You know the Romans 10 thing about believe in your heart that God Raised Jesus from the Dead…yeah I disagree with that… Let me explain.

I’m reading a book called “Out of the Question…Into the Mystery” By Leonard Sweet. In there he says the following about belief (2 Selections):

The word believe is an ancient compounding of the verb be and the noun life. To “believe” is to “be live”–to live your being to trust your “being” to “life.” The root meaning of believe as “credo” did not originally mean nodding in intellectual assent; it meant “to give my heart to” or “to hold dear” or “to love.”

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The real question of a true believer is “Who are you going to ‘belove’? Who are you going to give your whole self to?”…Until we can rehabilitate the original and true meaning of belief, it would be better to use some other expression. That is why I refuse to call disciples of Jesus “believers.” It sets the bar so low that even Lucifer would qualify. If one understands “belief” as intellectual assent, even the devil is a “believer.” If the demons “believe and tremble” [as the Bible says], they’re actually doing better than some of us. At least they are trembling.

I really don’t have much to add to Mr. Sweet. Getting back to my original statement, of course I believe Romans 10:9-10…but not as it comes across in our culture. The word belief is like pop with too much ice that has been sitting out for two hours since the party ended. It’s too weak.

Sweet argues in his book that earmark of Christians is faith…not belief. Do you believe slavery existed? Sure. Does that make you committed to diversity and racial reconciliation? Not necessarily.

Do you believe in Jesus? Sure. That makes you a believer, but not a be-lover. Am I a lover of Jesus? Are you?