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?

"Don't Judge Me."

I was watching a show the other day, called The Secret Lives of Women (one I probably shouldn't have been watching, truth be known) about "swingers"--couples who have sex with other couples. See, I always thought the word "swinger" meant someone who liked to dance a lot. Shows how naive I can be. Anyway, they engage in group sex, trans-gender sex, etc... I watched it until the end, waiting to see if they ever came on with a disclaimer of any sort about the ramifications of such a lifestyle. They didn't--not at all. Everything said was in full support of it. One lady actually said, "If you have a good marriage, this [having multiple sex partners] can make it stronger." (She wasn't married, by the way.) There were no warnings and barely a bit of cautionary advice. On the contrary, they were actually trying to get more people to try this lifestlye. Then, at the end, each of the three ladies got a chance to give her last little plug for swinging--and this is what one of them said, "People sometimes think what we do is immoral. It makes me sad when people judge me that way."

Whoa! Wait a minute! Since when do "thinking" and "judging" have the same definition? Who is judging her just by thinking that what she's doing is wrong? If I think murder is wrong does that mean I'm actually passing judgment over murderers? Certainly, not! What a rediculous notion! Furthermore, there are two completely different subjects here--the person and the act. She is insinuating that just because someone thinks her actions are wrong, that they are somehow passing judgement on her, the person. Nope! Two different mental functions entirely.

So, where does this idea come from? People have taken a verse out of the Bible and maligned it nearly beyond recognition. Here's the verse (in context, for a change):

Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Obviously, the "judging" referred to here has absolutely nothing to do with ignoring immorality (as Miss Swinger on the show seemed to believe), or Jesus wouldn't have gone on to give the proper method for helping a brother out of immorality. In fact, He doesn't even say, "Never judge". It actually seems like He's giving us guidelines to do it in correctness of heart. Still, since we rarely have perfectly pure intentions, it's safe to assume that this kind of judging is usually not a good idea--especially in light of the warning that He gives that if we act hypocritically, it will come back to bite us on the butt. It is clear, though, that we are supposed to help each other knock bad habits and encourage each other toward right living--just making sure that what we do is out of love and from a correct perspective (i.e. not being ourselves entrapped in the sin, therefore making ourselves hypocrites.) There are many passages, actually, that discuss this.

I went ahead and looked up the word for "judge" in this passage in the original Greek. The word is κρίνω, pronounced"kree-no", meaning: "distinquish, i.e. decided (mentally or judicially); by impl. to try, condemn, punish:--avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think." Most of these words imply some kind of passing of judgement upon another person, as in condemning them, either mentally or in deed. We understand that we're not supposed to do that--that is, pass judgement upon others (the people) . This would be kind of like saying, "You're going to hell for that." Not only is such a phrase unlikely to receive any positive, healthy response, it isn't especially accurate, either.

Now that we know what we're not supposed to do, let's look and see what attitude we're suppposed to have toward the "act"--sinfulness. Notice, too, the context:

Romans 12:9-10 "Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves."


"Hate what is evil." Now, that's a pretty strong phrase. We're not supposed to ignore it, make excuses for it or pat it on the head. We're supposed to HATE it! Hate what is evil! How are we supposed to know right from wrong, though, if everyone around us is saying, "When you think what I'm doing is immoral, that means you're judging me"?


Here's a tip to survive this life and this century with your conscience intact: "DON'T ALLOW ANYONE TO STRIP AWAY YOUR ABILITY TO DISCERN BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG!"


I admit it: I think what these people on the show were doing is morally wrong. Not only that, it made my skin crawl; it was highly disgusting. The thought of sharing my husband with several women and a few men would be enough to make me go into a naseau coma, if there were such a thing. It's wrong; I hate it. But, I don't hate those people. Actually, quite the contrary, I wish for only their best. (Of course, my idea of what's best--a loving, open, dynamic relationship with God--and their idea of what's best--great sex with whoever walks in the door--are two different things.)

If it's wrong; it's wrong. Avoid it. You don't have to berate anyone else about it; just make sure you and those in your care avoid it. Don't apologize for your standards. Don't sacrifice your conscience on the altar of Political Correctness. Remember, "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." That statement is very true. There's a trend in this nation that's telling us that truth is relative. "There's no absolute truth." Well, even that statment, "There's no abosolute truth", is an absolute statement. Recognize fraud when you see it. It's there.

Honestly, though, the only way you're going to keep a healthy conscience is to give it into the keeping of the only One who is truly good--God. We can be deceived; God can't be.