4 Reasons the Christian Faith Is Relevant Today
Is the Christian Faith relevant today? (Before I get started, it would be helpful for me to first quickly explain what the Christian faith is. A great 5 minute video that captures the heart of the Christian message can be found here:
https://vimeo.com/48734715 And a basic summary written is the Apostles Creed: https://www.ccel.org/creeds/apostles.creed.html )
There many different religions, movements, ideas, and ideologies in the world that compete for relevance and clamor for our attention. Some would say it’s time to move on from historical biblical Christianity, we’ve advanced past its ethics and approach to the world. It is a product of time far removed and of no importance today. Maybe we can take some of its idea or principles, but biblical historic Christianity is no longer relevant to us in 2015.
I am going to argue the opposite. I hope you will see that the Christian Faith is vitally relevant today and that its relevance is true regardless of whatever popular opinion rules the airwaves. As each of us recognize the relevance of the Christian Faith, along with its truth, goodness and and beauty, we find that everything changes.
Here are four reasons the Christian faith is relevant:
The Christian faith is relevant because it is true.
God is not a silent. He is not an impersonal force. He is the personal Creator of the universe. He has spoken to us through His Word, and through His Son. All of His Word is true (2 Tim 3:16) and all that God says is without any falsehood (Titus 1:2). God has told us what is true about reality and this fact makes it the most relevant information we could ever hope for. Nothing could be more relevant than a word from God.
God’s way of explaining history (Creation, Fall, Redemption, Consummation) is the story that redefines all other stories.If it is true–and I believe it is–, it changes every other story and every attempt of ours to make sense of this life—because all of our attempts are futile if they are not in line with the truth.
This Christian faith is true in the sense that it accords with reality, the ways things really are. It is true even if we all disbelieve it and it is true even if we wish it weren’t. And because it is true, it is relevant.
Thus the Christian faith is relevant firstly because it is true.
The Christian faith is relevant because through it our relationship with God is restored.
A second reason the Christian faith is relevant has to do with our relationship with God. We were made to be in a relationship with God, to know Him and love Him and enjoy Him forever. But sin has ruptured our relationship. Our greatest need is to have our relationship with God restored.
Col 1:21-22 : “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” Through Jesus we are reconciled with God. Once we were enemies and now we can be friends.
1 Tim 2:3-6: “…God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 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.” 1Ti 2:3-6. There is only one mediator between God and mankind, that is the God-Man Jesus.
We cannot fix our relationship with God through our own efforts, or spirituality, or by assuming that God will just be ok with us in the end. If the Bible is true—and I believe it is—then outside of Christ we are all estranged from God and doomed to a guilty verdict before Him. We cannot be saved by our good works (Eph 2:8-10), but only through the good work of Jesus. Only His sacrifice satisfies the wrath of God (Rom 3:21-24).
This means that the Christian faith is vitally relevant, because through belief in Jesus we might become right with God and experience a restored relationship with Him. We can begin to call on Him as Father.
The Christian faith is relevant because it brings reconciliation between us and other people.
A third reason the Christian faith is relevant is the way it changes how we relate to other people. In our world, there is much strife, division, hatred, jealousy, and racism. How will we ever see reconciliation or restoration? How can enemies be made friends? The Bible’s answer is this: through Jesus. Jesus is the one who reconciles enemies not only to himself but also to each other.
An amazing fact of the early church was its incredible diversity. In Eph 2:11-22, we see how in the Early church the Gentiles and believing Jews were brought together into one body—these were two groups who were radically at odds with each other.
Today we also see congregations of people from different ethnicities and ages coming together in love. We see enemies made friends and radical forgiveness shown. One recent example of this was the shooting at the African American church this past summer in the South. It is remarkable to see the victims forgiving the young man who shot up the church. Here we see the power of Jesus in the lives of transformed believers.
Through Jesus we are forgiven of sin, this leads us to forgive each other. It leads us to love each other and pursue unity. We don’t pretend sins no longer exist, but we look to Jesus as the one who deals with our sin.
Personally, I’ve seen marriages restored through Jesus. And I’ve seen God work in my own heart to empower me to show grace and forgiveness toward others. This restoring power of Jesus is vitally relevant if we want to see the world impacted by the love of God. It is relevant if we want to see relationships repaired and restored in this world.
The Christian faith is relevant because it brings healing and transformation to our own person.
A fourth reason the Christian faith is relevant if found within. If we’re honest with ourselves, we see within us a brokenness and crookedness deep down within us. We do not love God and we do not love others; we suppress God’s truth and discover new ways to live in rebellion against Him. There is within our hearts a love of the darkness; there is also much pain and hurt.
The solution is not found in New Age mystical experiences, Paganism, careers, hobbies, drinking, entertainment, or anywhere else. It is found in God our Creator.
God tells us that He is our healer: “I will heal their apostasy” (Hosea 14:4)
God promises to wash us clean and give us a new heart:
Titus 3:3-7 “For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
The Christian faith is relevant because we need to be made spiritually alive and transformed. This is only truly possible through Jesus.
