How can I begin to believe?

What the Bible says

If you have read this far, one thing first. This page does not hurry anyone. Faith is not a contract with a deadline, and it does not deepen by being rushed. All this essay can do is show what the road looks like. Whether to walk it is yours.

The Bible describes the beginning as an invitation. Jesus said:

Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Matt 11:28

No conditions are attached. He calls the tired and the burdened, not the good or the sure. Revelation has a picture too, first spoken to a lukewarm church in Laodicea but showing how Christ comes. He does not break the door down. He stands outside and knocks.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.

Rev 3:20

The handle is on the inside. And to the one who does come he makes a promise: "the one who comes to Me I will never drive away" (John 6:37).

What does it mean, concretely, to come? Jesus' first words in Mark's Gospel answer that.

Repent and believe in the gospel!

Mark 1:15

There are two movements. One is turning: changing direction away from running my life my own way. The other is trust: believing who Jesus is and what he has done, and putting yourself in his hands. When the jailer at Philippi asked what he must do to be saved, Paul's reply was short.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household.

Acts 16:31

Romans spells out this faith: "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom 10:9). Then it promises that "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Rom 10:13). There is no magic formula here, no fixed set of words. The tax collector stood at a distance and prayed only, "God, have mercy on me, a sinner!" Jesus said that he went home justified (Luke 18:13-14).

How God receives someone who returns is shown best by the story of the lost son.

But while he was still in the distance, his father saw him and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.

Luke 15:20

The son was welcomed before he had finished his rehearsed speech.

The Bible also shows that doubt is allowed. The father of a tormented boy cried out:

I do believe; help my unbelief!

Mark 9:24

Jesus did not rebuke him, and he healed the boy. To Thomas he said to come and touch (John 20:27). Honest doubt is not faith's enemy; it can be where faith grows.

The church's witness

The church has carried this invitation from the beginning. The Apostles' Creed grew out of the confession made by people about to be baptised The Apostles' Creed. Faith began within a community, with someone standing beside you to say the words together.

Chrysostom, on Matthew 11:28, says why Jesus calls. It is "not that I may exact punishment of you, but that I may remit your sins" Chrysostom. For someone who comes with fear, those words bring comfort.

On the story of the lost son, the same Chrysostom says the father "did not wait to receive the words of his confession, but anticipates his supplication" Chrysostom. And of the road home he urges: "if we are willing, the return will become swift and easy, provided that we desert sin, which led us out from our father’s house" Chrysostom.

Matthew Henry writes on the same parable, "The Lord meets him with unexpected tokens of his forgiving love" Matthew Henry. For the weak in faith he comforts with the father in Mark 9: "Those that complain of unbelief, must look up to Christ for grace to help them against it, and his grace will be sufficient for them" Matthew Henry.

In the original languages

The word translated "repent" is metanoeo (μετανοέω), with the noun metanoia (μετάνοια). It means "to change one's mind," to turn thought and direction. It is less a matter of emotional self-punishment than of a change of course. The Old Testament word for the same movement is shuv (שׁוּב), "to return, to turn back." It is the picture of the son turning toward his father's house.

The verb "believe," pisteuo (πιστεύω), goes beyond agreeing with facts. It means "to trust, to entrust oneself." It is the difference between knowing that a chair would hold you and actually sitting down. To begin to believe is not to have every answer. It is to begin entrusting yourself to him while you still do not know.

Common objections

"I am not ready. I am not good enough." Many feel this way. They think they must first tidy their lives before going to God. Yet the Bible's order is the reverse. God proved his love in this: "While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). Nobody gets healthy before going to the doctor. Jesus said he came to call sinners, not the righteous (Mark 2:17). One thing must be admitted, though. Beginning to believe does not change a life overnight, and change is usually slow. But Paul is confident that "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Phil 1:6).

"I still have many doubts. How can I begin when I cannot believe?" Faith does not start only after a feeling arrives. The father in Mark brought belief and unbelief together and was received as he was. There are many ways to start. Reading one of the Gospels from the beginning is a good one, and Mark is the shortest. Jesus also made a promise: "If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own" (John 7:17). It is a promise that God does not ignore a person who reads and asks with an honest heart. Sometimes, for any of us, a doubt is also a shield; that is worth noticing gently, without blame.

"Believing means giving things up, and I am afraid of losing the people around me." This is a real fear and cannot be waved away. Jesus did not hide that following him has a cost. Some face conflict with family, and some must change how they live. That is why it is wise to think slowly. Yet he also said his yoke is easy and his burden light (Matt 11:30), and he does not leave anyone to walk alone. Believers are called into a community, the church, where burdens are shared.

Going further

The practical way to begin is simple. Read one Gospel slowly. Meeting Jesus in his own words and deeds is the best start. Prayer need not be grand. ‘God, if you are there, show me’ is a prayer. If you know someone who believes, ask them. Look for a church, because faith is hard to grow alone. And when your mind is settled, there is baptism (Acts 2:38). Churches differ on whether baptism should be given to infants or after a confession of faith, and on how it is given, but nearly all see it as the sign of belonging to Christ. If you were baptized as a child, talk with the church you join about the next step.

None of this needs to be rushed. If you do not begin today, the door has not closed. It is all right to answer ‘not yet.’ The invitation stands.

You might ask yourself some questions. What am I most afraid of right now? What do I really know about Jesus? What is the smallest step I could take today?

To read further, see What is faith?, What is repentance? and Who is Jesus?. The other essays in this section were written to answer, one by one, the questions people meet along this road.