What made you want to become a Christian?
This was of one the questions on our previous TEE class last Friday. I’ve been wanting to answer it but strangely I couldn’t stand up and declare it out. Fortunately I have a blog page on multiply. Some of them answered:
“What Jesus did on the cross made me want to be a Christian”;
Another said, “I was looking for a sense a purpose and I got into it, I was also amazed about a weird joy I see among Christians”.
Sometime ago I told a friend, “I can see that there are true Christians in our time, one day I want to be one.”
I grew up in a family where everyone believes in God and Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for the sin of the world. I go to church on Sundays, confess my sins on lent and advent, pray rosary with the family. Everything seemed perfectly Christian. I used to think I am a Christian for 27 years. The fact is I never knew Christ in the same way a regular muslim or a hindu or a Buddhist have no idea about Christ. Muslims believe that Jesus Christ is a good man, as I believe the same. Some hindus say Jesus is one of the manifestations of Krishna, I would most likely agree he is the manifestation of God because I was taught that Jesus is both God and man. That was some of those thoughts back then.
The fact is ‘I never knew Christ’. Jesus Christ.
As he walked along, he saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed him.
Mark 2:14
Matthew, also known as Levi on the gospel of Mark has heard about Jesus for quite sometime. Jesus increased in popularity that even Greeks from different places came to see him. Matthew was working in a very corrupt environment as a tax collector. Jews consider them traitors because they work for the Roman authorities and in those days positions of authorities is never too different from ours where corruption is often heard of. I have grown up hearing about Jesus, I knew he is a perfect man, he healed the sick and raised the dead through the power of God, he lived a just life, righteous in the eyes of God. Jesus is and was famous, “the Jew who divided history” so they say. I knew all of this and believe all of this. But there is a difference between “believing” and “believing”? I believe there is a big difference about the way I believe then, and the way I believe now. An atheist friend of mine blurted out “I grew up as a theist”, well so did I. Now, I don’t consider myself a theist neither an atheist.
Matthew was sitting on his booth waiting for people to pay their taxes. Suddenly on that fateful day a famous man cast his shadow in front of him and his life has never been the same again. A man he has often heard of. A man he was probably curious about for the longest time.
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said,
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
“Who is he, sir?” the man asked.
“Tell me so that I may believe in him.”
Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”
Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.
John 9:35-38
Jesus healed a man born blind. In the Gospel of John, this man was begging and Jesus found him and healed him. This blind man knew the man called Jesus, not only that, he met him and he was instructed by him. He was in his presence for a time yet he didn’t know who he is. He knew Jesus, the man, the rabbi, most likely the Messiah. But he didn’t know who Jesus really is.
After the healing, his case was later on investigated by the religious leaders of that time. They persecuted him and excommunicated him for his testimony about Jesus. Later Jesus found him again and asked
“Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
Jesus said “I am He”.
The man believed in Jesus, according the gospel. After Jesus did to him the miracle that no other place in history has ever heard of, he still did not get it until the appointed time when Jesus declared to him. When Jesus reveal things to him clearly.
I am Jesus Christ, the savior of the world. Do you believe in me?
Many times Jesus said to his first disciples “Follow me”. Instantly they left everything they had. Each of those moments God revealed to them the truth about their lives. That one stands before them asking their full commitment. And that the only response they could ever give is to submit, to surrender, to follow, to believe.
Jesus was passing by the lives of all people. God comes to everyone to different situations in life. All these years Jesus was passing by the highway of my life. Questions about him stirred my soul. Who is he? Where is he going? What does he want with me?
Many times I said “Lord if you save me from this I will serve you”. All of those times he saved me and many times I have broken my promise. I feel ashamed of it when I remember it but I realized now that God revealed himself to me at the proper time.
Jesus said:
I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am [the one I claim to be], you will indeed die in your sins.”
“Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been claiming all along,” Jesus replied.
John 8:24-25
Why does it matter who he is? Because in knowing who he is, man realizes whether he would believe or not. Whether he would follow or turn away. Believing in Him means “worshipping Him” and giving ones life for Him. Jesus is the Son of God. He lived a perfect life and was unjustly executed according to Gods plan. Centuries before he was born God said, Jesus will come to live a righteous life; to suffer and die take to himself the punishment of sin of all mankind; to rise from the dead and be raised to glory (Isaiah 53). Whoever believes in this knows who Jesus is (accepts him as Lord and Saviour). Whoever knows who he is, know also that his sins are forgiven and the righteousness of Christ was credited to him(2 Cor 5:21). Whoever knows him is forever indebted to him for Gods grace that was bestowed on him through Jesus Christ. Whoever believes Jesus lives by faith in Jesus that he made satisfaction for Gods fierce justice on his behalf. Whoever truly belongs to Christ live a life of gratitude he cannot stop speaking about him. Whoever knows him learns to abhors sin and learns to love his neighbor unconditionally. Whoever knows Him grows in himself an undying desire to know Him more.
Jesus said:
but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.
John 4:14
Jesus Christ came to fulfill all the righteous requirements of the Law,- Matthew 5:17-18 (in other words, he obeyed the Law from its least to its greatest requirement). Before Gods just and righteous requirements he is flawless.
Jesus Christ came to suffer and die for the sins of all mankind. Since Gods justice requires that all who sin deserve to die or be cast out from His presence. And all men are sinners (Rom 3:23) Jesus suffered and died a criminals death as a substitute for the punishment of all sinners who believe on Him so that the man who believe this and put their trust in Him will not suffer the wrath of the Lord God maker of heaven and earth. He came out of Gods love for mankind to satisfy Gods justice –which is death.
In short, all of mankind are on the road to hell because all are sinning, Jesus came so that the sins of the man who believe in Him(Jesus) will no longer be counted but is replaced by HIS(Christs) righteousness. That is what made him the most influential figure in all of history. His person as the savior of the world. Because of Him, noone has to go to hell if only everyone will believe in Him.
“for God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life - John 3:16″
Times come in every persons life when God confronts him. I have known Christ all my life but I didn’t really know him until the day he called me. Even if the very concept of sin and redemption doesn’t make sense to you, if today is the day that the Son of Man cast his shadow on your bench he will tell you to follow him, and all of this would make sense and man will leave everything behind and follow him and give his life to Christ. You may have heard for the longest time that Jesus is a man of God, or the Christ, or an extra ordinary man but one day will come (which could be today) when he will say to you “Do you believe in me?”
If I would be ask that question
“What made you want to be a Christian?”
I would reply
“Jesus Christ made me want to be a Christian. His very person made me and makes me want to belong to Him.”
Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
John 17:3
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