Some time ago, I was having a very happy dinner with my friend. We were chatting happily, not really caring about the direction of the topic when I was suddenly aware of myself saying (I have no idea how I got there...)
"You know when I was not a Christian, I've always felt that Christians were myopic, narrow-minded people...."
And even as I was saying the above, I was aware that very soon I would be made to account for why I believe in Christ now, and sure enough....
"So why are you a Christian now?"
Silence, my mind was a blank. Eventually, I wheezed out, "Because I have experienced the love of Jesus, in dying on the cross for me...."
Which gave her the chance to say, "You know this theme of self-sacrifice is not unique to Christianity. In Buddhism, Buddha also gave himself up for mankind so that they can reach enlightenment..."
Hopefully, my wasting of a chance to talk about Christ can be your gain. Now that I have some time to think things through, I'd feel an adequate response would possibly contain these elements.
i) God is a holy God. Being holy, He cannot withstand any single intention or action that is against His fully good character.
ii) He made man to be in fellowship with Him. He intends for Man to rule the world under Him.
iii) However man is sinful, and wants to rebel against Him. We want to rule the world without Him. (Romans 3:10 "There is no one righteous, no not one...")
iv) "For the wages of sin is death..." (Romans 6:23) As a result, we are condemned, to be away from His presence forever.
v) "I am the way the truth the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..." (John 14:6) Belief in Jesus is the only way. "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
vi) "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. " (Romans 10:9-10) When we put Jesus as Lord in our lives, our relationship with God is restored.
I believe, because I believe in the words of Jesus....
Anymore essential elements for an adequate response?
2 comments:
Assuming no knowledge of other religions, all religions would be similar in self-sacrificial idols, but ONLY Christianity makes the claim that it is through the death of one person that salvation (different from enlightenment) is reached. And even then, not from our efforts but because He died.
Christ is the only "hero" if you will, who said that it was through Him and only Him that we go to Heaven and are saved. All other religions depend on the self to attain salvation.
This is important because it shows God as the one to reach out to us - and we cannot attain it on our own. Making the claim unique and unbelievable - requiring more scrutiny and prayerfully ultimately salvation... :)
ya, conversational apologetics is a lifelong learning... sometimes textbook answers need to be repackaged to make it work in a tabletalk. I like the angle hamster is getting here ie the sacrifice of Buddha is so that he may gain enlightenment and show others how attain the same via self reliance... but the sacrifice of Christ is for atoning for our sins out of sheer grace. Of course, to expand the discussion into the identity of Jesus... He is not just a man who gave up earthly position but God incarnate who emptied himself of the privileges of heaven, that's mind boggling :D
Post a Comment