Hey,
Thanks for your question. First...DON'T QUIT ASKING. Many times we treat God like Burger King...but God's not Burger King (yes you can quote me on that one). He's not like a fast food restaurant meaning that He answers when we say answer and in the way that we want him to answer. He's also not like Santa Claus. God is the King of the Universe, the Creator of All Things He is the Creator and we are His Creatures. That means that sometimes we're called to be patient.
I've got a quick question for you that I ask myself when I'm in your situation. Can you think of a time in the Bible when God was silent and that His silence was discouraging?
What about when Jesus was hanging on the cross? Remember His words..."My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?" WOW. What do you think that the disciples at the foot of the cross were thinking? Then....Jesus died. It makes total sense that they scattered. They probably thought something like..I thought Jesus was God and now He's dead. Who is God? Does He listen. Have I believed a lie?
The great thing about that is that in the "silence" God was reconciling me and you to Him. Sometimes when God doesn't "answer" He's doing something bigger. He's causing you to trust more. And who knows....maybe 3 days later you'll see what was up. What I mean by that is that God is at work. The disciples knew that for sure when Christ was resurrected 3 days after His death on the cross. You can rest assured that as real as the resurrection is....He's REALLY working and hearing your prayers right now. So don't give up.
Sometimes we're really good at telling God how He needs to work for us and then using His Scriptures to prove it to Him. I encourage you to commit to praying something more like, "God...what are You trying to teach me? Will you please help me to understand it?" Continue to read your Bible for that is how God speaks to us. I heard someone say this past Sunday. Praying to God all the time without reading the Bible is like talking all the time and never letting the other person speak back. You haven't done anything wrong and God's not ignoring you, but I hope that the thoughts above have been helpful.
Please feel free to find me at church or email if you wanna talk more.
Love in God's way,
Derrick
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
What should a Christian do when they've lost the will to fight temptation?
First off, I understand your concern and am so happy that you've taken the time to discuss your situation. This is a hard question to answer over the internet. If you're willing, I'd love to meet with you in person sometime to help walk with you through this struggle. I want to encourage you not to give up the fight and know that it will be hard. Jesus told us that it would be a FIGHT but that He's won the fight for us.
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Many times I feel like giving up. You may not hear that very often but the Christian life can be like waking up to go to World War 2 each day. I'm unsure of your circumstance but I want to encourage you to fight. I would also love the opportunity to ask you what you've done to fight in the past? The reason that i say that is that many times Christians give up before they've ever really fought. They do this by trying to battle on their own when in reality God has given us a family to fight with us. I'm here for you and so is your church. One of Satan's (I HATE HIM) weapons against Christians is what I'll call the "neutral bullet". He gets you in a despairing place where you think that if you talk to somebody then you've failed or that life will be worse. He then whispers the lie...you're not good enough and are a bad Christian. He's good at it cause he's the father of lies and has been lying for longer than we've been breathing. Remember, YOU ARE A SINNER. It's OK that you're not OK cause Jesus was OK in your behalf. If you put your faith in Him this makes you OK with God....OK? Satan doesn't want you to believe that because he knows that when you live out that belief then it vanquishes his attack and turns the light of Christ on his dark schemes. DON'T BE FOOLED. Remember the gospel. You're in a battle, do you see your life this way. The Scripture below is helpful to me when I'm tempted to give up.
Eph. 6:10-20 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and shaving put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
We are in a battle each day my friend. You've got brothers and sisters who fight with you for the same king. There are many fighting against you for the wrong side. Jesus has won but for now He calls us to fight. We fight with weapons of love, the gospel of peace, the hope of the resurrection, the reality of the forgiveness of sins. This is something that you must remind yourself of EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY. Don't give up. Don't quit.
Again, please talk to God and to someone in the church that you trust. I'd be honored to discuss this with you in person. Don't be ashamed...Don't be ashamed.
I love you in God's way,
Derrick
derrick@derrickharris.com
John 16:33 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
Many times I feel like giving up. You may not hear that very often but the Christian life can be like waking up to go to World War 2 each day. I'm unsure of your circumstance but I want to encourage you to fight. I would also love the opportunity to ask you what you've done to fight in the past? The reason that i say that is that many times Christians give up before they've ever really fought. They do this by trying to battle on their own when in reality God has given us a family to fight with us. I'm here for you and so is your church. One of Satan's (I HATE HIM) weapons against Christians is what I'll call the "neutral bullet". He gets you in a despairing place where you think that if you talk to somebody then you've failed or that life will be worse. He then whispers the lie...you're not good enough and are a bad Christian. He's good at it cause he's the father of lies and has been lying for longer than we've been breathing. Remember, YOU ARE A SINNER. It's OK that you're not OK cause Jesus was OK in your behalf. If you put your faith in Him this makes you OK with God....OK? Satan doesn't want you to believe that because he knows that when you live out that belief then it vanquishes his attack and turns the light of Christ on his dark schemes. DON'T BE FOOLED. Remember the gospel. You're in a battle, do you see your life this way. The Scripture below is helpful to me when I'm tempted to give up.
Eph. 6:10-20 ¶ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and shaving put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
We are in a battle each day my friend. You've got brothers and sisters who fight with you for the same king. There are many fighting against you for the wrong side. Jesus has won but for now He calls us to fight. We fight with weapons of love, the gospel of peace, the hope of the resurrection, the reality of the forgiveness of sins. This is something that you must remind yourself of EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY. Don't give up. Don't quit.
Again, please talk to God and to someone in the church that you trust. I'd be honored to discuss this with you in person. Don't be ashamed...Don't be ashamed.
I love you in God's way,
Derrick
derrick@derrickharris.com
Should Christians confess their sins to one another?
Thanks for this question. Let's begin by looking at some passages of Scripture that discuss confession.
1John 1:5-10 ¶ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Rom. 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I think that it's important that we first ask the question, What is confession? The bible describes it as an acknowledgment of a truth or an allegiance. In the verses above there are two types of confession. 1. The type where we verbally acknowledge our devotion to Jesus Christ, we "confess Him as Lord" and 2. The type where we have a discussion with our peers which involves asking forgiveness. The first type of confession should be the foundation for the second.
The first type, acknowledgment of a truth or an allegiance, is another way of saying that we put our faith in Jesus and we trust in Him to save us from judgment. If we do this, the Bible tells us that we are given the right to become sons and daughters of God. We are accepted because of Christ's righteousness and not our own. Because of the forgiveness and freedom that we experience in Christ, we are able to be honest. We no longer need to play games. We must acknowledge that we are sinners and need salvation. Our sin has separated us from God and Christ, "the Way", offers us reconciliation through faith in His atoning sacrifice on the cross in our behalf.
This is important to understand because if there is no confession of our sins to God then there will never be any true confession of sins to each other. In that way then the first type of confession is the foundation for the second. As James 5:16 makes clear, it is good for us to confess our sins to one another...but hold on. What is the basis of your confession and why do you want to confess to someone? Let me clarify some things.
I believe that it is good for us to be honest to one another (those that are trustworthy) about our sins as long as its preceded by true confession to Christ through prayer. For example, if I've hurt your feelings in some way because of something I've done and we don't talk about it, how can we ever work it out? I also think that its necessary to have a small group of close friends who pray for us and walk with us through our struggles with sin (i recommend that this be a person of the same gender...and its foundational that they are a Christian). Small group Bible studies are great places for this. In this way, confession to each other is necessary and good.
I DO NOT believe that you need to confess your deepest darkest secrets to all people at all times...that would be STUPID and could quickly become gossip. Also, many times people will confess sins to one another to show how "edgy" they are or that they can "outcuss the sailors." I don't think that this is healthy. I also don't think that its a good idea for you to confess your sins to a friend of the opposite sex that your interested in dating. Many times confession can be "self centered" a "poor me" or "look at me" mentality. That's why it needs to be a small group of friends who REALLY know you. People who would help you seek help elsewhere if necessary and all preceded by your personal confession to Jesus Christ through prayer.
For me, a lot of times I'll say, "Lord...i'm struggling with (fill in the blank) please give me the ability to overcome this struggle and to glorify You. Please also give me some other Christians to help me through the struggle....all so that Your name may be magnified."
I hope that these feeble and fallible thoughts of mine have been helpful for you.
God Bless,
Derrick Harris
1John 1:5-10 ¶ This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Rom. 10:9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
I think that it's important that we first ask the question, What is confession? The bible describes it as an acknowledgment of a truth or an allegiance. In the verses above there are two types of confession. 1. The type where we verbally acknowledge our devotion to Jesus Christ, we "confess Him as Lord" and 2. The type where we have a discussion with our peers which involves asking forgiveness. The first type of confession should be the foundation for the second.
The first type, acknowledgment of a truth or an allegiance, is another way of saying that we put our faith in Jesus and we trust in Him to save us from judgment. If we do this, the Bible tells us that we are given the right to become sons and daughters of God. We are accepted because of Christ's righteousness and not our own. Because of the forgiveness and freedom that we experience in Christ, we are able to be honest. We no longer need to play games. We must acknowledge that we are sinners and need salvation. Our sin has separated us from God and Christ, "the Way", offers us reconciliation through faith in His atoning sacrifice on the cross in our behalf.
This is important to understand because if there is no confession of our sins to God then there will never be any true confession of sins to each other. In that way then the first type of confession is the foundation for the second. As James 5:16 makes clear, it is good for us to confess our sins to one another...but hold on. What is the basis of your confession and why do you want to confess to someone? Let me clarify some things.
I believe that it is good for us to be honest to one another (those that are trustworthy) about our sins as long as its preceded by true confession to Christ through prayer. For example, if I've hurt your feelings in some way because of something I've done and we don't talk about it, how can we ever work it out? I also think that its necessary to have a small group of close friends who pray for us and walk with us through our struggles with sin (i recommend that this be a person of the same gender...and its foundational that they are a Christian). Small group Bible studies are great places for this. In this way, confession to each other is necessary and good.
I DO NOT believe that you need to confess your deepest darkest secrets to all people at all times...that would be STUPID and could quickly become gossip. Also, many times people will confess sins to one another to show how "edgy" they are or that they can "outcuss the sailors." I don't think that this is healthy. I also don't think that its a good idea for you to confess your sins to a friend of the opposite sex that your interested in dating. Many times confession can be "self centered" a "poor me" or "look at me" mentality. That's why it needs to be a small group of friends who REALLY know you. People who would help you seek help elsewhere if necessary and all preceded by your personal confession to Jesus Christ through prayer.
For me, a lot of times I'll say, "Lord...i'm struggling with (fill in the blank) please give me the ability to overcome this struggle and to glorify You. Please also give me some other Christians to help me through the struggle....all so that Your name may be magnified."
I hope that these feeble and fallible thoughts of mine have been helpful for you.
God Bless,
Derrick Harris
What makes Christianity different from other religions?
That's a GREAT question. I've cut and pasted some information below that may be helpful. This was written by my friend Matt Slick who runs www.carm.org. It's a great website for questions such as yours. I hope that you find the answer helpful.
Feel free to ask more questions if necessary.
God Bless,
Derrick
Critics often ask why Christianity is any better than any other religion in the world. Of all the religions that exist, how can it be that only Christianity is true? If God exists, why can't God use different religions? Don't all paths lead to God? Skeptics ask these kinds of questions all the time, and unfortunately, few Christians have the answers. Therefore, in an attempt to demonstrate why Christianity is true and all other religious systems are false, I've prepared the following list of reasons for Christianity's superiority.
There are such things as absolute truths
If truth is relative, then the statement that truth is relative is an absolute truth and would be a self-defeating statement by proving that truth is not relative. But, if truth is absolute, then the statement "truth is absolute" is true and not self-defeating. It is true that truth exists. It is true that truth will not contradict itself as we have just seen. In fact, it is absolutely true that you are reading this paper.
If we can see that there is such a thing as truth in the world, then we could also see that there can be spiritual truth as well. It is not absurd to believe in spiritual absolutes anymore than physical or logical absolutes. Even the statement that all religions lead to God is a statement held to be a spiritual absolute by many people. This simply demonstrates that people do believe in spiritual truth. Why? Because truth exists. However, not all that is believed to be true actually is true. Furthermore, all belief systems cannot be true since they often contradict each other in profound ways -- and truth is not self-contradictory.
Religions contradict each other; therefore, they cannot all be true.
Mormonism teaches that there are many gods in existence, and that you can become a god. Christianity teaches that there is only one God, and you cannot become a god. Islam teaches that Jesus is not God in flesh, where Christianity does. Jesus cannot be both God and not God at the same time. Some religions teach that we reincarnate, while others do not. Some teach there is a hell, and others do not. They cannot all be true. If they cannot all be true, it cannot be true that all religions lead to God. Furthermore, it means that some religions are, at the very least, false in their claims to reveal the true God (or gods). Remember, truth does not contradict itself. If God exists, He will not institute mutually exclusive and contradictory belief systems in an attempt to get people to believe in Him. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there can be an absolute spiritual truth, and that not all systems can be true regardless of whether or not they claim to be true. There must be more than a mere claim.
Fulfilled Prophecy concerning Jesus
Though there are other religions that have prophecies in them, none are 100% accurate as is the Bible, and none of them point to someone like Jesus who made incredible claims and performed incredible deeds. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, yet the Old Testament prophesied many things about Jesus. This is undoubtedly evidence of divine influence upon the Bible.
Please consider some of the many prophecies of Jesus in the following chart:
Prophecy Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matt. 1:18,25
Born at Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matt. 2:1
He would be preceded by a Messenger Isaiah 40:3 Matt. 3:1-2
Rejected by His own people Isaiah 53:3 John 7:5; 7:48
Betrayed by a close friend Isaiah 41:9 John 13:26-30
His side pierced Zech. 12:10 John 19:34
Crucifixion Psalm 22:1,
Psalm 22:11-18 Luke 23:33;
John 19:23-24
Resurrection of Christ Psalm 16:10 Acts 13:34-37
Fulfillment of prophecy can have different explanations. Some state that the New Testament was written and altered to make it look like Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (but there is no evidence of that). Others state that the prophecies are so vague that they do not count (but many of the prophecies are not vague at all). Of course, it is possible that God inspired the writers; and Jesus, who is God in flesh, fulfilled these prophecies as a further demonstration of the validity of Christianity.
The Claims and Deeds of Christ
Christianity claims to be authored by God. Of course, merely making such a claim does not make it true. Anyone can make claims, but backing up those claims is entirely different. Jesus used the Divine Name for Himself (John 8:58), the same Divine Name used by God when Moses asked God what His name was in Exodus 3:14. Jesus said He could do whatever He saw God the Father do (John 5:19), and He claimed to be one with God the Father (John 10:30; 10:38). Likewise, the disciples also called Him God (John 1:1,14; John 10:27; Col. 2:9). By default, if Jesus is God in flesh, then whatever He said and did would be true. Since Jesus said that He alone was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can find God without Him (John 14:6), His words become incredibly important.
Again, making a claim is one thing. Backing it up is another. Did Jesus also back up His fantastic words with miraculous deeds? Yes, He did.
* Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:6-10).
* Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32; 15:22-28).
* Jesus healed lepers (Matt. 8:3; Luke 17:14).
* Jesus healed diseases (Matt. 4:23,24; Luke 6:17-19).
* Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12).
* Jesus raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44).
* Jesus restored sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27-30; John 9:1-7).
* Jesus restored / cured deafness (Mark 7:32-35).
* Jesus fed the multitude (Matt. 14:15-21; Matt. 15:32-38).
* Jesus walked on water (Matt. 8:26-27).
* Jesus calmed a storm with a command (Matt. 8:22-27; Mark 4:39).
* Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
* Jesus appeared to disciples after resurrection (John 20:19).
The eyewitnesses recorded the miracles of Jesus, and the gospels have been reliably transmitted to us. Therefore, we can believe what Jesus said about Himself for two reasons: one, because what He said and did agrees with the Old Testament; and two, because Jesus performed many convincing miracles in front of people who testified and wrote about what they saw Him do.
Christ's resurrection
Within Christianity, the resurrection is vitally important. Without the resurrection, our faith is useless (1 Cor. 15:14). It was Jesus' resurrection that changed the lives of the disciples. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples ran and hid. But when they saw the risen Lord, they knew that what Jesus had said and done proved that He was indeed God in flesh, the Savior.
No other religious leader has died in full view of trained executioners, had a guarded tomb, and then risen three days later to appear to many many people. This resurrection is proof of who Jesus is and that He did accomplish what He set out to do: provide the only means of redemption for mankind.
Buddha did not rise from the dead. Muhammad did not rise from the dead. Confucius did not rise from the dead. Krishna did not rise from the dead, etc. Only Jesus has physically risen from the dead, walked on water, claimed to be God, and raised others from the dead. He has conquered death. Why trust anyone else? Why trust anyone who can be held by physical death when we have a Messiah who is greater than death itself?
Conclusion
Why should anyone trust in Christianity over Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, or anything else? It is because there are absolute truths. Only in Christianity are there accurately fulfilled prophecies of a coming Messiah. Only in Christianity do we have the extremely accurate transmission of the eyewitness documents (gospels), so we can trust what was originally written. Only in Christianity do we have the person of Christ who claimed to be God, performed many miracles to prove His claim of divinity, who died and rose from the dead, and who said that He alone was the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). All this adds to the legitimacy and credibility of Christianity above all other religions -- all based on the person of Jesus. It could not be that Jesus is the only Truth, and other religions also be the truth.
Either Jesus is true and all other religions are false, or other religions are true and Jesus is false. There are no other options. I choose to follow the risen Lord Jesus.
Feel free to ask more questions if necessary.
God Bless,
Derrick
Critics often ask why Christianity is any better than any other religion in the world. Of all the religions that exist, how can it be that only Christianity is true? If God exists, why can't God use different religions? Don't all paths lead to God? Skeptics ask these kinds of questions all the time, and unfortunately, few Christians have the answers. Therefore, in an attempt to demonstrate why Christianity is true and all other religious systems are false, I've prepared the following list of reasons for Christianity's superiority.
There are such things as absolute truths
If truth is relative, then the statement that truth is relative is an absolute truth and would be a self-defeating statement by proving that truth is not relative. But, if truth is absolute, then the statement "truth is absolute" is true and not self-defeating. It is true that truth exists. It is true that truth will not contradict itself as we have just seen. In fact, it is absolutely true that you are reading this paper.
If we can see that there is such a thing as truth in the world, then we could also see that there can be spiritual truth as well. It is not absurd to believe in spiritual absolutes anymore than physical or logical absolutes. Even the statement that all religions lead to God is a statement held to be a spiritual absolute by many people. This simply demonstrates that people do believe in spiritual truth. Why? Because truth exists. However, not all that is believed to be true actually is true. Furthermore, all belief systems cannot be true since they often contradict each other in profound ways -- and truth is not self-contradictory.
Religions contradict each other; therefore, they cannot all be true.
Mormonism teaches that there are many gods in existence, and that you can become a god. Christianity teaches that there is only one God, and you cannot become a god. Islam teaches that Jesus is not God in flesh, where Christianity does. Jesus cannot be both God and not God at the same time. Some religions teach that we reincarnate, while others do not. Some teach there is a hell, and others do not. They cannot all be true. If they cannot all be true, it cannot be true that all religions lead to God. Furthermore, it means that some religions are, at the very least, false in their claims to reveal the true God (or gods). Remember, truth does not contradict itself. If God exists, He will not institute mutually exclusive and contradictory belief systems in an attempt to get people to believe in Him. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that there can be an absolute spiritual truth, and that not all systems can be true regardless of whether or not they claim to be true. There must be more than a mere claim.
Fulfilled Prophecy concerning Jesus
Though there are other religions that have prophecies in them, none are 100% accurate as is the Bible, and none of them point to someone like Jesus who made incredible claims and performed incredible deeds. The Old Testament was written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, yet the Old Testament prophesied many things about Jesus. This is undoubtedly evidence of divine influence upon the Bible.
Please consider some of the many prophecies of Jesus in the following chart:
Prophecy Old Testament Prophecy New Testament Fulfillment
Born of a virgin Isaiah 7:14 Matt. 1:18,25
Born at Bethlehem Micah 5:2 Matt. 2:1
He would be preceded by a Messenger Isaiah 40:3 Matt. 3:1-2
Rejected by His own people Isaiah 53:3 John 7:5; 7:48
Betrayed by a close friend Isaiah 41:9 John 13:26-30
His side pierced Zech. 12:10 John 19:34
Crucifixion Psalm 22:1,
Psalm 22:11-18 Luke 23:33;
John 19:23-24
Resurrection of Christ Psalm 16:10 Acts 13:34-37
Fulfillment of prophecy can have different explanations. Some state that the New Testament was written and altered to make it look like Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (but there is no evidence of that). Others state that the prophecies are so vague that they do not count (but many of the prophecies are not vague at all). Of course, it is possible that God inspired the writers; and Jesus, who is God in flesh, fulfilled these prophecies as a further demonstration of the validity of Christianity.
The Claims and Deeds of Christ
Christianity claims to be authored by God. Of course, merely making such a claim does not make it true. Anyone can make claims, but backing up those claims is entirely different. Jesus used the Divine Name for Himself (John 8:58), the same Divine Name used by God when Moses asked God what His name was in Exodus 3:14. Jesus said He could do whatever He saw God the Father do (John 5:19), and He claimed to be one with God the Father (John 10:30; 10:38). Likewise, the disciples also called Him God (John 1:1,14; John 10:27; Col. 2:9). By default, if Jesus is God in flesh, then whatever He said and did would be true. Since Jesus said that He alone was the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that no one can find God without Him (John 14:6), His words become incredibly important.
Again, making a claim is one thing. Backing it up is another. Did Jesus also back up His fantastic words with miraculous deeds? Yes, He did.
* Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:6-10).
* Jesus cast out demons (Matt. 8:28-32; 15:22-28).
* Jesus healed lepers (Matt. 8:3; Luke 17:14).
* Jesus healed diseases (Matt. 4:23,24; Luke 6:17-19).
* Jesus healed the paralytic (Mark 2:3-12).
* Jesus raised the dead (Matt. 9:25; John 11:43-44).
* Jesus restored sight to the blind (Matt. 9:27-30; John 9:1-7).
* Jesus restored / cured deafness (Mark 7:32-35).
* Jesus fed the multitude (Matt. 14:15-21; Matt. 15:32-38).
* Jesus walked on water (Matt. 8:26-27).
* Jesus calmed a storm with a command (Matt. 8:22-27; Mark 4:39).
* Jesus rose from the dead (Luke 24:39; John 20:27).
* Jesus appeared to disciples after resurrection (John 20:19).
The eyewitnesses recorded the miracles of Jesus, and the gospels have been reliably transmitted to us. Therefore, we can believe what Jesus said about Himself for two reasons: one, because what He said and did agrees with the Old Testament; and two, because Jesus performed many convincing miracles in front of people who testified and wrote about what they saw Him do.
Christ's resurrection
Within Christianity, the resurrection is vitally important. Without the resurrection, our faith is useless (1 Cor. 15:14). It was Jesus' resurrection that changed the lives of the disciples. After Jesus was crucified, the disciples ran and hid. But when they saw the risen Lord, they knew that what Jesus had said and done proved that He was indeed God in flesh, the Savior.
No other religious leader has died in full view of trained executioners, had a guarded tomb, and then risen three days later to appear to many many people. This resurrection is proof of who Jesus is and that He did accomplish what He set out to do: provide the only means of redemption for mankind.
Buddha did not rise from the dead. Muhammad did not rise from the dead. Confucius did not rise from the dead. Krishna did not rise from the dead, etc. Only Jesus has physically risen from the dead, walked on water, claimed to be God, and raised others from the dead. He has conquered death. Why trust anyone else? Why trust anyone who can be held by physical death when we have a Messiah who is greater than death itself?
Conclusion
Why should anyone trust in Christianity over Islam, Buddhism, Mormonism, or anything else? It is because there are absolute truths. Only in Christianity are there accurately fulfilled prophecies of a coming Messiah. Only in Christianity do we have the extremely accurate transmission of the eyewitness documents (gospels), so we can trust what was originally written. Only in Christianity do we have the person of Christ who claimed to be God, performed many miracles to prove His claim of divinity, who died and rose from the dead, and who said that He alone was the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). All this adds to the legitimacy and credibility of Christianity above all other religions -- all based on the person of Jesus. It could not be that Jesus is the only Truth, and other religions also be the truth.
Either Jesus is true and all other religions are false, or other religions are true and Jesus is false. There are no other options. I choose to follow the risen Lord Jesus.
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