Why are you christian? Why do you believe in Jesus?

[Liz01]

When i meet a new person or group of persons that are not christian the first question that they ask is:

Why are you christian if you werent christian before ? and sometimes they ask too:

Why do you believe in Jesus ?

I usually say that i realized that i needed to put my life in the hands of God (as a short answer) and then i say something about who is Jesus, if they still listen then i go further and we start talking about God.

But i would like to improve that answer, so i would appreciate your advices.... , what do you say when someone ask?

 

[rainacorn]

Yeah, that's a huge question that kind of deserves a huge answer, but we don't always have time to give it. My answers are rarely very spiritual. I didn't have a Damascus experience. Maybe something in here could be helpful, though.

For me, I chose to become a Christian because I needed to start applying philosophy to my life and develop a world view instead of just letting it all bounce around my brain with a zillion other philosophies and ideas. Eventually conviction becomes necessary if you want to be a complete person.

Why Christianity over other religions? It makes claims about Jesus that can only be true or false. I concluded that the claims were most likely to be true... the alternative just didn't carry enough weight to be believed. For Jesus to be anything other than what He said, it would require a very elaborate and complex conspiracy across a few generations that has some how held up for 2,000 years. Occam's Razor. Additionally I am a white person from the American south/midwest. Culture played it's part in influencing my direction.

If you choose to become a Christian, does that mean you don't actually believe it? While it was a decision I made to start walking down this path, despite the doubts I struggled with, those first steps were critical for me to eventually see the truth of it all. If you don't think it's even possible, how could you ever hope to understand it? You can only hear truth if you're actually listening. I was able to become a believer because I was open to the idea.

 

[Lucy68]

Because Christianity is the only thing that makes life make sense It answers the fundamental questions of who we are and why we're here.

 

[LightningClap0002]

Liz,

Though I have held to the christian world view for as long as I was old enough to remember, I have asked myself over and over 'why do you still believe.'

In the end it came down to a combination of my own version of Descartes' systematic doubt and simply because of Love.

The systematic doubt argument works well if you have a few hours, otherwise the love one is best. I sure can't explain months of contemplation in just a few minutes.

Love is easy to explain. I have seen, and believe the wonderfulness of Love. Christianity focuses on the fullness of love far more than any other belief system. I have experienced the deep love of strong christians. You can tell people that the love a christian experiences, both giving and taking, goes beyond what any one else can experience.

 

[error]

Great questions I will think about it

 

[kayem77]

When they ask me I usually say something like '' I started reading the Bible and realized who God really is'' or ''because I didn't know God before and now I see how much I need him'', I give quick answers like that, and it depends on how much a person is willing to listen, then I can explain even further and tell them the process it took for me.

I came to realize that I'm Christian because I have no other choice , I know God and I can't simply pretend that I don't, I really can't imagine my life as a non-Christian after putting my faith on Jesus...but I don't think that's an answer I would give to someone who doesn't understand the concept of God.

 

[shawntc]

I believe because I feel it is more reasonable to be Christian than not. Nothing else can truly provide meaning for my life the way that God can.

 

[Ritter]

Liz,

Though I have held to the christian world view for as long as I was old enough to remember, I have asked myself over and over 'why do you still believe.'

In the end it came down to a combination of my own version of Descartes' systematic doubt and simply because of Love.

The systematic doubt argument works well if you have a few hours, otherwise the love one is best. I sure can't explain months of contemplation in just a few minutes.

Love is easy to explain. I have seen, and believe the wonderfulness of Love. Christianity focuses on the fullness of love far more than any other belief system. I have experienced the deep love of strong christians. You can tell people that the love a christian experiences, both giving and taking, goes beyond what any one else can experience.

This subject matter deserves a thread or at least a link to a blog post. Very intriguing.

 

[Ritter]

As for me? In the words of the newsboys, every day I am rescued again. Call me a dirty, uber-reformed Calvinist, but I am strongly convinced of the fact that, without His daily intervention, I would be utterly lost in a train of thought that would ultimately lead to a lonely, untimely demise.

I was saved at age 5, and it seemed natural. If anything my most unchristian thoughts occurred after that fateful day. I even went so far as to try and invent my own religion at age 7 to suit my worldly curiosity, but the Lord appeared again and again as an unstoppable, undaunted force that grabbed my heart and forced me to my knees with a smile on my face.

When surveying the big picture, I just always knew and always accepted. The vision was there, shining and complete.

 

[RedTent]

I am a Christian because I don’t believe the world just happened by chance but was created. Scripture explains that creation and the part we have in it.

The Jews are God’s chosen. By looking to their history I found the miracle of their staying intact when other races assimilated proof of our Christian God, among other proofs.

 

[Jullianna]

Because I have always known somehow that He was with me, and He came to me at the darkest hour of my life, revealing all that He was and all I was called to be and was not.