Another Reason Why I Believe

I was having one of those spiritual/religious conversations with a friend recently - You know the one - where the friend expresses that they too believe in God and are spiritual, in the following ways:

• God is energy
• My god is the same as your God
• All roads lead to heaven
• At least I'm a good person
• Christianity teaches exclusivity and is therefore intolerant of others
• I believe god exists, but exerts very little influence over our lives
• I don't necessarily believe in a heaven or a hell
• Satan exists in peoples minds so we have someone to blame for stuff

Sound familiar? Have you ever talked with someone like this for any length of time? It's difficult because there is no common ground in the origins of our beliefs. We want to quote scripture, but they don't view it as being the infallible word of God. To us, the Bible is our guide into all truth. To them, truth is subjective - if you believe it to be true, then for you it is.

And so it happened that somewhwere in the middle of this fascinating conversation my friend made a comment that still echoes in my mind today. I was expanding on the Christian belief that all roads DO NOT lead to heaven - that the only true road is the one that passes by the cross. He was listening politely (though this is the part he believes to be intolerant and exclusive in nature) and then said in a very matter-of-fact way:

"Well, you know how it is, if I was in a plane that was going to crash, I would probably call out for Jesus to save me too. After all, isn't that what most people would do in that situation?"

I didn't flinch, and continued to listen to the statements that followed, but inside I was reeling. What had he just said? He does not believe in Jesus right now, but if faced with impending death, he just might be convincd that it would be prudent to call on Jesus to save him...

And that's when it hit me. This is yet another reason why I believe in Jesus Christ. It's the simple fact that many non-believers will suddenly believe when faced with death. Many of them do last minute business with God to make sure their affairs are in order before leaving this life. But the cool part is this: it really doesn't happen the other way around! I've never heard a story where a sold out Christian said, "Oh no! I'm going to die. I don't believe in God! I don't believe in God!"

Have you? If so, I apologize. But in my experience it just doesn't happen. Why? I really can't say other than to suggest that every person (on some level) understands the following truths:

• God does exist and is more than just energy
• Humans need God in order to be certain about eternity
• If we cry out to God, He has the power to hear us and save us

Sure people live their entire lives as if this is NOT true, but when faced with death and an uncertainty about eternal life, many recall the truth about their Creator as if it were burned into their minds with a hot iron.

Just another reason why I believe...