to the Romans--one of the denses book of the Bible seems to suggest
this. Paul writes, "For although they knew God, they neither
glorified him as God or gave thanks to him, but their thinking became
futile and their foolish hearts darkened." Paul likes to contrast
knowledge with faith. Even though people "knew" God, that does not
necessarily mean that they believed in Him.
In our wikipedia age, access to information is easy; but believing in
things is far more difficult. By believing in something it means that
we are also willing to commit ourselves to it. Like the great scene
in White Man Can't Jump, which explains the difference between Hearing
and Listening, believing is a deeper far more personal and intimate
form of knowledge.
Paul opens his theological rich letter to the Romans specifically for
this purpose...He does not just want the Romans to know the belief
systems of early Christianity, he wanted them believe that "God
demonstrated his own love for us in this; while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
How do you make that leap from knowing to believing? What is hard
about "belief"? What beliefs are you willing to commit your life to?
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