One becomes more willing to listen when he/she is asking the question.
Therefore, we issued 100 forms to fellow students within our campus, asking about their faith identity and what questions – if any – they had about Christianity. The forms remained anonymous to gather truthful answers. The following article is meant to answer some of these questions which we have determined to be “crucial.”
To establish the most promising answers to these questions, we have provided two perspectives: Ours (two high school students) and Pastor Brian Aulick (Engedi Church). Creating a well-rounded answer is important because questions have the power to either hold us back in hesitation or propel us forward with wisdom and strengthened faith.
The Bible is a book filled with guidelines, truth, and hope. With all books, one does not need to understand everything after the first read, but after analysis, time, and guidance, one can be led to the deeper meaning. As James 1:5-6 above highlights, ask in faith, without doubt, and you will be given answers.
Question 1: Why believe in our God and our religion as The Truth and all other religions as false?
Sr. Alex Overway: To answer this question, I think about my personal journey with Christ. My faith has not been built on a foundation of evidence; it has been built upon a childlike “faith” (Matthew 18:3). Not that evidence has nothing to do with it, but evidence is purely a man’s way of simplifying religion into our understanding. Something is only evidence because we understand it. You cannot use something misunderstood as evidence; meaning something lacking evidence does not necessarily mean it is untrue, but we may just be incapable of understanding. At the same time, I am not saying Christianity is lacking evidence.
Keeping it personal, I believe in Christianity because God has always been faithful. I believe He will continue to be. When I get angry with God, He reminds me not to lean on my own understanding, but to lean on His (Proverbs 3:5). You may say, He hasn’t been faithful to you. You have gone through troubles and hardships; you looked to Him and He said nothing. But was He really silent or did you misinterpret? To question one who is out of our comprehension comes from a place of arrogance. So put your trust in Him and you will never waver (Matthew 24:4-5) for you know He has a plan. Trust in His plan, as I do (Psalm 56:11).
I was fed with the Christian Faith early and often. Because of this, I had no other assumption as to why things were. As I grew older, I began to question my faith, craving to know what was really true. Therefore I sought out answers (Matthew 7:7), searching in places where Jesus wasn’t present, getting lost in a crowd of people who denied the living God. I believed I would find some other answer, relieving me of my questions as long as I kept searching. During this time something became very apparent to me:
I was trying to find the answers while relieving myself of the source. I tried to look for another source when there is truly only one. When I distanced myself from said source, more questions came than answers. I lost myself without the presence of God, for my identity was/is in Christ (Colossians 3:3).
As I reeled back into my roots, there was no anger or repercussion from God (1st Corinthians 13:4-7). No, God simply held His arms wide, accepting me even in my failure, helping me to grow a new foundation. A foundation willing to be tested. One that will look to the source and be joyful when trials arise (James 1:2), for I know I am planted in Him (John 14:6 and Isaiah 46:9).
Considering the posed question: the hard part is, when you incorporate faith into a religion, you are not supposed to be swayed away for then you are “lacking faith.” So to believe in one religion over another is difficult because it truly comes down to faith. It comes down to believing without seeing. Take the wind, you cannot see it yet you still believe it’s there. So to answer the question is definitely difficult because my belief is rooted in faith. I have seen the difference with and without Him, which is why I choose Him. But this is not the answer many are looking for:
I could provide what I know and what I have researched as to the evidence of Christianity. But in order to believe in anything, there has to be some trust applied, some belief, some faith. I do encourage you to try and prove our religion (right or wrong). I encourage you to have these questions because you will find answers when you ask the right ones (Proverbs 8:7). What drives this Faith is a book of eyewitness accounts of a man who taught parables, was crucified and resurrected. Even though there are many accounts of these events happening, you still have to have faith that those eyewitnesses were telling The Truth. Even within the American Judicial system, one of the most powerful points of evidence is an eyewitness account.
You may need to conduct primary research if you are searching for a more scientific answer to why Christianity is true, and why to believe in it over others. But The Truth is, I did not start to believe in this Faith because of the hard evidence. I chose to believe because of the love and mercy Jesus Christ has for us, as shown on the Cross. The evidence, I found later, never wavering and always pointing to Jesus.
The Truth is, you believe what you believe – no matter what it is – because you accept it. No matter how much evidence has been showcased, you will not believe something until you decide to (Psalm 25:12). As you learn of religion, denominations, and cultures, you will notice facts intertwine; meaning teachings intertwine, leading a follower to question what else to believe.
The question I want to leave you with is: if you knew without a doubt that the Bible was true, would you follow Christ?
Pastor Aulick: “It’s important to realize that even though Christians consider the Bible as the most authoritative voice on matters of faith and life, Christianity does recognize there is truth found in other worldviews and religions. In fact, the Bible even quotes affirmingly of some non-biblical sources. That said, Jesus himself said that He was the way, The Truth and the life in John 14:6. On the one hand, this sounds very exclusive. On the other hand, Jesus says that anyone who is simply willing to put their trust in Him as savior and leader can come into His family and experience a personal relationship with God. Ultimately Christianity views itself as the only way to God because Jesus is the only savior who could pay the price for our sin.”
Question 2: Why is there a large amount of false representation within the Christian Faith? Creating a hesitant approach to the Faith and promoting a negative prejudice.
Our Answer: Christians are not perfect and flawless, we too struggle; we are put through trials and make mistakes. God calls us in Matthew 22:39 to love others as ourselves, a commandment humanity often tends to expect from others yet avoid themselves. I think expecting perfection from Christians isn’t a fair assumption, as only one is perfect. Our worth comes from God. Christians aim to repent from their sins, acknowledging that we do sin. To answer why there is a large amount of false representation in Christianity, I would say one of Satan’s primary tactics to turn us away from faith is to mask our perception of the Faith. By creating a negative encounter with a Christian, Satan knows we are less likely to follow the religion out of hesitance and clouded judgment. Therefore, know a true Christian intends to draw you near to God, not astray from Him. Be sure when listening to a Christian speak, do not follow them blindly; know them by their fruits (actions and choices) and differentiate between a true Christian and false prophets. As Matthew 7:16 says, “By their fruits you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles?” By the actions and choices of others, we can know their true intentions and take heed of this as we walk through life. Remember though, that people, in all their imperfect ways, will still fall into sin, so pray for those who have misrepresented the Gospel to you Matthew 5:44, and follow in the ways of the Lord (Deuteronomy 13:4).
Pastor Aulick’s Answer: “Any religion or worldview has people who represent it well and people who represent it poorly. As long as we are dealing with sinners, there will always be some who poorly represent Christianity. Christianity doesn’t always mean someone becomes an amazing person right away. It does mean they should be getting better. An angry person, for example, should become less angry. But that doesn’t mean they will necessarily stop dealing with anger issues right away. Even Jesus’ own disciples did crazy and sometimes disappointing things. It’s important to focus less on imperfect people and more on a perfect savior. All that said, when a so-called Christian is truly living in a way that doesn’t match the spirit of Jesus or Christianity much at all, I question if they are actually a Christian, regardless of what they claim.”
Question 3: Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God let those things happen? If God is all merciful, how is there Hell?
Rilee Sikorski’s Answer: While being one of the most frequent questions we received, this question remains hard to answer as I have found myself wondering the same. However, I’ve found peace with the following. Bad things are inevitable, regardless of religion, beliefs, or actions. However, I find hope in Isaiah 41:10 “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” When trials occur, I remember my future is in good hands (Jeremiah 29:11), and as hard as things may be, God will work all things out according to His purpose. So I look at trials knowing there will be a way out, knowing His peace remains with me and I am reminded God will never test us beyond what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13), but sometimes we will be tested to strengthen our faith in Him.
To answer the third part of the question, if God is all merciful why is there Hell, I would say, and bear with me here, Hell is a choice. God, rather than choose for us, gives us the choice, a choice to walk with Him or to live our lives without Him. 2 Peters 3:9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” God doesn’t want people to go to Hell, but He also wants to give us the gift of freedom, to choose for ourselves.
Pastor Aulick’s answer: “When it comes to why bad things happen to good people, first it is important to remember that all of us are sinners who fall short of God’s standard. I don’t believe anyone can claim to have somehow earned or deserved a life that is free from suffering. That said, sometimes people experience a level of pain and suffering that is very hard to understand or make sense of. As long as God allows people to have free will, I believe there will be pain and undeserved suffering. I don’t know why God allows some bad things to happen. What I do know is that His heart of love for us could not be more clearly demonstrated than sending His own son to die on a cross for our sins. For that reason, no matter what bad things happen, I still have great confidence that God loves us and is for us.
God is merciful, but He is also just. None of us want to live in a world where there is no consequence for punishment for sin or wrongdoing. God doesn’t just arbitrarily send people to Hell. Ultimately people choose hell because they do not really want to be in a submitted relationship to God. Hell is a confirmation of what someone has already freely chosen. As CS Lewis once said, “The door of Hell is locked from the inside. Hell is simply God giving someone what they want and have already chosen – a life lived apart from Him.”
“Scripture sees Hell as self-chosen… Hell appears as God’s gesture of respect for human choice. All receive what they actually chose, either to be with God forever, worshiping Him, or without God forever, worshiping themselves.”
- J.I. Packer
“God will judge, not because God gives people what they deserve, but because some people refuse to receive what no one deserves. If evildoers experience God’s terror, it will not be because they have done evil, but because they have resisted to the end the powerful lure of the open arms of the crucified messiah.”
- Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace
Our high school contains thousands of students, not all of which hold the same beliefs. The goal of this article was to touch the hearts of as many students as we could. To answer the questions they wanted answered, and to educate and lead them to God. If you have any additional questions, feel free to email us: we would love to answer any specific questions you have or just hear what you have to say.
Additional Scripture:
“And He said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then He rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.”
“Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in His way, over the man who carries out evil devices!”
“And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.”
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”
