Why do you believe?

Why do you believe in Jesus? I was talking with a co-worker the other day and he genuinely wanted to know why I believed in Jesus. He wasn’t antagonistic or arrogant but merely inquisitive and curious. My mind flipped through several arguments such as the historical case for the resurrection, biblical prophecy and other arguments for God’s existence in general and Christianities truth in particular. But when it comes right down to it, my faith doesn’t rest on any of those arguments. They are important and have weight to them, but when believing in Christ my faith isn’t based on them. I wouldn’t die for any of the arguments like I would for Jesus.

I think my co-worker wanted/wants me to prove to him that God is real and that Christ is truly the messiah and the Son of God. God might use these arguments to help my friend realize that Christianity is not irrational but very “reasonable” indeed. However, I don’t believe he will believe in Christ because I present him evidence. Evidence does not spark love, faith does. Faith that Jesus was not insane or a liar but was who He really said He was. I can’t prove that, I just believe He is. Something deep in my bones resounds with the truth of it. My friend thinks that we are good and have some evil in us. If we don’t understand the problem than how could we ever desire the solution? Christ came to save us from our sin that separates us from God; but if we don’t believe in sin than how or why would we ever see Christ as necessary?

There is a section in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia where he describes something fitting to what I’m talking about. Eustace and Jill are looking for a lost prince and set out on a journey to find him in Narnia. Skip forward to near the end of the story and Eustace and Jill find themselves in a dreary underworld land being guarded by underworld people on their way to an underground city. They arrive and eventually find the prince there. But alas the wicked white witch appears and begins to entrance them by a deep spell. She begins to question all of their experiences. She asks if they have really ever seen the sky or any place outside of this underworld city. The magic combined with the witch’s craftiness leads the children and company further down the road of confusion. The witch’s ploy is to make the children believe that all of their memories and beliefs about an outside world and Aslan are merely projections of what they see in the city. The sun is merely a projection of the lamp and Aslan is simply a projection of the cat. It is in this context that Muddlegump (one of the characters) says this:

Suppose we have only dreamed, or made up, all those things--- trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a god deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hallow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play-world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian as I can even if there isn’t any Narnia. . .

It is after this that the witch shows her true face and tries to kill the children because her facade didn’t work. While the children knew deep down in their bones that there was a Sun and that Aslan was real they could not prove it. Muddlegump bellowed out from his heart a statement of unadulterated faith and love. He trusted in Aslan and thereby broke the witches hold. I suppose that is something what it’s like to believe in Christ. The children and muddlegump sat for a very long time and tried to explain the outside world and Aslan to the witch to no avail. God has given us a desire to know him. Creation cries out for a creator and so does my soul. If Christ is not the truth than love is meaningless, humility pointless, evil a victor and we remain hopeless. There is no heaven or new creation, all things will continue to get worse until humanity is wiped from the universe’s record book, and the mystery that only God can bring is lost. The world would indeed be a very dull, dreary and desperate place. I cannot believe in that kind of world.

                Some might say that we just can’t stand the reality. I might be inclined to agree. A world without the love of God is not much of a reality that I would ever want to live in.