4 Reasons to start and invigorate your spiritual quest with Christianity
What I’m sharing below is courtesy of a podcast I recently heard by Sean McDowell, and it resonated with me, as a believer, but for my seeker friends, I think it may speak to you as well. I’ve included some of my own thoughts here and there and near the end. I hope this speaks to you as it did to me.
#1 Christianity is Testable
It is the only religion that is objectively testable. 1 Corinthians 15:4 says, “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, and your faith is in vain.” Christianity is testable because the falsehood or truthfulness of Christianity is based upon a historical event: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The investigation of any worldview starts with this question: “is this worldview true or false? “How do I know?” So begin with Christianity because there is an enormous amount of historically verifiable facts about Jesus, his resurrection, and the Christian faith as a whole. God invites you to use your mind as you consider the evidence, whether the evidence is true or false. If you are a believer, keep this mind, it’s challenging to pray, read your Bible, and live out your faith if you have serious doubts about the truthfulness of what you believe. The case for Christ mounts when you follow the trail of evidence that God has left behind it traces back to the Lord Jesus Christ- his sinless life, His miracles, his teachings, his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. This is all real and testable, and even skeptics and atheist historians agree that the evidence for the life of Christ is impeccable.
#2 Christianity is unique
It is unique because all other religions say you have to do something to earn your salvation or to attain peace with God. But in Christianity, salvation is a free gift from God. Now Christians know this, but often we need reminding. Life’s circumstances can be challenging, we fail at times, Satan, and even a serious lack of good theology can derail us from abiding and accepting the grace of God.
In Christianity, despite what many might have heard (or feel), salvation is not achieved by any action on our part. The Bible is really clear on this, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not results of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph. 2:10). Christianity is about what God has done for us through Jesus’ death and resurrection. If we are humble enough to receive forgiveness through Christ and believe and trust that his death and resurrection paved the way for a relationship with God, and then commit our lives to follow Christ and to be led by him in a close personal and loving relationship with Him, we shall be saved. It cost us nothing, but it cost Jesus everything, and this is a gift from God.
#3 Christianity is livable
There is no other religion or worldview that is as philosophically, scientifically, and emotionally liveable as Christianity. Start with Christianity because you can actually live it out using your head, your heart, and your hands- consistently in the world. All of our experiences in life with all its tragedies, challenges, and triumphs, relationships, including the discoveries of science, make sense though the lens of Christianity. This a worldview that answers all of life’s big questions and way of life that works. The ” New Atheists” are wrong in their conclusions about Christianity. Some of the best Christian philosophers have shown that their arguments lack substance and in some cases logic. And so it is necessary for spiritual seekers and Christians alike to dig into such things as the arguments for the existence of God, the intricately designed universe, and the human cell, just to mention a few. Science and philosophy instead of moving us away from God, is actually driving us closer to the truths of the Bible.
#4
McDowell said this, “everybody wants a Hero,” and the enormous popularity of Superhero movies proves it. Christianity is about a God who loved his creation so much that he would go to great lengths to save them and to be with them forever. We all want a hero to save us, and Jesus is that hero.
The Bible says, “while we were still yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8). Tragedies such as COVID-19 reveal what we care about most. If you don’t already realize this, one more week or so in isolation, and I think it will become crystal clear that what we care about most is people. The people we hold dear and the many relationships that we have, the lives of our neighbors, co-workers, and people across the world all become of paramount concern when something like this happens. We all want to flatten the curve because people matter most.
We mourn with those who have lost loved ones, and we hold those we cherish closer. God has wired us for relationships, and it’s in times like these that we realize human beings matter most, no matter who they are or where they are. Christianity tells us that human beings are to be valued above all else matter because they are made in God’s image. God sees every one of us, and his deep abiding love for us makes us significant and dearly cherished by Him.
Jesus, our hero, loved us so much that he laid down his life for us because we couldn’t save ourselves. This is what the Bible says, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends” John 15: 13.
“There is something about Christianity that resonates with all of humanity’s deepest desires of the heart, love, relationships, and longing for a hero that sacrifices themselves for others” – Sean McDowell. There is a hero to rescue us. Jesus is that SUPERhero!
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus replied with this, “‘ You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’
I’m not sure if you caught that, but Jesus said: ” you must.” Not you should, or you can, but you must love him with not only all your heart, or all your soul but also with all your mind.
This means to be a Christian, you don’t have to check your brains at the door; in fact, in my opinion, this would be a determent to your faith and to your witness.
When Jesus, after his resurrection from the dead, appeared to over 500 people, including his disciples, Thomas, one of his disciples, was having trouble believing it was really Jesus. He needed some proof. Jesus didn’t reprimand him; instead, He made good on His command for his followers to use their minds. He invited Thomas to touch his wounds, to investigate for himself, to test out what he was seeing and hearing. This wasn’t a desperate act or an “I dare you” challenge on Jesus’ part to get Thomas to believe. No, this was a gracious and loving act on Jesus’ part to give Thomas every opportunity to think so he could believe. Jesus wasn’t disappointed with Thomas for demanding proof. Instead, I think He welcomed the chance to show Him that it was really him. Christianity is testable and trustworthy, unique in its message, coherent, logically consistent, liveable, fulfills our need to be loved and accepted, and brings meaning and purpose to our lives. No other worldview fits this criterion as Christianity does, not even close.
Christianity is true not because we simply feel it on the inside (which is a gift from God too) but because by grace, God has left us a generous compilation of evidence that leads right to Jesus.
As a believer and follower of Christ, you can know that what you are staking your life on is real. As I said, in the beginning, this fuels your faith and feeds your soul. Spiritual seekers can wholeheartedly investigate the facts about Christianity, and this too will “attend to their soul.”
Keep searching, keep seeking, keep finding and keep growing.
There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can’t imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books.
John 21: 24-25
// View Part 1 of ‘Abiding in the Truth’ //
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About the Author: denise lang
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Denise serves as an adjunct professor at Vanguard Bible College in Edmonton, Alberta, and is completing her Masters in Apologetics at Liberty University. She has been involved in youth and young adult ministry for over 18 years. Denise and her husband Barry have been married and living in Edmonton for 35 years. As you get to know her, you quickly see her passion for the next generation to develop an unswerving dedication and love for Jesus to serve Him with their whole lives and for their entire lives.