Mar 19, 2012
Why Trust Jesus Christ?
A helpful question
Sometimes to shake up and strengthen my faith — I’ll ask — “Why am I trusting Jesus Christ?”
This shakes up my faith — because it makes me look honestly at whether I am trusting Him or not.
And it strengthens my faith — because it reminds me of the overwhelming reasons I have to trust Him.
Here’s five main reasons —
The existence of the universe.
Something unbelievable has happened.
Somehow a universe has come into being — with millions of 100,000 light-years wide galaxies, quantum particles, tomatoes growing in my backyard, and you reading and understanding these words.
Design in the universe.
Not only is there a universe, but it looks like it’s been designed — from the earth’s being the exact distance from the sun so it’s not too warm or cold, to the fact that the oatmeal I ate 2 hours ago is being processed into fuel without me even thinking about it.
I’ve never seen things like this arise by chance — they always come from an intelligent designer.
The reality of personhood.
You know that you are not just a blob of random chemical actions and reactions. You are a personal being who meaningfully chooses, communicates, loves, works, and feels.
So here we are in a universe with Design and Personhood. What can explain this?
To me the best explanation is that an intelligent, personal, all-powerful God created everything.
So — can we know anything about this God?
Do we have any reason to think He has communicated with us?
The historical evidence for Jesus.
We have four eye-witness documents describing Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection — one written by a tax collector (Matthew), one by a young man (Mark), one by a medical doctor (Luke), and one by a fisherman (John).
These documents agree that God came to earth in the person of Jesus — that Jesus the man was also fully God.
We can see this in how Jesus lived — with perfect integrity (Mat 22:16), matchless wisdom (Luke 20:39-40), passionate justice (John 2:15-16), and overflowing compassion (Luke 7:13-15).
We can see this in how Jesus worked miracles only God could do — healing a blind man’s eyes (Mark 10:51-52), commanding a storm to stop (Mark 4:39), multiplying five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 (Luke 9:16-17), and raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43-44).
We can see this in how Jesus said He would be crucified and then rise from the dead three days later (Mark 8:31). And just as He said — He was crucified (John 19:18), three days later the tomb was empty (John 20:2), and over 500 eyewitnesses saw him physically alive from the dead (1Cor 15:6).
So there’s massive historical evidence confirming that Jesus the man was also fully God.
Which would mean that in Jesus we see what God is like, and we learn what God wants us to know.
My experience of God in Christ.
If you met God, you would have no doubt that it was Him.
You would not ask for His credentials — because God is a being like no other — with infinite power, perfect goodness, blazing glory.
God is self-authenticating.
That’s important, because if we are trusting Jesus Christ, God will give us tastes of His self-authenticating presence. This happens as we pray, read the Bible, worship, or talk with others (Hos 6:3; John 4:13-14; John 7:37-38; 2Cor 4:6).
This is the most powerful reason to trust Christ.
So it’s helpful to remember times when I have had a first-hand experience of God —
- when I experienced His love pouring in to my heart (Rom 5:5).
- when I felt His living water quenching my heart-thirsts (John 7:37-38).
- when I sensed His glory revealed in Christ (2Cor 4:6).
When I am doubting
So when I am doubting, it’s helpful to remind myself of —
- the astonishing existence of the universe.
- the fact that this universe looks like it was designed.
- the existence of people with personhood.
- the historical evidence that Jesus was God in the flesh.
- the times when I have had first-hand experience of God’s reality in Jesus Christ.
How does this impact you?
I’d love to hear your thoughts, feedback, pushback. Feel free to leave a reply below. Thanks.
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(Picture used with permission of NASA.)
Hmm…
Honestly, Steve, I’m far more prone to having trust in Jesus because of my experiences with Him, though I do understand that it is fascinating and overwhelming to look at the universe, its design, or our personhood. But maybe I am somewhat supersaturated with planets, stars and black holes because my husband is a genuine “astronomy addict” (watching and taking pictures of stars, galaxies, galactic nebulae, and globular clusters), and so I am used to daily conversations about the universe. The only time when I – voluntarily 😉 – happen to cast a glance through the huge telescope on the roof terrace is, when you can see the wondrous full moon. There you can clearly discern every mountain and valley, and you get the feeling that the moon is so near that you can touch it.
Looking back, I remember a very tough time in my life, when an atheistic female scholar asked me, “Why do you trust in God? Did he ever disappoint you?” And my immediate response was, “Never!”
Of course, there were people who disappointed me, and I myself disappointed others as well. However, although I do not understand God’s inscrutable ways and His thinking, I clearly see that He alone can be trusted for he always led me out of chaotic, unforeseeable and painful situations. Even when I was doubting and would have liked rather to get, so to speak, “on the next train”, and leaving my painful past behind, He reminded me of the following Scriptures, and proved them always to be true:
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Referring to what you like to say, Steve – if God doesn’t give me what I want to have, He will give me something much more better than this (spiritually spoken) for He is God who works wonders (miracles). Hence, I have trust in Jesus. Period. 🙂
Many Blessings,
Susanne
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Susanne. And I loved hearing about your husband’s interest in astronomy.
I’m like you in that the strongest reason is first-hand experience I have had of God revealed in Jesus Christ.
But I find the other reasons helpful to share with those who have not yet had such experiences — to give them reasons that can embrace as a starting point.
And I love your testimony of how God has never disappointed you. I agree. He doesn’t always do what we ask, or what we prefer — but He always brings us what will satisfy us the most — more of Himself.
May the Father richly bless you today!
Steve
As vast as the universe is, it’s so wonderful to know that Jesus was actually here, and that He has placed an incredibly high value on us.
You are so right, Bill. How amazing to think that the Creator of this incredibly huge universe would come and live here among us.
And that He would love us so much that He — the Creator of Everything — would be punished in our place and die so we could be forgiven.
“Amazing love, how can it be, that Thou my God shouldst die for me?”
Like my dad says, we can give our complete trust to Gethsemane Love.
This past week my area was DEFINITELY going to have two back to back storms with flash floods. Every news channel agreed. I decided to ask Him to ‘show up’. I lifted my hands and asked Him to stop these storms from coming. They never came. The people of this city will never know why. They probably figured the weathermen was wrong but I knew they was right. A far greater Power than theirs was set in motion.
Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever.
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your story, Guenevere. I agree that God is able to stop storms, and that He answers prayer.
Onward!
Steve Fuller
Like my dad says, we can give our complete trust to Gethsemane Love.
– Steve Fuller. Wow….it is so good to stop and ponder the things we normally take for granted.
Well said, Bill. And thanks for reminding me of that quote from my dad — so encouraging!
Okay, so it is truly nice to hear from those of you that appear to have perfect trust in the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit for that, in my opinion is one of the greatest gifts one can receive! However, I think an even more important discussion might be to discuss how to find trust in God when Life really hits the fan…. It is easy to say, “Well, I know you are unemployed, or have an addiction, or your deppression is causing you to doubt God’s promises, so why don’t you contemplate the universe for a while, or read these passages? They will restore your trust.” Please don’t get me wrong, I am not finding ANY fault with what any of you have said, and at times your very suggestions have helped me kick start my trust in God. But, in my perception of what you have said, it sounds like a bit of an On/Off switch which works in any situation. To be honest, instead of hearing about how you already have such great trust and faith and what could be seen as kind of congratulating yourselves, I would have preferred honest stories about how you were REALLY struggling in trusting God and made it through the period. I apologise if my statement sounds angry or spiteful for that is truly not my intention. If you cannot relate to what I have questioned, than I am truly happy for you and humbly ask that you pray for me that I should be so blessed as to have the graces you have. (I mean this with all of my sincerity!).
Greetings Daniel!
How does someone find trust in God when life really hits the fan?
Unemployment, addiction and or depression are hard situations to deal with. Any situation can contribute to our doubting God, but as soon as we understand that the LORD can’t lie we will be greatly encouraged to persevere in seeking Him. Restoration of trust is a gift from God Himself.
In Psalm 23 David testified that the LORD restored his soul. Truly He can restore us!
We see a picture of His gift of restoration and new life in the life of Saul of Tarsus. The risen Lord graciously intervened in his life and transformed him from being a persecutor into a peacemaker.
May God’s Word continue to encourage you!
Thanks for the article. I live in a remote area and I can sometimes stand outside and look up at the stars for hours. I think that the universe and our existence in it really shows the sovereign grace of God in His love for the small and vulnerable. We live on a planet like no other we’ve found.
One in a trillion in a galaxy that is one in a trillion. Of all the countries on this one in a trillion planets, Jesus was born in a tiny impoverished and enslaved country that was whipped and crucified by the Romans on one side and stoned by the religious elite on the other. Talk about being between a rock and hard spot.
Not only that, but he is born to a young, poor virgin Jewish girl and would have been considered a bastard, which wasn’t exactly considered high class back in 1 old Roman Empire. There was no Child Protective Services, and women had no rights.
Not only that, but he was born in a barn! Probably for all those kids whose parents ranted, “Were you born in a BARN!?” Jesus actually was born in a barn!
So the Most High is born as the lowest of the low and only one out of the billions of kids to ever be born on a planet that is one out of trillions, in a galaxy that is one out of trillions. This Guy, this Jesus of Nazareth. He’s One in a Billion, Trillion Trillions. The Most High and the Most Humble. That’s what the Alpha and the Omega means. The First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending.
After all of that, now think, what are the odds that you, the person reading this right now, got to hear about this great Person. Of all the generations, and Empires of the world, God has stretched his word and His promise of hope and salvation from the penalty of your sins out to you. Think of all the miles this message has traveled, just to get to you. What are the odds of it finding you? One in trillions. Isn’t God just AWESOME!
Derek, the Most High wasn’t born as the lowest of the lowest! Let’s also remember that the unique qualities of the LORD can’t be correctly described by expressions using finite numbers, for they detract from His uniqueness as they are measurable.
Hi just wanted to say a question I never seem to get answered is Jesus is god, but who was he talking to in the garden of Gethsemane as he kept saying father, and also spoke to his father on the cross, just something I have always tried to make sense of Than You Annette
Good questions, Annette.
I believe God’s Word teaches that God is three persons — God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
It is not that each member of the Trinity is 1/3 of God. Each member is himself fully God. There’s mystery there, but that’s what God’s Word says.
So Jesus, God the Son, was in Gethsemane talking to God the Father.
I hope that helps.
In Christ,
Steve Fuller
Very good site.Thanks.