Why are you a Christian? As believers, this is one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. Dive in with the Dangerous Life Team.
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Why are you a Christian? As believers, this is one of the most important questions we can ask ourselves. Dive in with the Dangerous Life Team.
Website: www.dangerousfaith.net
YouTube: Dangerous Faith
Rumble: Dangerous Faith
Instagram: nwdangerousfaith
Twitter: @FaithDangerous
Facebook: @NWDangerousFaith
Why are you a Christian? We're going to ask that question here in this episode. Dangerous Faith, Glad to be with you. My name is Nate Williams. With me we have Blake Zeke, Chloe, Isaac and Mackenzie, and there are lots of different answers to this question. We're going to dive in. This won't be a full testimony episode. I think I'm going to take each individual member aside at some point to share their full testimony. But just why are you a Christian? It's something important to think about. So we have a good foundation. Does anyone want to kick us off with that? It's one of the most important questions you can ask as a believer. Why, behind your faith, Anyone?
Speaker 2:I'll start it. I'll be the one to just say a very Sunday school answer. I'm a Christian because there are multiple reasons why, but I guess one reason why is I have yet, out of all of the answers that you could explain of why the earth is here, why creation exists, the answer that best fits it to me is it was created by a creator and it started from there. So it's like something had to create what we have now. Atheist argument doesn't really give a clear answer. Every other religion just kind of falls short, but Christianity has the strongest argument for how and why we were created.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you would say Christianity answers some of those questions about how we got here and all that. Anyone else?
Speaker 3:Yeah, same thing as Blake, I guess. Starting out, I would just say, because we have a world that was created, there has to be a creator. So that's like the starting point, and then you got to figure out who's the creator and I just feel like the Bible kind of is more reliable and I believe Jesus is the creator.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to push back on you two just a little bit here. You would have a lot of other religions that would say, yeah, you guys are right, that's exactly why we are in certain religion Muslim or Buddhist or Hinduist or depending on the versions of those. Anyways, that's a side topic. Or a Jew that, yeah, we believe a God, or God's created the universe, so why don't you come join our religion? What might you say to that?
Speaker 3:Yeah, same. I would say that that's good for them to say that, because if you could admit somebody, that something or someone created the universe, then that's a good starting point, because that's where I started. But the reason I believe in the Bible and the triune God is because the Bible is 66 books, written by multiple authors over hundreds of years, that all connect to this one central message about Jesus the Messiah. And then he actually did come, he historically reliable, and then he died and rose from the dead and he claimed to be God's, and so I'm going to follow him.
Speaker 2:And that's kind of where I'm at with Isaac. Is you can, you can put it to the test. And that's that's kind of what I did. Is I put it to the test and I'm like, okay, all these other religions say this, we'll put those religions to the test. A lot of flaws fall short. And then you get to Christianity. It's historically backed up, it's very, very reliable, and you just go, just kind of went from there. You look at the evidence and you conclude from the evidence that this has to be true.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Now, Chloe, you wanted to hop in.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I think there's a couple reasons for why I'm a Christian. I think it could either be like from a logical standpoint of all the evidence and facts of this world point to it in my opinion, and also the Bible has more. It can be backed up by so many sources like way more than any other kind of ancient document or religion or you can kind of go from like a spiritual standpoint and like talking about the other religions. Well, what makes Christianity different is that, instead of being like a do this and get that workspace religion, where you have to do something in order to get some kind of reward which will ultimately fail because humans are imperfect, Christianity says the work has already been done and we don't have to do anything but just accept, just to sacrifice and accept it as our savior.
Speaker 5:I like that Zeke I was going to break brought up how we have a God that's not only created everything, but that you know he sent a son who we believe also was God. So not that we believe in multiple gods, but we believe in one God who's three persons, so one being three persons, and that is confusing to me in a lot of ways, but it answers more questions than it asks, or that brings up for me calls. If we there's someone who put it this way, I think it's CS Lewis he said something along the lines of every, every faith has some kind of belief, and they can all essentially agree that there's some kind of being out there that created things and that upholds this moral law, these things that we feel like we ought to do, but we don't, and we all agree on that. And they all agree that we need to be put back in relationship with that thing, like that thing is the thing we should strive, whether it's Buddhism or Nirvana, or Muslims and Allah, or Jews and Yahweh. And then you get the Christians, and obviously we have a little bit different than them, and he said that all of them essentially agree that we need to be put back in the right place and all of them. But Christianity agree on how we do it. All the other ones will say, okay, buddhism, you need to work your way up the ladder. Muslims say well, you need to practice these things, do good works so that you can earn your salvation. Jews they try to keep the law, to stay perfect, and Christianity is the only one that says no, like you were saying Clue, it's not what we can do, is what he has done, and I think if there really is a perfect being out there that we need to be in relationship with, it's going to be on him to make up for what we've done wrong.
Speaker 5:I don't see how I could ever make up for all the things I've done wrong. That also. The other thing would be that with the Trinity, we could ask the question of okay, how does it make sense that there's three persons in one being? And when I say when I say answers more questions, the question that comes to mind is okay, you have before every humans, wherever created. We think that we believe that God was non contingent, nothing. He's the uncalled first cause. Nothing created him. He exists all by himself.
Speaker 5:We also read in the Bible God is love and a lot of other religions will agree with that, that he is the essence of love, like it's not that love is God. It's no, god is love. Love comes from God. It's a part of his nature. It doesn't change. It's always been love. Well, what's the object of his love? If you say humans, that means we're a part of what caused him, we're part of what causes his nature to be love. So it can't be humans. Any other monotheistic religions going that side, I don't know, because there's no other being that he can love before we were here. But as Trinitarians we believe that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were there, so he had the ability to be loving before we were ever here.
Speaker 1:That is a great point. Zeke brings up some philosophical aspects of Christianity that make it different than other religions and more just, stronger, in my opinion. Now, mackenzie, not to put you on the spot, but as the last person in the group, if you don't mind me asking why are you a Christian?
Speaker 6:So I would say, if you asked me, like personally, why am I a Christian? It starts off with that testimony of we all have that longing inside of us. We all have that hole inside of us that we just is just there. It's just that you just feel it. It's just that sense of like, what should I do? What should I be doing? Why am I here? What is this all for?
Speaker 6:And then, when I was introduced to Christianity, you see the historical facts, you see the timeline, you see the evidence, you see the science all behind it and it provides that answer. But at the same time, when God introduces himself to you, it just fills that void and it gives you that hope, through Jesus, that it's nothing that we ever did, it's nothing that we earn, it's just he loves us. Because he loves us and because he loves us, he's not going to leave us in a pit of despair, but he's already sent his son to die for our sins and through that power we get to live in victory on earth and we'll eventually get to meet him one day too. So that's why I believe, for there's the hope, the hope of Jesus. It's true, it's real and it's like I need it. I can't live without Jesus. I can't live without God.
Speaker 3:Amen.
Speaker 5:Yeah, I really like that. It kind of goes back to the point of if the God is the God of other religions were true, then it's not unconditional love. There's things we have to do to earn it. But the God of Christianity is unconditional, he says. He tells us time and time again even in the Old Testament it's echoed over and over again that he has all the right to leave us whenever we forsake him. Yeah, we get time and time again where we forsake him and he sticks around for us.
Speaker 5:So one thing that's really helped me is somewhat the way someone once put it was if his love is unconditional, that means that it's not improved by my good deeds, but it's also not lessened by my bad deeds. So I think that's the best. We have the biggest advantage as Christians whenever we realize that, because we can say look, you know what. I messed up a lot. I've done bad things and I can acknowledge that because, guess what, I'm not any less loved. I don't have to hide from that, I don't have to try and have shame for that, because Christ is already taking care of it on the cross, and I can be more honest with people and say you know what, you're right, I did mess up, but I have a God who loves me, and he's willing to love you too.
Speaker 3:And kind of going off what McKinsey says, like I guess there's kind of multiple reasons, I believe, when the first one I brought up was kind of logical. But the second one is really like God showed up for me, Like when I called out to him he showed up and he's been there for me and I can see how he's worked in my life and I can see how he guides me and he leads me and I can just feel his presence. Like I'm not saying that's everything that matters, but it's real and I know it is.
Speaker 1:Now I'm going to jump in real quick. I think McKenzie got us started off in that area and then Zeke and Isaac added to it. There's a song that goes you ask me how I know he lives being Jesus. You ask me how I know he lives. Does anyone know the end of that? He lives within my heart. And you were close, you were right there, and so what I wanted to ask because we moved in this direction towards the end, experientially, is there room to say I'm a Christian because it feels right, I'm a Christian because I feel God, because a lot of our answer up until that point have been very like you said Isaac, very logical, apologetics based, which I love. I love apologetics. But is there room for an experiential reason I'm a Christian because of insert feeling or experience?
Speaker 6:Yeah, I think God gave us our feelings, so he created them for a reason and a purpose. I don't think, obviously, we should go solely based off of our feelings, but they're a gift from God that when we have that desire, we have that longing feeling, there's a reason for it, there's a hope, there's something that will fill that, and the only thing that will is him. So when we experience that, when we experience our salvation and getting to know him, he allows us to feel his grace, his mercy, his love, and I don't think that's wrong at all. I don't.
Speaker 4:I think yes too, because, like Mackenzie said, your feelings are a gift from God and it's only become I think feelings can only become a bad thing if you start to react to them like in a bad way. It kind of just depends on what you do with your feelings. But I think a lot of people do come to faith in Christianity through experiences, because they experience the peace of God that surpasses all understanding, or the love of God that's more than we could comprehend, and those are the things that often bring people to God. And while it's not, shouldn't be built solely on emotions. Like you need to go from there, like I think it's a good place to start.
Speaker 2:Yeah, blake, yeah, I think that's a great way to start too. I think, when it comes to feelings, it just further strengthens, like that there is a relationship going on, because you know, that's the whole reason why we're Christians is to have a relationship. You know, at first it starts with, yeah, we accept, you know, we learn about Jesus and we're like we want to have that relationship with him. We want to, you know, we want to have that gift that he's given us and then from there you, just you, continue throughout your whole life, you continue to build on that relationship getting closer. And I think being in touch with having those experiences just kind of further strengthens it.
Speaker 2:Like I can remember there were times with me when I would be like in the midst of an anxiety and felt the, felt the overwhelming sense of peace, or just be so upset and so sad, but then all of a sudden just be filled with like this warm feeling of and I can't explain it. It's like you just hear a voice, not an actual voice, but just like a voice. That's just like you're loved. That's all you hear Sometimes. It's just like one word, just like loved, or not even like a full sentence, just like I'm here.
Speaker 4:Or even just like rest.
Speaker 2:Peace, like you just feel those things and you can't explain them. So I think it's, I think that's just a way us having those experiences it's just, it's just really that impactful relationship that we can have.
Speaker 5:And we talked about this in Sunday School today is. I think there is a feeling aspect to it in the sense that Jesus promises us in Scripture and if we read in Matthew 28, 19 and then John 14, 1, jesus tells us, matthew 28 is where he tells us go, therefore, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit Triunity, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. So that's promise number one, that he's with us now. And then promise number two would be of the future, of in John 14, of let not your hearts be troubled, believe in God, believe also in me in my Father's house or many rooms. And if it were not so I would have told you that I go to a prayer place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, said Jesus, I will come again and take you to myself, and where I am, you may be also. So I think that kind of appeals to the motion, in the sense that we have a actual promise from Jesus saying that I'm going to be with you. And not only am I going to be with you, but I'm preparing a place that's better than the place you're here.
Speaker 5:Mckinsey mentioned earlier of you have this I like the word longing. That's something. In a class I'm going to be teaching soon, we're going to be talking about longings. I think that some of our longings can kind of appeal and show us that there's something greater out there.
Speaker 5:So like the longing that, say, whenever I was driving through my old high school recently, I just I drove down a road I haven't been down in probably a decade. I just had, like this overwhelming sense of like feeling coming back up, like I remember going down this road every single day for school, all the different things, the playground that was on the right side, the football field, and part of me was like man, it feels like it was just yesterday but so much has changed. Like things don't feel like they should be, like it feels like this place should be better than what it is right now. And I think we all have that longing like CS Lewis said, of like if we have this feeling that things should be better than maybe this, pointing to the fact that there is a place where things are better, but maybe that place isn't here.
Speaker 1:I like that. I think there's a book that reminds me of rumors by Yancey Great, great book to check out, but anyways, isaac.
Speaker 3:To add on to the long, to the longing and the feeling stuff it's. I can't speak for everyone in the room, but in my experience, like growing up I grew up in a church and I was taught all the right things and I thought I believed all the right things, but for the longest time I was just living like the laws of God, I guess. And so for the longest time I was like, oh yeah, I have a relationship with God. But I didn't. Until I did, like, until he met me there and he was like, hey, you're my child. Like when he answered me when I called out to him, was like, yeah, we have a relationship. Now, then that's when I had a relationship with him.
Speaker 3:Like I can do all these things and say, oh, I have a relationship with this person. But if, like, if I said I had a relationship with Mackenzie but I never felt love from her, I never knew who she was. I've never heard her, I've never, like none of these feelings have been around. I didn't know she was with me. Do I really have a relationship with her or do I just know who she is, kind of thing.
Speaker 1:Isaac, if you don't mind me asking what made you switch from maybe more of a religion, rules, laws based understanding of your faith to a relationship with Jesus. Was it a moment or was it like a gradual progression? Does that make sense? Yeah?
Speaker 3:Um, I don't know. It's kind of so I grew up and I always was told you know, like you need to be saved from hell, all this stuff, and so I'd always asked Jesus. I can't tell you how many times I went down to the altar and asked Jesus to save me and that then ever happened. I was still scared. Nothing ever happened. And then I guess I kind of got a deeper understanding of who he was and who God actually was by talking with you and Jonathan and Zeke and all the all at Walmart and when I just Realize who God was and I prayed to him as God and just surrendered my life, and that's when I was like this is a relationship with him. He answered my call, he gave me peace I've never known before and I knew that I was his child and I just I knew it wasn't about the rules and stuff, but it was about having a relationship with him.
Speaker 2:Must feel good to be elected, isn't it Isaac?
Speaker 2:anyways yeah, my mind kind of came from a Fear when you were talking about that, like because I went to my church. It was very like a and or the churches I've been to I've never really just had like a home church until now. But it was bait. My, my Relationship with God was based out of fear, like I was so terrified to go to hell, and it wasn't until I can't remember like the exact moment, but it was just kind of like something like that. It was a. There was just a moment where I realized that God isn't a checklist, god isn't a good deeds book, like it's a. It's a I don't want to call him a person or a being or anything like that but he's God, like he encompasses all of those things. He's a, he's, he's someone that you can have a Relationship with, someone that you can build trust in, someone that will hear you when you're sat, like hear you out, answer your calls. It was once I realized, once it's like once I took God out of this box, that I put him in.
Speaker 2:It was like when it really started to you constructed the way, once you deconstructed, once I deconstructed yeah, once I. Once I converted to Calvinism. No, like once I, it's just once I took God, once I stopped making God what I thought he should be and rather than just accept him as he is. It was like man, it's just like that relationship just began. It's like you really could feel his presence.
Speaker 5:First off your wrong. You didn't convert to Calvinism.
Speaker 2:I was chosen.
Speaker 5:Um, god converted you to it, so checkmate. Second thing, I had a question for well, since you brought that up, I guess this for both of you Did you feel whenever you were before you were, you feel like you were actually saved, but those times where you said you kept praying but you didn't feel like anything changed.
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 5:Do you feel like your motivation then was more of Running away from hell like fire insurance, rather than running to God?
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, for sure for sure.
Speaker 5:So what changed from all those moments before to that moment when happened? What did it feel? Different like what? If someone is out there who's going through the same thing you went through? What would you tell them right now?
Speaker 2:Well for me and everybody. I guess I don't know if Isaac can tell me about his experience, but for me once I realized that it was like the biggest burden was like lifted off my shoulder. It for real. It felt like legit when they say like it feels like chains were lifted off. It felt like whatever was weighing me down Was completely lifted off, like I felt like I had this new found freedom. It was like I understood that I don't have to be afraid of hell anymore because I can love God. And it was like I don't have to worry about.
Speaker 2:It's like I was so worried about backsliding, like that's all I could think about was my sin. And then it's like I didn't think about like how I could worship God. I didn't think about how I could like live for God. All I thought about was doing the things that kept me from sinning, which eventually would just leave me to sinning, because I was more concerned about not sinning than I was having a relationship with God. So once that kind of flipped, once that switch flipped in my head, it was a choice. It was like, hey, I gotta stop worrying about sin and actually just focus on God. And then it was like I guess what you're saying.
Speaker 5:I was putting a cart before the horse maybe I don't know, I don't know, I don't have a horse.
Speaker 3:Nate, you have a horse Mine's not as deep I guess, but I just when I was praying to God that he would save me, it was always hell insurance. It wasn't this is who God is, this is who he is, all that stuff. But then one night, and I guess it was kind of a gradual thing, but just the Holy Spirit working in my life. But then one night I was just laying in bed and I listened to a Francis Chan sermon about how God is so holy and I just realized he was talking about how Isaiah went and saw God and how he was so holy that like three times holy, holy he's. Like I'm so unclean, I'm a man of unclean lips and then I just remembered just praying to God because I realized how holy he was and he just met me in that place and I could just feel the peace like I've never felt before.
Speaker 5:I'm just gonna say a quick thing on that and then cause Chloe's want to say something. But I heard something on that passage too. Where was it the angel? Or where Isaiah said holy, holy, holy?
Speaker 3:The angels were crying that God was holy, holy, holy. And Isaiah says that he's like I'm a man of unclean lips, like I don't deserve to be here.
Speaker 5:Just a quick point. I think something that we've and I've done it before in the past too that the church has made a mistake of is sometimes we focus so much on seeing that we get to people to where they feel like they don't even deserve God's love. And something that someone pointed out was in that verse that they all say holy, holy, holy. They don't repeat back and look at the Isaiah and say center, center, center he is. But they didn't need to tell him that. He knew that whenever he saw who God was, it was obvious to him that he was a sinner. So I think sometimes we beat people over the head with sin, when most time people know their sinners. Thank you, chloe.
Speaker 4:So I think kind of starting a different like route in this conversation, and so a part of my story is I had to learn when I went to college that my faith was not like my, my faith wasn't my parents Like I. I couldn't just, you know, live with them anymore and just go to church with them just because they went. I had to make it my own, my own faith, and I think that's difficult, especially if we have any like younger people in the audience, that you have to make it your own faith and and so that that was like my freshman year, like of college. I had to really figure out how to do that and I think that can be really difficult. But I think seeking help also is very important as well.
Speaker 6:Yeah. So I love looking at it kind of this way, like looking back at when you're little and hearing the stories of like, get saved, so you don't go to hell, or do good, so you don't make God angry, or you know his wrath, or anything like that. And I I never really saw God as like angry, but I knew I didn't want to go to hell. And there was always that confusion of like, well, am I going to go to heaven? Like I think I like God, I think I know him, but am I going to go to heaven?
Speaker 6:But the way he reveals himself to you, to us, in the sense of Lord, I don't want to go to hell, but also I need you to date, in this moment, like I'm, I'm going to school, I have no hope, I have no, you know. Like I know these things are bad and I want to stop myself from doing them, but I can't. And it's even more of like, yeah, I don't want to go to hell, but also, lord, can you just help me in this moment? And I think that's where he met me as Lord, or when he revealed to himself that I don't have to do any of those things. He already loves me regardless, and in that process starts a sanctification and all that follows.
Speaker 5:This kind of goes with both what Blake and I were talking about with Helen or Fire Insurance and kind of what Chloe and McKenzie are talking about. This is the best way I've heard it put and maybe it'll be helpful to anyone else out there who's in a similar situation. There's someone who his dad was a great dad. His dad was in the military, loved him, took care of him, but his dad never told him I love you, son Probably Nate, just kidding. He knew his dad loved him, but he never heard him say it. And then, when he was off at college, one day something happened and his dad came to visit and his dad told him you know, I love you. And he broke down into yours, like this is a big football player, like a strong guy. He broke down into yours and he was so grateful. And then after that, instead of spending his time on the weekends at college, he would go back and do things for his dad to show his love and return.
Speaker 5:I think it's the same way with God. Sometimes, whenever you're trying to work through salvation, it's like I'm doing all these things, like he could have done those things other weekends before his dad said that, but it would have been to earn his dad love, but after he knew that his dad loved him, he wanted to do them to show his love. So I think the motivation is entirely different. It's one from I want to do this to show my love instead of one to earn the love, and I think that's been my experience.
Speaker 5:Like I had the same problem you had growing up of I wasn't reassured whenever I went down to pray. I was really just pastor said you better come down to this altar right now if you don't want to go to hell and devil's going to get you you might die tonight. Where would you go if you knew that? You know that you're going to hell tonight and then so I would go down there like okay, well, I'm a little kid, I don't want to die in hell and I was going to it to get away from hell.
Speaker 5:But as I got older, like God made it more apparent to me that like no, this is a relationship. I want you, I want you with me. I want you to want to be with me, not just to get away from the devil. They're two different things. And now that I can confidently say I'm not perfect, there's times where I don't feel like doing certain things, but every time that I follow him, I do the things that he commands me to do and calls me to do. Like it's never let me down. I've never been disappointed for doing it.
Speaker 3:I just want to preface by saying we don't hate any of the churches we've ever went to. Speak for yourself. It's not saying that they weren't teaching the right thing or something, but I guess that's kind of what we got from it, especially some knots. But I think they did have a role in leading me to God, because if I would have never went to church, like I would never would have heard of him or anything like that. And there are saints who go to like old Baptist churches and stuff and who love God.
Speaker 6:Yeah, and I think it's too. As we talk about this, you can really just see God's character in it, because you ask a question, or you may ask this question like why doesn't God want us to sin? Like why is sin bad? And you get to see that sin separates us from God and his love and he just loves us so much he doesn't want us to stay in that he wants us to come back to him and be made whole through him and through Jesus, where we don't have to live in that sin and he provides that option for us, which is just so loving.
Speaker 1:I think y'all bring up great well rounded points. I love all the things we're covering, oh Isaac.
Speaker 3:Why are you a Christian? Why are you an atheist?
Speaker 1:Why am I a Christian?
Speaker 2:or an atheist? Are you Jewish or a Christian? Which one do you consider yourself?
Speaker 1:You can be both, because of the categories of being Jewish Okay.
Speaker 3:He's a messianic Jew Alright.
Speaker 1:Not quite, not quite, but here's why I'm a Christian. It for me, apologetics played a huge role and we talked about that, so I don't have to linger long on that topic. But I grew up in a church home, a Christian home, went to church all my life a good kid, typically, on average, generally, Anyways. But there came a time when I just went through some tough things in my life in high school and what really annoyed me was that I could answer my own questions and that bugged me because I wanted to go off on the whole. How could a loving God allow this and how could a loving God allow that? And because of apologetics I could answer those questions which really annoyed me because I didn't want, because I wanted to justify going off and living my own way.
Speaker 1:So I think I just through time and apologetics that's partly what helped convince me that my faith was true. And then what y'all also said growing the relationship side of it, that your faith is not a bunch of principles to memorize, it's a relationship with Jesus. So I'd say all of those kind of things happened in a high school-ish right around that timeframe. But anyways, I appreciate the question, isaac Zeke.
Speaker 5:I was going to ask the same question so because I knew you wouldn't give it unless we asked.
Speaker 1:That's true. Anyways, y'all know me well. What I'll go to now is we live in the South and you'll bump into a lot of people who they'll say something along the lines of I'm a Christian because my family is a Christian, or we go to this church, or they'll give reasons like that I'm a Christian because my parents are a Christian. What do you think of that reasoning? Is it legitimate? Can that make you a real Christian and any thoughts there?
Speaker 2:Whenever I hear that, especially whenever someone says I'm a Christian because I go to church, I always think of the well, are you a car? Because you can stand in a garage.
Speaker 1:That's kind of rude, but that's what I think.
Speaker 2:If I'm standing in a garage, does that mean I get to call myself a car? So it's kind of like you know.
Speaker 5:Where did you hear that? I don't know, I'm not a heard it from somewhere. I like it though.
Speaker 1:It's a good analogy.
Speaker 2:I think I heard it from somewhere, I don't know. It makes you think.
Speaker 3:Where you done.
Speaker 2:I mean Nate pointed, so obviously I'm done.
Speaker 3:And next.
Speaker 2:I wasn't sure he gets very nervous when I'm on the mic, so oh no, I'm like talking to my sister.
Speaker 5:He wanted to cut you off before, but it was like great analogy.
Speaker 2:Don't ruin this play. Next one Go ahead, isaac. I'll riff off of something.
Speaker 3:It really scares me when I hear stuff like that, not saying that I should be judging people's salvation, but if they think that their salvation isn't something like going to church or their parents coming to church and stuff like that, it really scares me because I feel like they may be fooled into thinking like you know, I'm good, like everybody goes to heaven. I'm going to go to heaven Like we live in the Bible Belt where everybody thinks they're a Christian, just because we live in the Bible Belt and I don't know. I struggle with that, with talking to people who say they're Christians. But then I kind of think, like how do you tell somebody who thinks they're a Christian in the Gospel? Know if they understand it.
Speaker 5:I think the best way to do that is to kind of ask some clarifying questions.
Speaker 5:I mean that's any kind of thing like that. But you know, someone says I'm a Christian because I go to this church. Like what do you mean by that? You mean like, just because you attend, therefore you're getting into heaven. They're like some people. If they say, yes, that's very concerning. Then you're like then what's the gospel? And then you kind of lead that you get them to the point where, no, I don't know. Like, okay, well, here's what it actually says. But if they say like no, that's not why I meant. I just meant like, hey, that's how you can know I'm a Christian. But okay, so what is the gospel? Like they explain it and like, oh, okay, well, here's. You just might want to clarify that next time. It's like we're not Christians because we go to church or we're a member somewhere, it's because of what Christ did. So there's no right answer other than because of what he did.
Speaker 5:If your answer is anything else, then it's not the right answer, and sometimes it's hard.
Speaker 3:Like I had a conversation the other day with someone who I had just met for the first time and they were like talking about how they were Christian, everything, and I was like that's so awesome, like I, you know, I wanted to talk to them about it and stuff. And then I asked them I was like so when did you get saved? And they're like I've been saved a couple of times, you know. And I'm like then I start asking them like what do you mean? Like how do you get saved and all that stuff. And sometimes it's just you just can't really go off of somebody just saying they're a Christian. Like even with people who might be your best friends or something, you really need to know why people believe what they believe.
Speaker 2:And I think like when you oh, sorry, sorry go ahead?
Speaker 2:No, well, I was. I was just going to say like, if, if I don't know. Building relationships is very important, like getting to understand people, like, especially when they say like well, I'm a Christian, and then asking them like, especially if they're like your friend or something, you've already got that relationship established so you can already ask them like well, what do you mean by that? I think it was just very important. Whenever we hear people say like I'm a Christian, I think it's okay, especially if we can hold each other accountable, because we're all brothers and sisters in Christ, so that accountability is just already there. I think it's okay that we can ask them like okay, well, how?
Speaker 1:Like what does that mean?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And it's not like we're beating them over the head and we're not trying to make them look dumb. It's out of. It's out of like Love, Love, yeah, Cause it's like you don't, if you, you don't want anybody to miss out on the love of Christ.
Speaker 5:That's like the most important thing that we forget. Sorry, clay, I'm interrupting you on that, but is it cause you're the man?
Speaker 3:Yes, Dang it.
Speaker 5:Misogyny is creeping in. Maybe if you would start rigorously pointing, like but sometimes people say stuff and I just have to say it then, otherwise I'll forget, cause I'm not that smart, cause she's a woman.
Speaker 1:I got it.
Speaker 5:But to the part, like Paul says, like to be gracious whenever we're like if someone backslides, he says graciously, bring them back. So I think sometimes we read right over that gracious part and like bring them back. And like we do whatever means we have to and we're rude about it or whatever. But like if Blake does something stupid, I'm not just going to go, I'm not slapping him over the head cause it's Blake, but Isaac or someone else. I might not slap over the head, but like to be gracious with them and to, like, you know, treat everyone as you, as you love them. So I'm Chloe, go ahead.
Speaker 4:It's okay, oh something.
Speaker 2:While I was on it, I was oh my.
Speaker 1:God.
Speaker 4:So all this is making me think of that verse in John that says by this they'll know your, my disciples, by your love. It doesn't say they'll know your, my disciples, by your church. It doesn't say they'll know you by your parents. It's by your love. And that's your love, not your parents love or your church's love. So it has to be your own faith. It can't be someone else's, or you can't just say it's your church's faith.
Speaker 2:Take that microphone out and drop it on the ground. That was great, all right.
Speaker 3:Please don't, please don't but what is the rest of that mercy? It says your love for each other.
Speaker 5:That's really important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, no, I'm not saying she's wrong, but I'm just want to finish. It's Isaac, as the man is correcting the woman.
Speaker 3:That's what's happening here, as it should be as a legal Corrected and interrupted.
Speaker 1:Anyways, I think one point I always bring up with this conversation is God has no grandchildren, and if you think that, if you think that you're saved because your parents have faith, well I'm glad they do, but you need to have a personal relationship with Jesus as well. So I think we're bringing up a lot of good points. I have been told I very rudely end these episodes and I just stiff arm people and I'm like okay, we're out of here, we're done, stop talking. So to avoid doing that for today, before we head off, does anyone have anything that they want to talk about before we do so?
Speaker 2:Let's talk about the morality.
Speaker 1:The morality.
Speaker 3:Isaac. No, I don't know.
Speaker 1:Isaac does not know. All right, friends, I hope you enjoyed this episode. One of the good things to think about that there are many reasons to be a Christian and really for most of us we have several. Maybe it's apologetics. Maybe you've looked into different things and you're like Christianity makes the most sense. Maybe it's experiential. Mackenzie brought up the longing in our heart that the gospel satisfies. There's just a lot of different parts to it. Blake, did you want to say something?
Speaker 2:Yeah, just for, like it's for anybody young, old, christians, just anybody that this is mostly just geared towards Christians. What I'm about to say. But if you claim you're a Christian but yet you have like something in your heart is telling you, like you know, you feel like uncertain, like I said this for young old, new that my biggest thing to tell you, coming from someone who considers himself still a young Christian, is never stop chasing God. Like, even when you think you have an answer, keep digging, cause that's the only way you build a relationship with God. Get to know him more. Like, just because you might know in a, in a, in a like analogy term, just because you know God's favorite color, doesn't mean you know everything about God. It's just one of those things. Like never you have all of eternity to get to know God, but even while you're here, never, ever like stop seeking him. Always keep trying to build a stronger relationship with him and you will get more and more of him as you do it.
Speaker 1:I think that's a great way of ending the episode. If I'm allowed, to follow us on social media dangerous faith. We also have a YouTube channel and we'll keep kind of having these episodes come out. If there's any topic you want us to talk about, please let us know through social media, comments, youtube, whatever. It is email that apparently I still use because I'm a dinosaur, whatever. But yeah, this has been great Blake Zeke, chloe, isaac and Mackenzie joining me to talk about the question why are you a Christian?
Speaker 2:Better help sponsor us.
Speaker 4:Buh-buh-buh.