Ephesians 2 - Gift of Belief

Can you believe? Why does the Bible say that belief is God is a gift?

⁸ God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.

I had to stop and ponder that for a moment as I read through this chapter and take a little bit of an analytical thought path. If we think about belief, what is it really?  The dictionary defines it as "a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or thing ."

So where does that trust or confidence come from. It comes from understanding. Either we understand the consistency of an event/person, we understand the thinking/process so we can figure out what is coming next, or we know the insides and out fully of the person/event.

So let's examine this in relation to God. Well, can we see consistency on God? Well, yes, and no. God is consistent, but we can't always see it. Sometimes we don't understand the reasons behind something and we struggle to know that it is for good. Also, God's consistency relates over a time span much greater than our own so sometimes the events can only be truly evaluated in the course of a history and then, since we are not witnesses, we struggle to find confidence in it. Do we understand the thinking of God so we can determine what happens next? Absolutely not, God is looking at a bigger picture and working with greater understanding than we are, God also had abilities beyond ours that we have no experience with, and hence lack understanding. Last, do we fully understand God inside and out. Again, absolutely not. We are limited and can't even begin to comprehend and understand all that God is.

So where does our belief come from? Well for many, it just isn't there. They lack belief and that lack becomes a hindrance in a relationship with God. Is that where you are? If you are, pray that God will help you and bless you with the gift of belief. Let me know you are asking for this from God and I will pray for you too.

For others, they have received belief as a gift. That is truly the only way to find belief in something where understanding is not there. So, yes...belief is a gift and God gives us belief that we might be in full relationship with God.