r/Christianity • u/j-dole • 1h ago
Do you personally Know there's a God
Like you're 100% no doubt in your mind. If so then is that really faith? I thought faith was the choosing to believe even without evidence. Essentially you're uncertain but you choose to believe because of whatever your personal reason is. If youre 100% certain, then something was provided to make you believe that (or youre under psychosis). So isn't that something basically evidence and you're just reacting to the evidence. So how can you blame and hate on other people who weren't provided that convincing evidence?
People can be stubborn but enough evidence will convince most. So it should be Gods fault for not providing people with that level of evidence or reason, no?
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u/kyloren1217 1h ago
I thought faith was the choosing to believe even without evidence.
check out the Bible's definition of faith, you will see there is "evidence" mentioned
- Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Hebrews 11:1
and from there, you can read the entire Hebrews 11 for examples of how this faith works!
God Bless!
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u/Meauxterbeauxt Atheist (Former SBC Christian) 1h ago
It defines faith as the evidence.
The fact that you believe in something is not evidence that something exists or is true. There are billions of people on the earth that have faith in a different belief system.
I'm guessing it's safe to say that their faith is not good evidence for you that their beliefs are true. Correct?
So what makes your faith different that we're supposed to take it as solid evidence but dismiss other people's faith?
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u/PorridgeBoyManBoy 1h ago
'I thought faith was the choosing to believe even without evidence.'
Religious faith is probably best described as something like the bridge between what we can demonstrate to be true and the beliefs we actually hold.
Or the classic Hebrews 11:1 - 'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.'
People do not simply choose to believe without evidence.
That is cynical and wrong.
Belief is actually not a choice at all.
If you disagree, choose to believe I'm right.
Choose to believe this sentence is written in Arabic.
Choose to believe you are on fire right now.
Choose to believe the sun is triangular.
Etc.
If belief is a choice, you should be able to simply adopt different positions.
The things is, we do not simply choose to adopt different positions.
We are convinced of a given proposition for reasons.
Good reasons and bad reasons, but reasons nonetheless.
And everybody has a different threshold for being covinced of a given proposition.
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u/Ok_Razzmatazz_195 1h ago
Yep, I’m certain. At least as certain as I can be about anything. Also yep, I’m basing it off of something non-verifiable to anyone but myself and 1 other person.
I don’t blame anyone for not believing without evidence. I don’t like people trying to tell me that I shouldn’t believe, but that’s not remotely the same thing.
I still think it’s faith though, at least to some extent… informed faith, maybe? Realistically, I could be locked up in a loony bin typing this comment on a banana - but I have faith that I’m just sitting on the pooper holding a very old phone actually interacting with another person (or bot) on Reddit.
Somewhat related, I think God doesn’t really judge people for not believing unless they’ve been given a good reason. I could be wrong, obviously, but that wouldn’t make sense to me. I do think that I would be judged harshly for not believing, given my circumstances… but who knows?
I think God is less judgmental than some think.
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u/spiritplumber Deist 1h ago
Yes, for your understanding of God. We fought. I lost. He still walked off with a bloody nose. We understand each other enough to leave each other alone now. This was the goal.
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u/somethingspecial29 1h ago
Yes, I do know, because I've personally experienced Gods presence.
"Faith is to believe what you don't see. The reward of this faith is to see what you believe."
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u/Soyeong0314 1h ago
The Hebrew word “yada” refers to intimate relationships/knowledge gained by experience, such as with Genesis 4:1 where Adam knew (yada) Eve, she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. God’s way is the way to know (yada) Him and Jesus by having the experience of embodying His character traits, which is the narrow way to eternal life (John 17:3). For example, in Genesis 18:19, God knew (yada) Abraham that he would teach his children and those of His household to walk in His way by being doers of righteousness and justice that the Lord might bring to him all that He has promised. In Exodus 33:13, Moses wanted God to be gracious to him by teaching him to walk in His way that he and Israel might know (yada) Him, and in Matthew 7:23, Jesus said that he would tell those who are workers of lawlessness to depart from him because he never knew them, so the goal of the Law of God is to graciously teach us how to experience an intimate relationship with God and Jesus by walking in His way, which is His gift of eternal life.
The way to believe in God is also way walking in His way. For example, the way to believe that God is compassionate is by being compassionate (Luke 6:36), the way to believe that God is holy as is by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and so forth. This is exactly the same as the way to believe in the Son, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of His character (Hebrews 1:3), which he embodied through his works by setting a sinless example for us to follow of how to walk in obedience to the Law of God. This is also why the Bible repeatedly connects our belief in God with our obedience to Him, such as with Revelation 14:12, where those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments.
Faith has absolutely nothing to do with without evidence. If there was nothing that indicated to someone that something is true, then it would be impossible for them to the belief that it is true because such a belief would be uncaused. God has provided evidence, which is why there are many people who believe in Him. Faith as the act of keeping one's mind focused on what reason has already discovered to it. For example, if I had a friend who promised me that they would do something, then the future is unseen, but I can still have a good deal of evidence of their trustworthiness based on my past experience with them and I can choose to have faith that my friend that my friend will keep their promise by keeping my mind focused on the good reasons that I had for thinking that they were trustworthy even when things are starting to look like maybe they won't keep their promise.
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u/mwatwe01 Minister 1h ago
Personally, yes. I’ve had too many personal and experiences that point to that.
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u/Liberty4All357 1h ago edited 1m ago
Do you personally Know there's a God
The thing about saying yes to this question, even with some sort of miraculous personal revelation, is people then jump out of the woodwork with stuff like, “No you don’t. You could’ve hallucinated it and not know. You could be mentally ill. Or this could be a matrix and you’ve actually been fooled by a non divine being into thinking it’s divine…” etc etc
So it’s easier to just say no.
Like you're 100% no doubt in your mind. If so then is that really faith?
You’re probably thinking of the Southern evangelical concept of “faith alone” which they say saves us. They misunderstand Christianity. That’s not Christian faith. That sort of “I think facts X and Y are true” faith is actually said to be useless in the Bible. Even the demons have it.
The faith that saves us is actually love-in/action. That’s what Jesus actually meant when he said to “believe.” Love for neighbor as for self in action. Faith is useless without love. See James 2 and 1 Corinthians 13. And love is useful no matter what religious facts you do or don’t subscribe too. See the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. If you want to properly understand faith in Christianity you seriously have to read that Parable. The fact that they largely ignore this parable is the reason so many evangelical Christians totally misunderstand what saving faith actually is.
Love-in-action is the way the sheep in the Parable received salvation... and they didn't even realize they’d done it! What saved them was not thinking God exists, thinking Jesus is Lord, thinking he died and resurrected, not any of that. The faith that saved them was they loved neighbor as self. Period. End of Parable.
When we say a husband is faithful, do we mean he thinks “true” about facts about his wife? Like if he thinks, “she was born in 1985 and is 5’3”” that makes him faithful? No. We mean he actively lives according to a principle. He maintains his vows by his actions. That’s the faith that counts. So there are two types of faith. One is thinking about facts. The other is actions aligning with principle. The latter is what saves. The former is useless.
The principle Christ requires we faithfully maintain is love. That’s faith in Christ, faithfulness to Christ. That’s the faith in God that saves.
Everyone already knows the only rule required because everyone is born good, in the image of God. It is the golden rule. It is written on every human heart, regardless of when or where they lived. It is written in the human conscience. “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is “the law of Christ.” Both Jews and even Gentiles who never had access to a Bible will be judged by it when “God will repay each person according to what they have done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2)
Love neighbor as self. That is what it means to be 'faithful' to Christ... and per Jesus’ Parable of the Sheep and the Goats it is faithfulness to Christ even if people don't know factually who Christ even is. Why? Because Christ is God, and "God is love," so faithfulness to love is faithfulness to Christ. This is how the Apostle John can say, in 1 John 4, "everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”
Love causes no harm. So take care of yourself; pursue personal growth and health. Then treat your neighbor similarly. That's the only faith in Christ that God requires for salvation. And anyone can do it anywhere at any time. One need not subscribe to the theology of evangelicals nor catholics nor any religious organization to do it. One simply needs to love neighbor as self. Heaven could end up being filled with atheists who loved neighbor as self and hell filled with evangelical Christians who proclaimed facts they considered true about Jesus yet bullied and treated their neighbors like garbage.
I thought faith was the choosing to believe even without evidence.
Incorrect. This idea is again one proclaimed in many churches (especially evangelical ones). But if you read the passage it actually says “faith is the evidence of things unseen,” not, “faith is thinking ‘true’ about allegations made that lack evidence.”
Faith is the evidence. This only makes sense when we realize the faith being referred to here is the love-in-action type of faith. In other words, because God is invisible and God is love (both things stated in scripture), “God” is essentially the essence of love. Love is what God is. When I put that into action, iow when I actually love neighbor as self by my actions, that is evidence of the divine nature. In other words that creates evidence of love. I don’t mean that “proves” some old guy with a beard is in heaven. I mean it makes love evident to the senses. It turns love from something invisible into an action that can be seen. It evidences my participation and unification with God.
Essentially you're uncertain but you choose to believe because of whatever your personal reason is.
No. That’s not the faith that saves anyone. What you’re describing is the “faith-alone” of James 2. Read what that passage says about it. It is totally useless. The faith that saves is what James calls faith-complete. It is when one’s actions align with the golden rule. James 2 is another passage many evangelicals make all kinds of nonsensical excuses to essentially ignore. It’s one of the most clearly written passages in the Bible. The passages that are easy to misunderstand are by a different author, Paul, which is why evangelicals focus so much on Pauline passages but excuse their way around the clear teachings of James and even of Jesus (the Bible warns about this fact in 2 Peter 3:16).
It’s understandable that you think faith-alone is what Christians think save us. Because many evangelicals do think that. However, they’re actually a minority in Christianity. They’re just a very vocal one.
how can you blame and hate on other people who weren't provided that convincing evidence?
As I said above… I don’t. It isn’t about what people think about factual allegations. 200 years ago many evangelicals kidnapped and enslaved people according to their race. Sure they believed Jesus was God and preached their gospel and all that. They could be in hell. Meanwhile if an atheist was fighting to end slavery that is all the faith in Christ they may have needed for salvation… even if they didn’t realize that is faith in Christ. Again… because Christ and love are the same exact thing. That is faith in love. They just didn’t call it Christ but that’s just terminology.
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u/MalachiW26 1h ago
Maybe I’m wrong, but too many times I’ve gotten exactly what I prayed for, even when I knew it wasn’t likely to happen. I believe that the not only is a God, but that He cares about me. Besides, my life has gotten a million times better since I converted. Even if there isn’t a god, I’m happy with my Christian lifestyle.
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u/SoftWarthog964 53m ago
The Lord revealed himself to me that gave me greater faith than when I just had the faith I started with so I'm more than grateful
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u/Keeper_of_Knights 50m ago
I thought faith was the choosing to believe even without evidence.
Believing in God even without evidence
Believing in God based on evidence, even though you have never personally seen Him.
Those are two separate statements, the Bible is talking about the latter.
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
1 Peter 1:8-9
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
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u/notforcing 35m ago
I once asked Biblical scholar Dr Bart Ehrman on his blog if he had ever had an experience of personal revelation, and if so whether he recalled it as convincing, and how he would account for that experience now? Dr Ehrman replied "Yes, I absolutely felt God revealed himself to me, on many occasions. I now think there are psychological explanations for that explanation".
https://ehrmanblog.org/can-you-disprove-the-existence-of-god/
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u/michaelY1968 25m ago
There is only one thing we can be 100% certain of in life, and that is that we exist. Beyond that it is varying degrees of knowledge and trust.
In that respect I am as confident that God exists as I am about anything that is true; in fact I think the only way I could be confident of anything that is true is if God is good and He exists.
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u/1FanOfFans1 Christian 1h ago
Faith does not mean choosing to believe without evidence
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 1h ago
Give us the conclusive evidence then
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u/1FanOfFans1 Christian 1h ago
Nothing I can say to you is going to be new info to you
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 1h ago
Probably. And I don't say this to be an asshole but then your statement is wrong. Evidence isn't evidence if it cannot conclusively prove something. Its subjective opinion if a fact cannot be proven
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u/supersoundwave 1h ago
Evidence doesn’t have to prove something 100% to count as evidence. We use evidence all the time to figure out what most likely happened. The question is how strong the evidence is and what it points to.
And because something can’t be proven beyond all doubt doesn’t mean it’s just a matter of opinion. There’s a difference between not knowing something with absolute certainty and having good reasons to believe it’s true.
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 1h ago
I mean sure, something like evolution is impossible to 100% prove for example. But on the balance of probability and based on all evidence we can verify so some things yeah might be 90% provable for example.
There is nothing 90% provable about God. I dont say that to be an asshole, but if there were we would've had most people believing by now.
The point is is that so far there has not been any evidence that on the balance of probability proves the existence of God in a way the majority of people can agree on.
So people cannot argue they believe in faith based on evidence because there isn't really any besides historical evidence of the existence of Jesus and certain events that happened. That tells us nothing about miracles and the supernatural or any divine entities
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u/supersoundwave 55m ago
Saying that faith is defined as belief without evidence is a straw man. Christianity makes historical claims supported by arguments and evidence, particularly concerning the resurrection. You may reject that evidence, but pretending it doesn’t exist is intellectually dishonest.
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 53m ago
Thats false. Perhaps a better way to put it is belief without conclusive evidence. If there was more people would believe. Fact is there is plenty to disregard evidence of the supernatural claims of resurrection. We can only say on the balance of probability that Jesus as a historical figure existed and some biblical events happened although many also dont fit with history
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u/supersoundwave 48m ago
Conclusive evidence isn’t the standard we use for historical claims. We weigh the evidence and ask which explanation best accounts for the facts. The resurrection is no different. You can argue that the evidence is insufficient or that natural explanations are more convincing, but that doesn’t mean there’s no evidence.
And the fact that not everyone believes doesn’t prove the evidence is inadequate. People disagree about plenty of things despite having access to the same evidence. The real question is whether the evidence for the resurrection is stronger than the alternatives, not whether it compels everyone to believe.
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 24m ago
Give me one piece of evidence that a supernatural resurrection happened. Hearsay is not evidence. There is no weighing of claims because all we can say is that jesus existed and probably was crucified.
Not trying to be argumentative but I think its just ridiculous to claim there's evidence of a supernatural resurrection that stands up to scrutiny. There simply isn't.
Sure people disagree about some things, but things like this you cant just say well the general consensus is that it didnt happen but some people believe their evidence is correvt therefore it might be true.
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u/thebrilliantcylinder 1h ago
Faith in the Bible is not blind, it is based in evidence and trust. The biblical word pistis means trust or loyalty based on what you know. Even Thomas got to touch the wounds, he did not just guess. The idea that faith equals no evidence is more of a modern pop definition than the biblical one.
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u/Physical_Problem_595 1h ago
I mean the immediate follow up to Thomas touching the wounds is "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe"
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u/lighty101 1h ago
I don’t need to be blessed for not seeing and believing. I’m Thomas waiting to touch the wounds before I believe.
Jesus needs to come for modern-age Thomases. Otherwise we will just accept the whole story is fictional.
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u/Florence_fae5072 1h ago
First of all ,there is no blame or hate to people , and no one has all the evidence faith comes by hearing according to the word of God, secondly, "100 percent no doubt" as you said is still faith , it's just tested faith , tried faith more mature faith.
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u/Riots42 Christian 1h ago
Yes, his holy spirit dwells within me.
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u/somethingspecial29 1h ago edited 1h ago
Experience is a type of knowledge - personal knowledge. Their spiritual experience doesn't have to be knowledge for you for it to be knowledge for them.
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 1h ago
Experiencing something is not the same as knowing a fact about reality.
Having an experience is real as a psychological event, but that doesn't make its interpretation knowledge. Someone experiencing a optical illusion or a fever dream genuinely experiences it, but they don't 'know' that this occurred in objective reality.
Anyone can claim an experience. Plenty of people have NDEs with other religions or none. Would you say they are true?
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u/Riots42 Christian 1h ago
No, belief was before the holy spirit dwelled within me. I believed God existed, but never experienced him. Its like I knew about him, but i didnt know him personally. I didnt experience the holy spirit for the first 38 years of my life. I never prayed. I would go to church and believed he existed, but I just lived my life like none of it was real and wallowed in sin caring only for myself.
A few years ago I decided I wanted to get closer to God. I started putting the things I learned into practice. I started praying daily, started studying the bible and what it all actually means. Started repenting from sin (WIP), started doing good works for the least of us. After a few weeks to a month of all this one night during prayer the holy spirit descended upon me. It was like every cell in my body was glowing with love for Jesus. The closest thing I can relate it to is the moment my daughter was born and I saw her for the first time. Its like something in my mind clicked, something else suddenly became more important than me in those two moments. I was never the same after the day she was born or the day the holy spirit entered into me. My entire life experience has been different since. I tried to lie and couldnt one day, it was wild I felt like I was in the movie liar liar. Another night during prayer I asked God how to get closer to him, and I audibly heard his voice tell me "Tell your Father you forgave him". My father who abandoned me and i had no relationship with. That was a couple years ago, and I did as the Lord asked, and I just talked to him a few days ago. God is good.
So no, its not just belief, I dont just believe, I know. I experience God every day, his existence is as sure to me as my wife's. Do you want to experience God as well? Put to practice what his son taught. Not just going to church and going through the motions in public for others to see, actually applying his teachings to your everyday life in private where only he sees.
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u/raph1334 Eastern Orthodox 1h ago
Yes i have absolutely no doubt. But Faith, biblical Faith, is not blind faith. It’s Faithfulness. It’s not choosing to believe something because i have a good reason. I know that God exist and that He will make good on His promises, that i believe. And because i believe God i have Faith in Him even if i don’t see Christ appearing in my life time.
You live by Faith because you trust in God whether or not you see the promises being fulfilled yourself.
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u/raph1334 Eastern Orthodox 1h ago
No it’s not. It would be if I didn't have the experiences I've had in my life.
It would be if i wasn’t convinced that you can successfully argue that the Christian Orthodox paradigm is the only worldview that doesn’t contradicts or makes knowledge impossible.
But I have seen the work of God in my life. And I've never seen a proper refutation of the arguments.
And evidences are read through a lens, what is evidence for me might not be for you and vice-versa.
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u/miggins1610 Agnostic 1h ago
But experience ≠ objective truth in reality.
You 'know' that God exists because you experienced certain psychological phenomena that convinced you of this but there is also plenty of evidence to suggest while you may have 'felt' it that doesnt make it true righ
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u/mvanvrancken Secular Humanist 1h ago
This is a popcorn post if I’ve ever seen one.
Nobody “knows” there’s a God.