Why I Believe in God
My name is Logan Ramsey, and I am an American Christian. I’d like to tell you why.
The first part is simple. Two Americans (my mother and father) met each other many moons ago. Eventually, a ring was bought, and sometime thereafter I showed up. Now, when I was born, there was nothing about me that couldn’t really be said about anyone else. I mean, apart from the obvious particularities (size, weight, looks, DNA, etc.) I was a boy among many boys, and a person amongst many people. And according to the Bible, we are all conceived and brought forth in sin and iniquity (Psalm 51:5). Though my father’s name is Joe, I was really born a son of Adam. And all the sons of Adam are wicked sinners (Romans 5:12-19).
But it is my confession that, some time ago, a change came about in my life. Such that this description no longer really describes me. Not that I claim to have escaped and surpassed all temptation, I know that would be a lie, but nevertheless a real and actual change has been present. For you see, I am now accounted (by the highest office) a son of God (lowercase “s”).
I am a Christian, and I believe in the Triune God revealed specially in the Holy Scriptures. I believe the Scriptures are the Word of God in such a way that when the Bible speaks, God speaks.1 I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God incarnate, one Person with two natures, that He died for all the sins of all the elect, He rose from the grave on the third day, and the Holy Spirit brings about the gift of faith so that by faith, and faith alone, a man (or woman) is declared righteous in God’s eyes.
Now some of you will say that the reason why I believe this, instead of some other thing, is because I was born in a Christian nation in a Christian home. But stop and think for a moment, and you will soon realize that this interpretation of events doesn’t really pan out. Many Americans are born in Christian homes that do not grow up to be Christians. So surely being born in America to Christian parents does not make somebody a Christian. Furthermore, I would emphatically deny the idea that this is a Christian nation. At one time it was, but those days are gone. This nation has overwhelmingly denied Christ’s Lordship in almost every capacity, so funerals are really the only place most people hear God’s name mentioned. Jesus is hated so fiercely by America that it would honestly seem rather unusual for Christians to come from here. I’m not gonna get into my family history at this time, but suffice it to say it wasn’t a picture-perfect Puritan upbringing.
Now, I did go to church; I did sing songs, and I did know some of the things the Bible teaches. But this can be said about lots of non-Christians, and so the source of Christian belief must be found elsewhere.
But we should figure out first what it is we even mean by Christian belief. A little bit ago, I gave a basic summary of the content of Christian belief—the Trinity, the Bible and so on. But according to the Bible, Christian belief means more than just affirming those things to be true. Jesus’ brother James talks to us about a kind of false, or “dead” faith (James 2:14-26). According to him, the true, or “living” faith is the one that can be seen expressed in the lives of those who possess it.
This is an important distinction, because for most of my life I would’ve affirmed the basic tenets of Christianity as being factually true. The reason for that is basically that I was taught these things, and I believed them. Nothing more. But you need to understand that this alone did not make me a Christian believer. James would’ve called my faith dead.
In Christian terminology, we would conclude that my life did not bear fruit. For a while, I felt good. Then, I didn’t feel good. There was a nagging uneasiness. I did not see any bright lights. I had no visions, nothing of that sort. But I soon discovered that I was a sinner, and I didn’t like this. The Bible describes what was happening to me:
“They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” - Romans 2:15–16 (ESV)
In context, Paul is talking about Gentiles who do not have the Law of God in Scripture, and although I had certainly been exposed to it, it did not do a whole lot to me. However, in the secret recesses of my heart my conscience accused me, and soon the excuses dropped. Inwardly, I was harassed and tormented.
For reasons I still can’t explain, I started to read the Scriptures again. I came across these words from the book of Hebrews, and was broken to tears:
“Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no “root of bitterness” springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled; that no one is sexually immoral or unholy like Esau, who sold his birthright for a single meal. For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears.” - Hebrews 12:14–17 (ESV)
Slowly, and imperfectly, I started believing—a different kind of “believing” than what I was already doing. I began to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), so that I not only understood the teachings of the Christian faith but I began living them.
The Lord Himself describes this change as being “born again” (John 3:3-8), which means to be given new life. This change is one that is especially worked by God the Holy Spirit Himself (Titus 3:5-7) and results in a new man (Colossians 3:9-10).
And so, why do I believe in God? Because God first set His plans upon me. I love because I was first loved (1 John 4:19). The Bible calls repentance from sin and faith gifts from God (Acts 11:18, Ephesians 2:8-9). God saved me, and so I believe.
This is not to say that an intellectual case for the existence of God cannot be made—it certainly can. When we confess to believe in God, He is not simply a truth among many truths. It is not a belief in addition to other beliefs, but God is the very ground of truth itself. From a philosophical standpoint, no knowledge can be found, no truth can be proved, unless the existence of the Triune God is first presupposed. What grounding do you have for universals like logic or morality if you deny God? How can you be sure your senses are reliable unless they were made by God to function in His world?
Because of the things I have learned as a Christian, I now understand this. I know how to make that argument, and I think it is an important argument to be made. But I would be lying, and contradicting the Bible itself, if I were to say that this argument, or any human testimony, were the reason why I believed in God. At the end of the day, God imposed Himself upon me, and I believe.
You too, if you are not already a believer, will believe should God in His good and loving mercy ever decide to bring about this gift of faith for you. And I can tell you from experience that you will begin to apprehend two great and important truths. God is good, and you are not. That you are a sinner, and you need a Redeemer. But God will show you that a Redeemer is found in Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for sinners.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” - 1 Timothy 2:5–6 (ESV)
The promise of Scripture is that the minute you believe, you will be saved.
So, don’t let anything stop you.
If memory serves, this is a quote from B.B. Warfield.