"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1 NRSV Bible)
In the opening line of the Apostles Creed, that little word "in." In the Creed I do not say that I believe that God exists. I say simply, "I believe in God." There is a great difference here--the difference between belief as fact or idea and belief as commitment. We can see the difference immediately if we put it in another context. If I say that "I believe that Michele is a good person," I mean simply that I have the impression that she is a good person. On the other hand, if I say, "I believe in Michele." I am saying that I know her character well enough that I trust her and am willing to commit myself to her.

Similarly, when I say, "I believe in God..." I am not saying that I know all about God. Christian Faith means that I believe that I have come to know God's character in such a way that I am willing to put my trust in God.

True faith in God isn't easy. If some of us have come to believe in God, it has only been after a stiff struggle with our doubts. I do not think that Christians should ignore their doubts. I think we all ought to bring our doubts out into the open and deal with them honestly. I believe that doubt is a prerequisite to a genuine faith. Without doubt, we would be liable to fall for any wild scheme that comes our way.

I heard a story of a man who visited a saintly monk on a secluded island. He asked the monk, "Do you still wrestle with the devil?" "Not any longer, my child," replied the godly man, "I have grown old and he has grown old with me. He does not have the strength. I now wrestle with God." "With God!" exclaimed the man with astonishment. "And you hope to win?" "No," answered the monk. "I hope to lose."

Our call is to lose ourselves and believe in God.

God of all, as I move through the days you've given me, may I grow more like you and less like myself. In Jesus name, Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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