So also Abraham "believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." – Galatians 3:6

Today's Scripture Reading (February 26, 2021): Galatians 3

Astrophysicist Neil de Grasse Tyson argues that "The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it." It is true of anything that is based in reality. And the reverse is also true. Belief cannot make anything real that is not. Some might believe that there is life on other planets, that mathematically it would be almost impossible for life not to exist in the vastness of space. But, belief or a lack of belief will not change the truth about extraterrestrial life.

The same is also valid about our belief in God. Your belief or your disbelief in God cannot change either his existence or his absence. If God exists, that existence is not dependent on my faith in him. The idea that Santa Claus can only fly on the power of our belief in the Spirit of Christmas is a fairy tale. Belief is always impotent to change reality.

That is not to say that belief is unimportant. If we are willing to believe in something, really believe, then it is possible to change the world in which we live. Belief encourages us to act and makes us attempt the impossible so that the dream can be achieved. But, on the other side, the choice is still ours. We can choose to go against our beliefs. I firmly believe that debt is one of the things in our culture that has the potential to keep us poor. Paying interest in the high teens, or in some cases in the high twenty percent range, or even worse, on our credit cards, or paying 600% on payday loans when the bank will only give us a half percent on our deposited funds, is committing economic suicide. It is also making the rich richer. But regardless of how much we believe, many of us still choose to go into debt.

But there is also a tangible difference between "believing in something" and simply "believing." If I believe in something, I can still violate my beliefs and act in a different direction. But if I simply believe, then that also indicates a level of trust.

Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 to the Galatians; "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." But there is a qualitative difference between Abraham's belief, which Paul is recommending to the Galatians, and the belief in something that James condemns. "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder" (James 2:19). The difference? The demons believe in God but are unwilling to follow what their belief demands. Instead, they believe in God and will do whatever is in their power to oppose him. But Abram simply believed God. He believed, and he trusted. Whatever it was that God directed, Abraham followed. At a time when the law had not yet been given, trusting God was enough.

And at a time when the law has been fulfilled by the ministry and sacrifice of Jesus, trusting God is still enough.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Galatians 4

Personal Note: Happy Birthday to my only granddaughter, Emilina.