Believe God But Not Serve Him?

"But I believe in God. I'm not an atheist. I try to be a good person.”

How many times do people use this as a reason for not being a Christian?

The Bible says it is good to believe in the one true God: “You believe that there is one God. You do well” (James 2:19). But that verse immediately reminds us that even the demons believe that.

James was talking about the true God. There were many Jews in the New Testament that believed in Him (and even in His Son Jesus) but never obeyed Him and became Christians.

There are also people who say they believe in God, but the God they are talking about is not the God of the Bible. Antony Flew was a world-renowned atheist for years. He lectured, wrote and debated for decades on this subject. But then, to the surprise of the academic world, he announced in his early eighties that he was no longer an atheist. The sad part is that he never became a Christian. He came to believe that the world must have been created by an Intelligent Designer which he called God. But he never accepted the God of the Bible who loves us and will judge us someday. He died an unbeliever.

There are many people like Flew today. They believe there must be "something" out there that is above and beyond this earth. They believe in a "higher power.” Occasionally they may refer to him as God. But they create their own image of the kind of God He is. They see Him as the Creator and the Provider, but not the judge. That is and always has been the sticking point for many. They are fine with confessing God on an intellectual level, but they don’t want a personal relationship with the God who demands obedience and sacrifice.

Some call this view of God "therapeutic deism." Deism is the belief that God made the world but has had no involvement with it since its creation. This religion, which is growing in America, professes belief in God but denies the miracles of the Bible and the inspiration of the Scriptures. The label “therapeutic" was added a few years ago because this type of religion gives people comfort without making demands.

When people say they believe in God but refuse to become Christians, they may mean the God of the Bible. But they may be talking about a view of God they created in their own imagination—a God who serves them and not the other way around.

Kerry

West End church of Christ • June 29, 2025