Post by Les on Feb 12, 2021 11:50:45 GMT -5
Why should I become a Christian?
All major world religions have at their core the same principles, namely, that there are gods, goddesses, or higher states of existence requiring action on the part of adherents to ensure they will arrive at a designated end. In other words, if we do the right things, think the right way, or adopt certain principles of life, we can hope to arrive at the desired destination after we die. All religions are alike because the stated goal can be attained by human effort.
Christianity does not fit into that category because it is fundamentally opposed to the very principles that make an ideology a religion. In religion, mankind reaches up toward God. With Christianity, God reaches down toward man. In religion, man works to attain his own salvation. In Christianity, God has already done the work required to grant us salvation (John 3:16–18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). So Christianity must be considered on its own merits rather than in comparison to other religions. Just as we cannot select the best fruit by comparing an apple with a hammer, we cannot adopt a worldview by comparing the statements of the Son of God with man-made religion.
In considering why you should become a Christian, it is important to start with a bigger question: Why are you here? Where did you come from, and is there a purpose for your existence? Every human being wrestles with those big questions because, despite what we may have been taught about evolutionary theories, we are deeply conscious that to be human is to be distinct from all other life forms. Animals don’t grapple with philosophical quandaries—only humans do. We have a soul that longs for eternity. We sense that we exist for a reason. The Bible tells us exactly why we are like that. It is because we were created by God to be more like Him than anything else He created (Genesis 1:27). When God breathed His own life into the first man, man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). That soul is immortal, reflecting God’s eternal nature. The soul will live on forever, either with God or apart from Him.
But part of being human means we have free moral choice. Dogs do not make choices based on right or wrong. Apes do not ponder the meaning of life. Animals make choices based on instinct and conditioning. Humans, however, are held to a different standard because we have an innate understanding of morality. God’s moral law is etched into our hearts, but with our free will, we violate it. That violation is sin. Romans 5:12 says,“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned”(NLT).
God is perfect, heaven is perfect, and we are not (Roman 3:23). None of us are (Romans 3:10). Our good does not outweigh our bad (Isaiah 64:6). The justice of God requires that our high treason against our Creator be punished, and the only rightful punishment of crimes so great is eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23). We have a serious problem we cannot solve. This problem is not altered by our level of belief, just as the law of gravity is not altered by our acceptance of it. The problem of separation from God is a universal issue, so our job is not to ignore, redefine, or hate it. Our job is to listen to the One we’ve offended and follow His directions for remedying the situation.
If you feel a stirring in your heart to seek God, it is because God Himself is seeking you (Luke 19:10; John 6:44). Life’s highest honor is to be pursued by the Creator of the universe and offered an invitation to become His own child. In addition to recognizing the great gift you are being offered, there are other reasons you should become a Christian: your past, your present, and your future.
Why should I become a Christian?- Your past. Since the moment you let out your first wail, your nature has demanded its own way. Children do not have to be taught to sin; they come by it naturally because we all inherited a sin nature from our first parent, Adam. The knowledge of our sin weighs on us. Some harden their hearts, drown the guilt in addictive behaviors, or lie to themselves about it. But our spirits know we have done wrong, and they seek resolution. We know our sin needs forgiveness, but we are unable to obtain it.
When Jesus, the Son of God, came to the earth, it was to become the final sacrifice for those sins (John 10:18). When we trust Jesus’ sacrifice, God declares our sin forgiven (Romans 4:25). Our past is wiped clean, and we are given a fresh start (Psalm 103:12). God did not simply overlook our sin; He punished it severely by placing it on His own perfect Son (Colossians 2:14). Then God raised Him from the dead—one of the most documented facts in ancient history! No other religious leader has risen from the dead. God’s pardon exists only for those who believe in His Son and bow to His authority (Acts 4:12). We do not earn forgiveness; we simply receive it.
Why should I become a Christian?- Your present. Becoming a Christian not only cancels the debt you owe God, but it also allows you to step into the purpose for which you were created. God designed each of us for a unique purpose that we discover only in relationship with Him. Human beings are like mirrors. A mirror serves no useful purpose covered in mud. Likewise, human beings serve no eternal purpose covered in sin and shame. When a mirror is wiped clean, it reflects the beauty around it. When we allow God to wipe our sin away with the blood of Jesus, we begin to reflect the beauty and glory of God Himself.
As we grow in faith and wisdom, we reflect His image in unique ways. We discover the gifts He entrusted to us to serve Him and others. No longer chasing our own happiness, we find deeper fulfilment in living out God’s plan for our lives. Jesus encouraged His followers to “store up treasure in heaven”(Luke 12:33–34; Matthew 6:19–20) and promised rewards to those who live for Him (Revelation 22:12).
Why should I become a Christian?- Your future. Physical death is not the end. Jesus conquered death and invites us to join Him in eternal life (John 6:37). He already paid our ticket, but we have to accept it on His terms. Mere acknowledgement of the facts is not salvation. Satan also knows the truth but does not trust in it (James 2:19). The bottom line for each individual is this: Who or what is the boss of my life? The answer to that question determines where you will spend eternity.
You should become a Christian if you have the faith to believe and the willingness to surrender your life and future to the One who knows you best (Psalm 139:13–16). It is the most important decision anyone can make. In his book The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis wrote,“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God,‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end,‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it”(HarperOne, revised ed., 2009, p. 90).
All major world religions have at their core the same principles, namely, that there are gods, goddesses, or higher states of existence requiring action on the part of adherents to ensure they will arrive at a designated end. In other words, if we do the right things, think the right way, or adopt certain principles of life, we can hope to arrive at the desired destination after we die. All religions are alike because the stated goal can be attained by human effort.
Christianity does not fit into that category because it is fundamentally opposed to the very principles that make an ideology a religion. In religion, mankind reaches up toward God. With Christianity, God reaches down toward man. In religion, man works to attain his own salvation. In Christianity, God has already done the work required to grant us salvation (John 3:16–18; 2 Corinthians 5:21). So Christianity must be considered on its own merits rather than in comparison to other religions. Just as we cannot select the best fruit by comparing an apple with a hammer, we cannot adopt a worldview by comparing the statements of the Son of God with man-made religion.
In considering why you should become a Christian, it is important to start with a bigger question: Why are you here? Where did you come from, and is there a purpose for your existence? Every human being wrestles with those big questions because, despite what we may have been taught about evolutionary theories, we are deeply conscious that to be human is to be distinct from all other life forms. Animals don’t grapple with philosophical quandaries—only humans do. We have a soul that longs for eternity. We sense that we exist for a reason. The Bible tells us exactly why we are like that. It is because we were created by God to be more like Him than anything else He created (Genesis 1:27). When God breathed His own life into the first man, man became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). That soul is immortal, reflecting God’s eternal nature. The soul will live on forever, either with God or apart from Him.
But part of being human means we have free moral choice. Dogs do not make choices based on right or wrong. Apes do not ponder the meaning of life. Animals make choices based on instinct and conditioning. Humans, however, are held to a different standard because we have an innate understanding of morality. God’s moral law is etched into our hearts, but with our free will, we violate it. That violation is sin. Romans 5:12 says,“When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned”(NLT).
God is perfect, heaven is perfect, and we are not (Roman 3:23). None of us are (Romans 3:10). Our good does not outweigh our bad (Isaiah 64:6). The justice of God requires that our high treason against our Creator be punished, and the only rightful punishment of crimes so great is eternal separation from God in hell (Romans 6:23). We have a serious problem we cannot solve. This problem is not altered by our level of belief, just as the law of gravity is not altered by our acceptance of it. The problem of separation from God is a universal issue, so our job is not to ignore, redefine, or hate it. Our job is to listen to the One we’ve offended and follow His directions for remedying the situation.
If you feel a stirring in your heart to seek God, it is because God Himself is seeking you (Luke 19:10; John 6:44). Life’s highest honor is to be pursued by the Creator of the universe and offered an invitation to become His own child. In addition to recognizing the great gift you are being offered, there are other reasons you should become a Christian: your past, your present, and your future.
Why should I become a Christian?- Your past. Since the moment you let out your first wail, your nature has demanded its own way. Children do not have to be taught to sin; they come by it naturally because we all inherited a sin nature from our first parent, Adam. The knowledge of our sin weighs on us. Some harden their hearts, drown the guilt in addictive behaviors, or lie to themselves about it. But our spirits know we have done wrong, and they seek resolution. We know our sin needs forgiveness, but we are unable to obtain it.
When Jesus, the Son of God, came to the earth, it was to become the final sacrifice for those sins (John 10:18). When we trust Jesus’ sacrifice, God declares our sin forgiven (Romans 4:25). Our past is wiped clean, and we are given a fresh start (Psalm 103:12). God did not simply overlook our sin; He punished it severely by placing it on His own perfect Son (Colossians 2:14). Then God raised Him from the dead—one of the most documented facts in ancient history! No other religious leader has risen from the dead. God’s pardon exists only for those who believe in His Son and bow to His authority (Acts 4:12). We do not earn forgiveness; we simply receive it.
Why should I become a Christian?- Your present. Becoming a Christian not only cancels the debt you owe God, but it also allows you to step into the purpose for which you were created. God designed each of us for a unique purpose that we discover only in relationship with Him. Human beings are like mirrors. A mirror serves no useful purpose covered in mud. Likewise, human beings serve no eternal purpose covered in sin and shame. When a mirror is wiped clean, it reflects the beauty around it. When we allow God to wipe our sin away with the blood of Jesus, we begin to reflect the beauty and glory of God Himself.
As we grow in faith and wisdom, we reflect His image in unique ways. We discover the gifts He entrusted to us to serve Him and others. No longer chasing our own happiness, we find deeper fulfilment in living out God’s plan for our lives. Jesus encouraged His followers to “store up treasure in heaven”(Luke 12:33–34; Matthew 6:19–20) and promised rewards to those who live for Him (Revelation 22:12).
Why should I become a Christian?- Your future. Physical death is not the end. Jesus conquered death and invites us to join Him in eternal life (John 6:37). He already paid our ticket, but we have to accept it on His terms. Mere acknowledgement of the facts is not salvation. Satan also knows the truth but does not trust in it (James 2:19). The bottom line for each individual is this: Who or what is the boss of my life? The answer to that question determines where you will spend eternity.
You should become a Christian if you have the faith to believe and the willingness to surrender your life and future to the One who knows you best (Psalm 139:13–16). It is the most important decision anyone can make. In his book The Great Divorce, C. S. Lewis wrote,“There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God,‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, in the end,‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in Hell, choose it”(HarperOne, revised ed., 2009, p. 90).