Dean Butler

Every person you meet has beliefs about God, life and eternity.

They might not call it that. They might not even go to church. But deep down, every human being has settled on a core set of answers to life’s biggest questions: Where did I come from? Why am I here? What happens to me when my time on this earth is through? Even the man who claims he does not believe in God has beliefs about life and eternity. He has simply chosen to build those beliefs without the creator. No one walks through this life entirely neutral. We all have an anchor dropped into something.

But having an anchor isn't enough. What matters most is what that anchor is hooked into. The source of your philosophy is what determines your destination.

The world today tells us that as long as you are "sincere" or "spiritual," the source doesn't matter. They tell us to follow our hearts and create our own truth. But human wisdom is a foundation built on shifting sand. It changes with the culture, it bends with modern trends, and it is easily deceived by personal pride.

The Bible gives us a stern warning about relying on ourselves as the source of truth. Proverbs 16:25 says: “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”

Scripture gives us a better way. Proverbs 3:5 tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” God never intended for us to navigate life by our feelings, opinions, or the wisdom of the crowd. He calls us to trust him, even when his ways run contrary to our own thinking.

When a person relies on human intellect, cultural opinions, or their own feelings as the source of their beliefs, the water becomes muddy. That kind of philosophy inevitably points a person inward. It leads to the dangerous progression of self-reliance, self-importance and eventually, open rebellion against God. It makes a man believe he knows better than the Lord.

If the source of your philosophy is man-made, it will fail you when the storm hits.

There is only one source that stands firm, and that is the unchanging word of God, revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. When God is the fountainhead of your beliefs, you are no longer tossed back and forth by the changing winds of this world. A biblical philosophy does not elevate self; it humbles self. It corrects our vision and shows us exactly who we are in the presence of a Holy God.

It isn’t enough to just have "beliefs" or to be a "good person." We have to look at where our beliefs are coming from. If they come from the world, they lead to self-deception. If they come from God, they lead to life, repentance, and a deeper walk with him.

One anchor leads to the shifting opinions of men. The other is fastened to the eternal word of God. Choose carefully. Eternity depends on it. 

(Dean Butler is a faith-based writer and Bible teacher based in Newcastle.)