me out now. But how does the song go looking for love in all the wrong places? If you are basing your perception of all women based on your experiences with some chick that you met in a bar or a nightclub and ended up at her house or apartment, or you brought her to yours, I'm guessing neither one of you had morals and commitment on your mind that night, am I right? Reminds me of another song by Hart, White Lightning and Wine, you know, in the morning light you didn't look so nice, guess you better hitch icon. Then there was just silence over the phone, so I continued and I said, Never mind elevating your standards. You'd rather be a dumbass and keep proving yourself right by going after the same type of girls. All boobs, no moral conscience, and then blaming her, blaming God, labeling every woman on earth as a slut, opportunistic whore, etc, etc. And then finally he said, Well, I gotta go, I'll talk to you later. We've talked several times since then, and he even called to address that very situation and thanked me for saying what I said. But uh anyway, trying to crawl out of the hole that I've dug for myself, circling back to belief systems produce behaviors. If you believe people can't be trusted, then you're gonna live a life defensively and act offensively toward people. If you believe God has abandoned you, then you may not see a need to maintain a relationship with Him. If you believe you have to earn God's love, then you'll live under constant performance. If you believe grace means that there are no consequences, then you may become careless about sin. And if you believe holiness means perfection, you may become judgmental toward everyone, including yourself. Jesus said in Matthew 7 16, you will know them by their fruits. What's happening on the inside eventually affects what's happening on the outside. So how do we know if our belief system is from God or experience? Test the scripture. Not what your denomination says, not what your grandmother taught you or social media says, and there's so much AI out there it's getting harder to distinguish what's true and what isn't. But don't test against what your favorite Christian influencer, your favorite podcaster or preacher says, and not even by what you feel. Test it against what God's word actually says. 2 Timothy 3.16 says all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction, and righteousness. The Bible isn't here just so we can read it to confirm what we believe. The Bible needs to also be read to correct what we believe. So here's the ultimate challenge that I want to leave all of us with, including myself. Take something that you strongly believe in, something you have been convinced about and ask yourself why you believe this. And then ask, is this something explicitly taught in Scripture? And if it is, great, stand on that. If Scripture contradicts you, change your position. If Scripture is silent, be careful about turning your opinion into God's command, and last but not least, if the Bible leaves room for faithful disagreement, then do just that. Leave room for faithful disagreement. I used the scripture in the last podcast, but it's worth repeating. Romans fourteen four says, Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master he stands or he falls. This doesn't mean that truth doesn't matter, it just means that we all need humility. So are you willing to let God override your belief system? God can challenge our assumptions, God can expose our pride and confront our traditions, God can correct our theology, and God can change our perspective, and God can use somebody we never would have expected. And just look at the apostle Paul who thought he was doing God's will by killing Christians before his conversion from Saul to Paul. Not only did he become a great apostle, but we wouldn't even have half the New Testament if it weren't for him. God can work in ways we didn't anticipate and can answer prayer differently than we wanted. God can take us somewhere our belief system never imagined. God is sovereign, our understanding is not. Our beliefs can be sincere, but our beliefs can also be wrong. Traditions can be meaningful, but our traditions can also become idols. Experiences can teach us, but experiences can also deceive us. Sometimes the greatest spiritual breakthrough isn't God changing our circumstances, but it's God changing the lens through which we've been seeing Him. That's a wrap for this week. If you're in the lower Midwest areas where it's hot and dry and has been for several weeks and no relief anytime soon, um stay cool, stay hydrated, check on your neighbors, and we'll see what unfolds next week. Love you guys. Good night.