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<\/source><\/picture>\u201cWhy are you a Christian?\u201d<\/p>\n
So, in 25 words or less, how would you answer that question? Seriously, think about it for a minute or two.<\/p>\n
If I\u2019m the target of that query, I usually pause briefly, knowing that I can respond in one of two ways.<\/p>\n
Most of the time, my questioner is looking for me to explain the reasons that caused me to embrace the Christian faith. So, I start by telling them that I\u2019m a Christian because I believe two truth propositions: 1. God exists; 2. Jesus exists, and He rose from the dead.<\/p>\n
If those two claims are true, then Christianity is valid and anything contradictory or opposed to it is false. End of story.<\/p>\n
Of course, what follows then is a debate on why I think God exists and whether Jesus\u2019 biographies are legit, which I\u2019m happy to have. Sometimes what I tell them has a positive impact and other times it doesn\u2019t take long to see that if Jesus instantly appeared next to them and smiled, they\u2019d still walk away unbelieving.<\/p>\n
The second way I can answer the \u201cWhy am I a Christian\u201d question is actually the more accurate. However, it\u2019s rare when I have a person in front of me who can absorb it with consideration and not look at me like I just grew an extra head.<\/p>\n
The real reason I\u2019m a Christian is because God had mercy on me and reached down to save me.<\/p>\n
I know that as sure as I know I\u2019m typing this, but that type of knowledge is different in kind than the awareness and acceptance of the evidence supporting Christianity. As William Lane Craig has well\u00a0stated<\/a>, it\u2019s the difference between knowing <\/em>and showing <\/em>the Christian faith.<\/p>\n What just happened?<\/strong><\/p>\n Let me give you an example of this from my own life. \u00a0<\/p>\n For no natural reason I can share even now, decades ago, I became mesmerized by a book I read on Bible prophecy. I wasn\u2019t on fire for God (quite the opposite), had no previous interest in the subject of prophecy, and didn\u2019t understand Scripture at all. \u00a0<\/p>\n And then, all of a sudden, I was wide-eyed and electrified by the idea of the Second Coming. A real God-thing in action was happening, but I was oblivious to it.<\/p>\n Once I\u2019d gotten to the end of the book, I found the final chapter was aimed at me understanding the Gospel. The author was clear that Jesus\u2019 return wasn\u2019t good news for people who had never entered into a saving relationship with Him.<\/p>\n That would be me.<\/p>\n What followed in the book was a short explanation of how to get right with God, which came over me like a warm arm around the shoulder that I\u2019d never had. So, I crossed my legs on the couch, followed the author\u2019s direction, and cried out to God for salvation.<\/p>\n After that, nothing external to me changed. I had the same job, went to the same school, same family, same friends, same everything. But inside, I changed.<\/p>\n As one theologian said, \u201cYou\u2019re saved before you know it\u201d and that was me to a tee in the weeks that followed. Never read the Bible on my own before and had no desire for it. Now I loved it. Couldn\u2019t wait to get to church. Talked to people about God; even people I didn\u2019t know.<\/p>\n That\u2019s called evangelism, by the way. Which I had never done.<\/p>\n When I ran down the aisle and threw all the money I had in my pocket into the plate for a missionary who visited the church, I returned to where I was sitting, looked back, and thought, \u201cWhat just happened?\u201d<\/p>\n That wasn\u2019t me before.<\/p>\n So, what was going on? The truth of God became living knowledge in me because of the \u201cHoly Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him\u201d (Acts 5:32). I believed because \u201cthe Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God\u2019s children\u201d (Rom. 8:16), and now loved God \u201cbecause you are His sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father’\u201d (Gal. 4:6).<\/p>\n Amazing stuff. Although I didn\u2019t know it, there were two factors working on me at the same time: God used the facts and reason of Bible prophecy as the\u00a0instrumental cause<\/a>\u00a0of my salvation, but He was the\u00a0efficient cause<\/a>\u00a0of it.<\/p>\n I was\u00a0shown<\/em>\u00a0the Christian faith through prophecy, but it was made\u00a0known<\/em>\u00a0to me through the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n Beyond the evidence of prophecy (which is quite strong), it wasn\u2019t until years later that I could show you other reasons why I believed and knew the Bible was true. Far from using them as confirmation bias, those proofs are compelling and meaningful; they\u2019ve been instruments used by God to save many and have helped intellectually strengthen my faith.<\/p>\n But those reasons\u00a0on their own<\/em>\u00a0will fall short of producing faith in a person. They need to be united with God\u2019s Spirit who delivers the gift of faith and ability to assent to them.<\/p>\n When that happens, you have a life that combines both knowing\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>showing. The person\u00a0knows<\/em>\u00a0they\u2019re saved because of their changed life and\u00a0shows<\/em>\u00a0that transformation to others as proof.<\/p>\n Does this mean there\u2019s no way to falsify the Christian faith and prove its illegitimacy to someone who professes such belief? Not at all.<\/p>\n The primary way of doing that was given by Paul some 2,000 years ago \u2014 find the body of that Jewish carpenter and it\u2019s game over (1 Cor. 15:14<\/a>). But good luck with that. \u00a0<\/p>\n So, why am I a Christian? I believe because of truths that intelligently\u00a0show<\/em>\u00a0God exists and Jesus exists, and that He rose from the dead. And I\u00a0know<\/em>\u00a0these things because God saved me, and I have His Holy Spirit who enables me to believe.<\/p>\n And if you\u2019re a Christian today, the same is true with you.\u00a0<\/p>\n Robin Schumacher is an accomplished software executive and Christian apologist who has written many articles, authored and contributed to several Christian books, appeared on nationally syndicated radio programs, and presented at apologetic events. He holds a BS in Business, Master’s in Christian apologetics and a Ph.D. in New Testament. His latest book is, A Confident Faith: Winning people to Christ with the apologetics of the Apostle Paul<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n