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How do Christians Know?

Written By Timothy Fish

Published 1/28/2008

The Bible calls Satan the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). It appears that his servants do the same thing. Visit nearly any open membership Internet forum that is focused toward Christianity or religion and you will probably find at least a few atheists who have nothing better to do with their time than to try to prove Christianity wrong. The atheist infestation is so bad in some of these forums that there are almost no Christians at all. Usually, these atheists ask questions like “Are creationist liars or scientifically challenged?” or some other question. While there is nothing wrong with people asking questions, the people who ask these questions refuse to accept the answers that other people give. In most cases, it is a waste of time to try to answer these questions because the people asking the questions don’t really want to know the answers.

The other day I happened to see a question on a forum that caught my attention. How do Christians know that their religion is the right one? Part of the reason it caught my attention was because rather than taking the regular form in which the atheist asking the question seems to be saying, I refuse to accept Christianity as truth and I dare you to prove that I should, the questioner opened the door for Christians to explain from their point of view. I really feel that the question was intended to put doubts in the minds of weak Christians. The atheists on the forum remained too closed-minded to even accept that the reason Christians know that we are correct in putting our faith in Jesus is a valid reason to Christians. So, other than giving God one more reason to tell them at the Great White Throne judgment that they are without excuse, providing an answer to their question was a complete waste of time, but it is still a very good question and one that Christians should consider.

How do Christians know that their religion is the right one?

In I John 4:13, we find the statement, “Hereby we know that we dwell in Him and He in us: because He hath given us of His Spirit.” With salvation comes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. A Christian who develops his relationship with God has assurance that his religion is the correct religion because the Holy Spirit continually gives him that assurance.

When you meet a celebrity and then go home, all you have is the memory of that event. It would be possible for another person to convince you that you didn’t really meet that celebrity, but you dreamed it instead. However, if you were to marry that celebrity and you lived in the same house as that celebrity it would not be possible for someone to convince you that you never met that celebrity. It is similar in our relationship with God. Because of our constant contact with the Holy Spirit, we know that we have put our faith in the right thing.

How do you recognize the Holy Spirit?

I John 4:2 tells us that we can recognize the Spirit of God because the spirits that are not of God will not admit that Jesus came in the flesh. Satan has his own spirits that are out in the world trying to sway people’s thoughts, but they will not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.

Unfortunately, that reasoning will not work with an atheist because it appears to be circular. How do we know that Jesus came in the flesh (Christianity is correct)? Because we have the Holy Spirit. How do we know we have the Holy Spirit? Because he tells us that Jesus came in the flesh. Though most atheists will refuse to accept it, even if we have it, we need something more to show us that we have the Holy Spirit and thereby show us that we have put our faith in the right person.

Galatians 5:22 tells us about the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. Do we have these things? These things are enhanced by the Holy Spirit. Lost people have these to some degree (at least they think they do), but when a person is saved these things begin to grow and exceed the normal levels.

Don’t other religions also have the Holy Spirit?

One atheist, essentially, made the claim that all religions claim to have what Christians believe to be the Holy Spirit. If this were true, it would certainly give us reason to question our own beliefs, but it isn’t true. From the perspective of an atheist, it may appear that way. Many religions spend much effort doing things to try to reach enlightenment. Some people will deprive themselves of food. They will spend hours in meditation, trying to clear their minds of all of the concerns of the world. They will pray to gods that cannot hear. Some will even use drugs to try to gain a feeling of enlightenment. An atheist may look at all of this and think that all religions look the same. So what is it that makes Christianity different?

Unlike other world religions, true Christians are not trying to reach enlightenment. People who are seeking enlightenment are looking for peace; they are looking for assurance of life after death; they are looking to be able to live life without fear. Christians have no need to seek enlightenment because we already have what these silly people are looking for.