By the Numbers

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Why Should I Become A Christian?



Why Should I Become A Christian?

.
Aren’t Christians arrogant to claim their faith is the only way to God and Heaven?  Don’t all religions teach be good to your fellowman and all roads lead to God and Heaven? No! Atheists assume no God of any kind exists, people have no soul, and return to dirt. Pantheist religions teach people are merely recycled energy and lose all self-identity. Mystics claim a special revelation from God or from an angel but furnish no evidence their claim is true. Unlike other religious believers, Christians give logical factual reasons to believe we are beings of dignity and destiny who can live eternally with God in a new Heaven and earth. Let’s give these reasons honest scrutiny.
.
The Christ of history demonstrated he was the way, the truth, and the life being the God-man. Some persons make light of history. But this is most foolish. What we know today is predicated on past knowledge and past mistakes that we hopefully learned to avoid. Past cultures did astonishing building projects as the pyramids, performed brain operations a thousand years ago, drew miles long art carvings on a plain. We marvel at these things lost to modern knowledge. Even critics who claim we can’t know the past ironically claim they know how to correct it. Archaeology digs uncover coins, relics, objects, writings that tell us much about the past. We don’t have to know everything to know some things.
.
In the case of Jesus, we not only have six independent documents but secular writings, even hostile unbelievers who verify things said about him in the four gospels, Acts, and epistles. They are not once upon a time in a far off country fairy tales, but details of real events, places, persons that can’t be denied. Further, these extra biblical sources mention or allude to the supernatural events of his life such as his virgin birth, healings, resurrection, claims to be God, and that people believed Jesus was God and died horrible deaths in testimony to that fact. These writings were published within thirty years of his death when eyewitnesses lived to refute any falsehoods. There is nothing like this among world religions. See my other articles for more details. John 8:24; 14:6.
.
The God-man, Jesus Christ, overcame sin, death, and demons qualifying him to be our Savior. Jesus chose a dozen men who followed him for more than three years. They heard his every word, watched his every move, often misunderstood his teachings, and often were astonished at his miracles since they were unlike the patterns of nature observed all their lives. Jesus preached holy, godly, pure living to his disciples and others. If he didn’t display this in his own life, his movement would have been quickly exposed him as a fraud. He dared to challenge hostile enemies looking for any fault to discredit him, but the only fault they could find was that he claimed to be God. His life was impeccable, his miracles undeniable, his claims to be God irrefutable. Millions have found forgiveness of sins, hope in the mist of adverse circumstances, assurance of life eternal by believing in the dying, rising, coming Son of God.  
.
The God-man, Jesus Christ, died and arose again demonstrating the truth of his deity and teaching. How is it possible to know life exists beyond the grave? We see our loved ones once warm, vibrant with life engaged in all kinds of activities, only to find them become cold, stiff, and lifeless. Reincarnation, mystical speculations about genetic defects, the changing seasons of the year, and human injustices, don’t demonstrate life after death.
.
Jesus was a cold stiff dead body that become alive and active again. That’s what Jesus’ despairing disciples believed, but came to rejoice about when he appeared to them again twelve times under all kinds of conditions. He ate, drank, touched, and talked with them about the kingdom of God. Jesus was no ghost, no deception, no hallucination. There could be no doubt now that it was Jesus alive and risen from the dead just as he told them he would. Yes, he is the God-man, so all his teaching is the authority and truth of God. Halleluiah!
.
Again, there’s nothing like this in world religions. This is reasonable, eyewitness reasons to trust in the one who gave his life to save us. Jesus paid for our sins in his own body--took our punishment by his death on the cross. He showed us love when in our guilt and shame we deserve justice. And he arose proving his offer of eternal life was no empty claim but the truth and authority of God.
.
The God-man, Jesus Christ, offers us the choice of fulfillment in loving service with God forever. The alternative is eternal darkness, despair, tears, and torments. We are not puppets on a string completely controlled by nature’s forces, heredity, circumstances, or even by God. Our sins are inexcusable (Rom. 2:1). The Almighty Judge gives us the option to believe or disbelieve. Yes, Christians have problems, temptations, and failures just like everyone else. But we have the Lord with us in them all to guide, strengthen, forgive, and restore us. Millions will testify we have a peace, assurance, love, and joy like we never knew before (John 5:24; 10:10).
.
According to the Word of God, if we trust in the Lord Jesus to be our Savior, we will go to eternal fulfillment in the service of a loving and just God (John 3:16-17). But if we disbelieve, then we will live in eternal darkness, despair, tears, and torments (John 3:36; Matt. 8:12). It’s our choice. That’s God’s teaching, not human guessing as in world religions. Won’t you say yes, I trust you Lord to save me from this day and forever and be my Guide throughout life? Now link this blog with yours and tell people about the love of the Savior.
.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.