What does it mean???

Belief...is defined as a conviction of the truth of some statement; it is a state or habit of mind in which trust or confidence is placed in some person or some thing.

Faith....is defined as a belief and trust in and loyalty to God; COMPLETE trust.

What does it mean when someone says that he or she "believes in God?" Growing up, I always "believed" that God existed. That's what my parents taught my siblings and I and that's what the Catholic priests told us every Sunday. I would tell others that I believed in God because I truly did. I also "believed" in the Easter bunny, the tooth fairy, Saint Nick and Santa Claus. Eventually, I realized that, while those were all great concepts, they didn't really exist (sorry to disappoint anyone out there that still believes in these things. There is NO Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!!!!).

As I look at my life P.C. (that would be pre-Christian), what did it really mean when I said that I believed in God??? I knew that there was something out there that was far greater than me that I referred to as God. God always appeared to be a nice person, someone who would listen when I needed an ear. Someone that I would pray to when a loved one was sick or injured or sad. A person that I talked to when someone I knew died.

I believed that in order to please God, I needed to be a "good person". What is a "good person"? Is it someone who does what he or she is told?? A person who follows rules, respects others, does nice things for people when it's not really expected, goes to church on Sunday, is honest (minus a few "white" lies)?????? If I believe in God, does that mean that I "have to" or "should" go to church?? If I say that I believe in God, is it still O.K. to live my life any way that I want?? Can I go about my life just living according to "my rules" but continue this facade of saying that I believe in God?????

Fast forward to today....my faith life has changed completely (praise God!). Now when I say that I believe in God, I truly understand what it means. I understand what it means to have a personal, real relationship with our Creator because I now have one. I now know the sacrifice that was made for my sins to be forgiven.
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

I know that God offers the gift of salvation through my faith in Him. I believe that Jesus died and was resurrected and that by trusting in God I will receive the gift of eternal life.
John 14:6 "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

In Romans, Paul tries to explain these very things to the believers that he encounters in Rome.
He tries to encourage the Roman believers to rely solely on God's grace for their salvation so they could understand how people can be made righteous and be transformed in their lives through Christ.

I BELIEVE in GOD?? Do you??????? What does it mean when you say that??????