Belief Level

The following is an excerpt taken from Bob Buford’s book, “Finishing Well, what people who really live do differently". It is a discussion between him and Dr. Dallas Willard in regards to the thought “is there something more?”

The Knowing/Doing Gap

… the church has always taught the importance of surrender, yet we don’t (perhaps can’t) let go of our own desires and ambitions in order to let God take control of our lives. The mere thought of that gives all of us pause.

I said, “What you seem to be describing, Dallas, is a knowing/doing gap, that even what we know, what we’ve been taught, what we heard in sermons, what we read in books, doesn’t seem to be a viable reality for most Christians. There seems to be a chasm between our knowledge and our ability or willingness to do it.”

“That’s very true,” he said, “and I would even put it in these terms: We know about these things but we do not believe them. Too many Christians profess to believe them because we are expected to, but profession of belief doesn’t carry the action. Only real belief carries action. We live in a context where millions and millions of professing Christians do not believe what they profess because they’ve been taught that the important things is to profess it whether you believe it or not. Just think of the words of the apostle James: ‘You do not have because you do not ask God’. Our faith is not strong enough to believe and to expect God to answer. Consequently, this gap of faith and action creates a severe problem.”

“That’s very troubling, isn’t it?” I said. “It’s obviously true, just as you said. But it’s such a strong indication of the modern church.”

“Unfortunately,” he said, “historically we have emphasized professing certain things, and sometimes people have died for not professing them. The religious wars were all about this. In recent times, evangelicals have stressed professing faith – not necessarily having it but professing it. As a result, many people don’t think of death as a joyous trip to a world that is so much better than this one. Most Christians are terrified by the thought of dying.”

For Discussion:

Do we really believe what we profess? Is there really a difference or is it just a different way of saying the same thing. If there is a difference, what effect should it have on our lives?

In my pastoral ministry, I see and can relate to the above excerpt and say that many professing Christians have a shallow (either by choice or by lack of teaching) belief level. They have set through many class room teachings, heard many sermons and studied many materials but yet there seems to be a lack of deep spirituality in their lives. Why is this? What is the effect in their lives and the life of the Church?
Please share your thoughts and let’s discuss this issue.