10 Reasons to Believe

About a year ago I did a series of blogs entitled "10 Reasons to Not Believe."

Having looked at the Christian faith from a negative angle, and trying to provide arguments against not believing, in 2019 I thought I'd take a shot at looking at some very significant and positive reasons actually to believe.  So here are my "10 Reasons to Believe" which I'll list here with some brief explanation. In subsequent weeks I'll attempt to unpack each one a little further. As always, comments and critiques are welcome.
I'm not a philosopher, nor a theologian, and so if I've overstated something or missed the mark completely, please let me know in the comments. Equally, if something resonates with you, please also let me know, either in the comments or responding to me privately.  Scripture tells me to be "always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect" and that is my intent.

1. Love

In my early Christian walk one of the things that captivated me the most about the Gospel was how much God loved me. Possibly the most famous scripture in the Bible is John 3:16. Perhaps it's sometimes overused or not fully understood, but the weight of the words, if you break them down, are tremendous:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

Alongside this scripture is another that describes the facets and outworking of real love in 1 Corinthians 13 that includes the words:

"Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

Paul wraps up this part of his letter by clearly stating "The greatest of these is Love." I agree!

2. Joy

Elsewhere in scripture there's a description of the facets of "the fruit of the Spirit" which starts the list with: "Love, joy, peace, patience..."
Joy is similar to happiness, but distinctly different in that the source is from the inside out and not outside in.  In other words, happiness depends on external forces and circumstances whereas joy comes from the inside no matter what the circumstances.  The joy that God gives through His Spirit when you trust in Him, is a very compelling reason to believe.

3. Peace

The Hebrew word for peace in the Bible is "shalom."  This word has a much deeper meaning than simply the absence of conflict, conveying the idea of wholeness and, if you like, an "inner peace" no matter the circumstances around you.  If you're suffering from inner turmoil or angst, then this peace, which scriptures call a "peace beyond all understanding" is a gift that makes trusting in Jesus a very good reason to believe.

4. Hope

Hope is a concept I've grown to appreciate over the years more and more as I've walked with Christ.  The Christian definition of hope isn't wishful thinking ("I hope I win the lottery") but more of a certainty that God has a plan and that He wants us to be part of that plan, here on Earth and beyond.  It's tied to faith and being able to trust in God. He is trustworthy and His promises lead to hope of a future that is very good.

5. Relationships Restored

God is relational but our relationship with Him and with those around us, is broken.  If we turn to Him, trusting in Jesus and what He did on the cross, then He restores our relationship with Him.  Beyond this, He also enables us to restore and improve relationships with those around us: family, friends, coworkers... even enemies!

6. Community

The older I get, the more I appreciate being part of a community of believers. Having lived in 3 different corners of the world, it was wonderful to be able to join a local church, to get to know people and to encourage one another through life's ups and downs.  Life is not easy, but doing life together is so much better than trying to tough it out alone.  Our home church here in Pearland is awesome in this respect: a truly loving community of Christ followers looking out for each other. I love my church!

7. Logic

What? Don't you need faith to believe? Is that logical? I'm a strong advocate for a reasoned faith. When you look at all the evidence for life and its meaning, then the Christian explanation is, to me, the most logical.  The evidence and reasoning isn't water-tight (that's where the faith bit comes in), but compared to other worldviews I think it is the most compelling.

8. Eternal life

It might be surprising to see this so far down the list order. Escaping Hell and looking forward to an eternal life with God is a pretty compelling reason to believe. Shouldn't it be number 1?  I guess it's personal and the order doesn't really matter, but for me it was love that compelled me initially, though fear of what happens after death was certainly part of my salvation story!

9. Reward

 Tied to the promise of eternal life is the reward of what we'll receive when we get there. We're encouraged by Jesus to seek treasures in heaven and not hoard wealth here on Earth.  The stuff we try to gather in this life will only wither and die, break down or rust.  It makes more sense to seek after the stuff that's destined to last forever.

 10. A New Creation

Wrapping out my 10 reasons to believe is the opportunity for a new start on a journey as a new creation.  The Bible puts it this way: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. " No matter who you are, or what you've done in the past, Jesus offers a new start to anyone who turns to Him.  The last item on my previous list argued that no-one was "too far gone" to be rescued and redeemed by Christ.

OK, so there's my list of 10 reasons to believe.  What did I miss?