Question:
“Why should I believe in God?”
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Hello Team,
That is the question of all questions, and honestly, if that is your question, I’m not here to tell you that you should.
See, I’m happy to share the good news of Jesus with you, but it’s not my job to pressure you or to convert you, because I don’t think belief in God should begin with force or coercion. I think it begins with openness and genuine curiosity.
TLDR: Belief in God does not remove every struggle, but it changes the story you are living. It helps you see yourself as loved and made in God’s image, others as valuable, suffering as not meaningless, and the future as filled with hope in Jesus.
What if?
So, how about we do this? Let’s try a thought experiment for fun.
Instead of you asking, “Why should I believe in God?”
How about you ask yourself this question:
“How might my life be different if I did believe in God?”
So, let’s play with that idea for a moment.
How might you see yourself if you believed in God?
Well, as an ex-atheist, I know life without God can sometimes feel like you have to figure out everything alone. But if you believe in God, you would soon begin to see yourself differently.
You wouldn’t have to wonder whether your life matters because of how many friends you have, how popular you are on TikTok, what job you do, how much money you make, or whether other people notice you.
Instead, you would see yourself as a miracle of life, made in the image of God. Known by Him, created with purpose, and deeply loved by that same God who gave you life.
You would know that you don’t have to prove you are worth loving, because God already knows everything about you and still, He invites you into a life shaped by His love.
How Might You See Other People If You Believe In God?
You would also see them as image-bearers, whether they believed or not. They wouldn’t just be labels, annoyances, competition, or obstacles in your way. Their well-being would matter to you. You would know that loving your neighbor means helping lift people up, helping them to succeed, rather than tearing them down so you can succeed.
It means the lonely person matters.
The awkward person matters.
The person everyone else ignores matters.
The person you disagree with matters.
The person who has hurt you still matters.
That doesn’t mean you would be perfect in loving and respecting other people. But if you believe in God, you would understand at your core that every human being has inherent value, because every human being is made by God.
How Might You See Suffering If You Believe in God?
Well, nobody likes to suffer or feel pain, and believing in God doesn’t mean your pain is easier or that it will go away faster. But if you believe in God, you would know that suffering does not have to be meaningless.
In suffering, we learn what it means to be vulnerable, to trust God and others, to endure, and to discover that God is not distant from us in our challenges. He is not somewhere “up there” watching from a safe distance. He is here, with us. Now.
As a Christian, you would know that God entered into our suffering through Jesus.
And Jesus knew rejection.
He knew grief.
He knew pain.
He knew betrayal.
And He knew the horror of death on a cross before being raised to life on the third day.
So, if you believe in God, you would know that in your suffering, or in the suffering of someone you care about, God is with you because God understands the pain you feel. And I don’t mean that as a cute slogan, though I know it can sometimes sound that way.
I mean that. If you believe in God, you would know that God has stepped into the darkest parts of human life through Jesus. He doesn’t stand far away from pain. He meets us in it.
How Might You See Guilt and Failure If You Believe In God?
Nobody likes to fail. It’s hard when we feel like we don’t measure up, like we are not good enough because we’ve messed things up beyond repair.
But if you believe in God, you would know you can let go of that fear of failure or the weight of guilt, because God sees you fully in your fallibility and He still loves you and offers grace.
And that is one of the most beautiful things about Christianity. God does not love some imaginary, cleaned-up, perfect version of you who finally says all the right religious words.
No, God knows the real you. The tired you. The confused you. The guilty you. The version of you that smiles in public but feels crushed inside.
As a believer, you would know He still offers grace despite all of this.
And His grace forgives, His grace restores, and His grace raises people up.
How Might You See The Future If You Believed In God?
Well, with God, your future is not darkness. Death does not get the final word.
You would know that you don’t have to live as though life is just counting down the minutes until the lights go out.
You would know Jesus defeated death, and because of Him, the future is not dark and meaningless for you anymore.
The end is not the end.
Now, that doesn’t mean Christians are not afraid of dying, and it certainly doesn’t mean life suddenly becomes simple once we know God.
But it does mean we have hope for eternal life.
Because if you believe in God, you would know that hope has a name.
And His name is Jesus.
He is our salvation.
How Might You Life Be Different If You Believed In God?
I would guess, very different.
And I’m not saying that believing in God removes every struggle you will ever face or that believing in God will make you super popular or wealthy or any of that stuff.
It just doesn’t.
Christians still suffer. Christians still wrestle with the complexities of life. Christians still have questions about life. Christians still have bad days, anxious thoughts, broken relationships, and moments where life feels heavier than they expected.
But if you believed in God, the story you are living changes.
If you believe in God, you would not have to build your identity out of whatever people praise, criticize, notice, or ignore. Your worth would not have to hang on your grades, your athletic ability, your popularity, your body, your past, or your future.
You could begin to see yourself as someone whose life has weight, meaning, and value because you are known by the Creator of the universe.
Final Thoughts
So, next time you think, “Why should I believe in God?” maybe change the question to, “How might my life be different if I did believe in God?”
You might find some interesting answers. And you might find you actually move closer to God.
And when you do that… well, won’t it be interesting to see where that leads?
You might be surprised how much your life changes.
So, why should you believe in God?
You tell me.