Why Do You Believe?

Let me ask a question: Why do you believe?

It’s a simple but searching question.  We live in a world full of competing narratives—philosophies, causes, and claims. Yet, as followers of Christ, we make the bold confession that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9).  For many, the thought of sharing that belief—of “evangelizing”—can feel overwhelming.  We fear we’re not persuasive enough, knowledgeable enough, or bold enough. Perhaps we have misunderstood the task.

Scripture never tells us all to be evangelists.  It tells us we are witnesses (Acts 1:8).  There is a difference.  An evangelist may be gifted to proclaim theGospel broadly and boldly (Ephesians 4:11), but a witness is simply one whotells what they have seen and heard.  Thequalification is not eloquence—it’s experience. Every Christian, by virtue of walking with Christ, has that.

To what, then, are we witnesses?

Imagine you're driving down the road, just going about your day.  Suddenly, an accident happens infront of you.  Later, you're called intocourt to give testimony.  Consider thequestions you would be asked:  Where wereyou driving?  What time of day was it?  Where were you looking?  What did you see?  What did you hear?  Your answers matter—because you were there. You witnessed something real, something specific.  No one else can tell your story but you.

The same is true with your faith.  Christianity is a voluntary exercise; nothing about it is coerced.  You choose to believe, but plenty of others don’t. There are many other beliefs you could hold, and certainly many otherways you could spend your time.  Yet youbelieve in a Risen Lord. Why?  What haveyou seen?  What have you heard?  What have you felt?  Here is another way to think about it:  What would your life be without your faith?  How would you face life’s dilemmas, trials and tribulations without an abiding belief in Christ?  Perhaps by imagining your life without faith, you’ll know what it truly means to have it. 

These are questions only you can answer.  You are the sole witness to your own story.  If Christ has indeed met you on the road of life, that is a testimony worth sharing.  Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of theheart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). If your faith is your treasure, you will find the words to share it.

We should be prepared for a skeptical audience.  We live in a secular world, and many have hadpainful experiences with churches or Christians.  Others carry stereotypes—of hypocrisy, judgmentalism, irrelevance, or worse.  In these moments, perhaps the first and best way to begin as a witness is simply to listen.  

Listen with curiosity, not judgment.  Allow space for someone to say what they truly think or feel.  You might hear anger ordisappointment (“Why would a loving God allow evil?” “Christians are all hypocrites”), or detachment (“I go to church sometimes with my grandparents, but it doesn’t do anything for me”), or outright dismissal (“Religion is superstition; science moved us forward”) or relativism (“Who can say one religion is better than another?”).

Whatever the case, your first role as a witness is not to argue but to hear.  You’ve earned noright to speak until you have demonstrated that you are listening.  When the time comes, perhaps instead oflaunching into apologetics or trying to fix their worldview, you might startwith:  “I hear you.”  Acknowledge what’s been said and then, with humility, ask:  “May I share with you what my faith means to me?”

That is where true witness begins.  Not with defensiveness, but with invitation.  Not with rehearsed arguments, but with the irreplaceable power of your story.  What have you seen?  What have you heard?  What have you felt?  That’s not someone else’s story.  It’s yours. Only you can tell it.

This, too, is discipleship. Under the call to Grow (orthodoxy), Serve (orthopathos), and Go (orthopraxy), we Go as witnesses.  Jesus sends us into the world just as He was sent (John 20:21)—not as apologists on trial, but as those who love and speak with grace.  “Always be prepared to make a defense… yet do it with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

In a world skeptical of claims, your honest testimony may be the one thing no one can dispute.  So what have you seen?  What have you heard? Why do you believe?  Perhaps someone in your life needs to hear it—not because you’re an expert, but because you were there.

In Christ,

Mort Taylor