Right and Wrong vs Sin and Righteousness (The Need for Jesus)

I think a lot of people (non-christian) get offended and dislike Christians because they believe that all we do is go around telling people what is right or wrong, judging, and I think a lot of us do.

What we Christians need to remind ourselves about is the fact that the bible talks about sin, not right and wrong, and sin has nothing to do with what is right or wrong. Right and wrong can vary. They depend a lot on circumstance. For example, the vast majority of people would say that killing a person is wrong, but if you say to them 'What if someone came into your house and was about to kill you, would you kill them if you had the chance?' and they would say of course!

For right and wrong there is a scale. You can be partially wrong or right. It could be wrong to steal today and perfectly fine to steal tomorrow; in other words right and wrong are relative.

Sin is a completely different issue. It isn't about right or wrong, it has no scale. Sin either is or isn't. You can either sin or not sin. And this is because isn't about us or our circumstance or anything else, sin is about God Himself.

With sin, we only have two choices; God's standard or sin, and God's standard cannot change, it is a fixed point, which can be likened to the bar on the High Jump in athletics. You either clear the bar or you don't.

Understand then, that anything even a little less than God's standard is NOT God's standard, and therefore it is sin.

And this is exactly why we need Jesus. No amount of doing the right thing can bring you to God's standard, because it is not the doing of the right thing that takes you up to God's standard, it is BEING God's standard, being inherently righteous, being right.

Think this way about it, if someone has even one percent out of one hundred wrong, they can NEVER attain to God's standard, because 99% percent pure is not 100% pure, and you can add as much pure as you want, but that impurity remains.

So because only God Himself is inherently pure, without even a hint of impurity, He sacrificed Himself, sending us His 100% purity in exchange for our impurities, so that in this way we could attain the otherwise unattainable purity that is required to be with Him.

That is why Jesus was born of a virgin. He had to be. The bible says that from day one we are born with the desire to sin (be dishonest, take what isn't ours, put ourselves first etc.), in other words we are born impure. It's in our genes. In the same way that a drug addicted mother can give birth to a child with an addiction, or a mother with AIDS can give birth to a child with AIDS, sin is a generational defect that no amount of chemistry can do away with. So God sent Jesus into Mary, to be born in human form without the sin defect, so that He could be God's perfect standard in human form, the perfect sacrifice, the perfect exchange.

So Jesus came here perfect. He gave us His inherent righteousness, and took all our impurities away, separating us from them for eternity (should we want Him to) so that we can finally be accepted, having His inherent righteousness, and thus attain to God's standard.

This means that whether we have always done the 'right' thing or 'wrong' thing, God, in Jesus, has given us the key to become inherently right, through and through righteous, which means we are above judgement (I don't mean in a Worldly sense; if you break the law you go to jail end of)  meaning that we are now above the scale of right and wrong and we are a part of Him, with Him, in Him, RIGHTEOUS.

Mark 10.24-27: Jesus Makes It Possible

We tend to have a scale...as if goodness can be measured, but God has no scale. God says that He is goodness. The only way we can ever be the standard of goodness He can accept is if we are in Him. Anything less than God isn't good enough.

Thankfully, this is not something we need to be disheartened about, rather we should be encouraged. God gave us His goodness in Jesus Christ, so that by taking Him on board, by giving ourselves to Him, we would be good enough to be in relationship with Him, which has been His desire since before the world began.

Sin separates us from God because it is unacceptable to Him, but Jesus reconciles us to God, because He was and still is and will forever be perfect and acceptable.

Put simply, Jesus makes it possible for us to be with God.

Welcome Jesus into your life and watch His goodness permeate through all your sin, so that you blossom, and reach and become all that God wants you to be.

"Liksom en kropp utan livsande är död, så är tron utan gärningar död. (James 2.26)

"Like a body without the spirit is dead, so is faith without works dead."
- James 2.26

We had a spine-tingling, goose-pimple inducing word at church yesterday about REVIVAL. I've been reading James in the New Testament and wanted to do a quick recap on what I read last week. Reading it this morning I was struck by how much it corresponds with what we heard about revival yesterday.

The man speaking spoke about barriers to revival and qualities needed in order to make room for revival. Here are the two lists:

Barriers to revival:
Pride
Rationalism
Unbelief
Fear of rejection
Apathy

Qualities needed to make room for revival:
Purity in all parts of our faith
Prayer
Praise

Rereading James 1.22 I was particularly reminded on what he said about Apathy. James says here that we need to be 'doers' of the word not just 'hearers'. Often times I myself have been a person who turns up to church, sits, hears and observes but does nothing.

In order for revival to take place we actually need to DO SOMETHING.

It's all well and good having faith but faith should produce action. James 2.22 talks about Abraham's faith... and says it 'samverkade' (the Swedish word is SO much richer in meaning, it literally means 'same worked', in the NKJV it says 'worked together' which sounds a lot less exciting) with his 'works' (actions).

Faith and works go hand in hand. Without faith, works are empty, they are like trying to score righteousness points with God through doing 'good stuff' which God says clearly is not enough. Faith without works isn't real faith at all, real faith forces you to make decisions and choices; in short, ACTIONS.

James 2.26 talks about how a body without the spirit is dead and faith without works is the exact same thing; dead.

The reason this struck me even more poignantly today is because, if we are think about what the bible says about us the church... we are Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12.27, Romans 12.5, Ephesians 4.12). We are His hands and feet, here to show the world Him and His love through our lives.

Now if as His body, we try to operate without Him at the centre, i.e., without the spirit of life, we are lifeless, the impact we have on the world is minimal at best.

BUT. But if we the church, as His body, both together AND as individuals, have a real, faith and belief in Jesus, it will spur us into action. Pride and fear of rejection will fall away as we realise it is all about Him and not us. The restricting chains of rationalism will disappear as we allow God whose ways are higher than our own to do things in His perfect way, even if we don't get it, and apathy will vanish as we become helplessly devoted to sharing the love of Christ with the world. Purity, prayer and praise will become the default mechanisms of those who not only hear the word but do it too, and thus...revival, starting in the church and overflowing out, will come.

1 Thessalonians 4,5

I've been working my way through the New Testament, and hit 1 Thessalonians. I read it initially, taking my time to work through the verses and allow the Holy Spirit to help me and speak to me from them.

I found it so difficult.

The earlier books; Acts, Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians, I found much easier to read through and get blessed by.

I was extremely tempted to just forget about 1 Thessalonians and move onto the second book, but I didn't want to miss out on anything in there that God wanted to say to me. So I tried again.

On the YOU Version Bible App, there is a function on some translations that allows you to listen to the chapter as you read it, so this time as I read through 1 Thessalonians, I listened to it at the same time.

Massively helpful.

God really blessed me through the last two chapters, so I just thought I'd share with you guys what stuck out for me. Hope God blesses you with this too!

Ch.4 v.3-8

"For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord  is  the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects  this  does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit."

These verses talk about 'sanctification' (the setting apart of ourselves as Holy to God), keeping our bodies free from sexual sin in particular, remembering that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 3.16, Acts 13.52), and should be used to glorify God (show to unbelievers how awesome and great He is). I was particularly struck here by two things; first, that if we go ahead with sexual sin, not only are we sinning, but we are 'taking advantage of' and 'defrauding' the person we commit it with; and second, that when we reject this instruction, and deliberately choose to sin anyway, we aren't rejecting the person who told us we shouldn't do it, we're rejecting God, whose instruction it is.

Ch. 4 v.11-12


"that you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and  that  you may lack nothing."

It's more verse 12 that I like, but the latter part of verse 11 I found very interesting as well. The whole concept of minding our own business and working with our own hands. We do not need to be busy bodies!!! There is a tendency in church, especially in smaller ones, to talk about what other people are doing all the time, and I also think a lot of the time this is when judgement can occur. God wants us to mind our own business and be quiet, we need to constantly be focusing on our own walk with God so that we can 'walk properly toward those outside'. For those of you who are Christians, you've probably heard the saying 'you might be the only bible/Jesus someone ever gets to read/see.' It's so important that we keep ourselves in check with God; number one, so we make sure that we stay on the right path, and also number two, so that others can see what it's really like to know Jesus, and how it affects our lives. I like to think of it as infectious Christianity, so that when people see how awesome it is to be in relationship with God, they can't help but feel a little bit jealous and want in.

Ch. 5 v.14
"Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all."

This verse speaks for itself really. (But if you aren't familiar with biblical terms, exhort means  to charge, or to commission, or to task someone to do something). It talks about how we are to relate among one another, and I believe this applies to how we treat everyone (Christians and non-Christians alike).

• Warn those who are disruptive and disobedient
• Comfort and encourage the fainthearted
• Lift up the weaker people
• Be patient with everyone

Ch. 5 v. 16-22

I won't quote this one because I'm literally about to go through it word for word, but feel free to look it up on Blue Letter Bible or Bible Gateway.

v. 16, 18 - Rejoice always/in everything give thanks; no matter what we go through in this life, as Christians we always have something to be thankful and praising God for. First, our salvation, and second, the way in which our salvation opened up the way for us to have relationship with God, the creator of the entire universe.

v.17 - Pray without ceasing; We serve the God who hears and sees, so even when we've been praying for a while and have not seen the desired effect, God wants us to keep on praying. Prayer is less about us getting what we want and more about us recognising God's sovereignty (how powerful He is), so every time we pray, we humble ourselves before God and tell Him we can't do anything without Him, that we need His help in all things and that because we know He is good, strong and knows what is best for us, we trust Him entirely. Pray until something happens.

v.19 - Do not quench the Holy Spirit; I think there are two ways in which we can do this. First, by grieving the Holy Spirit with our sin (Ephesians 4.30, Isaiah 63.10), and secondly, by not intentionally spending time soaking in God and His word and working on our gifting (speaking in tongues, prophesying etc. 2 Timothy 1.6)

v.20 - Do not despise prophecies; we can have no doubt that what God says will happen, will happen. What God says, happens. He said let there be light, and there was light. He said the walls of Jericho would fall down and they did. His word never goes out without accomplishing what it says it will (Isaiah 55.11). So when God says He's going to do something, trust Him that He will, hold onto it.

v. 21 - Test all things; hold fast what is good; In the same breath as verse 20, we are warned that whatever prophecies we do hear, we weigh them up with the truth. Anybody can say they heard from God, but we need to make sure that we aren't taking just anything that we hear to be gospel. God is still speaking to us now in the same way He spoke to people then, but He does not contradict Himself. Check that what you are told is in line with God's scripture, and if it is, hold on to it.

v. 22 - Abstain from every form of evil; this goes back to chapter four and the verse about sexual immorality, but this isn't just about sex. As Christians we need to live lives that show we are God's people and have chosen to live our lives differently (Matthew 3.8, Luke 3.8, Romans 12.2, Ephesians 5.27).

Getting to know this person will change your life

This evening at church I saw a bunch of people, most of whom I don't know personally, get baptised. I cried with joy for every one of them.

One of the greatest testimonies to the death, and more importantly the resurrection of Jesus Christ, is that to this day, everyday, people are still having life changing encounters with Jesus, drastically reconsidering the way in which they see the world, and choosing to live life anew for Him.

For some, they aren't necessarily looking for God. Others are sure they know what they are doing already. Others entertained the idea of God but were never dedicated to seeking Him out.

But when you feel God touch you, and let me tell you that you KNOW when God has spoken to you personally...you can't simply deny His existence.

Of those that got baptised this evening, one gave their life to God last week. Another had waited seven years to do it. Another had been raised in a religion, but finally found relationship with God personally.

You can't argue that these people became Christians because they were really looking for 'something' and this seemed to fit. You can't argue that these people became Christians because they were forced to. You can't argue that these people became Christians because they were desperate for some semblance of hope.

What you can say, is that something supernatural, someone supranatural, touched these people and opened their eyes to something more real and more relevant than life itself.

These people had life-changing encounters with the one, true and living God.

Get to know Him. It will change your life for the better.

Celebrating Easter

I know that in terms of timing, this post is a little late, but I really wanted to share this anyway.

Easter is such a big deal for Christians because it is the heart of the story. It is what Christianity is all about.

Whilst Christmas is a lovely celebration; we recognise Jesus came to Earth, the son of God, fully man, fully God etc etc. the reason why Christians are Christians and call themselves Christians is because Christ died for their sins.

History proves that Jesus existed. A man, called Jesus was alive at the time the bible claims that He was, and He caused quite a stir. That much can be proven.

What makes this Jesus man particularly significant is the fact that He claimed He was the son of God. If you think carefully about it; the place and culture in which He was saying this, the gravity of the statement He was making and the fact that saying such a thing would have a MASSIVE impact on the people who belonged to the culture He was speaking to... you have to think about it...He was either completely nuts - as in the guy wanted the people of Nazareth and Bethlehem and Judea to kill Him, or He was telling the truth.

If He was telling the truth; which is what Christians believe, if He was telling the truth, then this is what He was saying:

Jesus was claiming that the root of all problems faced in the world, in this life, all of them, could be found in sin, something which is found within us.

Jesus was saying that it was sin that caused pain, distrust, corruption, dishonesty, poverty, harm, and general disaster.

So if Jesus was telling the truth about Himself and about sin, then, as He said, the only permanent solution to the problem would be Himself.

Hear me out. In humbling Himself; that is in coming in the form of a man, with all the temptations, exposure to sin and its effects and ordinary people, and then dying as He did, he provided us with the grace to live SIN-FREE, dealing with the source of the world's problems permanently, so that sin could no longer cause any problems.

Now, don't get me wrong. I am fully aware, that some Christians, in fact, A LOT of Christians (myself included), have acted sinfully (outside of God's will) and as a result done A LOT of stupid things. But here's the difference between how Christians deal with sin, and how non-Christians deal with sin.

In my experience, when non-Christians sin, or, as a lot would say 'do bad things' or 'do the wrong thing', they will say this; 'I couldn't help it', or 'it's human nature'. There is an acknowledgement that what happened was wrong, and more often than not they will also say something along the lines of 'I won't be doing it again though', or 'I'll try harder next time not to'.

When Christians sin, they also acknowledge that they did the wrong thing, but they acknowledge that the wrong thing was not only done against the person or persons or object, but against God, because they were falling short of His standard, i.e. sinning. This is significant because when we acknowledge that we did the wrong thing before God, we are also acknowledging that there is a penalty we are required to pay for our sin. God being Good (without sin) and just (fair - as in, He can only accept Good), means that when we sin, He has to acknowledge it. He can't just gloss over it, because immediately He's not always Good, because He's allowing sin. It's like a judge saying to a murderer, 'no you're good, be on your way', it immediately makes us question how Good God is. And when God acknowledges our sin, He acknowledges that there is a penalty we have to pay for it.

BUT, because God is merciful and gracious, He didn't want us all to pay the full wages of our sin (death - eternal death, eternal separation from Him). So He looked for a way for us - if we wanted to - to be reconciled to Him, without compromising on His Goodness and Fairness. So what He did, is that He put Himself in our place. He gave us His son, the human embodiment of Himself on this Earth (Jesus), to go through the same everyday struggles as us; betrayal, hunger, friendship, family, even the paying of taxes, and yet NOT sin, so that all the sins we have ever and will ever commit, would be accredited to Him - as in, we did the crime but He did the time - so that we could still have a relationship with Him.

Got it yet?

He gave up a part of Himself, so that we could be part of His family.

So when Christians acknowledge their sin before God, they acknowledge the penalty that they owe, but even greater than that, they acknowledge that the penalty they owe (to God), has already been paid, so they can still be in relationship with God despite their sin, and so that next time, when the opportunity to commit that same sin arrives (and it always does, trust me), they can be sure, that the person who went before them, Jesus; God Himself, already went through temptation and resisted it, so that there is another way to do things, and they don't have to give into human nature; therefore meaning, that those impulses they have always given into, are not the only way to live, that they don't have to be in a sin-guilt-sin-guilt cycle, but that they can have a new future shaped by a new way of doing things, with the help of someone BETTER than themselves: Jesus.

To sum up why Christians celebrate Easter. Easter is a celebration, a party if you will, at which Christians remember and get excited about the fact that God loved them so much, that despite all their idiocy; the silly day-to-day sins they commit and mistakes that they make, He gave Himself up for them so that they could be free from a sin-FULL lifestyle, and live one of grace, with forgiveness in abundance, available every nanosecond.

Happy Easter - Jesus died to set you free, He said, "take up your cross, and follow me".

Storms

Matthew 14.24-33 -

"But the boat was now in the middle of the sea,[a] tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary..."

Click here to read the rest

Here are things I take from this event:

1. God is over our storms (times of difficulty) - we are told that Jesus was walking on the water, not in it

2. Even during our storms, God is there - The storm did not deter Jesus

3. In order to know and grasp the peace that comes with knowing God with us in our storms, we have to call on Him - Peter asked Jesus to call him out of the boat

4. When we lose sight of God in the storms that is when our views become distorted and fear creeps in - It was only when Peter's focus became the 'boisterous' nature of the storm rather than Jesus, that he began to sink

5. With Jesus we need not be afraid of our storms; He pulls us through without harm - Jesus reached out, caught Peter, and returned him to the boat, with no evidence of injury

So to summarise;

Jesus stands in the midst of our storms with His arms outstretched, willing us to come to Him. It is only in knowing and holding onto Him that we can come through such storms unscathed

Luke 24.26-27 and The Gospel of Jesus Christ

'He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem..."'

The gospel of Jesus Christ is repentance and forgiveness:

Not condemnation, but hope.

Not death, but life.

Not lawfulness, but relationship.

One of the things the scribes took issue with was Jesus forgiving sins (Matthew 9.1-6), because they believed only God had power to forgive sins, but if Jesus was who He claimed to be, the son of God (Luke 22.70) and the Christ (Matthew 16.16-17), then He had full right to forgive sins.

And that's what He came to earth to do. He came to bridge the gap between the sinful and the sinless. So He came to Earth, still God, in the form of a man, so that He could walk among us and make God real to us, make God personal. He came to Earth to save us.

Do you know where something similar happened? Joseph.

Joseph was fully human (you can tell by his behaviour), and when he dreamt of his future and all that was to come, instead of keeping it hush-hush as Jesus did (Matthew 16.20, Mark 8.30, Luke 9.21), he went around boasting about it.

He wasn't lying though. His brothers were going to bow down to him (Genesis 37.7-11). So after he told them all that he had dreamt they 'disposed of him', rather like what happened to Jesus with his crucifixion. And they thought that was the end of it.

"But what they didn't know was that what they had meant for evil, God had meant to be their own salvation (Genesis 50.20)."

You see without Joseph being thrown in a well, he wouldn't have been sold to Ishmaelites, which would have meant he wouldn't have been a slave in Potiphar's house in Egypt, which in turn would mean that he wouldn't have been accused of rape, which would mean he wouldn't have ended up in jail, which would have meant that he wouldn't have been there to decipher the meanings of the dreams of the baker and cupbearer, which would have meant that he wouldn't have been able to decipher the King's dream, which would mean that he wouldn't have been able to save Egypt and the surrounding lands (including the land of Canaan where all his brother's lived), which would have meant that his whole family would have died.

In much the same way, if God was not merciful, then He would not have sent His son Jesus (who was both God and man) to be crucified, which would mean He (Jesus) wouldn't have taken the cost of all our sins, and if He hadn't taken the penalty for all our sins which is death (Romans 6.23a), we would all be facing eternity without God, Hell, rather than having what we now have (should we want it), the gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6.23b).

Hey guys, use this website http://www.blueletterbible.org/index.cfm to look up all the verses that I have mentioned. Just type each of them into the search bar at the top and choose a version you think you will find easiest to understand. The version I have used for my quotes here is the NIV.

"FOR UNTO US...

...a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."

- Isaiah 9.6

Today is the day that we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus, God's greatest gift to mankind. The idea of celebrating the birth of a little baby born in Bethlehem may seem strange to you, but actually, it was just an intermediate step in God's plan to save mankind and make sure that each and every one of them, or rather, each and every one of us knew true, redeeming, everlasting and unfailing love.

Merry Christmas, and God bless,

Savedbygrace

Why Church?

Whenever people find out I'm a Christian, one of the first questions that they ask is whether or not I go to church every Sunday. The answer is yes. And then pretty much. And then a slightly awkward silence where I go on to tell them I'm not religious about it; at which point they look at me funny and attempt to understand.

I go to church. Not to Church; as in church isn't a place, it's something that happens in a place.

Still confused? I'll try to be clearer.

The word Church in the bible is first mentioned in the New Testament (Matthew 16.15-18). Before then there was no mention of it. What you do see a lot of mention of is the Synagogue.

A Synagogue was (and still is) a building of worship for the Jews.

The church Jesus was describing was a group of people, not a place.

When I go to church, it's for the people. I can worship God anywhere. When Jesus died he removed the need for anyone else to intercede in order for me to communicate with Him. If I want to pray, I can do it on my own. What God wanted was a group of people; His people (Jeremiah 32.38, Hebrews 8.10). He wanted a group of people all in a relationship with Him.

'Churching' is just corporate Christianity; like a group of people who like to do the same thing hanging out together and doing that thing they like to do so much as a group.

The best thing about church is the fact that it is a community. It's a group of friends who are all going through the same stuff you have to go through day-to-day, who can encourage you when you need it most and help you celebrate all your victories.

Church is an opportunity to help others and for you to find help in others (Galatians 6.2, Ephesians 4.2, Ephesians 4.32). The New Testament believers were supposed to support each other, even in the day-to-day needs like food and clothing (1 Peter 4.9), so that no-one went without what they needed.

That said, God doesn't say anywhere that we HAVE to church. It's more for our own benefit that we spend time together (Acts 2.42) as friends do, and help to keep each other on the right track. So yes, I do go to church most Sundays, but it's not because I have to, it's because I want to. And I do miss church occasionally. I'm not religious about it, but when I don't go I do miss the company of my Christian friends, and when I do go I do reap the benefits of spending time with other like-minded people.

♥

Being A Christian - What It Means To Me

It's funny that after being a Christian for so long I still stumble over my words when anyone asks me why I am one.

I'll admit, sometimes I shy away from the label; usually when someone makes a reference to someone who is judgemental or hypocritical or looks down on them in anyway. That's not who I am, or who I want to be, or why I am a Christian.

My faith in Jesus is not an excuse I have for the questions as yet unanswered by science. My faith in Jesus is not so that I get a free-ticket into heaven.

I'm a Christian because;

1. I have taken a look at the world and all that goes on and know that there must be another way of living.
2. I admit to myself that I have little to no control over anything that happens in my life.
3. I also admit that there is a moral code somewhere within me that is not my own chosen belief system but rather one that I know is THE measure for Good.
4. I refuse to believe that I am just a number, one of many organisms, and with no unique purpose.
5. I know that no matter how hard I try, I never seem to be Good enough on my own, and so I need help to do so.
6. I refuse to believe that beauty is created by accident, and instead believe that beauty in and around us is the evidence of an intelligent mind.
7. I believe that true love exists, but it originates from a source, God.

My Christianity is first and foremost about relationship. My life and upbringing have not been perfect; so as such my faith is not a blind belief based on circumstances, rather it is one that exists despite them.

In despair and hopelessness, when I felt alone with my sadness, unwilling to burden anyone with it; I cried out to God and He heard me.

That's as simple as it is.

He told me that He loved me now, and had loved me forever, even when I wasn't living His way; not because of anything I had or had not done, but because it is His nature. (Romans 5.8)

He told He would never leave me or forsake me. (Joshua 1.5)

He told me that nothing could ever get in the way of the love He has for me. (Romans 8.39)

He told me that because He loves me so much, He sent His only begotten (not created) Son to die for me, so that I could spend eternity with Him. (John 3.16)

He provided me with a moral code and guidance system that is above all Good and Right (when done His way and with His [grace] help). (Hebrews 13.21, Philippians 1.6)

He told me that He has a unique plan and purpose for my life, and as such I do not need to worry about the day-to-day, because He has it all under control. (Jeremiah 29.11)

He told me that He created me beautifully in His likeness, and that He also created the world that we live in, and when He created it, it was perfect. (Genesis 1.27, Genesis 1.31)

He told me that He is love, and that true love is not self-seeking, or proud, but rather humbles itself in servitude, looks out for the best of others, is always forgiving, always patient, always hoping, always kind. (1 John 4.16, 1 Corinthians 13.4-7)

That's why I'm a Christian.