If I may ask... what is your faith built upon?
How did you come to have a personal relationship with God and is it based on the teachings in the bible? Was the bible important in your understanding of God?
My relationship with God began to take form in the summer of 1995 (20 years old). However, it was based upon something that happened to me when I was about 3 years old. It was a very personal experience that wasn't affirmed until I was much older.
I wasn't raised in a church and I had no idea who God or Jesus was. My Dad's side of the family are Catholic and my mom's side never went to church until after I graduated high school. The only time I stepped foot into a church was midnight mass during Christmas as a child while spending time with my Dad.
It was in January of 1996 that I accepted Jesus as my personal savior. It was a crazy day, which started with a church service. I met with the pastor afterwards and talked to him about what I had been feeling and explained to him the experience I had when I was a child. We didn't have much time to talk, because we had to go to a youth outing and while I was driving there, I picked up a homeless hitchhiker. Shortly after dropping him off is when I gave my life to God. The Jesus that I speak of and know to be real and the faith that I have in Him stems from something much greater - my personal experience.
Once in church and while attending Bible College, yes, the Bible aided me in understanding God and Jesus, almost like a roadmap, but it is by far not the reason I came to know God or seek a personal relationship with Him. The Bible and everything else I've read concerning different forms of ideas and beliefs, science and God - for or against has only strengthened my faith and helped shed light on who I believe in, but it did not make my faith for me and it's not why I believe. My life has led me to God, torn me away from Him, and led me back to Him. My life has been one that can only be described as that of a modern day Job or The Prodical Son.
What I have experienced, witnessed, what I have touched and what has happened in my life is the foundation of my faith in God. Who I was, where I've come from, what I've been delivered from and the man I am today - in my opinion, is only by the grace and mercy of God. Literature, preaching, and youtube videos (for or against) is not why I believe in God. I can honestly say that even when I became Agnostic and on the verge of Atheism, there was not a day that I didn't feel what can only be described as deep sea fishing - a spiritual battle, a tugging on my heart. I believe that He was not willing to let me go even though I walked away from a call that I believe He put in my life, denounced my faith and His name...laughing and spitting in the face of God. He was determined to bring His will for my life to pass.
I've heard and read every argument for and against the Bible God. And even though I tried so hard to walk away from Him, every road led back to Him...every answer led back to what I experienced as a little boy and what was affirmed when I was much older.
However, and I've said this before, I completely believe in the Bible. I believe it is the inherent word of God. What I don't believe is that any of us have an inherent understanding of the word of God.
I came to a point in my life where I posed these thoughts and questions to myself:
1. Is there a reasonable explanation for the existence of the universe without a creator?
2. Can I disprove the accuracy and unity of the Bible?
3. Can I explain or disprove the prophecies that came to pass or the miracles that were written in the Bible?
4. Can I explain or disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
5. If there is no evidence of design in the universe. Could I do a better job? -
- What do you think the world should look like if there was a designer?
- What do you feel would be the best way for a creator to tend to it's creation?
- Should the creator even desire a relationship with it's creation?
- If so, to what lengths should a creator go to have that relationship with it's creation?
At the end of the day, I couldn't disprove the Bible: the accuracy or unity of it. I couldn't explain everything in the Bible: the prophecies, miracles, or resurrection. I couldn't explain the existence of the universe or prove that God is the creator. I couldn't even begin to fathom how the universe would look or be like without a creator. All of the things that can or can't be explained, proved or disproved are not central to my faith and why I believe. My faith is not equivalent to an insurance policy...it's real, it's personal and it lives within me and is based on far more than any book!
I can't give my faith to you; it can't be bought or traded and I can't force feed it to you. It's personal and unique for each individual. There is something in each individual, something in their life that draws them to God, that is the turning point for them...the Bible, a sermon, a picture, a song, a tragedy or maybe just walking outside. Some require more proof than others and some need no proof at all. It's up for each individual to determine what is required for them to believe and have faith. It's up to the individual to decide what is enough and whether to choose this invisible being called God, another god, science or themselves.
I believe with all of my heart that God -
the God who became man and sarificed Himself on the cross - is real. I also believe that beyond the shadow of a doubt, He truly loves and cares for us. Again, I could be completely wrong about what I choose to believe and where I rest my faith. I could be someone who just enjoys believing in fairy tales, fantasies, unicorns and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow. However, none of those or science could ever explain my life and the experiences I've had or the miracles I've witnessed. None of those can begin to explain the love that I believe comes from none other than my God...Faith & Faith Alone!
