Why are you a Christian?

[Mave]

Hi all,

Got a green light for posting this thread so do help me out here. ^_^

I was asked this question by a friend who's an enquirer/seeker (whatever you call ppl who are investigating the Christian faith). And I wonder whether I answered it "properly".

My answer came out to be something like this, "My faith gives me hope and a meaning of life. I also know God loves me and guides me in my life. Many explanations and teachings of Christianity make sense to me and have answered many of my questions satisfactorily. "

I wonder if what I said, was the right thing to say. This friend of mine grew up in a Buddhist background and she has a hard time trying to understand why God would allow some ppl to go to Hell and doesn't understand how the Holy Spirit works. After much talking (with me talking about free will and good stuff like that), she finally asked me that question above. 0.o

So, what about you guys? What would you guys answer if someone asked you, "Why are you a Christian?"

BTW, pls keep this thread civil. Thanks!

[Raiden no Kishi]

I would have said in essence everything you said, and added, "And because I have seen no reason not to."

Raiden

[Ashley]

You know, the more I think about it, the harder it becomes to answer that question. It's partly innante--I grew up in a Christian home. It's partly fear--I believe and always have believed in hell and know very intimately I don't want to be there. And it's partly because no one can ever give me the promises and the future that Christ says He will. No one else will love me when I betray them, wound them, mock them, ignore them or take them for granite enough to die for me in such a shameful manner. No one else can speak to my heart like He can, give me such fulfillment or a sense of purpose. And if I am a Christian, my life holds so much more--I know not to get upset about the little things, I know that the evil will get their just reward, and I know that the faithful, the honest, the people of "character" in this world will be rewarded eternally. If I'm an unbeliever, I live, I work, I die...and then what? It's all for nothing without Christ. Being a believer gives me a hope, a peace, and a reason to live.

Also, even in the hard times, Christianity may not provide the answers--answers like why the grandmother I love dearly is dying of cancer but the one I am detatched with is perfectly fine, or why my best friend is stuck in a job he hates when I know he deserves so much more. But at least in these times, as a Christian, I can remember that I don't have to know why or know exactly what to do; that's not my job. My job is just to do what God wants me to do. And I can handle that.

Hope that wasn't too long-winded or flowery; it was just an outpouring of my heart. I guess if you wanted to sum it up (at least rather shallowly) it'd be this: "If you are right about Christianity, what have I to lose ? But if you are wrong about Christianity, you will lose everything and I will gain the ultimate joy."

[Zedian]

I'm a Christian not just a result of my family because honestly none of my family sadly believe in God or shall I say doubt him. That is, with the exception of my mother who has known the Lord for many years now. I am a Christian because it gives me purpose in my life, like others have said, without God I would be just another person living day to day. I also feel God's presence when I am most joyful and having my darkest hour. I know He is there watching me and guides me to do exactly what it is He wants me to do in life and how I will affect those around me and the world.

I came close to doubting, of course especially being in college, where 'intellects' and scholars alike try every measurable form to diminish and outrule the Lord. But I've overcome that, which is funny because supposedly science and religion clash, but I've found some reedemable traits that both share.

Well to close it, I love Christ with all my heart and it gives me an ability to love and not judge others' so much. I also just feel a wholeness that I probably would not have had otherwise, which is something most non-believers feel, an emptiness.

[Ingemar]

I have been thinking about this at length too. Months ago, I realized that a weak, derivative faith would not stand up properly against 1). Hardship or 2). Real, determined, non strawman attacks by "intellectuals" objecting to it. The objections and supposed "evidence" against Christianity seemed rather damming to me, so much so that I began denying the value of the Scripture.

Yet I do not have a "good" answer for why I am still a Christian. Many of the claims of the Bible do seem rather fantastical, such as the Creation, the Exodus, Flood, etc. etc. Yet beneath the veil of these strange accounts lie great truths about man and the world. Besides, what can atheism offer? Nothing. I don't see what's so great about atheism, since the hope of atheists lies in things temporal and fleeting, such as this universe or human accomplishment. This verse also helped me come to terms with my doubt:

Romans 3:4 "Indeed, let God be true though every man a liar."

[c-girl]

Because I know God's real... i just know...>"< *thinks about it*

[SManBeyond]

Partly everything you all have said, partly because Christianity is the only religion that says that you can't save yourself through your actions, but that God can give it to you through Jesus.

But first and foremost because of some basic truths. Creation itself shows, once we are intellectually honest with ourselves, that there is a deity. Then once we realize that Jesus died and had to have risen again (as there is no other logical explanation), and once we realize the Trilemma concerning Jesus, it forces us to accept that Jesus is God, that everything He said is thus true, and that Christianity is indeed the only true religion.

[Uriah]

The reason I became a Christian, was wholly desperacy. I was a very messed up person before the Lord got to me.

And desperacy is still one reason that I am a Christian, but I now have other reasons as well. With God I have felt inner peace and felt good about myself, And I cannot remember ever really feeling that way. My soul was bleeding to death, but he has and is healing me.
But I soppose one of the greatest things that keeps me a Christian is, every time I get a revelation of his love, it knocks me off my feet.

[true_noir_chloe]

That would have been a hard question to answer, and yet one of the easiest I think that I could answer assuredly.

I was once asked that question by my friend, and I've written the answer once quite a while back on one of the threads. She basically asked, "Why Christianity? How are you so sure your religion is the right one?"

I answered, "If you think about every religion in the world past and present, ours is the only one with a Savior. Every other religion you have to do something, follow someones 10 pilllars, pray at a certain time of day, everything has to do with what you do, Christianity is the only one which is all about what He did."

She had to think hard on that. I know she was trying to figure out in her wealth of knowledge, since she taught CCD what other religions taught.

I went on, "I find great comfort in that. There is no other religion that teaches what Christ taught. All He wants is for us to believe. He wants us to believe in Him. That He was God who became man to die for our sin. He reached out to us. He gave up His life for us. We don't have to do a thing but believe in Who He is and realize we are nothing without Him. There are no plateaus of intelligence, Nirvana, enlightenment, it's only Him. He is hope to us hopeless beings who will never be able to do enough to attain Heaven without Him because we will never be perfect enough to follow all the rules."

Why do I believe, and why am I a Christian? He drew me to Him and I couldn't say no to such a wonderful Savior. ^_^

She did say afterward, that she could never have my faith, because I knew when I was speaking the Spirit was bursting out from under my skin. He always does when you simply speak the truth.

I'd say you did good Mave. Always be confident, we have the Savior of the world on our side. We have God, the Creator of the universe behind us. We have all knowledge to be attained of God by His Spirit. We should never shy away from a question because God is God and what everyone else has is paltry in comparison.

[shooraijin]

"Why Christianity? How are you so sure your religion is the right one?"

I've always countered that with, "Why *not* Christ? How are you so sure that He's wrong?"

[kaji]

That’s a good question. I am not sure. To me it all just makes sense, I trust God.
I think for some it is a learning process, the more they know about God, Christ, HS and their teachings, the easier it will be to understand why God does what he does. (Or easier to except not being able to know every thing.)

Some times the best thing to do is help them answer their questions about Christianity. Not necessarily the reason as to why one believes. Do you know what I mean? Every thing that God teaches us is important, some one may be able to attribute one lesson to the root of their salvation but the same may not hold true for another; really there is not only one answer to your friend’s question.

Why each of us believe in God isn’t as relevant as the fact that he does exist, ultimately our belief in God comes from our faith (which is just a synonym for belief, trust, or devotion). No matter what answer you give some one, they can always try to argue with you about it, convince them selves against your reasoning or that it would not apply to them. However, how do you argue with faith?

How do you have faith? Just do it, just like you have faith that the lights will turn on when you flip the switch, just like how you ‘trust’ that your cars brakes will work when you press on the peddle. Surrender your own will and your life to God, and trust with your whole heart that his son did die for you sins, and trough that sacrifice you have been forgiven. Allow him to rule your life (so basically do everything as Christ has taught).

If they cant / don’t want to, then maybe they just have some more questions you can help them answer.

-kaji

[Heart of Sword]

My father has a really cool testimony about how he came to faith, and so does my mother. That helped a lot, plus my grandmother was teaching me about God when I was just a little kid.

I'm a Christian because I am...that's really all I can say. ^^x

[Vyse]

Because I belive in Jesus Christ =)

[Technomancer]

This is not an easy question to answer, but I shall try nonetheless. In part, I am one because it was how I was raised. However, that is not the whole of it. I am forced to acknowledge the reality of a *need* for faith that runs throughout human history from Lascaux to Delphi, from Ayer’s Rock to Reims. We continually question the why’s and wherefore’s of our existance and have no doubt done so since our earliest ancestors walked the African savannah so many millenia ago. But more than this, there is within us a sense of spirit that demands from us more than mere survival; it impels us to make, to shape, and to ponder. In short we are called to be participants in creation.

While I have great respect for and interest in, other faiths, it is within Christianity that I find man’s origin, purpose and dignity most truly expressed. That we evolved through innumerable steps and over billions of years does not change this purpose, or our ultimate hope.

[neoassassin2078]

I'm a christina because long ago my great great grandfather was excommunicated (or something) from judaisim and he moved to Ploand and of course he became a Christian. The reason I'm still a Christian now is because I forgot the name of that Muslim sect I was thinking of joining.

[Madeline]

Jesus gives, and he gave. He gave me the freedom to believe...to feel in my heart that I am not worthless, hopeless, meaningless.
He gives me meaning.
He gives me purity.
And most of all, He gives me love...the thing that we all so desperately seek.
Any who have sought love from the world know the bitter taste of rejection.
The realization that I am not needed...that I am just excess, the waste and refuse of the world...it crushes my soul. But Jesus gave me the power to admit that I am not needed, and the knowledge that I am truly loved and valuable to the only One that matters...even when the world blinds me to that truth. Now I have something to live for...and I now know that I play a part in a story that is constantly unfolding, one that is so vast and huge that I cannot see or comprehend it...and I am on the winning side. There are so many reasons for my faith...they are as countless as the stars. I only know two things: that Jesus willingly suffered and died on the cross to save me from my sin, and that He rose again.

[JediSonic]

First, I'm a christian because almost every blood relative I know is christian so I guess I was born that way However, as I am now Confirmed as a christian and a catholic, it goes a lot deeper than that.

Actually I had a sort of crisis of faith about a year and a half ago. My mom was trying to tell me about the creation/creator logic but on the other end I was being influenced by an atheist friend who would argue endlessly on his 'infinite big bang/crunch' theory. Quite honestly I could see any sense in what I though my mom was saying: flowers are pretty so they must have been carefully created by an all-powerful god that for some reason never seems to show himself in the real world. But with the help of some good christian literature, I realised that when it comes to the finer points of chemistry and stuff like that it really gets pretty tricky and, well, I really just have to beleive that there is a God. I dont have time to write everything that I've learned about theology here but that was one important point in my semi-re-conversion. hehe Once I told a priest of my troubles and he told me that he wasnt going to preach me up a storm but rather that I should just 'keep an open mind'. That advice combined with my natural inquisitive nature have really helped me out in determining what I really beleive in.

[Angel37]

I'm a Christian for many reasons. First, because I was raised in a Christian home, but mostly because of personal expierence. When I moved to Florida, I got my first taste of spiritual warfare and realized that I needed God to survive! The comfort, strength, and help He has given me over those years just proved to me the reality and the wonder of God's love. I'm Christian because I can't live without God. I've tried, but I alone cannot stand against the evils of satan and his minions. I'm Christian because God saved me from that dark time and helped me grow to love and depend on Him. I need and love Him. can't live without Him. That's why I'm a Christian.
-Angel of Zarn

[Alian]

I'm a Christian because I am! ^_^

And also it's very cool. ^_~
And I grew up with it!

[HeavensTek]

....because there is way, way too much historical, archeological, and scientific evidence to support the bible.........and absolutely no evidence whatsoever of the bible being wrong (and believe me, people have been trying to prove it wrong for a long time)......

so....2+2 = hell is real.....and i for one aren't going risk my eternal soul because of something stupid like pride.

in the process though.....getting to know the Lord.....fear of hell turned slowly to respect.....then to love......

now i'm just trying to make myself useful to Him. =)

[Savior_Sora]

This is a hard question...Well the basic answer would be...because I belive in God and I know hes real and the sacrifice is real.

But a custom answer...because I wanted to be. I want to change the world. To a much better one than it is. I know its not hardly possible...but still...There is always hope.

[Kireihana]

My first thought is "because I was raised that way", but then that made me wonder how I would be now if I had not been raised a Christian. It kinda scares me, because usually whatever my parents believe is what I tend to lean towards.

And even though I think about that, I can't imagine not being a Christian. Not believing in an afterlife would depress me, and reincarnation isn't a happy prospect (in my mind) because one life on this earth is enough, y'know? (Not that my life is totally awful, or anything)

Also I am a Christian because of the impact one man had on the entire world, all the martyrs who died for the faith, all the historical evidence and fufillment of the Old Testament prophecies... is pretty profound to me.

Edit: BTW I never thought of having to actually explain the Holy Spirit or Judgement to someone, but it makes sense because I found it hard to understand enlightenment and the 8-fold path when we were studying Buddhisim and Hinduism in school.

[Locke]

i have a nack for choosing the winning team

>"Why *not* Christ? How are you so sure that He's wrong?"

Amen to that!

[Ingemar]

....because there is way, way too much historical, archeological, and scientific evidence to support the bible.........and absolutely no evidence whatsoever of the bible being wrong (and believe me, people have been trying to prove it wrong for a long time)......

Be very careful. Thinking this way can be harmful. Paul and the first apostles did not come to believe through cleverly crafted sophistic arguments, but through a direct experience from God. I quote:

1. And I, bretheren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to your the testimony of God.
2. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
3. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling.
4. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5. That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Much of the "proof" you mentioned has been produced by admittedly wise people--but in searching for "proof," they felt they needed to "convince" skeptics who demanded evidence for the existence of God, if not the validity of the Bible. (I don't think I have to remind you of what Jesus said about the generation who asks for "a sign.") "Proof" will not win souls to heaven. In fact, "proof" may only motivate the a[nti]theists to find further ways of disproving the Bible. Only God's power will lead to salvation.

Furthermore, Paul says
[quote="1Cor 1:22-25"]
22 For the Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom]
You can replace "Greek" with "Gentile" and still see the same thing happening today. Christianity is not something that can be resolved by mere reason, but only by divine understanding/calling. (of course, this could be seen as an argument for Calvinism, which I personally don't believe).

As for me, even though I believe and act on the principles of Christianity, I don't feel like a true Christian yet. I haven't had the truth revealed to me in the way Paul describes, though I am longing for it and actively seeking it.

[Solid Ronin]

Because I dont wanna go to hell.

[weebird]

the fact that someone cud love me sooo much that he wud die for me.....and i know in my heart that He is real.....cus of the joy i feel and the peace i have knowing that He is always there

[Sam*ron]

Because I know God's real... i just know...>"< *thinks about it*

Don't you mean faith? Well, it's mostly my family, and faith. And just things that are done, and said.

[Rashiir]

This is a very good question and I really liked true_noir_chloe's answer...

This is definitely a question we're all supposed to be prepared to answer:

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.
-1 Peter 3:15

I'm not so sure "I'm a Christian because I am" or "Because I was raised that way" are gonna cut it there. It's definitely an important thing to think about if you don't think you could answer that question.

[skynes]

I couldn't answer WHY I became a Christian, I don't understand anything of the things I used to do anymore and my original reasons are lost in time.

However why I REMAIN a Christian I could answer.

To be Saved. I have sinned against a Holy God and deserve worse than hell. Eradicating me from existence doesn't come close either.
God sent his Son in flesh to take the punishment for my sins. The Greatest act of love and of judgement that has EVER occured!

Now Salvation is free to anyone who will accept it. I'd be an idiot not to take it.

The joy and peace of life, the guidance, the companionship of Jesus Christ. those things are mere extras to me. They aren't why I am a Christian, theyre bonuses on top of the real reason - to be free from the law, to be free from the penalty of breaking the law. To be saved from the wrath to come.

[Nia-chan]

When I was a little kid everyone told me God would throw me into a lake of fire if I wasn't a Christian, so I became one. I remember writing letters to God asking "Dear God, please don't throw me into the Lake of Fire". It was exactly like that, I think.