What do you get out of being a Christian?

I invited some people to church recently, and after the service, one of them asked me, “What do you get out of being a Christian?” Although I gave him an answer then, I knew that what I said only scratched the surface of what I really felt, and that question has been on my mind ever since he asked it.

What do I get out of believing in Jesus?

The obvious answer, of course, is that I get eternal life. I get to spend my eternity in heaven with God, living as His child, with no more tears, death, mourning, or suffering. As the bible says, “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” (John 3:16).

I suspect, however, that that was not quite what my friend was asking. And I suspect too that “eternal life” may not be the most helpful of notions for some pre-believers who want to know how life NOW, here on earth, is different for someone who believes in Jesus, and therefore why there is any reason at all for them to consider putting their trust in Him.

Well, here are some of the things I get in this life, from believing in Jesus as my Saviour:

(1) The assurance that I don’t have to understand everything that happens to me or in this world because my life is held in the hands of someone else who DOES understand everything. The bible says in  Jeremiah 29: 11 – “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” And elsewhere, in Isaiah 55:8-9, we read: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”

(2) HOPE for the future. Hope is a precious thing. Someone (I forget who) once said that we can endure almost anything if we have hope. When I’m hemmed in on all sides and it seems impossible that I will be able to cope, God says “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12: 9). And elsewhere in the bible, Jesus says, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16: 33). It’s kind of comforting to know the troubles we are facing are no surprise to Jesus. He fully expects us to have troubles in this world, and he expects us to expect troubles in this world. But through it all, we are to “take heart” (i.e. have hope), because Jesus has overcome this world of troubles, and ultimately, we who trust in Him will too.

(3) FORGIVENESS. When I’ve done something that I deeply regret and I’m beating myself up over it and wishing I could turn back time, and I find it so difficult to forgive myself for having done it, it’s awesome to know that God forgives me. “There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8: 1).

(4) PEACE that comes from knowing that even when things don’t work out the way I’d planned, hoped, imagined it would, and I have no inkling why it shouldn’t have, the bible promises that “in all things, God works for the good of those who love Him” (Romans 8: 28). 

(5) JOY that comes from knowing that there is a point to my life on earth. Ever since I was a child, I’ve needed to know WHY. If I was asked to do something, I needed to know why. If I was asked to learn something, I needed to know why. This wasn’t necessarily a good thing then, because it meant that I was very resistant to doing / learning things for which there were no apparent reasons, and of course I now know that sometimes reasons only become clear later in life. But since this is in my nature, it’s good that, in Jesus, I have a reason for living.

 (6)  The WONDER of realising that the great God, creator of the universe, is watching out for puny little me. Not just mankind in general, but ME, specifically. He is the most powerful friend in the world, the most powerful being in the world, and He’s on my side. “Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them [your enemies]. For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” (Deuteronomy 20: 3-4) And Jesus promises in John 15: 7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” I have seen this and experienced this. Skeptics may call them “coincidences”. I call them answers to prayers.

I’m sure I could go on. But I think you get the picture. Being human, I sometimes forget that I have all these things and start to worry and panic and feel hopeless, but sooner or later (hopefully sooner rather than later), God reminds me that I already have all these. 

And here’s the crucial thing – all this has absolutely nothing to do with any special qualities that I have. These are what God gives to everyone who believes in his Son, Jesus.