Why are you a Christian?

[ARHCC]

I grew up in church, actually my dad is a pentecostal preacher, but when I was around 17 or so I considered myself to be agnostic.
When I was 23 I became a heavy drinker. I was depressed and hated myself and didn't realize just how bad it was, one night I was sitting in bed and I asked God if he did exist why didn't he love me. Apparently that started in God pursuing me, and for the next six months or so I started thinking about things like prayer and church a lot. I had a strange desire to find myself. I kept ignoring these thoughts and would try to push them to the side. Eventually these thoughts were so consuming that I couldn't sleep, still I tried to ignore it even though at this point I realized God was trying to tell me something, so after two nights of no sleep at all I took myself to church that Sunday. I accepted him in my life that morning, and started a relationship with him.
He made himself real to me so that is how I started to believe.

 

[baryogenesis]

I was raised in a Jewish family, though a few members of my family were/are agnostic and non-practicing. My early exposure to Christianity (aside from living in America, and growing up in Tennesee in particular, were there is not a realistic way of NOT hearing the Gospel and much of NT doctrine) -- my earliest memories of "what it means to be a 'real' Christian" were based on TV personalities such as Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, etc., and I formed an opinion (as a child) that THAT is not what I believe in nor want to be a part of.

To make a long testimony shorter (believe it not ), I discovered that Christianity and individual Christians were not a monolithic group who all believe and behave the same way. Sure, Christians tend to agree on the key doctrines of the Faith, but moving around the country (military brat) I found that there is great diversity regionally as well as between denominations among what many Christians believe specifically. Again, aside from the key doctrines (mostly).

But for myself, personally, it was the miracle of receiving the gift of a measure of faith. I did not expect it, wasn't looking for it, certainly didn't feel it was my "destiny" or even "me." In fact I had quite the negative attitude about the Christian Religion (and as a teen this extended to any religion, including Judaism -- I was a rebellious child, at least in my thoughts and beliefs, even if I was well-behaved on the "outside.") The heart of my testimony is pretty much a cliche -- I was homeless at 17 and with the last of my resources managed to get a Greyhound bus ride to Los Angeles (where there was some assistance for the homeless that I did not have in Cupertino where I lived when my Dad kicked me out in '85). The same police that told me that I was not allowed to sleep in the park at night (I had no clue where to go or what to do) were the ones that helped me get to L.A. and told me about the URM and other services and facilities where I could possibly get some help. The large alleyway behind the URM (the largest and oldest Mission in L.A.) is literally called "skid row" there. I was on skid row, at the end of my rope. This is were Christ found me. As a Jew I knew all about the One True God, the Father. But it was the Son from Whom I felt an overwhelming compassion and Grace, and then something elusive that I remembered as if from long ago: peace. Actual peace. And I could have died right there as the happiest I'd ever been.

From that point forward to this day, I believe in Christ Jesus and His redemptive power -- indeed His unfathomable power as "the Firstborn over all creation" even as I still believe most of what I was taught in Hebrew school growing up. I believe it in the same sort of way that I believe in gravity. Even if I were to make a great effort to stop believing in gravity, it just wouldn't work. I know better, simple as that. I cannot remove myself (even if I wanted to) from my relationship with Christ -- and through Him the more difficult way to describe my relationship with Elohim the Creator, El-Shaddai, Adonai, Abba, Avi HaRachamim -- as a part of His Creation.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 has long been a touchstone for me. (Typically Jewish, I know.) The Lord gave me the realization (several times before my stubborn noggin fully accepted it) that humility before the Almighty was where true peace can always be found. And for me, it was evidently not possible without the miraculous intervention of the Father's Grace through His Firstborn. (Avi Yeshua Hamashiach Adonenu).

 

[Justified112]

How do you figure?

The only way to become a Christian is to accept Jesus as your Savior. Jesus, not baptism, is the only to God. John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me."

Salvation is found nothing and no one except Jesus. You are not saved by what you do, but by faith in Jesus. Just getting sprinkled as an infant will not save you.

 

[Tony Ramirez]

For many years growing up "Catholic" I had issues with "there religion". Actually I though God was all rules and had back experiences like told from an "Catholic" I would lose my legs if I did not go to Church. Try telling that to an 11 year old.

I came Christian Church and God in 2000 and was born again 2001 for really all the wrong reasons. I wanted friends and God gave them too me but I used them putting them first before God. When I lost them because of them getting married and then realizing the Church I went to was all wrong "age group too young or old" "few events that were frequently cancelled", I backslided hard for 15 years.

So why am I an Christian because God gave me so many signs to come back to him that is why?

 

[marineimaging]

I was raised in a Jewish family, though a few members of my family were/are agnostic and non-practicing. My early exposure to Christianity (aside from living in America, and growing up in Tennesee in particular, were there is not a realistic way of NOT hearing the Gospel and much of NT doctrine) -- my earliest memories of "what it means to be a 'real' Christian" were based on TV personalities such as Jimmy Swaggart, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker, etc., and I formed an opinion (as a child) that THAT is not what I believe in nor want to be a part of.

To make a long testimony shorter (believe it not ), I discovered that Christianity and individual Christians were not a monolithic group who all believe and behave the same way. Sure, Christians tend to agree on the key doctrines of the Faith, but moving around the country (military brat) I found that there is great diversity regionally as well as between denominations among what many Christians believe specifically. Again, aside from the key doctrines (mostly).

But for myself, personally, it was the miracle of receiving the gift of a measure of faith. I did not expect it, wasn't looking for it, certainly didn't feel it was my "destiny" or even "me." In fact I had quite the negative attitude about the Christian Religion (and as a teen this extended to any religion, including Judaism -- I was a rebellious child, at least in my thoughts and beliefs, even if I was well-behaved on the "outside.") The heart of my testimony is pretty much a cliche -- I was homeless at 17 and with the last of my resources managed to get a Greyhound bus ride to Los Angeles (where there was some assistance for the homeless that I did not have in Cupertino where I lived when my Dad kicked me out in '85). The same police that told me that I was not allowed to sleep in the park at night (I had no clue where to go or what to do) were the ones that helped me get to L.A. and told me about the URM and other services and facilities where I could possibly get some help. The large alleyway behind the URM (the largest and oldest Mission in L.A.) is literally called "skid row" there. I was on skid row, at the end of my rope. This is were Christ found me. As a Jew I knew all about the One True God, the Father. But it was the Son from Whom I felt an overwhelming compassion and Grace, and then something elusive that I remembered as if from long ago: peace. Actual peace. And I could have died right there as the happiest I'd ever been.

From that point forward to this day, I believe in Christ Jesus and His redemptive power -- indeed His unfathomable power as "the Firstborn over all creation" even as I still believe most of what I was taught in Hebrew school growing up. I believe it in the same sort of way that I believe in gravity. Even if I were to make a great effort to stop believing in gravity, it just wouldn't work. I know better, simple as that. I cannot remove myself (even if I wanted to) from my relationship with Christ -- and through Him the more difficult way to describe my relationship with Elohim the Creator, El-Shaddai, Adonai, Abba, Avi HaRachamim -- as a part of His Creation.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 has long been a touchstone for me. (Typically Jewish, I know.) The Lord gave me the realization (several times before my stubborn noggin fully accepted it) that humility before the Almighty was where true peace can always be found. And for me, it was evidently not possible without the miraculous intervention of the Father's Grace through His Firstborn. (Avi Yeshua Hamashiach Adonenu).

Thank you for that wonderful writing.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

The only way to become a Christian is to accept Jesus as your Savior. Jesus, not baptism, is the only to God. John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man comes to the Father but by me."

Salvation is found nothing and no one except Jesus. You are not saved by what you do, but by faith in Jesus. Just getting sprinkled as an infant will not save you.

It seems that you don't really get the idea of this thread. It wasn't to provide people an opportunity to bash one another's faith stories. It was rather, simply, that those faith accounts could be shared.

Having said that, a reflection on John 14:6...

Jesus' the Way to God and to heaven. He bears, he carries them that are his, that trust in him. He brings them to the home above.

Jesus' the Truth. His Word may be trusted, for it teaches God's knowledge, and directs the way. The way which he teaches is the way, for he's the Truth.

Jesus' the Life. He's Life's Giver, the giver of life that enlivens those that trust in him, and that's to be enjoyed at the way's end.

He that trusts in him has life, is united with God, so far as God's will's concerned. It follows that no one can come to God but by and through Christ.

There's no other way, all those that are devised by people lead to destruction. Christ's the Way to heaven.

This is what the word, 'truth,' means, that Jesus is the way, and alone will stay the Way to which one must adhere, and not let the wrong path deceive that would entice us to seek something beside Jesus that should help us to salvation.

Christ adds, "If you'd known me, you should've known God." Their knowledge was not yet so deep as it might have been. God's in Christ, and to know him's to know God.

So the disciples had seen God, who's revealed in the Son, with faith's eyes, by which they'd received Jesus.

They that see Jesus by that same seeing also see God. For they touch that Person in whom God reveals Godself.

 

[Anthony2019]

I was taught the faith in an Anglo-Catholic CofE church from a very early age. I learned many of the teachings of Jesus during my time at Sunday school and celebrated occasions such as Easter and Christmas at the church. I remember many of the children's songs we used to sing as well as the old Anglican hymns, liturgies and prayers. I was taught how to pray.

I spent most of the first decade of my life living in a children's home. I believed that God existed and somehow he might be watching over me. When I lost a toy or something special, I would get upset and with a simple childlike faith I would pray to God to help me find it. Sometimes when these prayers were answered, it confirmed to me that God must be real and listening to me.

Although I believed that Jesus was a good person and helped a lot of people, I never really understood him as the Son of God. This came much later in life when I started exploring the faith with friends of mine at a university group.

One evening, in the privacy of my own bedroom, I prayed a simple prayer of faith to God to reveal the truth to me about Jesus and I how I could be a true follower of him. The Holy Spirit open my eyes to that truth and I have been a Christian ever since. Since then I have never doubted that He is indeed the way, the truth, and life and the way to the Father.

 

[Justified112]

It seems that you don't really get the idea of this thread. It wasn't to provide people an opportunity to bash one another's faith stirues.

I am not bashing anyone. I am simply saying that baptism doesn't make anyone a Christian. It is having a saving faith in Jesus Christ that saves you. He is the means of salvation, not baptism.

One of the dangerous things I see today is that many people claim to be Christians for reasons that have nothing to do with Jesus. And they are deceived and need to come to Christ and get truly saved from sin. Don't depend on rite or ritual or even the fact that you assent to set of propositional truths about Jesus. You must place all of your faith in Him and make a quality decision to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior to be a genuine follower of Christ.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

I am not bashing anyone. I am simply saying that baptism doesn't make anyone a Christian. It is having a saving faith in Jesus Christ that saves you. He is the means of salvation, not baptism.

One of the dangerous things I see today is that many people claim to be Christians for reasons that have nothing to do with Jesus. And they are deceived and need to come to Christ and get truly saved from sin. Don't depend on rite or ritual or even the fact that you assent to set of propositional truths about Jesus. You must place all of your faith in Him and make a quality decision to accept Him as your personal Lord and Savior to be a genuine follower of Christ.

I believe you're outside of the confines of the thread. The OP didn't ask us to critique the faith stories of others. If you want to discuss the viability, or lack thereof, of baptismal regeneration - there's at least one thread at CF devoted to that purpose.

My story stands. I became a Christian when Jesus gave me the gift of faith via my baptism.

 

[Justified112]

I believe you're outside of the confines of the thread. The OP didn't ask us to critique the faith stories of others. If you want to discuss the viability, or lack thereof, of baptismal regeneration - there's at least one thread at CF devoted to that purpose.

My story stands. I became a Christian when Jesus gave me the gift of faith via my baptism.

An infant cannot have faith; infants cannot make decisions to follow Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible is faith given to anyone via baptism. In the Bible, baptism is the result of faith, not how faith in obtained.

 

[Ttalkkugjil]

An infant cannot have faith; infants cannot make decisions to follow Jesus. Nowhere in the Bible is faith given to anyone via baptism. In the Bible, baptism is the result of faith, not how faith in obtained.

So again, you're critiquing my faith story - which is not what the OP asked for, not what the thread is about. Putting you on "ignore."

 

[Norman70]

With great respect, as I have pointed out in my earlier post, the problem is that this thread is in the wrong forum. We are here for discussion and debate, therefore our different views on whether or not we can be saved by baptism can be expressed in this thread.
It also illustrates my concern as Christians about what we mean by being saved. Please visit my thread about that.
Perhaps a moderator could comment on this issue, perhaps even moving this thread to a more appropriate forum?

 

[Tone]

With great respect, as I have pointed out in my earlier post, the problem is that this thread is in the wrong forum. We are here for discussion and debate, therefore our different views on whether or not we can be saved by baptism can be expressed in this thread.
It also illustrates my concern as Christians about what we mean by being saved. Please visit my thread about that.
Perhaps a moderator could comment on this issue, perhaps even moving this thread to a more appropriate forum?

I just added this to my post #47, since it has become a point of contention:

Oh yeah, I was baptized soon after receiving the Spirit. I wanted to add this fact, since it seems to have become an issue.

* I was also baptized again very recently!

**Uh oh...is that another batch o worms?

 

[Jonathan Mathews]

This question is quite straight forward. I just want to know how you came to put your faith in Christ. I get a lot of different answers to this question, and the answers I get usually fascinate me. It can be a one sentence answer, or as long as you want. I'm just really interested in hearing your answer.

I heard a message on Hell and whether in my body or out of it, I do not know, I saw Hell in outer darkness and I was on a path going straight into it. I went home and asked my earthy father "How do I avoid Hell?" He said "Oh! That's something you have to talk to Jesus about." He led me in a prayer to Jesus Christ who I believed was in Heaven, confessing all my known sins and saying "Please come into my heart". Before I could finishing saying "heart", WHOOSH! The Holy Spirit was poured out from Heaven into my soul/heart and I KNEW I was saved. I jumped up from my knees and ran like the wind to my friend's house where I tried to tell you "You don't have to go to Hell!". I was 10 years old. I was baptized in water the next week. I didn't speak in tongues for another 18 years or so. Now I'm 34 and the same Holy Spirit never leaves nor forsakes me, and He makes me more "Christian" (little Christ/Christ-like) every day.

 

[Norman70]

My priority as a Christian is to do good works in this life, and I appreciate we do not have to be a Christian to do this. I accept that I will receive eternal salvation with God through faith alone. I trust that my motivation to do good works is by the Holy Spirit within me.
However I have a problem. In my old age and considerable infirmity I can only read, write and talk. I can give my possessions away, not money as I am poor apart from a couple of dollars here and there, and little in the way of time and energy. One poster here at CF has said that in retirement we should not be concerned about spreading knowledge of the Word (Jesus), but should only pray, fast, go to Church, and do some voluntary work if able. I do the first two but not able to do the second two.
My problem was highlighted as I read this morning's devotion sent by a Christian website. It attempted to encourage us, as Christians, to spread the Good News - knowledge of the Gospel. I can only read, write and talk, and it appears that my interpretation of the Scriptures is rather different to mainstream Christianity. All I can do is pray to God that in my reading, writing and talking this is what He wants me to do. At the moment He is saying: "Yes".

 

[food4thought]

My priority as a Christian is to do good works in this life, and I appreciate we do not have to be a Christian to do this. I accept that I will receive eternal salvation with God through faith alone. I trust that my motivation to do good works is by the Holy Spirit within me.
However I have a problem. In my old age and considerable infirmity I can only read, write and talk. I can give my possessions away, not money as I am poor apart from a couple of dollars here and there, and little in the way of time and energy. One poster here at CF has said that in retirement we should not be concerned about spreading knowledge of the Word (Jesus), but should only pray, fast, go to Church, and do some voluntary work if able. I do the first two but not able to do the second two.
My problem was highlighted as I read this morning's devotion sent by a Christian website. It attempted to encourage us, as Christians, to spread the Good News - knowledge of the Gospel. I can only read, write and talk, and it appears that my interpretation of the Scriptures is rather different to mainstream Christianity. All I can do is pray to God that in my reading, writing and talking this is what He wants me to do. At the moment He is saying: "Yes".

Hi Norman70. I read your post and couldn't help but think that you would be a good candidate for a ministry that my church is beginning to do. It is a congregational care ministry to older members that can't get to church very often, if at all. What we are planning to do is have members call them and keep in touch with them, as often as they would like. This sounds like it would be something you could do to serve the Lord by reaching out and loving on some people. Anyways, I thought maybe you could do something like that with your church.

God bless;
Michael

 

[harmonmarie]

I first claimed to be a Christian when I was young (12 years) when I was baptized. I was scared of going to Hell and I thought that I could save myself if I went through the rituals. I tried to act like a Christian, but honestly I wasn't very good at it. I gave into peer pressure, my own fears of rejection and loneliness, and general acceptance that I was going to sin and pretty much rejected God's teachings while still expecting his blessings.

So naturally, by the time I got into college, I still believed in God and Jesus, but I had doubts as I did not feel Him (Them?) working in my life like I thought they should. I was still looking for what God could do for me instead of what I could do for God. I studied heavily in chemistry and biology, and was around many professors and peers that rejected religious teachings and shook my faith more. By the end of my college years, I was scared. I was engaged to be married but neither of us had any clue what we were doing, I was looking at becoming homeless, and the effects of stress were starting to affect me mentally in a severe way. I hit rock bottom, and I picked up my bible. I didn't know where to start, so I started from the beginning. And I read Genesis 1, and I thought "this sounds familiar." In Genesis, God separates land from earth in 1:10, then in 1:11 He brought plants onto the land, then in 1:20 it is said "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that my fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven." I had learned in various biology courses that part of the current theory of evolution is that there were first plants, then animal life evolved in the sea, and then the sea creatures crawled onto land in the form of amphibians, and these evolved into the creatures we have today.

I felt that there was no way that Moses (I think he wrote Genesis?) could have known this sequence without divine intervention. And in that moment, it became real for me, and I decided to really do better with my faith. Was I Christian at 12 (as in, do I believe that I had been saved through the shedding of Jesus' blood)? Probably, although a very misguided Christian. Am I a Christian now? Definitely, and hopefully slightly less misguided. But, since my faith was shaken a bit, it is much stronger. And since I stopped trying to save myself my life has really fallen into place.

 

[Sabertooth]

Why are you a Christian?

1. To avoid Hell.
2. To use an engineering term, God and His ways are so elegant! I would not want to be anywhere else, even if there wasn't a Hell to shun. (That threat just got my attention.)

This question is quite straight forward. I just want to know how you came to put your faith in Christ.

My uncle walked me through The Four Spiritual Laws. It was a real eye-opener!

 

[ViaCrucis]

This question is quite straight forward. I just want to know how you came to put your faith in Christ. I get a lot of different answers to this question, and the answers I get usually fascinate me. It can be a one sentence answer, or as long as you want. I'm just really interested in hearing your answer.

There's never been a time in my life that I haven't believed. While I wasn't baptized as an infant, as the tradition in which I was raised did not baptize infants and small children (as such I didn't receive Baptism until I was in my late teens), the Gospel was preached to me since my first breath. And so the name of Jesus was on my ears from the moment I came into this world, and was on my lips as soon as I was able to form sentences.

And so by the grace of God, through His Word and Sacraments, He made me His own. It was never me, it was always Him.

I continue to be a Christian because there is no other way for me to be. Christ who in His great love came for me, owns me; and I happily and gladly forfeit my life to Him. May He keep me and hold me until the day I breathe my last.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[Pomegranate]

It is so interesting to read why others are Christian, thank you all for sharing.

For me, it feels right.

I read the Bible and I'm amazed by the lessons to be learned. I pray to Him because it brings me peace. I believe in Him, in our faith, because I see the good in it and I see the truth. I do not agree with all the actions of my fellow Christians, nor do I necessarily agree with their application of His Word, but I see the good intentions, I see the belief, and it is an amazing thing. Even if He judges me unworthy and hell is my destination, it doesn't matter. I have lived in wonder of His creation, had the blessing of life, and tried my best, all for the love of Him.

Not the most logical or theologically strong of explanations, but it is the best I have.