I have been asked this question a few times: What if I am wrong about Jesus, the Bible, God and the Christian faith in general?
I figured it was important to address it so that those who are seriously asking me this question (not ones who are not sincerely seeking the truth but only interested in winning arguments) would have something to reflect on.
What do I believe?
I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, God Himself.
I believe that Jesus is the same God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament.
I believe this not because I feel like it, I believe because that’s what the Bible says.
In the Old Testament, God revealed Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14:
God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”
In the New Testament, on one occasion, Jesus had this exchange with the Jews in John 8:48-58.
The Jews answered him, “Aren’t we right in saying that you are a Samaritan and demon-possessed?”
“I am not possessed by a demon,” said Jesus, “but I honor my Father and you dishonor me. I am not seeking glory for myself; but there is one who seeks it, and he is the judge. Very truly I tell you, whoever obeys my word will never see death.”
At this they exclaimed, “Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that whoever obeys your word will never taste death. Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?”
Jesus replied, “If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and obey his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
“You are not yet fifty years old,” they said to him, “and you have seen Abraham!”
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.
Do read the whole passage (or the whole chapter if you can!), but I have underlined the verses I’d like you to focus on.
The Jews were ready to stone Jesus because according to them, He blasphemed by claiming to be God, by using the same name as God used with Moses (I AM).
I choose to believe what the Bible says. I don’t believe it blindly either. Faith and reason doesn’t need to oppose each other, they can go hand in hand. God gave me an intellectual mind and the power to reason, so why would He cause them to oppose faith, which is another gift from Him? God graciously reveals Himself and such matters to to the humble, not the proud or arrogant.
You can choose to deny Jesus/the Bible.
God has given us all free will, to make our own choices, including the choice to believe in Him or reject Him.
We can ask questions, debate and speculate about these matters till the cows come home.
I’ll cut to the chase.
What if I am wrong?
At the end of my life, if I come to realise that I am wrong about Jesus and the Bible, that there is no judgement of sinners, no heaven or hell, I would have no regrets!
Why?
Because I would have lived my life following the example of Jesus. I challenge anyone out there to examine the life of Jesus Christ (as revealed in the New Testament) and tell me that it’s not a life worth modeling.
I would have loved not only those who love me, but also my enemies.
I would have lived a life of forgiveness, whether people asked for it or deserved it.
I would have lived a life of selflessness and service.
I would have lived a life of honesty and integrity, with the highest code of ethics and morality.
I would have lived a life of contentment, one that wasn’t marred by the pursuit of money, material wealth or success.
I would have lived a life filled with hope and joy, not of hopelessness and sorrow/despair, brought upon by my situations/circumstances.
Yes, I would have lived an amazing life because of my faith in Jesus Christ.
What if I am right about Jesus and you are wrong about rejecting Him?
You may have lived an identical life as I did, being good and doing good to others.
You may have lived your whole life as a “good person”.
However, if you never placed your trust and faith in Jesus Christ, if you chose to deny Jesus, to not believe that He is the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, what then?
Truth is, irrespective of how many good things you had done in your life and how good you thought you were, you would have died as an unrepentant sinner.
In Romans 3:23, the Bible says this of everyone:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God
If everyone has sinned against God, then what’s the punishment for sinning against a holy God?
Romans 6:23 has the answer:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The Bible is clear about what happens to those who reject Christ.
Conclusion
Friend, I don’t want to convince you or convert you.
My prayer is that you will not let pride or whatever else stand in your way, but seriously and humbly consider the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Your eternal destination is at stake.
In Revelation 21:4, the Bible has this to say about heaven:
‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
About those who deny Jesus/God, in 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, the Bible says this:
He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might
Would you rather die as a child of God, with the privilege of spending eternity with Him, experiencing immeasurable joy and an intimate relationship with God
OR
Would you rather die as the enemy of God, eternally separated from Him, suffering everlasting heartbreak and pain?
Thank Sri 🙂