Village Shepherd

As a child, I would amuse myself in church by flicking through the hymnbook. One spread of pages puzzled me, for on one side of the page was the hymn, "Trusting Jesus that is all," while on the facing page was, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, than to trust and obey."

There seemed to me to be a discrepancy between those two statements, that I was unable to resolve. If trusting Jesus was all that was required, how come there was no other way than to trust and obey him?

Since it's well known that most of us learn our theology from hymns, perhaps it's not surprising that many people feel somewhat confused by Christianity. Turn the pages of any hymnbook, and you'll find many differences of emphasis.

So what exactly is required to be a Christian? Some Christian groups seem to demand a great deal of commitment, which often has to be pronounced publicly, and only those who have had certain physical experiences such as "speaking in tongues" or "falling down in the spirit" are considered to be "proper" Christians.

Other groups seem to demand nothing at all of their adherents, and it seems like anything goes. Perhaps most Christian churches are somewhere between those two extremes, and perhaps many Christians struggle somewhere in the middle trying to make sense of it all.

According to the famous verse in today's reading from St John's gospel - chapter three verse sixteen - belief in Jesus as the Son of God is all that is required of a Christian. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life."

God loves us so much that nothing else is required, only belief. We don't have to be particularly good people, we don't have to repent of our sins, and we don't have to do anything to prove our commitment. All we have to do is to believe in Jesus. So what exactly is this belief? Does it exclude those of us who have doubts from time to time?

I don't think so. Those who have doubts yet still hang onto God despite those doubts, perhaps trust him even more than those who are absolutely rock certain in their beliefs. For if you're not certain, a great deal of trust is required to go on praying and worshipping God, whereas if you're absolutely certain then you don't have to take anything on trust.

This particular verse, John 3:16, doesn't say anything about the quality of belief, but the quality does become apparent as we move through the gospels. Belief in Jesus is a response to God's immense and overwhelming love. And anyone who really believes in Jesus because they are responding to God's love, will not only want to follow Jesus, but will be incapable of not following him.

And again and again Jesus tells us that in order to follow him we must take up our cross - we must be ready to face crucifixion just as he faced crucifixion. We must be prepared to lose our lives of comfort and stumble along the difficult track of painstaking honesty and love.

Half-hearted belief cannot bring the rewards that God has in store for us, as Jesus pointed out when he said, "Those who are not for me are against me" (Matthew 12:30). And it's only after enduring crucifixion that those rewards really begin to become apparent.

Those who fully trust in Jesus can't help themselves. They will follow him and obey his commands, because they can do no other.

But in a country whose laws have been based on Christian principles for over a thousand years, so that those laws are ingrained in the people, it's easy to obey those laws and assume that's the same as belief in Jesus.

For instance, the number of people who murder or steal is still relatively few. Most right thinking people will help out their neighbours in times of difficulty. For many, the truth continues to be important and they would hesitate to tell a deliberate lie. There is general concern for the state of the country and for maintaining a good ecological balance. And there is concern for those who are less fortunate, both here and abroad.

All of which adds up to good, Christian behaviour, the sort of behaviour expected from followers of Jesus. So what's the difference between Christians and other good living people? Indeed, is there any difference?

I think there may be no difference whatsoever in outward behaviour between Christians and everyone else. There are very good people out there in the neighbourhood, and Christians certainly don't have the monopoly on good behaviour.

The difference is inside, in the inner being. Those who have acknowledged Jesus from the centre of their being, are constantly and continuously and inextricably drawn to follow him. God doesn't force anyone, but he does invite us all to make choices.

Those choices are always utterly free. Christians are free to follow whatever path they choose, and God respects that freedom. But even though we constantly make the wrong choices over and over again, God never gives up on us.

Belief in Jesus means inviting a living God to be part of your life for all time, always there, always part of your choices and part of your life. It means God filling your life. It means God guiding your life. It means God present within you, dwelling within you. And that is eternal life, thrilling and exciting and full life, here and now.

That sort of life can lead us into rich but sometimes terrifying depths, or exhilarating but sometimes demanding heights. And even that is merely a foretaste of the life to come.

It's your choice. Dare you believe?