Jesus is bigger than my beliefs.

Belief is a statement that describes the rational reality, the world around us described in words, the set of doctrines that we have adopted to organize reality and situate ourselves in it, ie, the way we see the world, life, and how we behave so that our existence has meaning: meaning and direction.

There are philosophical beliefs, ideological, scientific and especially religious. The belief relates to what we believe: that man is the measure of all things, that capitalism is the best economic model, that the earth revolves around the sun, that Jesus Christ is God, for example.

Religions are based on beliefs: Muslims believe that the definitive revelation of God was given to Muhammad; Jews believe in the Law of Moses; Buddhists believe that every human being can attain enlightenment and become a Buddha.

Within each religious system there are also divisions for reasons of different beliefs. For example: Christians called Arminians (Jacobus Arminius), in general, believe that it is possible to lose your salvation, and the Christian tradition of Calvinist (John Calvin) believe that once saved, forever saved, and that if someone does not went to heaven because it was never saved.

Beliefs have a characteristic paradox: while it brings people together, away from the people. People gather around their beliefs, like being in the company of someone who has the same ideas, practice the same rituals and behaves according to the same moral rules. The problem is that usually these people united by common beliefs declare war on everyone who disagrees with them.

When Jesus says "I am the way, the truth and the life," establishes a new dimension of relationship with the truth. From this statement of Jesus, the truth is no longer a matter of belief, because it is no longer to explain and describe reality in a rational manner, but to relate to a person: Jesus himself.

The Jewish New Testament correctly translates John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who trusts in him may have eternal life, instead of being completely destroyed."

A relationship with Jesus transcends the question of belief, believe or not believe.

It is a matter of faith - trust or not trust, I give him my life or not surrender.

Beliefs aim to translate the truth into words. But the relationship with a person will always be greater than your description, because everyone is always greater than words can describe.

This is why the relationship with Jesus is the dimension of faith, not belief. My friend Paulo Brabo, who helped me understand these things, said something interesting: "I can not recommend belief, his only achievement is to get together in guilds, each believing himself to be more remarkable than the other and calling your own corporate environment of spirituality. I can not endorse the belief, should not imply that spirituality can be adequately conveyed through arguments and explanations. I shall not seek the comfort of belief; Master trembled with fear and had no place to lay his head. I should not listen to anyone who asks tabulation of my belief, my faith is not what I believe.

Never ceases to amaze me that for Christianity God sent to save us a summary of recommendations and a list of beliefs enough, but a person. My spirituality is not to be lived and expressed in a less revolutionary.

Do not ask what I believe. "

To which I would add: the person in whom I trust -

Jesus Christ is more important than the things I believe.

By Ed René Kivitz.