How do we know that Christianity is right? How can we be sure that out of all the religions in the world, Christianity is the right one? This is one of the most common questions that non-Christians ask, and Christians find hardest to answer. But it is a question that cannot be neglected, and must be answered.
Religion is man's search for the supernatural, or for God, or for a higher purpose or meaning in life. From what I see, it is basically man's quest to find something intangible, beyond this world, which he can believe in. From the very dawn of the time man has had an obsession with the supernatural. The ancient Egyptian and Greek empires all had their gods and myths. Man has always had the sense that there was something greater out there than what they could see with their mortal eyes, a higher power in control. They sought to discover more about that world. But the point is, it is man who is doing the searching. Which explains why there are so many world religions today, in addition to the numerous New Age and cult groups. Just go to the Religion section in Kinokuniya and you will be stunned at the sheer volume of New Age stuff there is. Different people have different values, characters and inclinations, which would very naturally drive them to believe in very different things. Just like a person with an adventurous spirit would find great fulfillment in living as a mountain climber, or a person with an inquisitive mind would find fulfillment as a scholar or philosopher. Man searches, and finds many different ways. But not all roads lead to Rome.
Christianity is fundamentally different, because it is not based upon man's search or efforts, but God's search for man. Think about it. Islam talks about man's devotion to an "unknowable" God. Buddhism is about attaining a higher spiritual level, or nirvana, and earning a better reincarnation. But Christianity is about a loving God who searches and pursues a wicked man who has rebelled against Him. From the point of Creation Adam and Eve let God down. When God chose a people for Himself, the Israelites, they let him down again and again. No sooner had he blessed and forgiven them did they rebel and disobey him again. But He never gave up on them. Time and again He forgave them out of pure love. The entire Old Testament story is one of God's love for His people, bringing them out of captivity and establishing them "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" Jeremiah 31:3.
But if you are still not convinced, look no further than Christ. Before we see Jesus in too small a light, remember that Jesus is God. Through Jesus the world was created. He was not just a man, He was God Himself. "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Forget all the hypocrisy of Christians in this world. Forget all the man-made divisions and strife that exist in the Church itself. Forget formal religion, forget the mistakes Christians have made in sharing their faith. Forget all the terrible things man, and Christians, have done in this world, because this is not about man, but about God, who through it all has never changed. Christianity is about God, and what God did for man. Jesus forsook the glory of His Father and heaven to come down to earth as a humble carpenter, a mere man. Can you imagine the President becoming a toilet cleaner? Jesus washed His disciples' feet! Can you imagine God, the creator of heaven and earth, stooping down at your feet and scrubbing away the dirt and grime from between your toes? That is what He did! And most of all, Jesus suffered a most painful and excruciating death. Crucifixion in ancient times was reserved only for the worst criminals. It was a slow, torturous process of not just physical pain of being nailed to a cross, but slow, gradual suffocation, lasting hours, sometimes even days. Even the strongest of men were broken. Not to mention of course the intense whipping with whips studded with bits of metal bone, designed to tear muscle and skin, and carrying the splinter-filled cross up the hill. But I believe the worst part for Jesus was not the physical pain, it was the alienation he felt from God. At that point, God laid on His Son the wrath due on man for his sin. It's like a father standing by and watching while his son is tortured and hung for some offense, only a lot worse. Remember that Jesus was not just a man, He was God. To the point that He cried on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Why did God do all this? Why did Jesus bear all this? One simple word: love. Perhaps this is what we as Christians have failed to convey- the magnitude of God's love. And I believe much of the modern disillusionment with Christianity is because the Church has in history focused on many other matters, but missed the central point. Where else can we find a God so loving? Where else can we find a love so strong, so persistent, so undying? Such love, such love! Of all the gods in this world, there is only one God who loves man like this. Some people think that Christianity is just an easy way out. But if people really read and understood the Bible, they would see that God's moral standards are no less strict than any of the other religions out there. It is not a free ticket to sin. And God is not unfair; it is because He is just that there must be punishment for man's sins, and that punishment was laid on Christ. God knows how helpless we are, and because He so desperately loves us and desires us to be reconciled to Him, that He paid the ultimate price - His own Son. Can we ever find a love so strong, so true? I cannot find the words to describe the magnitude of such a love.
This is what Christianity is about. All I have written in this blog would count for nothing, if not for this. All that has been done in the name of Christianity would be in vain if not for this. This is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from the other religions. A lot of people can't stand the way Christians claim that there is only one way to heaven. But we do not say that there is no other way to God because we are proud or stubborn or narrow-minded, or because it is the right thing to say. To make such an audacious claim we would need justification, and it comes in the form of the enormous price that God has paid for us to have eternal life. If there had been easier ways to end World War II then millions and millions of lives need not have been lost. If there are easier ways to heaven such a sacrifice would not have been needed. No, there is only one way, the costliest way, and that is why Jesus had to die. And He rose again. The way is open.
What is it that stops modern people from coming to God? People nowadays are the exact opposite of those in ancient civilisations- many don't care a trifle about God. I think the main problem is that people don't like to be under control. They don't like to think that there is a higher power above them, they like to think that they are in full control to do whatever they want, achieve whatever they want to achieve, and believe whatever they want to believe. Some don't like the idea that they are so helpless that Someone had to go so far as to die for them. Some just don't like the idea that they have to be helped by Someone else, that they cannot make it on their own. I myself don't like being controlled; I certainly do not like being pushed around and regimented in the army. I think I would not be mistaken in saying that everyone likes to be free. But I believe there must come a point where we realise that there is truly Someone in control. We may question an authority who abuses us, punishes us unnecessarily, or neglects us. But why should we question the God who created us and loves us so, so much? Why should we question the God who holds the universe in His hand and at the same time longs to guide our individual lives in the paths that are best for us? Furthermore, with God we are not submitting to an earthly kind of control; we are entering into a relationship with Him. And God longs to give us everything.
If you are reading this and do not know Jesus, but God's love has touched your heart, come to Him. He waits with open arms.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood
See, from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all
To one and all, Happy Good Friday.
Religion is man's search for the supernatural, or for God, or for a higher purpose or meaning in life. From what I see, it is basically man's quest to find something intangible, beyond this world, which he can believe in. From the very dawn of the time man has had an obsession with the supernatural. The ancient Egyptian and Greek empires all had their gods and myths. Man has always had the sense that there was something greater out there than what they could see with their mortal eyes, a higher power in control. They sought to discover more about that world. But the point is, it is man who is doing the searching. Which explains why there are so many world religions today, in addition to the numerous New Age and cult groups. Just go to the Religion section in Kinokuniya and you will be stunned at the sheer volume of New Age stuff there is. Different people have different values, characters and inclinations, which would very naturally drive them to believe in very different things. Just like a person with an adventurous spirit would find great fulfillment in living as a mountain climber, or a person with an inquisitive mind would find fulfillment as a scholar or philosopher. Man searches, and finds many different ways. But not all roads lead to Rome.
Christianity is fundamentally different, because it is not based upon man's search or efforts, but God's search for man. Think about it. Islam talks about man's devotion to an "unknowable" God. Buddhism is about attaining a higher spiritual level, or nirvana, and earning a better reincarnation. But Christianity is about a loving God who searches and pursues a wicked man who has rebelled against Him. From the point of Creation Adam and Eve let God down. When God chose a people for Himself, the Israelites, they let him down again and again. No sooner had he blessed and forgiven them did they rebel and disobey him again. But He never gave up on them. Time and again He forgave them out of pure love. The entire Old Testament story is one of God's love for His people, bringing them out of captivity and establishing them "I have loved thee with an everlasting love" Jeremiah 31:3.
But if you are still not convinced, look no further than Christ. Before we see Jesus in too small a light, remember that Jesus is God. Through Jesus the world was created. He was not just a man, He was God Himself. "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." Forget all the hypocrisy of Christians in this world. Forget all the man-made divisions and strife that exist in the Church itself. Forget formal religion, forget the mistakes Christians have made in sharing their faith. Forget all the terrible things man, and Christians, have done in this world, because this is not about man, but about God, who through it all has never changed. Christianity is about God, and what God did for man. Jesus forsook the glory of His Father and heaven to come down to earth as a humble carpenter, a mere man. Can you imagine the President becoming a toilet cleaner? Jesus washed His disciples' feet! Can you imagine God, the creator of heaven and earth, stooping down at your feet and scrubbing away the dirt and grime from between your toes? That is what He did! And most of all, Jesus suffered a most painful and excruciating death. Crucifixion in ancient times was reserved only for the worst criminals. It was a slow, torturous process of not just physical pain of being nailed to a cross, but slow, gradual suffocation, lasting hours, sometimes even days. Even the strongest of men were broken. Not to mention of course the intense whipping with whips studded with bits of metal bone, designed to tear muscle and skin, and carrying the splinter-filled cross up the hill. But I believe the worst part for Jesus was not the physical pain, it was the alienation he felt from God. At that point, God laid on His Son the wrath due on man for his sin. It's like a father standing by and watching while his son is tortured and hung for some offense, only a lot worse. Remember that Jesus was not just a man, He was God. To the point that He cried on the cross, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
Why did God do all this? Why did Jesus bear all this? One simple word: love. Perhaps this is what we as Christians have failed to convey- the magnitude of God's love. And I believe much of the modern disillusionment with Christianity is because the Church has in history focused on many other matters, but missed the central point. Where else can we find a God so loving? Where else can we find a love so strong, so persistent, so undying? Such love, such love! Of all the gods in this world, there is only one God who loves man like this. Some people think that Christianity is just an easy way out. But if people really read and understood the Bible, they would see that God's moral standards are no less strict than any of the other religions out there. It is not a free ticket to sin. And God is not unfair; it is because He is just that there must be punishment for man's sins, and that punishment was laid on Christ. God knows how helpless we are, and because He so desperately loves us and desires us to be reconciled to Him, that He paid the ultimate price - His own Son. Can we ever find a love so strong, so true? I cannot find the words to describe the magnitude of such a love.
This is what Christianity is about. All I have written in this blog would count for nothing, if not for this. All that has been done in the name of Christianity would be in vain if not for this. This is the one thing that sets Christianity apart from the other religions. A lot of people can't stand the way Christians claim that there is only one way to heaven. But we do not say that there is no other way to God because we are proud or stubborn or narrow-minded, or because it is the right thing to say. To make such an audacious claim we would need justification, and it comes in the form of the enormous price that God has paid for us to have eternal life. If there had been easier ways to end World War II then millions and millions of lives need not have been lost. If there are easier ways to heaven such a sacrifice would not have been needed. No, there is only one way, the costliest way, and that is why Jesus had to die. And He rose again. The way is open.
What is it that stops modern people from coming to God? People nowadays are the exact opposite of those in ancient civilisations- many don't care a trifle about God. I think the main problem is that people don't like to be under control. They don't like to think that there is a higher power above them, they like to think that they are in full control to do whatever they want, achieve whatever they want to achieve, and believe whatever they want to believe. Some don't like the idea that they are so helpless that Someone had to go so far as to die for them. Some just don't like the idea that they have to be helped by Someone else, that they cannot make it on their own. I myself don't like being controlled; I certainly do not like being pushed around and regimented in the army. I think I would not be mistaken in saying that everyone likes to be free. But I believe there must come a point where we realise that there is truly Someone in control. We may question an authority who abuses us, punishes us unnecessarily, or neglects us. But why should we question the God who created us and loves us so, so much? Why should we question the God who holds the universe in His hand and at the same time longs to guide our individual lives in the paths that are best for us? Furthermore, with God we are not submitting to an earthly kind of control; we are entering into a relationship with Him. And God longs to give us everything.
If you are reading this and do not know Jesus, but God's love has touched your heart, come to Him. He waits with open arms.
When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast
Save in the death of Christ, my God
All the vain things that charm me most
I sacrifice them to His blood
See, from His head, His hands, His feet
Sorrow and love flow mingled down
Did ever such love and sorrow meet
Or thorns compose so rich a crown
Were the whole realm of nature mine
That were a present far too small
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all
To one and all, Happy Good Friday.
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