For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. (Romans 1:16 NIV)
So what exactly is a Christian, and what do I believe?
A Christian is someone who believes in the message of the gospel. And that message goes like this:
- Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died as a sacrifice for the sins of the world
- He was buried and rose again 3 days later
- Salvation is a free gift that comes through trust in what He did for us
That is the core message of the Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:3-5 ESV).
That message isn’t about how nice you are or how many rules you follow. It’s about the Person who did everything for you.
When Jesus sacrificed Himself, He allowed those who believed on Him to spend life with God in eternity. And instead of facing the punishment for the sinful nature we all have, believers were given a way out.
But Jesus’ work didn’t just give believers eternal life. It also changed the lives of those who believe during this time on earth.
A New Creation
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).
Once a person believes on Jesus, God works within them and transforms them into a new person.
It’s a change that leads to new thoughts, attitudes, and desires. And that change eventually forms a believer into a reflection of Christ Himself.
Someone who has matured in the faith will display the traits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). All of which are fruit that come when the seed of belief is planted in someone’s life.
You can emulate those traits on your own, but without a change on the inside, they won’t genuinely pour out from you.
Those traits are in direct opposition to the ones that come naturally to us. And that’s why this transformation is so important.
The Prodigal Son
So how did I get caught up in all this?
Well, I became a believer when I was very young—six years old actually. I grew up going to church and went to Christian schools for most of my early education.
Christianity was the norm for me. It surrounded almost every part of my life.
But even with the faith being so present around me, I was just going through the motions then.
Yeah I could recite verses and tell you all the books of the Bible in order, but it was because I had to. My school required it and I thought it was cool to stand out from the other kids in church.
Outside of school and competition though, I wasn’t that different from most people claiming to be Christians today. I didn’t know much about what I believed, I wasn’t reading my Bible outside of church, and even when I was in church, fighting off sleep was my priority.
People considered me a “good” kid back then, but there were plenty of times where you couldn’t tell me apart from an unbeliever. It wasn’t so much that I got into trouble, I was just apathetic to it all.
This apathy reached its peak around my first few years in college. I was fighting through a depressive state at the time and was overwhelmed by a constant feeling of emptiness. It was a dark time in my life and I knew something had to change.
That’s when I fell back on what I knew to be right. I started reading my Bible again and looked to God for help.
And sure enough, that’s when things changed. That’s when I found peace.
I finally chose to commit to something that had been part of my life for years. But this time it wasn’t because of my school, or my church, or my parents.
It was because of me.
I had to personally commit to what had always stared me in the face.
That was when I chose to form a real relationship. I wanted the faith to be part of my whole life, not just something I did on Sundays.
There were days where I couldn’t stand waking to new life back then, but God was always there waiting on me to fall back on Him. Waiting for me to choose what I knew was right all along.
I guess I’m like a modern-day prodigal son. I’ve seen what life is like away from God and it’s not worth it. Any satisfaction you get in this life is temporal without Him.
But when you do follow Him, you get enjoyment out of life. The gifts of this life reflect the goodness of the Giver. And you gain purpose in all you do along with the promise of life eternal.
That’s why I’m a Christian.
I see the goodness in a life lived for God. And I refuse to turn away from that now.
Hunger for Excellence
Now does all this mean HFE is a Christian site?
Not exactly.
Christians are people, not websites. HFE is an extension of who I am and how I live.
A life of excellence as I call it is based on the Christian faith and holding yourself to high standards. It’s doing your best with what you can control and letting God take care of the rest.
If you’re looking for a place that only does Bible study, this isn’t it. I encourage you to find a Bible-based church if that’s what you’re looking for.
I’m not called to be a pastor and I’m not trying to fill a role that someone more qualified than me should fill for you.
I’m here to be more of a mentor.
When I was going through that dark time in my life, I wanted someone to help me do the things I’ll cover here. I was already saved, but I needed more guidance. I needed practical help from someone with a Christian perspective.
That’s my goal here. To create a place where I meet those needs of the past.
So going forward, any post I file under the Faith section will describe my thoughts on some part of the Christian Faith. Other sections will focus more on practical advice and will be free from some the junk I see online these days.
My opinion will influence those other articles because they’re mainly left or right decisions. But when it comes to moral issues, the Bible will be the foundation of what I say—just like it is in my own life.
Free To Choose
So while I’d love for you to become a believer, I’m not going to jam anything down your throat. I encourage you to make the best choices for yourself. And I respect your ability to make those choices.
If you don’t agree with this part of the site, feel free to skip anything in this section. But I can’t promise that it won’t spill into other posts as well.
Like I said earlier, my faith is a big part of my life. It’s not something I bottle up and open on Sundays.
If you’re cool with that, that’s awesome. If not, I can’t force you to stay.
But just know that whatever you choose, I got love for you either way.
-Drew
Keep this up.Dont stop.Be honest.Good stuff
That’s the plan. Thanks for reading.