The Reason for My Faith: Why I Am a Christian

I grew up homeschooled in a conservative Christian household. Church twice a week, scripture every day, and prayer before dinner was my norm. I was the kid wearing the weird dresses that she made herself and not fitting in very well with the other kids from church. Nowadays I’m more adept at interacting with people who have different backgrounds and lifestyles, but I’m still the odd one out most of the time. I’ve been called “super religious,” “goody-two-shoes,” “prude,” and probably a lot worse behind my back.

It might be easy to assume that I hold to the values and lifestyle that I do simply because that is the way I was raised, but while that is certainly a factor, my background is not the only or even the strongest reason I follow Christ. Getting out into the adult world has brought a serious set of struggles. It’s a transition that no one goes through unscathed. Honestly, if my parents’ telling me to follow Jesus was the only impetus for me to do so, I would have walked away long ago.

American culture in the Bible Belt loves cross necklaces and scripture embroidered on pillows but doesn’t care much about following the commands of scripture. The people around me mostly think it’s odd that I make a “big deal” out of white lies and think that God cares about sex outside of marriage. The constant lack of understanding is a heavy burden to bear. I have the same temptations and desires as everybody else, and it is incredibly difficult to deny myself those things when I am constantly surrounded by people who don’t. Sometimes I fail and have to learn lessons the hard way.

I can’t even tell you how many times I have wanted to walk away from all of it. These people around me are acquaintances, coworkers, and friends. They are often people I genuinely enjoy, and it would be so much easier to just do what everybody else is doing. A counter-cultural life is a lonely way to live. A huge percentage of those in my generation who were raised going to church have walked away.

So why do I stay?

One of the things that my parents did remarkably well was searching out and communicating the “why” behind the decisions they made. They did not just tell me what to believe, they made a case for believing it. No topic was off-limits, and nothing was beyond questioning. I grew up learning Christian apologetics (the rational arguments for the Christian faith) and have continued to study and test them into my adult life. I have read the stories of many men and women who came to Christ because they simply could not refute the evidence for the faith. Every time I have been tempted to walk away, it is this knowledge I have that pulls me back, not the simple fact that Mom and Dad were Christians.

Now, I am no professional scholar, this is not intended to be a scholarly document, and there are many people who can lay out these arguments better than I. Going forward, I intend to review and share work from these men and women, but for today I want to lay out some of the basics of my own knowledge. I will be linking some additional resources at the bottom of the page, but most of these facts are things that I have known for long enough that I couldn’t possibly begin to cite exactly where I learned them.

The Nature of Scripture

The Bible is a remarkable document made up of sixty six books written by approximately forty authors. This was done over a time span of approximately one thousand five hundred years with two four hundred year gaps of silence in that span. These men did not live in the same place or time, did not all know each other, and therefore could not have possibly conspired together. Despite this, the bible is remarkably consistent with constantly repeating themes throughout and an over-arching narrative. The story of the Messiah starts in Genesis and finishes in Revelation thousands of years later.

One topic that I learned about sometime in high school has been one of the main things that has stuck with me. I learned that there are a few factors historians use to determine the historical accuracy of a document. The first test is internal consistency: does the document contradict itself? The second is external consistency: does the document match with other historical records? And the third is consistency across copies: how many copies do we have, how old are they, and do they match each other? The Bible passes each of these tests better by far than any other historical document.

In addition to an accurate historical record, the Bible also shows itself to have an astounding track record for predicting the future, or at least what was the future at the time of the writing. From the destruction of the ancient city of Tyre to aspects of the life of the Messiah that no human could have possibly chosen to fulfill on their own, the scripture shows evidence that the authors somehow had detailed knowledge of things yet to come.

The Makings of a Better Life

Beyond the apologetic arguments for the Christian faith, I also find that I cannot deny the pragmatic utility of living according to the scriptures even though it is difficult. The longer I live in this world, the more I appreciate my deeply Christian friends and family for their kindness and honesty. History shows that Christians are the forerunners across the world for the creation of charitable ventures. The Christian sexual ethic, when followed, nearly eliminates the chances of STDs and unwanted pregnancies. Committed, loving marriages make stable homes for children to grow up in. People who are genuinely following Christ do not lie, cheat, or steal. They work hard and treat the people around them with kindness. These are just the beginning of the benefits to living with a biblical ethic.

Christ Alone

But why not another religion? After all, many claim their own signs and wonders. Plenty of people in other religions are also generally nice to the people around them. How can I possibly be sure that out of thousands I have found the right one?

The more I poke and prod at scripture, the more convinced I become that it is entirely impossible for it to come into being in any way that is not divine in origin. No other religion has a text that even approaches the nature of the Bible. Because of this, I have to conclude that the God the Bible introduces is the true God, and I am inclined to believe what he says about himself and the nature of the world through his Word. He says that he is the only way and I have no reasonable option but to believe him.

Christianity is not like any other religion. God’s nature is not like that of any other god. Every other man who has ever started a religion has died and stayed dead. Only Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection have been thoroughly documented by multiple eyewitnesses in the way his was. Only the Christian faith is based on a personal relationship and only the Christian faith saves by grace instead of human striving. I am so grateful to rest in the knowledge that I am not tasked with fixing myself or trying to be a “good person” because I know that I am not equipped to do so.

The Bottom Line

Living a life according to the Bible is not easy in the short term, but the peace, joy, and freedom are so worth it in the long run. I am secure in the assurance that through the struggle I will build strength and that whatever suffering I endure in the path of obedience is working a weight of eternal glory.

I know that people will continue to view me as weird, crazy, or uptight. I also know, though, that my differences spark a curiosity for some, and I pray that as I continue to be bolder in sharing the truth I have found, some of those people will take the open invitation to join me.

I am exceedingly grateful for the background I have and the support of my family. Someday, I hope to provide a similar upbringing for children of my own and to equip them with knowledge to back up faith. Ultimately, however, they will have to make their own choice just as I did and just as every other person on this planet must regardless of their upbringing. In the end, it is the evidence of the truth that has captured my rebel heart, and it is the only thing that makes me stay.

Stay undaunted,

Ciara J.

Some resources for further study that I have found helpful:

• Evidence for the Bible – A YouTube series by Mike Winger

• The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel (Book)

• Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: The Christian Testimony of Nabeel Qureshi (YouTube video, Nabeel also has a book by the same title)