So why does it matter what I believe anyways? Perhaps this is a question that has popped into your mind recently due to conversations you’ve heard at school or maybe even as a result of discussions you’ve had with some of your own family members. While it is not wrong to ask questions while in pursuit of truth, this type of thinking revolves around the idea that there is no absolute truth to discover. Why does it matter what I believe if everything that can be believed is just a matter of opinion, rather than fact? While this idea may appear to be reality, especially when we see different people believing different things as truth, we can be assured that there is a fixed truth that exists in our world. If all truth was based on opinion, then all truth would vary depending on the changes that occur with individuals and circumstances. Consequently, truth must be absolute for a standard to exist by which all of humanity abides by. If then, truth is absolute, then what we believe matters since our beliefs give us the story that we live by.
Our belief system is not simply a conjunction of thoughts roaming in our minds, but rather the glasses through which we view the world. What we believe determines what is important to us and what we value which, in turn, affects the decisions we make and the way in which we live our lives. If what I believe is so important then, how can I discover what is true? What exactly are good or true beliefs? Christians believe that God, who is the very essence and source of truth, has given us His divine Word as a guide so that we can live in the world with the ability to discern what is true and false. Psalm 119:105 states that God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Holding fast to the truth set forth for us by the Lord in the Bible, we aim to live our lives in a way that corresponds with His purpose for our lives. This pursuit then flows into everything we do here on earth: every thought, every action. Proverbs 4:23 states that we must guard our heart because everything we do flows from it.
Having identified the importance of belief, we understand now that every aspect of our lives are an extension of the ideas we identify to be true. Your belief system determines how you treat people, what career you set out to pursue, who you decide to marry, where you choose to spend your time, the thoughts you entertain and, even more importantly, will determine where you spend eternity at the end of your physical life here on earth. Because of this, it is essential that we identify that which is true and set out to pursue this truth given us by God in His Word which will resultingly impact all other aspects of our lives. So does it matter what we believe in? It does matter because it affects what we love, worship, and desire! It determines how we live our very lives! It not only matters, but it is essential for our time now here on earth and forever into eternity.
“I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth” 3 John 1:4