Way Truth Life Apologetics

(original post 1 Aug 2020)

   What is the underlying message of the Bible? What is the story Christians believe and strive to live their life declaring to others? Why is it genuine Christians look, act, talk, think, behave, and carry themselves differently than non-Christians? Please allow me to elaborate on the answers to these starting with the first question’s answer—the Gospel.

   In the beginning, God created…He created everything out of nothing (Big Bang cosmology posits that time and space began out of nothing). In the course of creation, God created mankind (Adam and Eve) and set them in a garden paradise. They had one rule to follow (do not eat the fruit of one particular tree). Why did they have this rule? Because God created them with free will. In the exercise of that free will, every time they walked by the tree and chose to follow God’s directive, they demonstrated love for God over love for self. Unfortunately, that harmony didn’t last long, and the rule was broken. This violation against a holy, eternal God set a division between man and God that we have no way to cross on our own. So, God set His redemptive plan in motion.

   From that one act of sin (disobedience toward God), mankind and creation became infected with the destruction which results from sin. Man became self-centered, self-serving, selfish, and all manner of perversions would be expressed over time. While creation was caught in a downward spiral, God was at work, guiding the process He would use to restore man’s relationship with Him and creation itself.

   History reflects the horrific results of man’s sinful nature. As we read through the pages of the Bible, we find much of that recorded in lies, murder, rape / sexual assault & immorality, greed, bigotry, famine, war, and so on. In the course of time, however, after a 400 year silence from God (the timespan between the book of Malachi closing the Old Testament and the book of Matthew) the next time God was heard was when He inhabited a human baby’s body as the incarnation of Jesus.

   Jesus spent His entire 33-year long life in service and obedience to His Father’s plan to make things right between God and mankind. He lived a perfect, sinless life. He ministered and served the lowly and downtrodden, the rejected and despised, the hopeless and hurting, the sinners facing an eternity separated from God. The culmination of Jesus’ life was His last week—the Passion week. He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (a surrendering king would ride a donkey, not a horse), He was observed like a Passover lamb, He was tried three times and not found guilty, except being accused of blasphemy calling Himself God’s Son (which He absolutely is guilty of being—however this is not blasphemy). He was handed over to be crucified and He willingly surrendered His life. He was tortured beyond our imagination and then nailed to a cross where He hung for 6 hours, physically bearing the anguish and suffering we all deserve, and spiritually healing the divide between us and God. When His work was done, His spirit left his body (no one took His life, He laid it down willingly).

   He was buried in the unused tomb of one of his followers. His closest friends were in shock, not expecting these events to unfold for the prophesized Messiah; they did not yet understand how God’s plan was detailed. On the third day, He triumphed over sin and death by resurrecting and walking out of the tomb! He appeared to His followers over the next 40 days, assuring them of His Lordship and giving them final instructions for spreading the “good news” (Gospel) throughout the world! Jesus then ascended to heaven and awaits the appointed time for His return, not as a humble servant but as a conquering King!

    This story is almost 2,000 years old (as it pertains to Jesus life, death, and resurrection), yet the story begins with Genesis 1:1. As a Christian, I am a result of Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, of the gift of salvation available to all through His work on the cross and victory over sin and death. The Gospel story has 2 parts; the life and work of Jesus, and the work He does in each Christian’s life. The testimony each Christian has is a declaration of the truth of Jesus!

   For many years, I thought my testimony was quite uneventful and somewhat lame. I was not rescued out of drugs, abuse, homelessness, or any situation we would consider hopeless and desperate. I was raised in a Christian home and was not much of a troublemaker. Most people looking at my upbringing would think “he’s a good kid from a wonderful home.”

   When I was 14 and staying over at a friend’s house one Friday night, we were talking about movies we liked. My friend was also raised in a Christian home. I was a huge fan of horror movies and I was talking about some of the ones I liked. My friend had not and was not allowed to see any of those types of movies and was becoming uncomfortable as I shared. When it was too much for him, he asked me to stop talking about them and that he needed to pray so he would not have nightmares.

   In that moment, God spoke to me. It was not an audible voice; it was a thought in my head saying, “everything you’ve heard from the Bible is true, now what are you going to do about it?” I thought back on Sunday school lessons, church sermons, Bible stories, and things I had heard about Who Jesus is; things I had heard throughout my life came together and the lightbulb went on. I quietly prayed for salvation. I do not recall having heard any version of “the sinner’s prayer” but I prayed what would be my personal version of it. And I know I became a child of God at that moment! There is no doubt!

   The immediately noticeable difference was my attitude towards church. Prior to that moment, I did not like going to church. I was dragged along against my will. I would much rather have been home sleeping, watching TV, playing video games, anything other than being in church. It was those few moments over the years where I paid attention or something said / sung would stick into my mind (seeds being planted and watered) which came flooding back when I realized I was faced with a choice—accept God OR reject God. As I stated above, for a long time I thought my testimony was pretty lame and uneventful. That could not be farther from the truth of what happened in the moment. I went from death to life! I went from being separated from God to being one of His children! I went from eternal hopelessness to eternal hope! I went from rebellion to peace! I was saved from an eternity away from God, facing eternal torment from my countless sins and life choices! God reached down from heaven 2,000 years before I was born so that I could become one of His! That is an amazing story!

    Over the past almost 26 years my spiritual walk has been like a roller coaster with spiritual highs and some lows; times when I’m close to God, reading my Bible and praying, fellowshipping, and times when I’ve gone astray, have unrepented sin, and am feeling ashamed and distanced from God. The Christian life is a process, a life-long cleaning up and transforming oneself to be more focused on the things of God and less on ourselves. With some of the challenges I’ve faced in life, individually and collectively with others, I cannot imagine how I would have managed through them or the different choices I would have made without God guiding me and leading me in His direction.

For those reading this who are Christians, I pose a challenge / request: on your Facebook page, post a summary of the Gospel message and your testimony. Share the truth of Jesus and His work of salvation and the evidence of how it has impacted you when it became real in your life and you were saved! For those reading this who aren’t Christians, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me and ask them! I would love the opportunity to engage, encourage, and guide you towards God’s open arms!

~In Christ!