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Beliefs, Actions, and Evaluating a Nominee
In a move which sparked mixed reactions and controversy even among supporters, President Bush nominated Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court on Monday, October 3. "I've known Harriet for more than a decade. I know her heart. I know her character," Bush said of Miers after explaining how she perfectly fit the qualifications he was looking for. Despite Bush's confidence, however, many are simply uncertain about what Miers stands for, and how it would affect her actions as a judge on the nation's highest court.
Not a Question of "If"
You must agree that there is never a question of whether or not a person has beliefs or opinions. The question is always centered on what those convictions or beliefs are. Every individual holds to some kind of persuasion or belief system, whether carefully considered or casually adopted from life's experiences. Everyone approaches life with certain assumptions already established. How can we detect what a person believes? This is the crucial question possessing the minds of the many who are skeptical about Bush's Supreme Court nominee.
"Belief detecting"
If you are convinced that using your automobile is the best way to commute to work each day, it would make logical sense that you would indeed drive your car to work regularly. Because your belief results in actions, others can discern your opinion on commuting to work. Because your actions stem from beliefs, your neighbor may detect your beliefs by observing your actions and your lifestyle. Beliefs and convictions, whether they pertain to God, faith, government, mankind, origins, or any of a number of other areas, are not separate, isolated parts of your life, like a simple add-on program in your computer. Rather, like the computer's very operating system, they are the ever-present, underlying principles which influence everything else in your life.
Foundations vs. Storms
There is another angle in the controversy surrounding Miers. Some of the President's supporters are concerned that Miers may turn out to be another justice like Kennedy or Souter, beginning "strong," and then changing views gradually as time goes on. This uncertainty is well-founded, especially in this modern age when nothing ever seems completely certain. What about you—are your beliefs the same today as a year ago? Ten years ago? Thirty? Beliefs that change are not a problem if the change is prompted by a greater understanding of truth. Often, however, a person's views are based on the shifting winds and stormy seas of culture. These will never boast much consistency or reliability. On the other hand if your beliefs have been carefully built on a solid foundation of truth, they will remain steady no matter how the culture changes.
Convictions vs. Words
Countless eyes and ears will be glued to the media as the Miers hearings begin, waiting to learn what she has to say on all the hot issues. People everywhere hope to discover what she believes. Wouldn't you be surprised, however, if she says one thing in the hearings, and then in her first Supreme Court decision demonstrates the opposite persuasion? "Empty words," we would all be thinking. Her true convictions come out in what she actually does in her new position.
Life-Changing Beliefs
In a similar way, genuine belief in God cannot be separated from one's actions. True belief will produce evidence in a person's life. Specifically, many people are surprised to learn that all you have to do to gain eternal life is to believe the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ: that he is God in human form and that he took our place, paying the full penalty for our sins on the cross.1 "All I have to do is believe, and I'm no longer under God's judgment? Ever?" they marvel. Then another idea begins to dawn: "If all I have to do is believe, what's to stop me from living any way I want?" By now you may know the answer. How could you possibly claim to believe Christ is the only way to God, and that he has completely pardoned your sin because of his crucifixion, death, and resurrection; and proceed to live a life that shows no regard for God's will or following his commands? A genuine belief in Christ for salvation will naturally result in a changed life. Empty words will not.
What do you believe? Are you, like Harriet Miers, a mystery to others? Are your beliefs founded on solid truth or shifting winds of culture? Dear friend, the variety of ideas and persuasions in the world is almost endless. Yet there is only one way to God, and that is to believe the message of good news he has written for us in the Bible. What do you believe about Jesus Christ?
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