Do you believe in Jesus? I’ve believed in Jesus since October of 1983. When I first came to Christ I knew almost nothing. I had a sense that there was a God, but wasn’t sure. I also had a sense, before I was ever exposed to Christianity in any meaningful way, that if I died I would not go to Heaven, but would go to Hell.
Everyday I drove by a church and noticed that its parking lot was filled with cars. Why in the world are there cars in a church parking lot on a Tuesday, I wondered? One day curiosity got the best of me and I pulled into the lot of Casas Church in Tucson, Arizona. I talked with the Christian school principal and a guy named Max. They explained the Gospel to me, showing me passages from the Bible. I was hesitant and conflicted. I wanted to be patient and gracious. But what I really wanted was to get out of there. But as Max shared the scriptures with me something began to click. It made sense. When he asked me to pray to receive Christ I was still hesitant and afraid, but I did it anyway. That evening I became a Christian. But what did I really know beyond the first bit of knowledge that Jesus died for me and rose from the dead? Not much. If someone were to have asked me why I believed in Jesus at that moment I would not have known what to say. So here it is, over 30 years later, and I’m pondering what I’ve learned and believed and how I’ve changed. You know what?
I know what to say.
Why I believe in Jesus today, after 30+ years in Christ, is different than why I first believed. There are many reasons why I believe in Jesus. They are reasons that everyone should consider. Some are subjective, dealing with what has gone on in my heart for the last 30+ years. Some reasons are more objective. In other words, evidence outside of my perspectives and feelings about Jesus that convince me year after year about the truth of who he is. There are many reasons why I believe in Jesus—and why I hope you will believe in Jesus. But for this article I will share just six.