Why My Faith

Exploring reasons for faith in Jesus

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

- Jeremiah 29:13

Photo by Rubén Bagüés on Unsplash

My faith has been shaped and supported by the following observations. Whenever my life hits a challenge and I start to wonder if I could be mistaken, I find these things to be undeniable.

Let's start at the beginning.

What am I?

I am sitting here. I know I exist. I know I can think and reason, and have a will, and can make decisions. I can create and destroy. I can feel happy, sad, angry, or excited. I feel love and hate and loneliness.

I can change my mind. I can act for my benefit, or I can act against it. I can act instinctively without thinking or I can seek deeper understanding. I can seek physical pleasure or psychological purpose. I can judge my own or others actions as being foolish or wise, or evil or good. I can contemplate the meaning of my own existence.

I have a clear sense that there is definitely something weird about the unique nature of the human being. I am not an animal, or a machine. So what am I?

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Am I alone?

I look around me for an obvious answer but what I see first is just the endless cycles of the natural world. Seasons, processes and cycles that run like machinery keeping everything ticking along. Is this it? Am I just a product of the machine? I play with the idea of how bazillions of small mistakes could result in unfathomably incredible complexity. But this doesn't satisfy me, it's just not a good fit for my observations.

I look out into the seemingly infinite universe, for surely in all that space and time there will be a clue. But unfortunately all I see is emptiness with even more questions about where this all came from.

I start to realise that with my limited 3 dimensional perception, I am really just groping around in the dark. It becomes obvious to me that trying to explain my tiny window of reality without being able to see everything hidden in every other dimension is futile.

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Are there clues?

If my humanity is indeed a special phenomenon, the answer to my existence could be expected to be found woven into human history itself. Whoever, or whatever is responsible for this state of being has likely left clues within it. Ironically though, humans have also been blessed with a great ability to imagine and story-tell, which creates difficulties in uncovering the facts. How can I separate fact from fiction?

I think the clue I am looking for should look something like this:

  • An interaction with a being that is not human
  • That being should be able to demonstrate power over the natural world
  • They should explain the purpose of my existence, the current state of things, and the future
  • They should demonstrate a concern and care for the beings they have created
  • They should have a plan and message that includes all of humanity
  • There should be plenty of witnesses to the event
  • There should be a significant effect on the witnesses and an ongoing effect on world history

Can you think of anything that fits this description?

My answer

With careful consideration of a number of options, for me the most compelling case centres on an event that occurred around 33AD. Both secular historians and eyewitness accounts describe a man who made some outrageous claims that if true would answer a lot of my questions. The man of course was Jesus Christ, and the events of his life had an undeniably monumental effect on world history. Could this be the clue I am looking for?

What needs to be proved?

Before I can accept the claims of Jesus, I need to be convinced of three things.

Perhaps surprisingly to some, the evidence for these things is very strong. I find it hard to deny that there is something compelling about what has gone on in this unlikely corner of the world.

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What are the claims?

Jesus Christ said the following things.

  1. We were created with two core purposes: to engage with our creator, and to care for each other. Reference
  2. The problem is that we either reject these purposes outright, or we fail to consistently meet them. This failure triggers a law of the universe that disqualifies us from the plans of the creator, and instead puts us under the power of his enemy who expects only justice. Reference
  3. But the good news is that the creator has a solution. He would pay the penalty of the law himself, and we only need to align with him to be covered. Reference
  4. It is now possible to experience the benefits of ongoing engagement with the creator.

What now?

Of course there are still more questions. No matter what view of life we have, we will never know all the answers. However, I feel it is possible to be confident that the Bible is a reliable and satisfying explanation of life. Here is my story.

Many of my questions about who God really is, and therefore who I am, are answered in the four "gospel" books of the Bible. Before going to any other "opinions" it makes sense to read for yourself what Jesus said. Many people misrepresent or misunderstand what he said, so it is important that you make up your own mind.

Matthew
The book of Matthew references jewish tradition and includes detailed connections to the Old Testament. It focuses on Jesus' moral teachings, ethics and principles for living, with an orderly, systematic presentation.
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Mark
The book of Mark prefers action over lengthy discourse and presents the powerful, dynamic side of Jesus. It is a direct, straightforward account of Jesus' life and work, highlighting Jesus' impact through miracles and confrontations with evil.
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Luke
The book of Luke focuses on compassion and social justice, and Jesus' care for the poor and disenfranchised. It is a well-researched, orderly account with historical details and human interest. It contains accounts that emphasize forgiveness, grace, and God's inclusive love for all people.
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John
The book of John highlights the spiritual and divine nature of Jesus, and presents a deeper, more reflective understanding of who he is. It has a meditative, philosophical approach and contains symbolic language and themes. It is helpful to those who want to grow in understanding the mystery of God and the profound implications of Jesus' divinity.
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At some point you will need to make a definite decision about what you believe. The Bible says that the decision you make will have eternal consequences, it is not something to be taken lightly.

Accepting God's gift of salvation is simple. You only need to pray.