—OBJECTION: Why should I become a Christian? They do the same [bleep] and talk the same way I do.
—RESPONSE: The fact that many professing Christians behave as you do—sinful in speech—is most unfortunate. There’s no excuse for such behavior, and I won’t attempt to make one. That their speech is less than wholesome is a sad commentary on our times and a flagrant violation of Scripture (Eph. 4:29). It’s sad, unfortunate, and doesn’t reflect the character of Christ, Whom we claim to love.
To answer the question on why you should become a Christian, however, let’s consider your dilemma and contrast that with Christianity’s claims. First, you, like me, have this ever-looming problem: death. Our bodies are subject to sickness, decay, and ultimately, death. What’s the point of this life if we’re just going to die and be forgotten in 100 years? Why do we experience it? What’s the purpose? Why does everything that we know of this life that is good have to come to an end?
Well, the Bible says that death is a payment. It’s a payment for sin (Rm. 6:23). Every human being comes from Adam and has sinned, or broken God’s law. Human beings are sinful by nature and by action. Consider every time you’ve lied–even if it was a small fib, every time you’ve taken God’s name in vain and used it to express disgust, every time you disobeyed your parents, every time you rejected God’s sexual ethic, every time you expressed a pride-filled anger, every time you stole something regardless of its value, every time you failed to honor God as the one true God. In each instance, you acted contrary to God and broke His law, which means you’re deserving of judgment (i.e., payment for sin) both now and when you die. When sinful beings die, His judgment is an eternal, conscious place of punishment called hell.
This is really bad news!
There’s good news, however, and this is the second part: Christianity’s claims. According to the Bible, God made a way for guilty, hell-bound sinners to be made right with Himself while preserving His perfect justice–He couldn’t just ignore your sins (this is similar to how a good judge cannot ignore the heinous crimes of a serial murderer because the criminal was now contrite). Instead, God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, became a man, lived a perfect life (sin free), died a horrific death on a Roman cross, and rose from the dead on the third day signifying that He was who He claimed to be and securing forgiveness of sins for all who repent (turn from sin) and believe (or place their trust) in Him.
While I understand that the actions of those who claim to follow Jesus can be discouraging at times, realize that not everyone claiming to represent Christ are really His followers (Mt. 7:21). At the same time, if there’s a God and He’s holy/just, then He must deal with your sins and repay them accordingly. Yet, because He is good and kind, He has carved a path through Jesus Christ for you. Yes, you! So, despite the actions of others, I pray you’ll give this some serious consideration. After all, it’s the most important matter of your lifetime, so don’t allow your love of sin or the poor actions of some to deter you from a return to peace with your Creator.
#MMApologist #SoliDeoGloria