As we kicked off 2023, I decided to discuss in our Newssheet the reasons why I’m a Christian. For a belief system to be convincing, it must be (i) logically consistent, (ii) empirically verifiable, and (iii) existentially (experientially) relevant.
So far I’ve discussed how the existence of God makes sense of the data, since believing this universe just popped into existence with no ‘uncaused cause’ means believing in a metaphysical absurdity (i.e. we can get something from nothing). Theism is ‘logically consistent’ in a way that atheism is not.
Then last week we investigated the evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which can be proven beyond reasonable doubt. The life, death and Resurrection of Jesus is ‘empirically verifiable’.
The final reason I’m a Christian is that Christianity is ‘existentially relevant’. We’ve already seen how Jesus’ death solves our main problem in life; sin. As we discussed 2 weeks’ ago, if there really is a God, then he will call us to account for the sinful things we’ve thought, said and done. The cross of Christ meets our most fundamental existential problem.
Yet the death of Jesus is only the beginning of Christianity’s existential relevance. When we analyse Jesus’ teaching, we discover that every single one of his laws makes the best sense of life on this planet. Whether Jesus is talking about sex, money or power, status, marriage or pride, sympathy, mercy or prayer, God’s word consistently teaches us the best way to live. Whenever Jordan Peterson, a self-professed non-Christian, analyses the data on people’s behaviour and lifestyles, he seems to come to the exact same conclusion the Bible has been teaching us for millennia.
Thus the forth and final reason I’m a Christian is because Jesus’ teaching continually makes the best sense of life on this planet. I pray you find the same conclusion.
