So many people, believers and non-believers alike, think Christianity is a set of rules and regulations. They think it is all about what you can do and what you can't do, what you can think and what you can't think. Don't do this, don't say that. But it is so much more. It's not just some old religion; it's a faith based on the Gospel of Christ. It's love, hope, and joy. It is much more beautiful than anything this earth could possibly provide.
We were all born into sin. There is nothing we can do to win our way to heaven. Sin is in our nature and, unfortunately, we're doomed. God, through his love, wanted to help. So He sent Christ down onto this earth to become sin and defeat death so that we wouldn't have to try to do something we never could manage. Jesus did not have to come down to earth. He didn't have to live the life of a servant and be beaten, persecuted, and killed on the cross. But He did. He loves us too much to have us suffer, so He suffered instead. And we are made righteous in Christ, not by our own doing, but by his.
That's the beauty of the Gospel. No matter how hard we try, we can never be good enough. But God, by his unconditional love and mercy, sent Christ here on earth to save us from eternal death. We are not enough, but we don't have to be. Christ is more than enough for all of us, no matter what we've done.
And it doesn't end there. Jesus didn't just ascend into heaven and say peace out. No, the Holy Spirit came to the earth and lives in whomever has accepted the Gospel and continues to do God's work throughout the world. We haven't been left behind. The Holy Spirit is in us and will continue to live in us for all of eternity.
This doesn't mean everything in life is easy. Life is hard. We all know that. We're all going to face trials and go through struggles. The difference is that, with Christ, we have someone to lean on when we can't make it through on our own. We can lean on Him, trust Him, cry out to Him, and He will listen. He will guide us, and through these struggles, we can have hope in Him. God doesn't promise a life of ease when we come to Him; rather, He promises to be stronghold of peace that we can take hold of when we go through these struggles. As a result, when we trust in Him through it all, we can be an example of hope to others and point more people to Christ.
The Gospel is alive. It is relevant to everything on this earth. It has the power not only to change you in an instant, but to keep on working through you and in you for all of eternity. The Gospel is beautiful. It is hope. It is peace. And most of all, it is love. That is why I believe.
