Why we believe in God
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“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” —Romans 1:16
God led me to write this article after a long morning walk. It had rained a LOT during the night, and when my husband and I went out to walk, the world was sparkling as a result. I looked at the sun reflecting off the clouds and onto a pond and wondered how anyone could miss the fact that only God can create this kind of natural beauty.
Great artists can paint God’s glory, but they can’t create the scene they are painting.
Great musicians can try to fill our thoughts with God’s glory, but they can never completely describe it.
Great theologians can try to teach about God’s glory, but they can never convince everyone.
I’m married to a Christian apologist, someone who defends the Christian faith with sound theology. I think these current days represent the greatest opportunities in my lifetime for evangelism and defending the Christian faith. People are searching for God in increasing numbers today. God’s people need to be ready to speak boldly for God. Are you able to readily answer a friend or family member who asks, “Why do you believe in God?” When that moment happens, we don’t want to wonder about an answer.
I hope this article will help serve as a preparation or reminder of how we can be ready to “make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).
Why is our world asking about God right now?
It’s important to consider the timing of our witness. We need to answer biblically, but also recognize that a small, personal point of view could cause us to miss the greater work of God in our world today.
- We have a generation whose lives were traumatized during the COVID years. They heard the angst but didn’t really understand. They felt the confusion of those days, but answers were hard to come by. Their lives were impacted by their experiences and feelings. That is the generation asking the most questions right now.
- Politics have NOT provided adequate solutions to their questions and concerns.
- They rightfully question what they read, knowing that they live in an era of partial, unobjective truth from most teachers and leaders.
We need to be prepared to answer people’s questions, but we might also need to be sensitive to those moments when people need a better answer than their own. There are times to be bold, times to be adamant, and times to be understanding and careful. So, if we are asked about our faith, the first thing we need to do is pray and know that we don’t have the ability to answer faith questions. It isn’t our job. That is why God gave us his Holy Spirit. If we pray before and during our times of evangelism, we won’t speak our own thoughts or give our own answers; Jesus will speak his answers through us.
Our world is asking about God right now, and God’s children need to allow him to answer. Evangelism requires our humble reliance on God’s Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will speak if we will trust our thoughts to his.
What do we believe about God?
- We believe in a Creator of our universe. We believe that science proves God’s existence.
- We believe that the psalmist was correct when he said, “The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). - We believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son, and our faith in Jesus enables our forgiveness. We have the chance to be made holy and righteous in God’s sight. John 3:16 is the gospel message.
- We believe in the sacrificial death of Christ and in his resurrection. Romans 8:11 is truth.
- We believe that if Jesus was raised from the dead, God will raise us to eternal life as well. John 11:25–26 is our powerful hope.
- We believe that Jesus will return for each of God’s children one day and usher us to an eternal home in heaven. Jesus promised his disciples in John 14:1–3, and that promise is biblical truth.
Why do you believe in God?
This is the part of your witness to prayerfully consider today. Every child of God has doubted their salvation at some point. Do we just believe what our parents taught us? Do we just enjoy the culture of church people? Do we just decide faith was our best option? How confident are you that Christ is the only way to eternal life?
God allows and redeems the difficult moments in life to enable our faith. When was your faith tested, and how did you come to an overwhelming trust in the existence of God? When did God reveal his love for you and pour his strength into your life? At what moment did you step fully into your faith in God?
The important truth to emphasize in any evangelistic conversation is faith. The author of Hebrews wrote a blunt truth that is necessary to understand: “Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). No one can believe in God without acknowledging the fact that our belief requires faith. We cannot prove the existence of God. No one can believe unless they accept the fact that faith is required by God. No one can share the truth of God without the faith and trust his Spirit provides.
Our faith is our best witness. Has your faith been strengthened and sanctified throughout the moments of your life? If so, the Holy Spirit within you will be a great evangelist to others.
Some help to forward to others, after you have shared your faith
What does a person need to know to place their faith in Christ? A webpage written by a pastor about a great song has witnessed to millions of young people. The song is I Believe by Phil Wickham. The videos and lyrics are a perfect testimony about what Christians must believe to receive Christ.
What does it mean to live a life of faith in God? My favorite testimony song is The Goodness of God by CeCe Winans. Her voice and her life are a testimony to the unique power of God’s Spirit. She uses her gifting for God’s good purpose.
How does faith provide God’s strength, even through the hardest times? The song Even If is written and sung by Bart Millard and describes his choice to continue to believe even when he didn’t understand why God had allowed his son’s chronic illness. Another powerful song is Blessings by Laura Story.
Finally, how can we live our lives on earth with the hope of heaven? Bart Millard also wrote the song “I Can Only Imagine,“ a song we often hear at Christian memorial services today. That song speaks to our confident hope of heaven, found through our deep faith in Christ.
Finally
Every evangelistic opportunity will hopefully lead to the moment we ask the person, “What are you going to do about the answers you have heard today?” Every person needs to know that faith in God is an informed choice. They must make the same choice that Joshua gave his people thousands of years ago. Joshua explained that everyone would be influenced by the ideas of the world, and that they would need to choose to live faithfully for God. Everyone must choose either faith in God or something less. Joshua said, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
Then ask the person, “What do you choose today?” Tell them, “I hope you will choose to believe in the Creator God of the universe.” A blessed life on earth is our best life, and we can only imagine how great our eternal life in heaven is going to be!
Finally, assure them that you hope he or she will spend their eternity with you in heaven. They simply need to ask Jesus to be their Lord and Savior in order to step into a living faith, led by God’s Holy Spirit.
Who needs your confident witness today? Pray for the opportunities to be an evangelist this week. God wants to answer that prayer and use your life for his kingdom purpose. People are asking. Are they asking you?
