Truth: One Religion

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –John 14:6

After a person explores the basic question of “God or No God?”, the next logical step is to explore “What God do I believe in?” There is definitely no shortage of choices in our big, creative world! There are many world religions and quite a handful of significant religions with many followers. How then do we decide which religion is “right”?

First off, we need to acknowledge the existence of truth. We cannot simply say truth is subjective or that there is no absolute truth (an argument which, at its core, is self-defeating!). There are many religions and they often contradict each other. Buddhism is agnostic. Judaism and Islam deny Jesus’ divinity. Hinduism believes in millions of gods. Mormonism and Jehovah Witnesses deny the 3-in-1 Trinity and complete divinity of Christ. These religions cannot all be true. This is an innate impossibility. So then, a choice must be made. Which one do I believe is THE truth?

I believe Christianity is the right and true religion for many reasons, which I will be exploring in-depth in subsequent posts, so this post is merely an overview of what's to come. First, I believe Christianity is true because Jesus is an historically proven man. He existed. His life, execution, and the effects thereafter are corroborated outside of the bible in historical documents. We know he existed, which is a great first step towards truth.

Secondly, I believe Jesus not only existed but was, in fact, God—as he claimed—because he fulfilled many prophesies foretold long before he was even born. It is statistically impossible that Jesus fulfilled these prophesies to completion--or, in other words, a miracle. It could only be, in my opinion, a divinely orchestrated event.

I also believe in Jesus and Christianity because of the tenacity of his followers and their witness throughout history. Jesus’ life had many witnesses, and they had no reason to stick to a “made-up” story after his death…so they must have stuck to the truth--at a great personal cost to many of them!

Lastly, and most subjectively, I believe in Jesus and Christianity because of the effect it has had on my life. The mini-miracles performed in my life. The personal and real relationship I have with God and Christ. The last reason may be very personal, but I believe a personal relationship with God is the ultimate proving ground of faith.

Please stick with me as I dig into the details of each of these reasons!



*This was part 3 of 7 in the "Why Believe?" series.

The Basics: God or No God?

“The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” 

–Psalm 14:1

Sooner or later, every person has to make one very basic, but profound, decision that will significantly impact his life’s path. Does he believe that the Universe has a Creator? Or does he believe that the Universe is random and organized itself by chance? While people on either side of this line think those on the other side are ridiculous and foolish, I decided I was firmly on the side of “Creator” rather than “Chance.”

Now, I’m not saying I don’t believe in science. I do not believe religion and science are mutually exclusive whatsoever! I would consider myself a very educated individual and over the course of my education I learned all kinds of amazing and wonderful scientific principles! However, when it comes down to beginnings everyone has their own form of faith. Some believe that some unknown catalyst caused everything to form from nothing. Some believe that, given enough time, nothingness becomes “somethingness”, and that chaos becomes order. I, however, believe that this world provides undeniable proof of intelligent design. I believe this universe began with a supernatural spark---Creation.

All I have to do to come to this conclusion is ponder the complexities of this universe. I do not believe in a Creator because I am uneducated or dull—but rather, it is because I am so deeply informed on the intricacies of life that I know in my heart, without a doubt, that our Universe required an Intelligent Inventor to design the world with purpose.

Similar examples have been used before, but I believe they are apt illustrations for this concept: imagine a watch and all its intricate parts. Imagine the little springs and coils, gears and knobs. Think about how carefully every teeny part needs to fit together perfectly in order for that watch to spring to life and count time with accuracy. Now, imagine that I've given you a bag filled all the necessary parts to make a watch and I told you to shake the bag vigorously until the parts happen to—by chance—fall into place perfectly and become a working watch. Impossible, you say? I think so! Even if I gave you the benefit of millions, or even trillions, of years to keep shaking that bag—I think you would be hard-pressed to get those pieces to fall together into the right spots by chance! And, furthermore, even if you did get those pieces to fall together by chance, we’re still missing a key detail—those watch parts were not formed from nothing! Those parts required the work of a skilled craftsman to create!

In my mind, it just makes sense that this world and Universe had Someone overseeing its design. The only way nothing becomes something is by supernatural means. If any of us traces our thoughts back far enough, we’ll come to realize that any belief system requires a leap of faith. I believe in a God I cannot see. Scientists believe in a catalyst they cannot prove that somehow turns nothing into something, and creatures into completely new creatures. Either way there is something inexplicable that requires belief despite a lack of proof.

What do you believe? Why?


**This was part 2 of 7 in the "Why Believe" series. I would encourage you to read the complete series! 

Why Believe?

^“But in your hearts revere 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

Anyone faced with the question of why they believe what they believe would probably agree that, no matter what that belief is, providing an answer is no small task! I have often come face-to-face with this question over the years, and it hasn't always been posed by others. This is a question that everyone must answer for themselves at one point or another. A blind faith in anything will result in more than a few bumps and bruises along the way, and a “Stumbler” like myself has all too often relied on superficial belief rather than deeply rooted, educated faith.

Because this is such a big question, I believe it deserves a big answer and I hope you’ll bear with me as I try to explore this question in-depth and give it the detail it deserves. Over the next few days I will be answering this question in a few ways:

1)      The Basics: God or No God?

2)      Truth: One Religion

3)      Jesus: Historicity 

4)      Jesus: Prophesies Fulfilled

5)      Disciples and Followers

6)      My Life

My hope is that you will consider these answers carefully for yourself. What do you believe in? Why? Are you willing to stake your life and eternity on your belief system?

Don't Take the Easy Way Out

 ^"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”           -Matthew 26:53-54

I always find it amazing---and proof that the Bible is God’s living Spirit-filled Word—that I can be struck to the core by a familiar passage, despite having read the passage dozens, if not hundreds, of times in my life. In today’s passage I was struck by Jesus’ commitment to living out God’s will, despite having an easy way out. He had armies of angels on hand, at his command, ready and able to wipe out anyone who laid a hand on him, and yet Jesus held back. He knew that his Father, our God, had a plan and—despite the difficulties of that plan—Jesus was committed to seeing that plan through.

I think the reason this passage spoke to me so deeply is that I know that anytime I find myself experiencing difficulty or pain or injustice, I find myself immediately crying out to God to fix things. I don’t seek his will in my circumstances. I don’t trust in him or his timing. Quite simply, I expect God to move at my convenience, rather than putting myself at the ready to move at His will.

I am ashamed to admit that my expectation of God  more often involves him “granting me wishes” like a genie, than me granting His wishes like a servant or obedient child. I am more likely to cry out with anger and bitterness to God in my times of pain, than to humbly persevere while whispering “Your Will Be Done”.

I am so thankful for Christ’s example. I am grateful for his love, perseverance, and perfect faith. Jesus experienced pain and suffering far beyond what most of us will ever experience---and on par with worst suffering this world has to offer. In his pain, despite the injustice of what was happening to him, Christ never got angry at God, nor did he demand his way. He definitely asked God if there was any other way, but when the path was made clear, Jesus trusted his Father and followed through.

Can I bring myself to trust God like Christ did? Can I set aside my own desires for His? Can I set aside my own comfort and well-being for the sake of His mission? 

God, help me.