Why Not Christ

By Norman Behling

Have you ever asked yourself, “I wonder what happens when I die?” Or, maybe you’ve asked “Why are there so many religions and so many gods?” What about, “If there is one true religion, why doesn’t everyone know and pick that one?” Have you thought, “I don’t know if I believe in Christianity because Christians can seem so hypocritical.” Or, “Why are Christians always getting slammed - what’s wrong with them?” Do you feel like you would be an outcast if you became a Christian? Maybe you already feel like an outcast and wonder if being a Christian would make a difference. Maybe you just don’t care.

The main question of this book is in the title - why not Christ? It’s a huge question in our society today. There are so many religions in the World. So many ways to go. Why, and how, is Christianity any different than all other religions? What can Christ do for me?

It’s time to take a look at those questions with some simple discussion on some of the most commonly asked questions about Christianity. Let’s spend some time discussing these and many other things. If you find yourself asking questions about different religions and why Christianity believes it is the only way, or what is the Trinity, or is the Bible historical and accurate. Of if you wonder if God has a bad temper given events such as Noah and the flood, or Sodom and Gomorrah, or the ten plagues of Egypt. If you have wondered if God is so perfect, why did he allow sin to enter the World, or is there really a Heaven and Hell. If you ask yourself what’s the solution to all of this, and you wonder why not Christ, then this book is for you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Norman Behling
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005025984

Norman Behling

A man of many talents (drumming, photography, writing, etc), Norm Behling loves the LORD first and foremost. That is the driving force behind everything he does. He writes with an urgency and call to worship our LORD and King. "If Only I Knew" is a condensed version of the recently released book "Why Not Christ." Both the booklet and the book answer questions that many non-Christians, or those seeking, have today.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

The Trinity

God

Okay, so who is God, and what is this three-in-one, triune God thing all about? I mean, how can you believe in a God that considers Himself three persons, yet one? If there is just one God, why doesn’t everyone believe in Him? I’ll try to answer these questions from the standpoint of those who don’t know about God, and making a case for Him being the one, true God.

God, the Father, is the creator of all things; He is the first person of the Trinity (I’ll explain the Trinity soon); before time, He existed - how do we know that? Well, the simple answer is because the Bible says so. Tuh-duh! But, alas, we haven’t gotten to the discussion about the Bible (if it’s truly a historical document, etc.), so let’s try and look at who God is, limiting the use of the Bible, though we will reference it on occasion for context. We will dive deeper into the topic of the Bible and why it’s our authority on the topic of God later in Chapter 2.

Meanwhile, back on Earth (actually, in Heaven), it all starts with creation. Creation had to begin somehow. The most compelling argument for thousands of years has been a supernatural event caused by a supernatural being… God. If we are to believe that Heaven on Earth will eventually exist for all eternity as described in Revelation, then we must believe there has to be a creator; someone with the ability to create everything we see, hear, touch, taste, smell (you know, the five senses). This world did not evolve into existence from nothing. That’s an impossibility. Someone had to create it. Someone had to create us. How can a person, with emotions and logical thought that did not just evolve over time, possibly conclude that life came into existence by mere happenstance?

Let’s challenge traditional thinking for a moment. According to the website livescience.com, the theory of evolution by natural selection was first formulated in Darwin's book On the Origin of Species in 1859. Evolutionists believe that Earth started from micro-organisms that eventually evolved over 3.5 billion years, according to National Geographic. Not to lightly challenge a relatively young, but strong theory, however I do have some questions. If Earth started from micro-organisms, where did those organisms get their start? What about all the other planets, solar systems, and universes? Not to dismiss this theory so easily, but I believe the problem with evolution is that it has faulty reasoning with devastating results. Kind of like thinking the earth is flat. It’s wrongful thinking that won’t stand the test of time. Eventually evolution theory will fade away (or fall off the edge of the earth) because science will continue to prove it wrong.

Why so callused about evolution? It sounds like I didn’t even give it a chance. The reason is in the discussion of so many evolutionists vs creationists.

Christianity believes it must be that a creator orchestrated the existence of everything in the universe or multiverses, if you want to blow your mind and think of the hugeness of it all. There has not been a persuasive argument that contradicts this truth, though evolution tries to. God created everything. And for those of us who know it’s certain, it’s more than just a hypothesis. It’s reality.

However, while most religions believe in creation by a god, not all believe in creation by the one true God that Christianity subscribes to. Could there be more than one god, more than one religion, more than one savior? Is a savior even real or necessary? The hope is that by the end of this book you will answer those questions with your own thoughts. Although I may try to persuade you towards Christianity - that is what this book is about after all - I want to do so in a way that lets you make up your own mind based on facts.

Everything has a creator, an inventor, an architect. Nothing exists without it being created, except God (God is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end). Think about it, everything had to be invented or architected from nothing but a thought. How awesome is that?

Christianity believes the God of creation is the God of all of us. He spoke creation into existence and did it with purpose. What purpose would a god have in creating us? The purpose was to create all of us and a place where we can dwell with Him, commune with Him, relish Him, love and adore Him; and He can cherish and love us to the point of sacrificing His only Son for our sins; giving His life for our lives; so that we can be made perfect. Not by our own works, but by the grace and gift of God. God created us for His own pleasure, to have community. We have community with God through prayer. But one day we will live in His presence, those that call Him their God and Jesus their Lord.

Many felt the solitude the COVID pandemic brought on. God recognizes community and designed us in His image to desire community. He wants to be with us. That’s why, as we read about the new Heaven and the new Earth, Revelation 21:1-3 is so important in its message. It shines a light on who God is.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: "Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God. (Revelation 21:1-3)

No matter what your thoughts are on creation, God is bigger than that. We can’t even fathom the ideas of what God has done and is doing. That’s why we try to put God in a box where we can understand Him. But God is not to be understood. We’ll talk more about this in the section God in a Box.

What’s In a Name

So, who is God? Have you noticed there are numerous names for God? Just like there are different names for Father (Dad, Daddy, Pop, Ol’ Man - that’s the one I like to be called, not, Padre), there are different names for God. This can be confusing when reading through the Bible. You may come across the