“Unbelief is an emotional response to a mental interpretation about the ultimate Relational Being where we falsely conclude that this Being is unfair, un-protective, unsafe, and untrustworthy, where we choose to trust anything and anyone but Him.”
This is taken from the September 3rd blog post by Dr. Robert Kelleman in his discussion on the psychology of unbelief. For whatever reason, God has been bringing this up in my studies. It shows up in every direction I turn lately and I am on high alert for the lessons He is teaching me in it. Kelleman is merely sharing his personal thought processing and explains how less than 2% of people actually claim to be atheist and even that is putting one’s faith in something other than God. Unbelief is rooted in finding some “fault” in God, and Kelleman explains:
Specifically, “fault” means to act in a deceitful way, tricking, an insidious manner of relating, dishonest and unfair dealings, injustice, and even perverseness. It suggests a remarkable accumulation of unrighteousness—a contemptuous view of God. Sound familiar? Satan deceived Eve into thinking that God was deceptive and unfair.
As I meet new Christians, my heart is breaking for the Church as a whole. Our marriage to Jesus as His bride is more and more mirroring our broken relationships in the home. We can get close, but not too close. We can trust to an extent, but it’s really up to Self. We’ll listen, but the Spirit doesn’t really control. Afterall, who wants to be “controlled.” It truly breaks my heart. Because people let us down, we think God will too. In utter honesty, does this describe you? Or do you live completely sold out to Him? And if you live sold out and caught in holy riptide, how would your closest friends and family say it has impacted your relationships with them? Would they say you have shown the unconditional forgiveness to them that you have received from Jesus? Would they say you love your enemies and those who curse you? Or are you quick to sign the divorce papers because somehow your God is too weak to penetrate those hurts? When it comes down to it, God is only as strong as your relationships rather than your relationships being as strong as your God.
Don’t get me wrong. I have my share of bad days and I don’t always have the right immediate reaction. But keeping with the introductory discussion, where is my trust and do I blame God for my troubles by the way I live and find some imagined fault with him? I believe I can finally say I do not find fault with God. It’s been a long road getting here and I pray God kindly reveals any areas to me that may still harbor this unbelief.
If this intrigues you, read the full post at http://www.rpmministries.org/. I’m also reading God Attachment by Dr’s Tim Clinton and Josh Straub. It has more in-depth discussion along the same lines Kelleman’s ponderings among other things.
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