Since the dawn of time, human beings in every place and culture have been religious. They have sensed a divine Reality behind and beyond all things. They built worship centers that were more prominent than anything else they built. Why have human beings had this fundamental religious impulse?
Some people say that religion arose as a way to explain the world by ascribing natural events to the working of the gods. But in the Biblical story, people do not come to faith to get explanations. Instead, people often trust in God even when they do not fully understand God’s purposes.
Some people say that religion arose as a way to try to get rewards – to get prosperity or a healing from God. But in the Bible, following God often carries a cost.
Some people say that religion arose in an effort to find an answer to death. But in Biblical history, the people of Israel did not even believe in life after death, until the centuries right before the coming of Jesus.
So why did the ancient Israelites believe in God?
They believed in God because they encountered God as a Reality in life. This is the case universally in the history of religion – people have come to believe because they have experienced the Divine as a Presence and Power. The Bible says that God created people for this kind of connection – that we are made “in the image of God.” And God initiates the connection – God comes to humanity, doing so most centrally in Jesus, and is present among us now through the Holy Spirit.
People have come to believe because they have experienced the Divine as a Presence and Power. Share on XDo you struggle at times to believe? Open your heart to encounter God today.
Sunday’s Scripture Readings:
Genesis 12:6–8
Exodus 3:1–7, 10–14
