Conviction

JEREMY: if i asked you why you believe what you believe about spiritual things, what would you say?

ADAM: Scientifically I would say there are a number of factors that cause me to have faith: my parents… my being raised in a church... my friends... my wife... people have a great influence as well as the Bible... Which if you don't believe is the word of God, then you would just chalk up to other people again. But really its personal experience... seeing God act... having the Holy Spirit move me... divine insight into scripture... personal predisposition to belief and faith...
Then if you really want to get into it, I can say that faith is the only thing man really has that animals do not... animals work on logic... man works on faith... why is that... why would we have faith in anything if we are just another type of animal? It wouldn't work...
why do we all want to have faith?
why do we want to believe in something?
why do we feel the need to answer the question of the meaning of life?
because we have a common creator who has engrained those aspects of his character on our lives... have you ever heard of the common conscience? It basically says that we all have a common ancestral conscience where we get all our ideas... that explains why themes like creation, and hell, and just about anything come up in cultures across the globe that have had no interaction with any other culture...
why do we have that...
is it because God created us all?
Is it because our heart beats for God and we are just slowly killing it through sin?
I think so.

JEREMY: does it ever seem to you that Christians more than non Christians cant really explain why they believe what they believe? I mean, they might respond with "because the bible says so"(which is actually a perfectly true answer, but it doesn’t really answer the question) or they might say, because I grew up that way and have always thought it to be true.
you know, but what makes you think that your beliefs are the real truth? and when it comes down to it, I think Christians forget about personal conviction and "seeing God act". the real trouble comes in when a false teacher(or any person who believes something other than the real truth) gives their response to the question exactly the way you just gave me.
I think people really know when what they believe is really the truth or if its something a little more self serving. and I believe that false teachers can think they know the truth almost 99% the same way you and I know the truth, but it’s that 1% that we have which they don’t. that’s the part I don’t know how to explain, but that’s the part that separates the truth from the self-serving beliefs of false teachers.

ADAM: I think the ability to doubt is one of the most beautiful aspects of the Christian Faith... over an over again in the Bible people have doubts... and over and over again those people take those doubts to God and have them quelled. It is part of human nature to doubt your beliefs, and God understands that and expects you to doubt... but so often our pride or our ignorance keep us from just telling God “hey I am having doubts”...
Christ is more than willing to reach out and help you...
I think you know your faith, or your teaching, or your religion is false when there is no room for doubt and questions.