God’s Proof (www.godsproof.com) Volume: 1 Issue: 1
“But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts:
and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of
the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:” (1 Peter
If
somebody were to ask you, “Why do you
believe in Jesus Christ when there are so many other religions in the world?”;
would you be able to explain why you believe what you believe? Would you be able to give them an
answer? Better yet, would you be able to
defend that answer with factual and impregnable evidence? That begs the question; is there any
evidence at all other than the simple and mundane?
So
often we are told that Christianity is a “blind faith” that we assume there is
nothing out there to support what we conclude.
We believe what we believe because, that is what we have always been
told. But how do you know that what you
presume is the truth? Have you ever said to yourself, “I hope I’m right”? Let me ask you this:
“Would you believe me if I was to tell
you that you can be more assured of Jesus Christ than the air you breath and
the ground you walk on?”
Just
imagine with that kind of assuredness and confidence in Christ, you would have
the faith of Abraham, the certitude of Noah, the joy of David, the zeal of
Paul, the patience of Job, and the wisdom of Solomon; but most of all, the same
unshakeable relationship with the Heavenly Father as does the Son; being thoroughly furnished unto all good
works. (2 Tim 3:17) Have you ever wanted
a relationship with the Lord like those you’ve read about in the Bible and
heard missionaries, pastors, and evangelists speak of? If you do, then do as it says in Acts 17:11: These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received
the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether
those things were so.
In
other words, keep an open mind, but
always confirm it in His word. Years ago
I had so many objections that I never thought I could have a close relationship
with Christ. Every time I would draw
near to Him, questions would arise without an answer. I finally decided I couldn’t live that way
any more. I got on my knees and asked
the Lord to give me evidence; to give me proof that He is who He claims to
be. I believed in Him; but I needed help
with those areas of my life that lacked faith.
Christ
said in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto
you: For every one that asketh
receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened.”
Little
did I know how much the Lord would show me over the years. And the information has yet to end. I am more confident then ever that He is the
Creator of all things, the Savior and Keeper of my soul, and the triumphant
King that will put all things under His feet.
My faith in Christ is not yet fully mature, however, it grows daily. I now know we can have confidence in Him; we
can give a defense of what we believe.
In
the verse at the top of this page, 1 Peter
In
these brief dissertations I hope to pass on to you some of the things the Lord
has shown me over the years that have removed the objections that have kept me
from a closer walk with Him. I must say however, that evidences of His
creation, fascinating discoveries in the Hebrew and Greek texts, or recent
archeological finds, can not save a person from their sins. It is only by His grace are we saved through
faith in Jesus Christ. (Eph 2:8) The evidence is only there to remove a persons
objections so they are without excuse for denying Him. (Rom 1:18-20)
I must warn you though, depending upon your desire or lack there of to
draw near to Him, this kind of information can put you in a dilemma.
Lee
Strobel, author of the book, “The Case
for Christ”, set out to disprove the scriptural teachings of Jesus
Christ. After speaking with numerous
Christian scholars, theologians, creation scientists, and biblical
archeologists he came to the conclusion that Christ was exactly who He claimed
to be. With so great a cloud of witnesses, Lee was backed
into a corner. If he were to deny
Christ, he knew the eternal consequences.
Therefore, he did what he knew had to be done. He got on his knees and accepted Jesus as the
propitiation for his sins. Because of
the change that came over him, his five year old daughter said to his wife,
“Mommy, I want God to do for me what he’s done for Daddy.” Lee’s daughter had only known him as a
profane, angry, verbally harsh and all to often absent father.
Because
of the evidence that Lee discovered, it changed the course of his eternal
destiny. The greatest evidence however
is the change of heart a person has once Christ liberates his or her soul from
the clutches of hell. Lee’s daughter
didn’t see that mountain of evidence; she saw a man changed from the inside
out.
God
the Father created you and me in His image so we could have a relationship with
Him, in the similitude as He has with the Son.
He doesn’t want us to wait until we arrive in heaven; He wants it now. But he can’t force us to choose something
against our will. We have been given the awesome power of choice that carries
with it eternal consequences.
Prophetic
statistical improbabilities, scientific discoveries, and textual anomalies in
relationship to the evidences of God, can not and will not save us. But they can remove the road blocks that
impede our progress as we press toward the mark for the prize of the high
calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)
By no
means am I implying that you are not walking with the Lord. You know where you are in Christ. My purpose is not to brag or boast but to
pass on what the Lord has shown me. Also,
the Lord does not only speak to me. You
and I both have the same resources; the Holy Spirit. He teaches us all things and brings all
things to our remembrance. (John 14:26)
In the weeks to come on a periodic basis, as I present these evidences
to you in this short publication, He will confirm whether or not these things
are so. Keep an open mind, but always
turn towards Him in prayer and in the study of His word. (Acts
Hopefully
one day when someone comes to you and says, “Why do you believe in
Jesus?”; you can give them an answer
that may very well lead them to Christ.
And when this life is done and you stand before Him in judgement,
your Heavenly Father will say, “Well
done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.”