Belief vs. Following

Many of us grew up in religious contexts where we were taught just to believe. Religion was destination focused, and belief was the sign of a mature Christian because it meant that, by faith, you had arrived at the destination.

There’s some support for this approach in the gospel of John. In John, the word ‘believe’ shows up over twice as many times as Matthew, Mark, and Luke combined. Jesus often challenges those listen to believe in him, and through that belief, to find life.

While it’s important to believe in God, perhaps our faith needs to be a bit more well—rounded.

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke talk a lot more about following Jesus than about believing in Jesus (proportionately, they all talk about following Jesus more than the Gospel of John). In John, Jesus says things like, “Anyone who believes in me will never die.” In the other Gospels, Jesus says things like, “Come follow me.” Can you feel the difference in those two approaches? Neither is bad, of course. But they are different.

To believe often is an act of the will, and act of trust. And it’s often results oriented - it’s about connecting to God through faith. It’s about accessing God’s resources through faith. To follow is far more of a process. It’s behavioral. And, of course, it requires some trust too, but it feels a little different.

How do you think of believing? In what ways is it similar to or different from following? Which one is most helpful for you right now?