My Reason for Living

Contents

Why I Believe in Jesus

I'm not going to try to sell you some utopian ideal here.  Being a Christian does not mean leading a completely blissful and failure free lifestyle. We are only human, and as long as we live on this earth, we are going to fail. We do not strive to fail, but we do it anyway because we are not the perfect examples of a Godly lifestyle as was Jesus.  This is no excuse for a lifestyle of sin. In fact, one who leads a lifestyle of sin while claiming Christianity is deceiving himself (I John 1:8-2:6.) However, we will all fall from time to time.  

When I started this back in 1996, I had in mind to write of all of the scientific and logical reasons that God has to exist. If you're truly interested in that, and not just looking for a good debate, write me. I can tell you what little I know, and point you to some resources, some of which may be found on the Christian Resources page. 

That proof did help me at a very low point in my life. Having just come through a bad marriage and divorce, I was questioning everything I ever learned. I thought I must have misunderstood all that I had been taught about God, or this wouldn't have happened to me. I conveniently ignored the fact that it was my own disobedience to God that landed me in that situation in the first place.  I rejected everything I knew except that God exists. That much was not debatable. in time, God showed me through the changes he had made in my own life that I did belong to Him and that I could not deny that I was redeemed according to the terms set forth in the Bible. I can't quantify it, but I knew inside of me that I had changed. I am not the same person I was before Jesus began working on my life. Of course, I don't remember much about my life before being saved at the age of six, but I do remember what God did at fourteen, and again at seventeen. Each time, I turned back to God and received a more complete understanding of who He is and what my relationship is to him. Recollection of those experiences helped me through my darkest hours. I continue to learn and grow, and I know that I will do so for the rest of my life. 

Who is Jesus

The Bible tells us that God chose the time when Jesus would come into the world.  (Gal 4:4-5)  Several factors came together to make that point in history the time for Jesus to come.  The conquest of Alexander the great brought a common culture and language to much of the known world.  Then, the Romans came in and brought unity and stability to the region.    They built the roads that would provide the way for the Gospel to travel throughout the world.  The confluence of religious beliefs and ideas had lead to spiritual confusion and moral degeneration.  People were seeking the truth.  Finally, the Hebrews had resettled their ancient homeland, and brought with them the law and traditions that foretold the coming messiah.

In to this world came the very Son of the most high God.  John the disciple begins his account of Jesus’ ministry by saying:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…  (John 1:1)

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.  (John 1:14) 

God came to Earth as man to change the course of history forever.

Jesus was fully man as well as God (Heb. 2:17) He was born of a woman (Luke 2.)  He was made as we were intended to be.  John the Baptist calls him a man (John 1:30,) and he calls himself a man (John 8:40.)  He was also born in the image of God (Col. 1:15.)  He displayed complete obedience to His Father.  He illustrated for us how man was meant to live.  Because of His obedience, he had access to the power, potential, and blessing that was meant for man.  He told us that we would be able to do the things that He did (John 14.)  Jesus demonstrated a fulfilled humanity.

During His Earthly ministry, Jesus worked to reveal the truth.  The laws and traditions that had been passed down through the generations of the Jews had lost their true purpose.  God gave the law to Israel to point the way to the truth.  It was intended to illustrate how we aught to live, and to show that we needed a redeemer.  The law had become laden with tradition that contradicted it and made it into a destroyer of life instead of a guide to it.  Jesus explained the true meaning of the law and showed how the traditions that had grown up around it were false.  He made it clear that he had not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it (Matt. 5:17.)  (Mark 2-3, 6-7; Matt. 5-7)

Jesus was a teacher.  He shed light on issues of life and death.  He made things known that had been hidden since the foundation of the Earth (Luke 10:23-24.)  He declared the Father to be Lord of Heaven and Earth (Matt 6:9-10.)  He explained the will and purpose of the Father and revealed His nature.  He also revealed the nature of man.  He made it known that the only way to life is through a relationship with God.  He exposed the false values that we think will bring us life.  He identified the things that threaten our faith (Matt. 13:18-22; John 8:44.)  He described the responsibilities that come with the blessings of His kingdom.  He also spoke of the power, blessing and potential that comes from knowing Him.  He taught that these are available only through Faith in Him.

Without Him, we have no hope.  All of our efforts come to nothing.  It is only through His work on the cross that we can be saved.  His sacrifice saves us from the separation from God that is a necessary consequence of sin (Is 59:2.)  He cleanses us from the guilt of our sin.  We need no longer feel it (Rom. 8:1.)  He has delivered us from the threat and the power of evil.  He has delivered us from death (John 11.)  Through is death and resurrection, we can be reconciled to the God of the universe.  He has provided a way for us to spend eternity with Him.

The world is enveloped in the darkness of evil and sin.  But into this darkness came the light of the world in the form of a tiny infant.  When he began to shine that light through the things that He taught and did, those who rejected His light had Him crucified.  But this most evil deed was in fact the culmination of Gods plan for man’s salvation.  This was the ultimate purpose of Jesus’ life on Earth.  What was meant for evil, God turned to good.  Through His death and resurrection, Jesus paid the price for us, that noone and nothing else could pay (Hebrews.)  He is King, and truly the light of the world as He claimed to be (John 8:6.)

There may be some dispute over the actual place of Jesus’ burial, but one thing is certain.  That tomb is empty!  (Matt. 28; Luke 24)  He ascended into Heaven, but he did not leave us alone.  He promised that he would send the Holy Spirit to guide us (John 14.)  What happened next was truly awesome in its scale and impact on the world.

Would you like to know Jesus?

Thanks be to Yahweh!  Let's get started!  God wants a relationship with us, but our sin stands in the way.  When the pure and holy comes into contact with the unclean, the unclean is destroyed.  We need a way to be cleansed, and there is only one.  That leads me to the issue of guilt. If we have no forgiveness, then our guilt is justified. Romans 3:10 tells us that none of us is righteous. Romans 3:23 emphasizes the point by saying that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We are guilty. It doesn't matter how good or bad we think we are. We cannot live up to God's standards. God, knowing this, provided a way for us to be cleansed of our sins so that we can be free from guilt. Throughout the Bible, we are shown that death is the consequence of sin. Romans 6:23 states it plainly, and also tells us that God, through Jesus, can give us eternal life instead. The old testament laws show that blood is the payment for sins, but the blood of those animal sacrifices didn't suffice. The perfect sacrifice had to be made in order to redeem us from the certainty of death. Enter Jesus, the son of God. The only man to ever live on earth without sin. God loved us so much that he came down to us to live in the form of a man and die a terrible death in order that we may live with him forever (John 3:16.) 

Perhaps you see the Christian lifestyle as a series of rules. Certainly, there is truth and there is falsehood. There is right and there is wrong, but the true Christian lifestyle is not about these things. It is about submitting your life to the guidance of the Holy Spirit of God. It is about making Him lord of your life. He will show you over time what you need to do beyond that. It is not always easy, but He gives you the strength and the desire to do it. Right now, all you need to do is accept that sacrifice. Ask the Lord to come into your life and take charge. You don't need to say any special words. Just talk to Him and ask him in. 

Romans 10.  9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (NKJ)

Have you done this? Then you are free from guilt. You need not live with self condemnation for things you've done. It doesn't matter what they were.

Now, choose life. Find a good church. Find true Christian people whom you can trust and learn from. Sometimes, this is hard to do. Don't be discouraged. The devil is real, and he will try to take away what you have just gained. Keep the faith. God is bigger than he is. 

Did you do this a long time ago? Many of us, though we have been saved, lose sight of the wonder of God's love and the potency of His sacrifice. Many of us continue to live with the guilt of sins we committed, particularly if we did so after being saved. God's grace is not a tightrope. It's a sturdy, high walled bridge. You're not going to fall just by a misstep. That decision you made wasn't your last hope of cleansing. The blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7.) Acknowledge the sin and repent, i.e. turn away from it, making a decision not to repeat it. 

Here's another point. Many Christians I speak with, including myself spend a lot of energy worrying about what might happen in the future. Many a time, I have been reluctant to come to God with a problem, because I was fearful that I really wasn't repentant. I felt that it really couldn't be out from between us, because given the same circumstances, I was likely to repeat it. God has shown me that this perspective is inaccurate. Our righteousness (right standing with god) is not determined by what we have done or will do. It is determined by the condition of our hearts at this very moment. If you have confessed your sins and you are pure before God at this moment, you are forgiven and you are righteous. Stop beating yourself up for past failures or worrying about what you might do a minute from now. Enter into the joy of your master. 

If this has meant anything to you, please drop me a note.

Selected Verses

These are the Bible verses referenced by the above text.  The "Back to text" links will take you back to the place at which the preceding verse was referenced.  All text is quoted from the New King James version.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Romans 3:10

As it is written:  "There is none righteous, no, not one;

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Romans 3:23

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

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Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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© 2010 Larry Thacker Jr.