Why I Am a Christian

I am a Christian because of what Jesus has done for me. I was raised in a Christian home, went to church regularly and learned Bible stories from an early age, but I realized that I would not get to heaven unless I had placed my faith in Jesus, or, as some say, until I had “asked Jesus into my heart.”

I am a Christian because I have come to realize that the world does not make sense unless there is a God. I recognize that there are atheists in the world, but I do not understand how anyone could see the world that has been created and still conclude that no God created it. The existence of God explains why we exist, how we can have consciousness, and why we can live with hope and purpose. When people say that they cannot believe in God because of all the evil in the world, I want to acknowledge the depth of their struggle, but I also want to remind them that God is also the source of all good in the world.

I am a Christian because things work better when we follow the intentions of the Designer. His designs for family, church, and society are the right designs. They also work. I see the fruit of a world that suffers the consequences of living apart from God. When we say we can do things better than God, we inevitably reap corruption and destruction. I don’t believe that obedience to God results in an easy or perfect life. But if I ever were to face severe suffering, I could not imagine suffering without the loving hand of God on my life.

I am a Christian because I am persuaded by the love of God. I believe the words of Romans 5:8: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God did not have to send Jesus to earth, and He would have been completely just if He had not, but because He loves us, He chose to make a way for us to be reconciled to Him. The personal love of God manifest in the incarnation of Jesus Christ is unique among worldviews.

I am a Christian because my parents cared enough about my spiritual formation to invest in me spiritually. Looking back, it is easy to see where they might have done things differently and better, but I believe that they recognized the importance of training up a child “in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). They did not simply treat me like a blank slate and leave me to discover my own path. They guided me down the path, and somewhere along the way I was able to make my faith my own.