Do You Really Know the God You Believe In?
You go to church, you pray, you believe. But have you ever opened the Bible yourself to check if what you were taught is actually true?
This is not an attack on your faith. It’s not an attack on your church. I’m not trying to convert you to any denomination, sect, or movement.
I’m asking you to do one thing: check for yourself.
I know that might sound provocative. You might be thinking: “What is there to check? I believe in God, I’ve been going to church for years, my parents did the same, and their parents before them. What can some person on the internet tell me about faith?”
And I understand that reaction. Truly. Because faith isn’t an abstract idea - it’s something you grew up in. It’s childhood memories. Your first communion. Grandma taking you to church. Bedtime prayers. Holidays, traditions, carols. It’s part of who you are - and when someone questions it, it feels like they’re questioning you.
But that’s exactly why I’m asking: read to the end. Not because I’m right. But because if I’m right - this is the most important thing you’ll ever read.
An Honest Question
Let me ask you one question. Not rhetorically - really think about it:
How do you know that what you believe is true?
I’m not asking if you believe sincerely - I know you do. I’m not asking if you love God - I believe you do. I’m asking something different: how do you know that the way you worship Him is what He expects?
Because there’s a difference between sincere faith and true faith. You can believe sincerely - and be sincerely wrong.
I know that’s hard to accept. But before you dismiss the thought, consider: have you ever, even once in your life, opened the Bible and checked for yourself whether what your church teaches lines up with what God wrote?
Not the catechism. Not what the priest, pastor, or theologian said. The Bible. Scripture itself.
Why the Bible?
You might think: “Who cares about the Bible, my church speaks the truth.” But think about this for a moment.
The Bible is the root and the only source of faith in the one God - for Jews and Christians alike. Without it, neither of these religions exists. Where does your church even know about Christ from? From the Bible. Where does it know about salvation? From the Bible. Where does it know about God, about sin, about the resurrection? From the Bible. Your entire faith - every dogma, every prayer, every sacrament - grows out of this one Book. Without the Bible, there would be no mention of Jesus Christ. There would be no Church. There would be no Christianity. There would be no Judaism. Everything - literally everything - begins with Scripture.
And since everything grows from it - isn’t it worth checking what it actually says? Not through the lens of what you were taught - but directly?
You might think: “But I know the Bible - I hear it every Sunday at church.” Yes - you hear fragments. Chosen by someone else. In an order decided by someone else. Through the perspective of someone else. But do you read the Bible yourself? Do you live by the Word of God? Do you know what’s in the chapters that never make it into the liturgy? Do you know what the Bible says about things your church stays silent on? Hearing fragments at Mass is not the same as reaching for Scripture yourself.
If you’ve never opened the Bible on your own - that’s not something to be ashamed of. Most people haven’t. But it is a reason to start.
Why the Bible specifically? Because it’s not just another book. The Bible is the only book in the world that predicted the future - and got it right.
A few examples. The prophet Micah wrote that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem - 700 years before it happened. Psalm 22 describes death by crucifixion - a thousand years earlier, before the Romans had even invented that form of execution. The prophet Ezekiel foretold that the Jews would be scattered across the world and then return to their land - and that’s exactly what happened in 1948, after nearly two thousand years of exile. The prophet Daniel described the fall of great empires - Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome - with such precision that historians are still amazed.
No other religious book in the world has anything like this. None. The Quran has no fulfilled prophecies. Hindu scriptures don’t. Buddhist writings don’t.
The Bible doesn’t say: “take my word for it.” The Bible says: “check.” It gives you evidence. And if you’re wondering whether God even exists - before you dismiss the thought, check the arguments for the existence of God. And many prophecies are still waiting to be fulfilled - which means this Book hasn’t finished speaking. The Pharisees had those same prophecies. And they didn’t recognize their fulfillment, because they read Scripture through the filter of tradition, not with their own eyes. That’s why it’s so important that you read it yourself.
The King Who Discovered the Truth Too Late
There’s a story in the Bible that haunts me. The story of King Josiah.
Josiah was the king of Judah - a devout king. He loved God. He ruled justly. He led his people the best he could. During his reign, the Temple in Jerusalem still functioned. Priests offered sacrifices. People came for the feasts. Religion worked.
Then the priest Hilkiah found something in the Temple that changed everything: the Book of the Law. Probably Deuteronomy - the core of God’s Word.
He found it in the Temple. In the very heart of religion. It had been there the whole time - but no one had read it. For generations. Priests served in the Temple without knowing God’s Word. People worshipped God without knowing what God expected of them.
When the Book was read to Josiah, his reaction was devastating:
When the king heard the words of the Book of the Law, he tore his robes.
- 2 Kings 22:11 (BT)
He tore his robes - a gesture of grief and despair. Because he realized that generations before him had lived in error. His father. Grandfather. Great-grandfather. All of them. Religion continued. The Temple stood. Priests served. But no one knew God’s Word.
Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the people and for all Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that burns against us because those who have gone before us have not obeyed the words of this book; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written there concerning us.
- 2 Kings 22:13 (BT)
Read that again. God was furious with His people. Not with pagans. Not with atheists. With His own people - people who went to the Temple, offered sacrifices, observed the feasts, prayed. They worshipped Him - but didn’t read His Word. And that was enough for God to be angry with them. Because you can go to church your whole life and not know God. You can honor Him with your lips while your heart is far from Him. And that’s exactly what happened - for generations. Not because they were evil. Not because they didn’t love God. But because they didn’t read. They trusted tradition. They trusted the priests. They trusted the system. And the system had drifted so far from God’s Word that no one noticed.
Do you know what Josiah did? He didn’t say: “Since our fathers did it this way for generations, it must be right.” He didn’t say: “Who am I to question tradition?”
He returned to the Word. And started over.
The People Who Checked
In the book of Acts, there’s a short passage that changed my understanding of faith. The apostle Paul - one of the greatest teachers in the history of Christianity - arrived in the city of Berea and preached the Gospel. The Bereans’ reaction was remarkable:
Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
- Acts 17:11 (BT)
They listened to Paul - an apostle, an eyewitness of the risen Christ - and what did they do? They checked the Holy Scriptures to see if what he said was true. Every day. With eagerness.
And the Bible doesn’t say: “They were distrustful” or “They were rebellious” or “They were worshipping Satan.” It says: “more noble.” In the original Greek - eugenestroi - of nobler disposition, more open, more worthy.
Checking is noble. It’s not rebellion. It’s not a lack of faith. It’s proof of genuine faith - faith that seeks truth, not comfort.
If the Bereans checked the apostle Paul - why wouldn’t you check your priest, pastor, or catechist? Why wouldn’t you check the tradition you grew up in?
Not because your church is lying. Maybe it isn’t. But have you checked?
Why This Is So Hard
I know why this is hard. Because when someone says “check your faith against Scripture” - you hear an attack. You hear: “Your faith is wrong. Your parents were wrong. Your childhood was a lie.”
But that’s not what I’m saying.
I’m saying: your faith is important enough to verify.
If everything you believe lines up with the Bible - wonderful. You lose nothing. You gain the certainty that you stand on solid ground.
But if anything - even one thing - turns out to be inconsistent with Scripture… wouldn’t you want to know?
Let me give you three examples. The second commandment of God says:
You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.
- Exodus 20:4-5 (BT)
Or Paul:
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.
- 1 Timothy 2:5 (BT)
Or Jesus:
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
- Matthew 6:7 (BT)
I’m not telling you what these passages mean. I’m not interpreting them. I’m just asking: read them and think. If these three passages raise questions for you - imagine how many questions will come up when you read the whole Bible.
Ask yourself one more question: if you had lived in King Josiah’s time - would you have wanted to keep worshipping God in a way that had been wrong for generations? Or would you have wanted someone to tell you?
The Pharisees - A Warning, Not an Insult
There’s one group of people in the Bible whose story should keep every believer up at night. The Pharisees.
I don’t bring them up to insult anyone. I bring them up because their story is the most important warning in all of Scripture for people who consider themselves believers.
The Pharisees were the most devout people in Israel. They knew the Torah by heart. They prayed three times a day. They meticulously observed the Law. They devoted their entire lives to serving God. But generation after generation, they built layers of human teachings, interpretations, and traditions around Scripture - until what God actually said disappeared beneath what people said about what God said. They read Scripture - but through the lens of their tradition. And that lens distorted the picture so severely that when the God they worshipped stood before them in the flesh - they didn’t recognize Him. Worse: they brought about His death.
How is that possible? Exactly like that: tradition eclipsed Scripture.
Jesus Himself explained:
These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.
- Matthew 15:8-9 (BT)
“Human rules.” Not God’s - human. Tradition that grew around Scripture until it obscured it. Teachings that looked pious, sounded wise, had centuries of pedigree - but didn’t come from God.
And Jesus says plainly: their worship was in vain. Futile. Without effect. They prayed, fasted, gave alms - and God didn’t accept it. Because they worshipped Him according to human teachings, not according to His Word.
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.
- John 5:39-40 (BT)
They studied the Scriptures. They knew them better than anyone. But they didn’t come to Christ. Because their system - their tradition, their theology, their way of understanding God - didn’t let them see what Scripture actually says.
This isn’t a story about foolish people. This is a story about the most intelligent, most zealous, most dedicated religious people in history - who missed the most important event that ever occurred. Because they trusted tradition more than Scripture.
God Himself Says: Seek Me in Scripture
This isn’t my idea. It’s not a Protestant invention. It’s not the Jehovah’s Witnesses. It’s not someone’s interpretation. God Himself - repeatedly, consistently, throughout the entire Bible - says that He can be found in His written Word. And only there.
Jesus, standing face to face with people who didn’t recognize Him, didn’t say: “Go to the rabbis, they’ll explain it to you.” He said:
You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about Me.
- John 5:39 (BT)
The Scriptures testify about Christ. Not tradition. Not human teachings. The Scriptures.
God spoke to Joshua - the first leader of Israel after Moses:
Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
- Joshua 1:8 (BT)
He didn’t say: “Listen to the priests.” He didn’t say: “Hold to the tradition of the elders.” He said: meditate on the Book. Day and night.
David - king, warrior, a man after God’s own heart - wrote:
Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.
- Psalm 119:105 (BT)
Not “the teaching of priests is a lamp.” Not “the tradition of fathers is a light.” Your Word - God’s Word - is what illuminates the way.
And Paul wrote plainly:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (BT)
All Scripture. God-breathed. Sufficient for every good work. Not “Scripture plus tradition.” Not “Scripture as interpreted by the Church.” Scripture. By itself. Sufficient.
It’s not me saying the Bible is enough. The Bible says it about itself. And if God gave us a Book and said “you’ll find Me here” - then maybe it’s worth opening it?
What Does This Mean?
I’m not asking you to abandon your faith. I’m asking the opposite: take it seriously.
Seriously enough to check it against the only source that has authority: Holy Scripture.
Not what the priest says. Not what the pastor says. Not what this website says. The Bible. Because God Himself said that’s where you’ll find Him.
Someone might tell you: “But the Church established the biblical canon - so the Church has the authority to interpret it.” It’s true that the councils confirmed the canon. But the canon wasn’t invented - it was recognized. These books were read, copied, and regarded as inspired for centuries, long before any council. The Church didn’t create the Word of God - the Word of God created the Church. And if that’s the case, then the Word stands above the Church, not beneath it.
You need the Bible itself - and the Holy Spirit to help you understand it.
Because your relationship with God is the most serious thing in your life. More serious than health, family, work - because it concerns eternity. And since it’s that serious, doesn’t it deserve to be checked at the source? The Pharisees got it wrong. They were the elite. They were the majority. They were the official voice of religion. They had education, authority, and centuries of tradition behind them. And they got wrong the most important thing in history - they didn’t recognize Jesus Christ, their own Messiah, and brought about His death on the cross. If they could get it wrong - then so can the modern world. So can your church. So can your priest. The only thing that doesn’t get it wrong is the Word of God.
One Step
I’m not asking for a revolution. I’m asking for one step.
Pick up your Bible. Open the Gospel of John. Read it from beginning to end. By yourself. Without commentaries, without a catechism alongside it, without someone else’s interpretation. Just you and the Word of God. If you don’t know where to start or how to approach reading Scripture, I’ve prepared a practical guide - How to Read the Bible?.
Before you begin, ask God - sincerely, in your own words - to show you the truth. Not my truth. Not your church’s truth. His truth.
If what you believe is true - the Bible will confirm it. You have nothing to fear.
And if something turns out differently than you were taught? That doesn’t have to be frightening either. Because it’s better to know the truth and start over - like Josiah - than to spend your whole life worshipping God in vain.
If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
- John 8:31-32 (BT)
The truth sets free. But first you need the courage to seek it.
One Prayer
One last thing before you close this page, before you go back to your day - pray. In your own words. Not a memorized formula. Not the Lord’s Prayer on autopilot. Your own words, straight from the heart.
Say something like this to God:
“God, if You are real - show me the truth. Show me whether my church speaks the truth. Show me whether I need intermediaries, or whether I can come straight to You through Your Word. Show me whether what I was taught comes from You - or from people. I don’t want to live in a lie. I want to know You for real - as You are, not as I was told You are. Lead me.”
It doesn’t have to be this exact prayer. You can say it in your own words. What matters is that it’s sincere.
And if you truly want this - if you truly ask God for the truth with an open heart - I promise you one thing: He will answer. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow. But He will answer. Because He promised it Himself:
You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.
- Jeremiah 29:13 (BT)
With all your heart. Not half-heartedly. Not with one foot in tradition and the other in Scripture. With all your heart. Seek God with all your heart - and you will find Him.
If you’ve read the Gospel of John and want to go further - the next article on this path will show you how human tradition has replaced God’s Word throughout history. And why Jesus called it the greatest threat to faith.
I wrote this out of love, not to attack. I pray for everyone who reads it. May the Lord illuminate your heart and lead you to the truth. With love in Christ - Artur.