How do you know that Christianity is true?
- Thread starter LeeLoving
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I don’t know about the experiences of others, but for myself, I ‘know’ for several reasons. I have an inner witness from/of the Holy Spirit that I am a child of God through Christ. I believe consistently with the teachings of Scripture. I have regular two-way conversations with God. I sense the peace of God when facing challenges. I sense the guidance of the Holy Spirit towards right actions and away from sinful actions.
Christians are followers of Jesus Christ.
How do we know Jesus is true? Because He existed as a historical person.
Even Wikipedia, which has a left-wing bias, says that "Jesus was a historical person and any other ideas are considered Fringe ideas".
So, start with this first step if you're an atheist or if you're unsure.
Jesus was a historical figure. From there, you can then jump to Biblical Jesus if you choose to.
I don't know if I've ever truly believed in Jesus, I think it might just be something I'm doing, I don't know if there's any true belief behind it. I don't know how else to put it, sorry if that doesn't make sense. If someone asked me if Jesus was on the earth I might say yes, but I don't know if I truly believe that. There's just uncertainty that it's true belief. I don't know how long I've been a Christian, if I've ever been one, there's been periods when I've spoken against Christianity. Like I know the Queen of England existed, so I guess I believe that she existed, but with Jesus I guess I know what the Bible says, but do I know that I believe it? Like I might just be agreeing with it, but not actually believing, it might not be true belief, if that makes sense? Sorry if I'm being confusing, I guess I might just lack insight into myself or something to not know whether or not I believe in something, but I just don't know.
Try reading the gospel of John (in the New Testament) and then tell us what you think about it.
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I love to read scripture and history. I agree with Will Durant that no one can know history of the world and not understand that our God is the true God. Will Durant and his wife Ariel wrote the ten volume Story of Civilization. Will was and expriest who became an agnostic until late in his life when he realized the bible was true.
The story of God's chosen people, the Jews, is enough to prove God. They are the only race that has kept their identity even though they spent centuries in exile.
The story of God's chosen people, the Jews, is enough to prove God. They are the only race that has kept their identity even though they spent centuries in exile.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. -- Romans 1:18-20 ESV
Well to me, even if Jesus was just an imaginary figure and never exsisted, all we have to do then is believe His qualities as being far superior than barbaric individuals bent on destruction.
Qualities of Jesus I try to emulate:-
compassionate
Loving
Truthful
Wise
Forgiving
Gentle
Peaceful
Disciplined
Committed
Humble
Prayerful
Powerful
Servant
Focused
Truthful and honest
Faithful
Peaceful
Oh I could go on…
He did show anger when he needed to but that was righteous anger when people were doing something evil.
So I like Jesus Better than say, Muhammad or Buddha because Muhammad raided caravans and Buddha ran off and left his pregnant wife.
Qualities of Jesus I try to emulate:-
compassionate
Loving
Truthful
Wise
Forgiving
Gentle
Peaceful
Disciplined
Committed
Humble
Prayerful
Powerful
Servant
Focused
Truthful and honest
Faithful
Peaceful
Oh I could go on…
He did show anger when he needed to but that was righteous anger when people were doing something evil.
So I like Jesus Better than say, Muhammad or Buddha because Muhammad raided caravans and Buddha ran off and left his pregnant wife.
Hello LeeLoving, I have always known from a very early age ( memories from 4 or 5 years old) that someone or something good was watching over me. I did not know then about religion, but I did feel a presence watching over me, I was raised as a catholic in Montreal but never felt any pull into religion from it on the contrary. It was when I was about 18 or so that I began to really read the bible for myself not having any negative influences from other sources that I came to know GOD was indeed all powerful and that the Bible was TRUE. Being a scientist, by habit, I looked in the history books to correlate the Bible scriptures with historical and archaeological data and references, I found that all was proven, the Old Testament writings about peoples and locations were all true , they have found most of the cities and peoples names, and still continue to do so today.
When I read the NT testament ( book of JOHN) I had a revelation that I will not explain here but I had proof JESUS the son of GOD does exist. I have no doubt at this point in my life and never will doubt. It is when I opened my heart to JESUS teachings that I was born again.
Something must have happened to you to make you doubt, please let me know if I can help.
Blessings.
Hello Lee. I am sorry to hear that you are unsure. I was going to say "struggling," but
I am not sure if this is a struggle for you. You do seem to wrestle with it a lot, though,
and I wonder what role the condition behind your medical diagnosis plays in this. Also
regarding struggle, what comes to mind is the story of a butterfly:
A young boy came across a butterfly cocoon and brought it into his house. He watched,
over the course of hours, as the butterfly struggled to break free from its confinement.
It managed to create a small hole in the cocoon, but its body was too large to emerge.
It tired and became still. Wanting to help the butterfly, the boy snipped a slit in the
cocoon with a pair of scissors. But the butterfly was small, weak, and its wings crumpled.
The boy expected the insect to take flight, but instead it could only drag its undeveloped
body along the ground. It was incapable of flying.
The boy, in his eagerness to help the butterfly, stunted its development. What he did not know
was that the butterfly needed to go through the process of struggling against the cocoon to gain
strength and fill its wings with blood. It was the struggle that made it stronger. source
Anywho, do you like cinematic depictions of the gospel and gospel truths? Here are a couple of my faves:
^ Gospel of John is often recommended as a great place to start reading the Bible.
This movie is a word-for-Word portrayal of John's gospel.
Have you heard of the Alpha Course?
There are 10 videos total. I hope you watch them. They could benefit you greatly
I feel that Jesus is part of my being and I can't detach myself or disbelieve Jesus. Sometimes I do feel that God isn't listening to me, etc but that is a separate and different issue.
I also felt someone watching over me from the time I was 4 or 5. I was given to a family who lived without any awareness of God, so much so that my stepmother smoked a cigarette during a sermon and had to be told to leave the church. I remember asking her then about God, she thought that was funny. I searched for information as soon as I could.
Man has always known there is a God, from Adam and Eve until today. If they don't know the true God, they make up an idol. We know the true God from the idols by Christ, who offers us salvation and forgiveness for our sins and eternal life, no idol does this.
Add me to that list of childhood awareness of God's Love............ even to the point of a vision.
You will find all kinds of opposite opinions within Christianity. therefore, not all Christianity is true. Otherwise, contradictory affirmations about biblical texts would all be true, and truth would have no objective meaning.
How do I know Jesus of Nazareth is alive today and is truthful and worthy of my trust? would be a better question.
All who believe know by the gift of faith.
We believe in things not seen as is written. No mere man will ever prove Jesus Yeshua is Lord, but many will come to believe. No proof necessary for those with faith.
Sound foolish? Not so in the sight of God, only, perhaps, in the sight of men.
Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection of Christ.
We KNOW the resurrection of Christ is true
We know that the resurrected Christ really appeared to the apostles because:
1. They all saw it at the same time, and many people cannot have the same hallucination at the same time.
2. They all were willing to die for it, so we know they didnt' make it up.
3. The apostles wrote down their experiences in what we call the new testament
Other forms of evidence is that the Bible is a collection of historically accurate documents, the fulfilled prophecies and the anecdotal evidence of thousands of people whose life Christ has completely changed and renewed.
We KNOW the resurrection of Christ is true
We know that the resurrected Christ really appeared to the apostles because:
1. They all saw it at the same time, and many people cannot have the same hallucination at the same time.
2. They all were willing to die for it, so we know they didnt' make it up.
3. The apostles wrote down their experiences in what we call the new testament
Other forms of evidence is that the Bible is a collection of historically accurate documents, the fulfilled prophecies and the anecdotal evidence of thousands of people whose life Christ has completely changed and renewed.
Everyone has the gift of God-given faculty of faith. Faith is simply a degree of persuasion towards something being true. I go to the tap and turn it believing water will come out. my faith that water will come out drew me to go to the tap. If no water comes out, next time I need water I will likely harbour some degree of doubt that water will come out.But if I am persuaded that it is possible that this time it will work, I will have enough faith to go over and turn on the tap. But less confidence than before. If it doesn't work again, I may go to the shops to buy some bottled water because I have faith I will find some there and the owner will sell it to me. My faith concerning where I can get water has been transferred from the household plumbing to the shops.
I may be putting faith in evolution and atheistic science to define my life's source and meaning. If the gospel is presented in such a way as to disabuse me of my confidence in the coherence of evolutionary theory and atheistic science and to understand the reasonableness of belief in a creator and the Christian one at that, I may transfer my faith to Christ and the Bible rather than my previous worldview. The same faculty of faith is involved. I am merely exchanging one set of objects of my faith for a new set of objects. Coming to faith in Christ is simply transferring my innate faculty of faith to Christ.
It is possible to prove all alternative objects of faith other than the biblical Christ to be broken and unable to contain or comprehend all truth and account for the reality we experience, but the Jesus and His word can account for all the reality we experience. That is the way the presuppositional apologetic works. However, proving something does not necessitate that the audience will replace the objects of their faith with Christ. They may not want to give up things that need to be sacrificed to follow Christ authentically.
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The Bible's statements are inadmissible as evidence to prove the Bible's
supernatural elements are true. That would be akin to acquitting a criminal
defendant based upon him saying he didn't do it.
The average Christian fears coming across as unreasonable people, i.e. kooks.
That's kind of ironic because their religion requires them to believe with their
hearts rather than with their heads. (Rom 10:9-10)
_
The Bible's statements are inadmissible as evidence to prove the Bible's
supernatural elements are true. That would be akin to acquitting a criminal
defendant based upon him saying he didn't do it.
The average Christian fears coming across as unreasonable people, i.e. kooks.
That's kind of ironic because their religion requires them to believe with their
hearts rather than with their heads. (Rom 10:9-10)
_
Webers, some people do need proof to believe, think of Thomas :
Jhn 20:24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
Jhn 20:25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
Jhn 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Jhn 20:27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
Jhn 20:28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jhn 20:29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
Thomas only fully believed once he saw Christ resurrected, it is why the bible was preserved for people as a testimony of events past and future,. For those who read the bible, they can understand who is a kook or faise prophet.
Peace.