Most regular readers at Titus 2 Homemaker are Christians themselves. But if you’ve found yourself here through a search, you might be wondering, “Rachel, why are you a Christian?” So…
Why am I a Christian?
Because God, the Creator of the Universe, is worthy of worship.
Humans intuitively know this, but we don’t want to know it. We’d rather serve ourselves, so we pretend this knowledge away.
The Bible says:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, …exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator,
…And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.”
(I’ve truncated the passage, Romans 1:18-32, for the sake of space. You can read it all here. Emphasis/underlining mine.)
We know there’s a Creator – and Reject Him
We know there’s a Creator. We know there’s a Source greater than ourselves — of the world, of us, of a moral code. But we choose to serve ourselves or other created things and to not glorify the Creator as God.
We set aside His design and we do what we want. The Bible word for this is “sin”…and its just (deserved/proper) penalty is death.
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Genesis 2:16-17)
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
But God is merciful.
Every one of us is born a sinner, sins daily, and has earned death. Our sin and God’s holiness are at odds, so sin inherently separates us from Him (and, eventually, from heaven). We can never be “good enough” to measure up to His perfection.
But God is merciful. Knowing all this, He lived perfectly for us and took the penalty of death for us. He became a man; He lived a perfect, sinless life; and then was crucified. Three days later, He rose from the dead, defeating death, once and for all.
[B]eing found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. (Philippians 2:8)
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)
Belief – Faith – is the Key “Ingredient”
You might be familiar with John 3:16, although you may never have heard it in context.
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. (John 3:16-21)
This brings us right back around to the beginning: people reject the light — Jesus — because they want to serve themselves. And this has condemned us all already. But trust Him, believe in Him, come to the light…and you’ll be free of that condemnation because He took it Himself on your behalf. He can change your heart, so that you love light rather than darkness and want to serve the Creator, not the creation.
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1-2)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Why am I a Christian? “Because [God’s] lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise [Him].” (Psalm 63:3) Will you praise Him, too?
