At the start of this semester, I had two questions on my mind which I didn't think much of then, but I felt them stronger as time went along. I had plans to meet up with many of my friends here at college to wrap up my time before I graduated so these questions fit right in with that and I began asking them when I met with certain individuals on a weekly basis. I got to listen to a variety of responses which was truly enlightening, educational, and helpful for me personally. One of the people I met with even turned the questions back around on me which initially caught me off guard but made me realize that the questions are important for everyone, myself included. As for the questions themselves, they are: What do you Believe and Why do you Believe It?
The way I see it, at it’s very core, Christianity is black and white. What I mean by this is, God is either real or He’s not, Christ either existed and died for us or He didn’t, and Christianity is either of utmost importance or total nonsense. With that, I believe being able to answer these two questions is very important for 2 reasons. For ourselves, we need a solid foundation for our faith to stand on so that we’re not pulled in any direction by whatever flashy comes along in the “real world”. For others, we’re called to go and share our faith, spreading the gospel, and I don’t believe we can do this very well if we don’t have these questions answered. If we don’t know what we believe and why, how can we share it and expect anyone else to believe it? It’s hypocritical. On top of that, 1 Peter 3:15 states: “And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.” If we don’t know our what and why, how can we explain the hope we have?
As I said, I got many different responses to these two questions. Among my friends, one said we’re imperfect and we’re here with the spirit as a guide and that they believe because of experiences they’ve had such as injuries. One said everyone needs Christ and we can all know Him and that she believes because everything points to Him. “Love has a source and it’s God” said another. One admitted they were broken, that grace is huge, and that this became much more real in college when they made it their own after being raised with a pastor father. A few guys I talked with said that the Bible is the only thing that explains humanity and shows God and makes sense because it’s raw and real. Another believes we need to be one body and she believes because of the impacts she’s seen through finances, friends, and family. One even said they believe there are ripple effects for actions, positive and negative, and he believes because they really feel God when everything aligns.
I believe that there is one true all knowing, all powerful, and all present God. I believe He created us in His image, desiring to have a relationship with us that was made out of pure love, meaning chosen out of free will by both/all parties involved, not created by force without choice. I believe we had this perfect relationship with Him until we committed our original sin, thus making us unclean, therefore unable to be in perfect harmony with a perfect and pure God. I believe that God is fully loving yet fully just and was thus caught between not wanting to destroy us because of love and needing some kind of sacrifice to create justice for the rule that was broken. He wanted to restore the relationship with us but the only thing that would make us pure and able to re-enter His presence would be Himself. Nothing else was worthy and pure enough to meet the need. He therefore sent His son Christ to be that sacrifice and to be fully human and fully God in order to understand the highs and lows, trials and triumphs, joys and sufferings that we as humans endure. He took on everything from temptations to frustrations up to the point of being torn to shreds and hung naked until death in order to lay down His life freely for our sakes. Christ went from praised to crucified, having no friends or followers with Him, not even His closest disciples, in a matter of a week. But, as He said He would, he was brought back on the third day, having overcome death and accomplished His ultimate goal that He came to complete. And now, because of all this, we have the bridge back to God built before us, if we choose to cross it.
The key part of that is that it’s a choice. As with any loving relationship, God wants us to come under our choosing. However, the consequences of our choices are also laid out before us. This is kind of a unique situation because rarely are the consequences laid out so clearly. If we choose to believe that Christ is who He said He was and we commit our lives to following Him, he promises us eternal life with Him. However, if we choose to turn from the truth, meaning from Him, He will allow us to be apart from Him, forever. This is not some harsh cruelty laid unjustly upon us because it’s a choice we make, in this case knowing the result.
Having said all of this though, I don’t believe we should be choosing God out of fear of negative results. God is not that bare minimum without enjoyment, just as we don’t eat food simply for calories and have friends simply because they provide a variety of benefits. Life is designed to be enjoyed and following God allows us to “have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Doesn’t it make sense that listening to the one who created life would create the best outcome?
All of this is just my what I believe. Now I guess I should say why. Really, this comes down to a couple reasons. First, I believe this because it all makes sense. If you look at how Christianity is all laid out, everything lines up. The whole Bible, from prophecies to historical accounts, point towards Christ. There is incredible evidence outside of the Bible as well which has really solidified it for me. There are countless questions but the answers are there. Faith isn’t just a feeling, it’s more solid than that and if the facts weren’t there, I don’t know if I would believe it. Of course it makes sense though, why wouldn’t it? God gave us our minds and our sense of reasoning with the intention of us using it. The tricky part comes in however when we’re asked to expand our reasoning and logical understanding. If God is infinite and we’re finite, how can we possibly try to comprehend everything that God does and understand how all of existence works? It’s not like a bypass or a cop-out is trying to be made, we just simply can’t grasp every single thing there is to grasp. We often have a hard time accepting this but ultimately it’s just a fact. It’s like having a hard time accepting that the Earth is round, sorry if that’s hard to accept but it’s still true.
As for the second reason, I believe because of what I’ve experienced. Something my sister Kaitlin tells me that I have a hard time with is that God is meant to be experienced, He’s not looking for a series of checked boxes. God wants a relationship with us, not a series of accomplishments. Kaitlin is actually a big part of my “experience”, especially because of what I’ve seen happen through her as she’s worked w/ Navs as an EDGE Corps member at Penn State. I see so many others lives being changed and affected because they’re following Christ. One of the biggest times I see this is on spring break trips. I’ve also recently realized that this past year has been a big part of my experience. All of this stuff that’s happened has been the first time I’ve clearly seen God working in my life, which is odd because I don’t normally think that way and associate things with God working in my life. This past year has stretched my faith to the brink and made it stronger than ever before because of all I’ve gone through. But maybe that’s what I needed, something to refine it and define it.
I’ve actually also been helped in my understanding of faith by a great author named Philip Yancey. Kaitlin gave me a book called Reaching for the Invisible God right around Thanksgiving this past fall and I read it through winter break. This book really helped me because Yancey writes in a very real manner, not afraid to go after any issues. Basically the book really goes into what being a Christian is really like and what to expect instead of the puffed up sugar coated silliness that can often be portrayed. This was really impactful for me because I’ve had a lot of the same questions others had and finding out the answers was the only thing that was going to satisfy me. That’s not to say I’m done learning, I’ve just gained a better understanding of why it all makes sense.
Yancey has answers to the other questions too and my favorite part if when he references C.S. Lewis and an analogy he once made. Lewis talks about a beam of light in a dark shed and how he first looked at the beam and the particles of dust in it and what the light is made up of. He then looked along the beam and saw the shed’s window, leaves on a tree outside, and the sun far away. The point here is that it’s really a matter of perspective. The reason and logic and details are all there, we just have to be able to see what they’re making, like the pieces of a mosaic making up a picture. When you listen to a song from your computer, it’s really just data written on your hard drive being played, after it’s read, through speakers that make sound waves that travel through the air, hit your ears where tiny bones interpret the waves and transmit them to your brain where it’s made into a recognizable tune. But we don’t often think of it as all of this, we just hum and dance to the music and enjoy it. I’m learning more and more that God is like this in that of course the details are all there but you don’t enjoy it and have a relationship built off of them.
Luke 9:18-20 states: “One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him, and he asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say you are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”
So now it’s your turn. I’m turning the questions over to all of you. You may not have thought much about this and you may not have the most sophisticated answer but that’s ok, that’s what makes it raw and real, and when you run into people who ask you about your faith, you won’t be able to tell them you’ll send them a written statement in a couple days. Remember, these questions are critical and having answers for them will bolster your faith and prepare you for whatever and whoever comes your way.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this long post about the mission I've been on during my final semester of college. It is one that I have felt more strongly about than anything else in my life and it continues to guide me. I hope this has at least a fraction of the impact on you as it has had on me.So, feel free to let me know what you think and comment your what and why. Remember also, that this all started as just a thought.
