The title of this blog might seem a little odd.  That is because most Christians do not ever imagine that they would stop believing in God.  It sounds preposterous to think that a person who believes in God would all of the sudden conclude that God does not exist after all.  This is because a person never loses his faith suddenly.  It is a gradual development, and it has happened to many people over the years.  Some of the most renowned atheists once believed in God, at least with mental assent.

Charles Darwin, Richard Dawkins, Karl Marx, and Albert Einstein, just to name a few, were men famous for their atheism but who started off believing in God to one degree or another.  There have even been those who had strong personal beliefs in God who later became effective advocates for atheists…men like Dan Barker and Jerry Dewitt, both of whom spent several years preaching in denominational churches before pushing their new atheistic beliefs.

A person can believe in God at one point but, then, usually in a very gradual fashion, lose that faith.  This being the case, we should all examine our faith from time to time and always make sure that we are doing things that help us cultivate that faith and make it stronger.

Faith is the foundational characteristic of the child of God.  Without it, not only can one not please God, but one cannot even become a child of God.  Faith is the beginning of one’s sonship in the family of God.  John said, “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (John 1:12).

The word right in this verse is usually translated as power and points to having the privilege to have or be something—in this case, the privilege of being a child of God.  This privilege came from one receiving Jesus, which points to the initial belief of a person after hearing the gospel of Christ.  However, faith is not only the initial action of the heart that gives one the privilege to become a child of God but also an ongoing act that proves that one is a child of God.

 1 John 5:1 (ESV)
¹ Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God…

The word believes here is the ongoing condition of faith.  While faith is necessary to become a child of God, it is also necessary to maintain a relationship with God.  Our ongoing faith proves, at least in part, that we are children of God.  Hebrews 11 is a great chapter that teaches us how proper faith behaves.  It behaves righteously like Abel, trustingly like Enoch, obediently like Noah, and sacrificially like Abraham.  This is behavior that can be seen by others and leads to our justification and God’s glorification.

When was the last time you examined your faith?  Can you say with confidence that you have a saving faith, shown by the practice of righteousness?  Righteousness has to do with doing our best to obey the commands of God.  In other words, when we are living righteously, we are living by the Word of God.  It does not mean that we never sin, but it does mean that we are living blamelessly or without offense.  As children of God, we have been transformed by the power of God’s Word so that we are now new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).  As such,  we live above reproach (Colossians 1:21-22).

As long as we live by faith, demonstrating the proper behavior it produces, we appear before God above reproach.  However, we must be honest about where we are spiritually.  We must examine ourselves regularly to make sure that we are still on the right track to heaven.  Again, Paul said, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves…” (2 Corinthians 13:5).   Make sure that your faith is active, proven by your everyday obedience.  This way, when it comes to your faith, you can be sure that you still have it.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.