Stop. Do you really have an answer?
I can remember where I was sitting in an arena full of entrepreneurs and world-renown leaders the first time I heard this question. The speaker was making a powerful point about how many people carry a particular world view, or hold a particular set of beliefs, based solely on something they’ve read in the media, heard in culture, or were brought up with. He was urging the crowd to instead find a solidly defendable reason, rooted in evidence and truth, to hold a belief. To be specific, the speaker was urging everyone to find out for themselves why they believe what they believe in terms of their religious views.
I really thought I had a pretty good answer. “I am a Christian because I believe that Jesus died for my sin.” That seemed pretty straight forward. But, being the analytic that I am, I couldn’t let go of what the speaker of was really driving at. “But why do I believe that Jesus died for my sin?” It occurred to me, it was because somebody had once told me I needed to believe that in order to get to heaven. I didn’t really know any specifics for why I actually believed it.
Enter @terry-szyent, @moultonjt1, and the slew of resources they threw at me around the topic of apologetics. I grew up thinking all faiths were based on things that couldn’t be proven, had no evidence, and were likely just wishful thinking — but seeing how the alternative (atheism) didn’t lead to a lot of hope, and still didn’t make a lot of sense given the world around us, I chose to continue to “believe” in what I was raised in – which was Christianity. It wasn’t until I was able to ask hard questions and find out there were real answers available that it became evident that Christianity wasn’t some psychological thought experiment to make people have hope or be nice. It is historically, archaeologically, scientifically, and logically sound. There is real evidence – loads of it – available to back it.
But is that enough? Is having a bunch of facts and resources available to back my belief sufficient? After all, atheists and other religions have lots of facts and resources available to back their beliefs…so why do I believe my facts and figures are more right than theirs?
The late Ravi Zacharias was pivotal in helping me through that question. In short, he posited that any religious view needed to be coherent and have correspondence. As I investigated more and more alternatives to my Christian worldview, I grew more aware that only the Christian faith consistently proves to be coherent and correspondent. I could not deny the facts or the logic, and the consistency with which they backed up the reality around me.
So, again…is that all I really need to say I know why I believe what I believe? Am I able to use all those facts and figures to help someone understand my stance? I genuinely believe that anyone who pursues the facts and follows the logic either has to accept them for what they are, or live in a state of denial; HOWEVER…
Christianity isn’t an equation. Yes, my reason for believing that Jesus died for my sins is bolstered by the evidence I came across, but it is not ultimately my reason for believing. The change in my heart that came after accepting Him is what ultimately is my reason. It’s kind of paradoxical. Without Christ, there is no explanation for the change in my life, but I needed some solid evidence to fully allow myself to believe that Jesus was really worth believing in. No amount of wanting to be a better person, or wanting a better society, or desiring happiness would ever overcome the things that have changed within me. And that, the evidence of a changed life, is my reason to believe what I believe.
I encourage you to figure out for yourself why you believe what you believe. Maybe you won’t come to the same conclusions that I did, but at least you can say you did the research and know for yourself why you believe a certain way. I’m confident if you pursue truth, with an open mind and open heart, God will reveal himself to you. You may be surprised to see how He already has…
Keep this in mind, too: Jesus himself commanded us to always be ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within us, so don’t just think it’s some fun thought experiment. You never know when someone is going to ask you why you believe what you believe, and maybe you’re the one God plans to use to spark a transformed life.
Bonus Thought:
You should be willing to explore and understand why you believe what you believe in every area of your life. Why do you believe freedom is a universal right, or a privilege?
Why do you believe money is a tool, or just something to get what you want?
Why do you believe abortion is murder, or a woman’s right?
Why is green better than blue?
Why are cats better than dogs? 🙂
Those are just some examples, but everyone should be able to answer why for themselves, with more than a “because that’s how I was raised” or “because it’s best for society” or “because Science”. And, if I may be so bold, everyone should try to find consistency in their beliefs. It not only adds credibility, it brings peace to your mind, heart, and soul.
