1 Peter 3:15 tells us that Christians should always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that is in us (with gentleness and respect).
So, why am I a Christian?
First, I think we have to ask ourselves, what is a Christian?
A Christian is someone who puts their faith in God and the redemptive work that was done through the death and resurrection of Christ on the cross. Because of this faith, we will see the promises of God that are made in the Bible of Jesus’ second coming which brings with it a new heaven and new Earth.
If I Christian is someone who puts their faith in God, the main question can also be phrased as “Why do I believe in God and put my faith in Him?”
And to that question, I have five answers.
Because I Know God is Real
I’m a Christian because I know, without a doubt, that God is real by witnessing His attributes through nature and personal experience. I put my faith in God’s redemptive work because I know He is real.
Romans 1:19-20 says, “For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”
God shows us He is real through the creation of the world and the creation of humanity. We can look out into nature and see God’s beauty, sovereignty, and providence. Even before I learned about who God is, I knew there was a higher power just by how beautiful and powerful the world can be.
Also, Ezekiel 36:26 says, “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” The moment I became a Christian, my heart changed. I could feel the Holy Spirit come into my life and that personal experience let me know that He is real.
Because God Redeemed His Chosen People
I’m a Christian because God showed me mercy and grace by redeeming me among His people.
The Bible tells us multiple times that God chose His people. We clearly see this in Jeremiah 30:22 when He says, “And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” We also read time and time again how His people rebelled and sinned. As God is perfect, He cannot condone sin, so He redeemed His chosen people through Jesus to satisfy His just wrath.
Ephesians 1:4 says He chose us before the foundation of the world. God had a plan to redeem His chosen people before He even created the universe because He knew we would sin. Romans 8:29 says, “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son” which can only happen through Jesus’ redeeming sacrifice.
Because He Loved Me First
I’m a Christian because God loved me first. 1 John 4:19 says, “We love because he first loved us.”
The Bible tells us many times that no one is righteous, no one is good, and no one seeks for God. This is because “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2: 14).
We cannot understand spiritual things without the spirit of God. This is why John 6:44 says, “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him.”
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8) and after His resurrection, He sent the Holy Spirit to help us understand God’s love.
Because Jesus Died For Me
I’m a Christian because Jesus died and provided a way for me to have a relationship with God.
Humans are imperfect and thus cannot cohabitate with a perfect God. We are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We are all destined for death. However, John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus lived a sinless life and was crucified as a sacrifice for God’s wrath so we can be transformed and eventually cohabitate with God again. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
The good news of the gospel is that while we were dead in our trespasses, God sacrificed His only Son to satisfy His just wrath and impose on us Jesus’ righteousness so that we can have a loving relationship with Him.
Now, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Because Jesus was sinless and was crucified for my sake, I can have a relationship with God.
Because there is no other way
I’m a Christian because there is no other way to God.
Jesus plainly said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
Further, He tells us to “enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14).
Final Thoughts
I started this post by asking “Why am I a Christian?” and then extended the question to “Why do I believe in God and put my faith in Him?” but the question that truly gets to the heart of Christianity is “How am I able to be a Christian?”.
The truth is, there is nothing I can do to contribute to my salvation. I’m a Christian because God let me know that He is real, God redeemed me, God loved me first, God sacrificed His only Son for me, and God’s Word says that there is no other way to Him except through Jesus.
Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
I am a Christian because of God.
Dawn Zauner 