Welcome to my blog - this is my first post and I invite you to be a regular visitor here to see what is being added. The site has a specific purpose - it will not be my ramblings about my life, but it will include reflections about life - its origin, object and outcome. Life throws up a lot of questions, but I'm convinced that the Bible has the answers. This site will contain the answers to questions I have asked, as well as questions I have been asked, and it may be the case these are questions you are asking yourself.
Just so as you know, I am a Christian in the Bible sense of the word, i.e. I have received forgiveness of sins and new life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (see Acts 26 v 18 & 28). I want to briefly tell you why I'm a Christian (I will be going into these things in more detail in subsequent posts).
The first reason, quite honestly, was because of environment - I was brought up in a Christian home. Now before you scoff just remember that embracing the beliefs of your parents doesn't mean those beliefs are wrong, after all, no matter what worldview you have or what beliefs you hold, we could produce someone who has similar convictions whose parents also had them - and while it is the case that me saying, "My parents believed this" is not sufficient to show Christianity is true, it's also the case that you saying, "Your parents believed that" is not sufficient to show Christianity is false! We could produce people from all sorts of backgrounds who ended up becoming Christians. But yes, I did see the reality and relevance of salvation in the lives of those close to me - I saw that this was not a Sunday morning thing that had no impact on the rest of their lives, and what the Gospel offered (forgiveness, salvation, certainty etc.) was something I felt I needed and something that I felt I wanted, and so I turned to Christ for salvation at an early age, finding assurance through the wonderful words of John 3 v 16.
But, like anyone who thinks, I did question what I had been taught, which brings me to the second reason I want to mention for why I am a Christian - evidence. I'm a Christian because I actually believe it's true. My investigation into the reliability of Scripture, the fulfilled prophecies (especially in relation to Christ), the evidence for the resurrection, and seeing that the teachings of the Bible correspond to the way the world really is in a way that no other worldview does, all combined to confirm to me that the step of faith I took as a child was the right one, and meant that I did not just know Christianity was true, I could actually show it was true.
Thirdly, the reason I am a Christian is because of experience. I found that the Gospel offered a real answer to a real problem - in the sacrificial death and glorious resurrection of Christ I saw what no other religion offered - mercy consistent with, not at the expense of, justice. The Gospel doesn't fudge on the issue of sin - it deals with it, and only in the Gospel do we see that God is "a just God and a Saviour". But the Gospel also makes a real difference to real people. You don't just receive forgiveness when you turn to Christ but you also receive new life - this life manifests itself to witness to the believer, and to all who look on, that Christ is living and salvation is real.
That's why I'm a Christian. My question to you, why are you not? I have been asking that question of people for years, and have heard plenty of excuses, but no good reason.
If you are a Christian, I hope this site will encourage you and help to equip you in your service for the Lord. If you aren't a Christian, I hope this site will give you something to think about, and show you that there are answers in the Bible, and there is hope in Christ.
