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November 2004, Page 8.
Index of articles:
by subject,
by date.
In this issue:
(November 2004)
Lay ministry,
2 Thessalonians,
Question.
In our "Questions to the clergy" slot, John will try to answer any query you throw at him, without hesitation, deviation or repetition...
I'm OK, so why should I become a Christian?
Q. Why should I become a Christian, when I'm a good and happy person the way I am?
A. I suppose if you put the question that way, there are three reasons you should become a Christian. First, you aren't as good as you think. Second, you aren't as happy as you think. And third, you won't always be the way you are now.
The word "Christian" means a follower of Christ, and the main point of Christ's life on earth was to bring us forgiveness from sins. We might think "sins" means theft, murder and adultery - but God doesn't measure sins this way: his standards are higher than ours - in fact, his standards are perfection. It would take a brave person to say "I don't need to become a Christian because I'm perfect the way I am."
Jesus was once asked: "What good must I do to enter eternal life?" "The Old Testament says: Love God with everything you've got, and love all other people as much as you love yourself", he replied (Luke 10:25-37). If we haven't done these two things 100%, then we are less than perfect - we are sinners and we need forgiving.
When we say people are "sinful" we don't mean they are as bad as they possibly could be - we mean that they are less good than they ought to be. They don't come up to God's standards. Suppose I cooked you a 6-egg omlette made of 5 good eggs and one rotten one. Would it be acceptable for me to say: "This omlette has more good than bad in it so it's OK"? Of course not - it's inedible, it needs throwing away. Likewise, the bible says: "The wages of sin is death." If my life is 83% good and only 17% sinful, I still deserve death.
The Christian faith is basically a swap. God offers us the chance to do a swap with Jesus: we swap our sinfulness for Jesus' sinlessness, and Jesus takes the punishment for the sins we have committed. If we don't become Christians, it's only logical that we will have to pay the penalty for our own sins - death.
About being "happy", it is true that most people are content with the good health and the leisure they have in this life. However, most people also realize there has to be a purpose in life, and good health and leisure don't provide that purpose. There's a "god-shaped hole" inside us which needs filling. If and when you do decide to become a Christian, you'll discover that your previous definition of "happiness" was a bit colourless.
Finally, I guess it's no accident that a lot of elderly people go to church. We would like to imagine we are immortal - but one day each of us will face death. If you become a Christian, you'll be able to face death with confidence.
John Hartley