Why I’m Convinced Christianity Is True

Here are some of the reasons that compel me to believe that Christianity is indeed true and that Jesus is in fact who the Bible claims Him to be.

1. It all fits very well. Not just all the prophecies in the Old Testament (such as Isaiah 58), but also the laws (such as the commands for how to perform sacrifices for sin removal) as well as holidays (such as Passover) and stories (such as Abraham sacrificing his son Isaac) seem to indicate that there has been a plan all along for a messiah to come, and that God had been hinting this all along. Just reading the book of Hebrews is compelling enough for me. It lays out so many parallels between Jesus and how He fulfills the Old Covenant.
2. It doesn’t fit TOO well. There are still unanswered questions and things that puzzle me as to how they fit. If it all fit perfectly together, I would be concerned that this was a man-made invention. Instead, some things seem out of grasp, which requires one to use their mind instead of blindly accepting what someone else says.
3. Christianity requires one to put all their hope, dependence, and trust in their Creator for eternal life, rather than other religions which try to find ways for humans to achieve this through their own merits. Something inside of me tells me that those are all false hopes, and that only God can fix what I feel broken on the inside of me.
4. Christians don’t believe the Bible is simply “spiritually” true, but historically true as well. The faith is based on historical claims of God acting with humans–not just principles on how to live a good life. Unlike all other religions out there (such as Mormonism), archaeology and history continue to uncover evidence that locations, people, and events recorded in the Bible were real. Of course, the Bible can never be proven to be true, but bits and pieces continue to be verified as time progresses.
5. The large elephant in the room regarding that last point is creation/evolution. At this point in time, science is discovering what seems to be the progression of life on earth, which has shed considerable doubt on the accuracy of Genesis 1 in regards to how God created the world. However, it is my opinion that this scientific investigation is in its infancy–especially since these theories of evolution have changed several times (and quite severely each time) even since I was in high school. Clearly, science doesn’t come close to having a full grasp on this issue yet. However, I think the questions science has put in our laps can be a positive thing. It is causing us to look more closely at Genesis 1 and 2 to see if we have been misunderstanding what was written so long ago. For example, why are there two accounts in these two chapters to the order of created things? Which account tells it like it actually happened? Are either of these chapters trying to tell us precisely how God created the universe? If so, how do we know which one? If not, what are they really saying? (This is one of those issues I was referring to in #2.)
6. The Christian faith is based on the testimony of people who claimed (not by faith, but by sight) that Jesus came back to life. They never recanted from this position, and were even willing to suffer great loss–even torture and death. It’s conceivable that people who have faith in their religion may be willing to die for that faith, but the apostles died not as a result of belief, but as a result of what they claimed to actually witness. They did not die for simply ideals, but for not recanting what they saw with their own eyes.
7. There is a line in the Christmas hymn, Angels From the Realms Of Glory, which says, “Sages leave your contemplations; brighter visions beam afar. Seek the great desire of nations, ye have seen His natal star.” While this is referring to the wise men from the East who visited Jesus soon after He was born, I feel it is just as true today: The person who is seeking truth finds a brighter, higher truth in Jesus that reaches beyond any other truths in the universe. It’s almost like once you discover the truth of who Jesus is, all other truths, as noble as they are, fail to compare in the worthiness of seeking them. There is an inward satisfaction of coming to know Christ that is the same inward satisfaction that you experience when you discover any other truth, except in this instance it is so great that it puts all other truths in a pale light. To quote from another Christian song, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”
8. The Bible doesn’t paint a rosy picture on life. It seems to tell it like it is. Even its heroes are not so heroic. They are real people who commit very bad sins. They aren’t mythical people with legendary tales. While there are definitely incredible stories of miracles, these people themselves are never larger than life.
9. The Bible doesn’t try to explain everything. We don’t see people trying to explain what the stars are or other phenomena that primitive humanity would be itching to explain. It makes sense to me that people during this time on earth would want to give mystical explanations for these types of things (which many other religions do), but the Bible doesn’t go that route. This is in contrast with other religions that make the stars into gods, or reincarnated people, etc. It largely leaves these types of issues alone and simply focuses on humanity’s interaction with God.
10. While some people have used the Bible to further their own ends, the Bible itself provides very little in this regard. Instead, it speaks against the vices of men (power, wealth, greed, open sexuality), rather than giving an excuse to indulge in such behavior. Even the parts of the Bible that have been accused today of being sexist, racist, etc were actually further ahead of their time compared to the culture around them.
11. The more I trust in God’s Word and in Christ, the more I experience its truth in my life. As I give up more of my life and give it away to others as Jesus taught, the more clearly I see God and see truth in Jesus’ words. The more I confess my sinfulness and depend on God for salvation, the more I am convinced that I need Him and that He has indeed saved me through Jesus Christ.
12. The Bible consistently convicts me. It’s like I know it’s telling me the truth and I can’t run from it. Deep down inside, I want to be just like it calls me to be. That is my greatest desire.
13. There is no more compelling act of love that I can imagine other than the Creator suffering for the sins of the world on the cross. What Jesus did on the cross is so compelling to me that I cannot turn away from it. Even if I were to try to resist the pull I feel, I know I would fail. I know that sounds very Calvinist for an Arminian to say, but that’s exactly how I feel, even if it seems to disagree with my theology. Whatever heroicism or noblism I feel when seeing/hearing the stories of soldiers sacrificing their lives for their countries or firefighters rescuing a victim in the middle of a fire or a man risking his life to save his children from drowning, those same feelings are intensified exponentially when I consider what Jesus did for us. The truth of that event is so weighty that it breaks me to my core when I consider the ramifications. In fact, it seems that all the greatest-moving stories (whether in true-life or in literature), seem to parallel the truths of Christ. I think that’s because love is the most compelling force to humans, and there is no greater love than the love of Christ. It all points to Him.
14. I have witnessed not only the transforming work of Jesus in my own life, but I have seen it happen to plenty of other people too. It seems that people who surrender their lives over to Jesus become more like Him. I know of several people that clearly give evidence to me that they have a relationship with God that goes deeper than mine, and I have seen from their own lives what has caused such aspiring lives they have lived. There seems to be a real power here, not just wishful thinking. True, there is plenty of hypocrisy as well. Jesus’ harshest words are pointed at these fakers, however. Those who are hypocrites actually validate the Bible for me, personally. They show that those who don’t truly live by the Bible are disdainful, unlike those who do. The Bible is indeed superior. I would not want to be in their shoes on that day when the unrepentant hypocrite stands before God.
15. I have had personal experiences that I cannot attribute to anything other than God. Not only miracles, but moments in time when I felt God’s presence in a way that is unexplainable. In those moments, I have never been more humble, broken, grateful, awestruck, fearful, peaceful, encouraged, refreshed, taken back, or shaken. If it wasn’t God, those experiences defy reason.
16. There is very little that moves me to become emotional. My faith in Jesus is the exception. While I am obviously emotional when it comes to those closest to me, I am even more emotional when it comes to my relationship with Jesus. As finicky as emotions are, I do believe their presence often testifies to something being true or not. For example, if someone close to me dies, my crying and grief (if authentic) give evidence that this truly was a significant person and event in my life.

I find great worth to following Jesus. Nothing else seems as worthy for my life. Not my job, not my money, not even my own family. I know that deep down in my heart, I’d rather have Jesus than anything else. God, I want my life to show this. There’s another part of me that is afraid to give up anything for Jesus. In the end, I know which side will win out, because I know that Jesus is real and that what He did on the cross and then rising from the dead is more powerful than anything else in this world–even my own fear or stubbornness.