We ended yesterday at the start of a dicsussion about defending our faith, or really just being able to express WHY we believe what we believe.  And I started to get into my opinion about how we should be prepared to answer the question, “Why are you a Christian?”, or “Why do you believe what you say you believe?”.  We are going to unpack this in 2 parts...today is part 1.

So, let’s make sure we are good with “What do you believe?”.  For me, I would answer that question with a simple response that I believe Jesus is the Son of God, that He is God’s human representation, we typically call Him God’s Son, and that He was sent to the earth to live as a man, like me, and who lived the sinless life that I can’t seem to pull off, who died the death of a sinner that I actually deserve to die acccording to God’s law, that my belief in Jesus’ death as a substitute for mine allows me to be saved from that death that I deserve, and as a result I am made right with God and can have relationship with God now and forever.

I realize that’s the world’s worst run-on sentence, but I am writing that in the way that I would say it and I don’t speak ‘periods’ and ‘commas’ unless I am dictating to Siri for a text message!

But that’s what I believe.

Have you ever noticed that most people have a sense of right and wrong that is mostly congruent with other people?  Like, most people agree that killing other people is wrong, or that stealing isn’t good.  And have you ever noticed that kids dont’ have to be taught how to be evil, they just figure it out, and they also learn to hide and to lie in their evil.  Have you ever noticed that?

Have you ever noticed that people tend to want to know that they are a part of something bigger, that their life in some way has purpose and has meaning?  Have you ever noticed that?

Have you ever noticed that you do things that you know you ought not do, but you do them anyways, and you feel guilty about it at times, and that wears on you at times, but still, you struggle to live the life you know you ought to live in some ways...have you ever noticed that?

I used to NOT be a Christian, and I noticed that I always felt like no matter how good science got, there were always questions science couldn’t answer, there were always obstacles for me to believing that something came out of nothing, and that everything I see around me was just truly random and coincidental...I don’t know, have you ever thought about that?

What is it for you?  What is the thing, or what are the things that you wonder about when you think about life and living at 30,000 feet that truly makes you scratch your head?  That’s what this first question is about...have you ever noticed THAT THING...

Think about that today, and let’s pick up there tomorrow this part 2.