How can I be sure?

Atheists and Christians alike want to know how a Christian can be absolutely sure that Jesus is who He said He was, that He actually rose bodily from the dead and that He is coming again one day. We want to be sure, because, let's face it: if we're wrong, we're wasting our time, aren't we? We want to be sure because we don't want to die only to find out that some obscure cult in California had it right all along and our souls are now forever trapped in some celestial dump heap. We want to be sure because we don't want to spend our entire lives trapped in fear.

So, how can I know for sure? Does such assurance exist for the thinking, reasonable person? And if it does, how much does faith play in?

To answer these questions, here are several realities you must consider first:

1. There is such a thing as absolute truth. Truth is not relative. If something is true, it is universally true. My belief or lack of belief has no impact on what is already true (or untrue). Truth exists independently from my perceptions. Truth not only exists, it is knowable. (You will find that both Christianity and the scientific community uphold all of these statements.)

2. There are such things as right and wrong. Universally, people operate on a system of ethics/right and wrong/morality. Though there are extremes, most people can even agree on what is right and wrong. For example, is molesting a child right or wrong? How do you know it's wrong? You just know. Every fiber of your being screams against it, because you were designed to operate within a system of ethics. Even hardened criminals have ways of justifying their actions. If they didn't really operate on a system of ethics (though, granted, it could be very skewed), why bother justifying it at all? Even if they completely lost their conscience and no longer justify their actions, they still believe they are doing right by serving the highest "good" they know--themselves. All people are driven by this internal moral indicator. It can be skewed; it can even be reversed, but it cannot be escaped.

3. If God is a reality, He would control what information about Himself is available to me. In other words, He would reveal spiritual truth according to His own standards. Therefore, any spiritual truth I know and believe must have come from God. Therefore, if I desire spiritual truth, I should seek God for it.

4. If God is a reality, He defines Himself. In other words, His existence, His nature and His message to me must come from Him. I'm not going to be able to figure it out on my own. If I look for God based on my limited perceptions, I'll never find Him. God is a Being who's identity is not up to my choosing.

If you want to look at some other areas of philosophical interst along these lines, go to my earlier blog entry: 10 Theoretical Statements Christians and Atheists Can Agree On.

But for now let's get back to the main question: How Can I Be Absolutely Sure That Christianity Is True?

There is something called Spiral Reasoning. The idea is that you start with a knowable bit of information and you use philosophy, history, physical evidence, testimonial evidence, archaelogical evidence, etc... --always building on what you already know, one step at a time, until you reach the point where you are convinced of the truth. This will take time, mental energy and emotional energy, but the reward far outweighs the cost. I have included a diagram below that shows the steps that one might follow toward compelete assurance of Christ's existence, His sacrifice and His offer to you. It also shows the steps one takes to establish biblical reliability and the accuracy of historical records. (Unfortunately, it is pretty small on-screen, so you may have to download it or print it in order to read it properly. Sorry about that--but it's just another step in your search, right?)

How much faith is involved? I think that's a question only you can answer. Some people need more factual proofs. God knows that and made sure that there would be plenty available. Other people need very little evidence to beleive and are able to take more on faith. Regardless of where you fall within this spectrum, some amount of faith will be required. (Not, however, any more faith than is required to believe any of the alternatives.)

If you are a confirmed skeptic, it's unlikely that anyone, in a few minutes could give you everything you needed to know in order to fully believe in Jesus Christ. However, a skeptic should be a skeptic for a reason, right? If you haven't given the evidence a thorough look, how authentic would be your stance?

The fact is this: assurance--complete assurance is not only possible, it is what God desires for each of us. He made sure there was ample, abundant, over-flowing evidence to support the truth of His existence, His message and His offer to us. Won't you have a look?