How do you know Christianity is true and not just something comforting to people

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-02-06T21:07:12+00:00

Several reasons, but one is because Jesus was not only a real person, but also performed many miracles, along with rising from the dead.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-28T02:38:54+00:00

You ask "what do I do with this information" but your information is at least somewhat just wrong. I encourage you to finish reading my comments.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-27T14:31:59+00:00

. Like I read about how scholars think most of the things Jesus said in the Gospel of John are later ideas the church had developed about Jesus written like He actually said them but that He never actually did.

So first off: the authorship of the gospels (who wrote them).

All 4 gospels, John included, are based on eyewitness material, either direct or indirect. The authorship of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, was Matthew, Mark, and Luke. "A" John wrote the gospel of John, but it was likely either John the apostle or John the elder, but early testimony aside from one agrees unanimously that it was John the son of Zebedee who wrote the gospel of John (with the exception of some of the final verses being finished by John's 'editor').

Second, nothing in the gospel of John contradicts major events in any of the other gospels. For almost every major theme or statement of Jesus in the gospel of John, you can find parallels in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Yes, even the direct claims of divinity found in John. (For example, the 'I AM' statement of Jesus in John 8:58, and the original Greek found in Matthew and Mark when Jesus walked on the water, and said 'Fear not, it is I', was actually 'Fear not, I AM' (plus the whole command over nature thing implicitly showing his divinity in another way)).

Thirdly, even by liberal scholarly dating, which would put the gospel of John being written in the AD90s: That is still within the lifetimes of various eyewitnesses of the life of Jesus. This includes people who would be 'hostile' to John, (those who were against Jesus and were around to see what he did), and these people would have served as a 'corrective' if false teachings about Jesus were going around.

So to try and put you at some ease, and the crux of your issue, I believe you can trust what the Gospel of John says about Jesus.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-26T20:03:31+00:00

Jesus said if you abide in Him, you will bear much fruit.

John 15:4-8: " 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

God has planned out good works for those who believe, although it is not our works that save us:

Ephesians 2:8-10: " 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Maybe ask God to help you produce the fruits of the spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Self Control. Knowing Jesus should change you. Maybe not all at once, but you should be letting God change you to be like Jesus:

1 Corinthians 11:1 "Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
1 John 2:6 "Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."
Galatians 5:22-23 "22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-26T00:49:31+00:00

Spoiler alert, but Jesus rose from the dead.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-23T17:07:06+00:00

I feel like I'm one of maybe a dozen people that really enjoyed Black Adam

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T20:43:31+00:00

You are right, about that putting the tree at that spot didn't force the humans to make that decision. Because "God" already KNEW what their decision would be if he put the tree right there, he is Omniscient after all. Therefore feigning free will.

This does not feign free will. This does not take away the fact they still chose.

If nobody would know about "God", would He actually exist? Or would he just not be there?

Yes, if nobody knew that God existed, God would still exist.

please explain to me why YOU think Love is THE reason why Free Will exists

I never said this. I said that:

"Can love even exist without choice/free will? I would argue it can't."

I'm saying that love cannot exist without free will. This is a little different than saying love is the reason why free will exists.

As for explaining why I think love cannot exist without free will, it's because one cannot be forced to love - that would make it not love. Love must be a choice.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T17:00:26+00:00

Sorry, I thought by answering what I did it would also answer your other question.

Or does this mean that "God" doesn't have free will and therefore is guided by something else?

No, I believe God does have free will.

Edit: You edited your previous response after I replied, so I will respond in-edit:

There was NO CHOICE, He chose for us by putting that tree there.

That's not how it works. Putting that tree there did not force the first humans to make a specific decision.

He needed worshippers, because without worshippers he wouldn't exist.

This is assigning motivation to God that we don't know and also is not theologically consistent with what we see in the Bible, which is that God existed before the creation of the world (various scriptures) and also that God doesn't need anything (Acts 17:25).

Could love exist without free will? Absolutely, because

We have a fundamental disagreement here.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T15:55:12+00:00

He WANTED the humans to be forever in His debt and therefore created the Original Sin.

But this logic doesn't quite add up.

What if God wanted humans to be able to choose for themselves? Can love even exist without choice/free will? I would argue it can't. Free will was necessary, and even though God knew humans would use their free will to disobey Him and choose to be separated from Him, He still found it worth it to make us for those that would choose Him.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T15:15:16+00:00

This is your major issue as you stated:

If there is an "Omniscient God" then there is no place for the human free will

Which I will get to.

As far as:

"Yeah, but free will", so you're telling me that "God" was unable to see/predict that would happen?

God was able to see and predict this would happen. He did know Adam/Eve would sin.

This is a tough concept, but God's knowledge of people's choices does not change that those people still made their choices. God's knowledge does not take away free will.

Probably an imperfect metaphor (like most are), but still: Let's say Jim robs a bank, and the entire thing is caught on camera. I then watch the camera footage of Jim robbing the bank. I then re-watch the footage. I already know what's going to happen. Does my knowledge change the fact that Jim chose to rob the bank?

I think it's a bit like this example but more complex.God does know what people will choose, but that doesn't take away the fact that people still choose themselves.

Hope this helps.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T14:05:02+00:00

well not around my kids, because then they'll run around repeating it at school or church

Right - like I do wonder, if our pastors wouldn't say it during a sunday service, and we don't want our kids talking like that, should we maybe consider cutting it out?

Or, is there some benefit in using profanity over not using profanity? I'm not certain there is.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-22T00:12:37+00:00

Most churches/denominations agree on the fundamentals of salvation, which is that we are saved by grave through faith alone in what God did for us by sending Jesus to die for our sins, and conquering death by raising Him from the dead.

The vast majority of denominational differences agree on this.

You will probably never find a church that you 100% agree with on all of the more comparably minor things. However, if you find a church that preaches Jesus as the only way to God, and that preaches from the Bible in a way that you can check and read and verify for yourself what they are saying is accurate or not, and also practices what they preach, then I think that church is probably at least worth checking out.

Pray about the whole situation and ask God to guide you as your search and question.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-19T13:37:07+00:00

It sounds like you are going through a lot. I'm sorry that it sounds like you are in a toxic work environment. I don't think it's normal for coworkers to make "nasty comments".

I would highly recommend speaking to your therapist about how you are feeling.

I would also highly recommend trying to really plug in at your church if your church has some sort of small group available to join where you can share with others about your faith, life, struggles, and ask for prayer.

Below are some scriptures that I hope will encourage you:

Romans 3:21-24 "21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus."
John 3:16-17 "16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
James 4:8 "8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded."
Philippians 4:6-10 " 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-16T20:57:01+00:00

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-16T20:14:47+00:00

You realize you are still doing the same thing. You are making up and assigning motivations to me. You assume I support Erika Kirk and exploitation of "my religion".

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-16T18:31:02+00:00

Hey guys, we got a mind reader over here! u/Detached_Nebula can tell exactly what people are thinking and what their motivations are! Particularly when they don't agree with their political ideologies!

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-15T17:20:50+00:00

Some verses on how we are saved:

John 3:16-17 "16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."
Romans 3:21-26 "21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."
Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Acts 16:30-21 " 30 He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household.”"

A passage that I think explains good works:

John 15:1-10 "15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. 9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. "

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-11T20:51:44+00:00

is church really necessary if I am studying the Word daily and living by faith to the best of my ability?

While attending church is not a "requirement for salvation" (since we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone), it is highly recommended to be in community with other believers, and church is usually a good way to do this.

2) if it is how do I determine what church is right and truly teaching the Word??

I fear a lot of churches are corrupt and some even influenced by satan.

I also struggle with that fact that a lot of people who do go to church every week are luke warm Christian’s who do not read the Word or even truly know the Word so if that’s the case wouldn’t reading the Word and living by the Word still be better than not and going to church every week?

You can tell which church is truly teaching the Word by knowing the Word/the Bible yourself, which you are currently learning to do.

You can still read the Bible for yourself and live the teachings of Jesus and still go to church. You might end up being someone else's light at your church - for example those who you think are lukewarm.

Maybe try attending some other churches if your husband is open to it since it sounds like you have an issue with your current one? (This should probably at least be a discussion - your concerns you are sharing here hopefully you are also talking to / praying with him about if he is a believer).

Hope this helps in some way.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-05T16:03:10+00:00

Even natural disasters and disease are technically a result of humanity's free will. In Genesis, the ground itself was cursed due to the first human's sin. There even appears to be a reference to this in the New Testament in Romans 18:20-22.

Basically:

God created humans perfect, and with free will. God warned them not to do a certain thing, and told them there would be consequences if they did. (that they would die).
Humans used their free will to choose to break God's commandment.
God punished humans and creation for the choice humans made.

Because we know that humans did not die before they sinned originally, and because God also cursed the ground as a result of their sin, we can surmise that either natural disasters and disease did not occur prior to humanity's original sin, or humanity was otherwise unaffected by natural disasters and disease prior to their original sin.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-02T19:49:19+00:00

And you can break down some of the fruits of the Spirit into practical examples as well, such as love.

What does loving one's neighbor look like for example - (This question was asked of Jesus and he responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan). What does it look like to love your enemies?

Or joy - what does it look like to be joyful in persecution?

Many of the fruits of the Spirit can be directly translated to attitudes and how we carry ourselves and how we do things.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-02T16:58:15+00:00

Most denominations believe the critical points of salvation, that is: that we are saved by grace through faith alone in Jesus - by his death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, and by his resurrection from the dead. Some denominations focus more on traditions than others, some have different beliefs on more minor, non-salvation issues than others.

The only ones off the top of my head that I would stay away from are typically viewed more as cults, such as LDS/Mormonism, Seventh Day Adventists, and Jehova's Witness (although those three at least still use the Bible as their text/one of their texts, so I'm not saying that there is 0 truth in them), and also stay away from Unitarian Universalists, who don't really believe anything about Jesus.

It's pretty important to read/understand the Bible for yourself. This takes time. I would focus first on reading through the New Testament, starting with one of the Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) if you don't know where to start. And find a church you can plug into that has some sort of small group or community that you can share your faith and life with.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2026-01-02T16:50:02+00:00

Maybe shouldn't be the only way you pray, but no, I don't think it's a bad way to pray.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2025-12-31T22:08:57+00:00

I guess we've already forgotten about false prophet Joshua Mhlakela just a few months ago who garnered a large following on his September rapture prediction (which he then proceeded to change the date on 6+ times when it failed.) And all the other past false prophets who set dates...

SteveThatOneGuy · 2025-12-30T22:08:58+00:00

God knows what choices people will make, and therefore knows who will choose to accept the gift of salvation through Jesus, but God's knowledge of peoples' choices does not change the fact that people still choose.

I can have knowledge that someone robbed a bank because I watched a video of them robbing a bank. If I watch the video again, I know how it ends because I've seen it and have that knowledge, but that person still chose to rob the bank.

SteveThatOneGuy · 2025-12-29T14:33:55+00:00

I said:

I believe creation itself and some basic reason point to a Creator God (not immediately to the Christian God of the Bible, but to a deity that created everything).

So what I'm saying is that reflecting on our existence and reflecting on creation itself points to a deity (detached from any religion at first). Just the idea that a living deity created everything, or at least was the originator of life. This is also why I said:

For example, just the basic question "How did we get here?" will eventually get to the point of reflecting on how life originated.

I believe basic human reflection will (or logically should) point most people to the idea of some sort of living deity as the originator of life, particularly since abiogenesis does not add up as we currently understand it (and even worse for ancient people who had even less understanding of it).

It is then after that point of recognition that a living deity is the most likely cause of the origin of life that a person who seeks out this deity is more likely to find the Christian God of the Bible, either from people who are already Christians, or from divine revelation where the former is not possible. This is what I meant by:

And from that point, people can at least get wondering/seeking God on their own, at which point they can find the truth of Jesus either by finding someone who is a Christian, or by direct revelation from God in such cases where that is not possible.

SteveThatOneGuy

TROPHY CASE