Devizes To Westminster A Paddler's Perspective

What I Believe

Brief explanation of my Christian beliefs

"Devizes To Westminster - A Paddler's Perspective" has been a hobby of mine since it appeared on the drawing board during summer 1997. The total amount of time invested in it must have been huge, and I hope that other paddlers past, present and future have found it a useful and easy to use resource. I've never seeked to receive any reward other than personal satisfaction for doing the site. Maybe if you've enjoyed visiting then you could find a minute to repay a favour and read on. If not, feel free to return to the rest of the site.

I have been a Christian since childhood, in fact 1986. There is much confusion today about what this means, and the logic behind such a choice; or indeed over what it means - many think that being English and Christian are synonyms! Others think Christianity outdated and irrelevant. I consider myself a reasonably rational person (despite having entered the senior K2 class!), and don't make life-changing decisions without good reason. So why am I a Christian?

Christians believe that the Bible is the word of God. We are no longer in the dark, because God has revealed Himself to us through it. But what He has told us demands a response. In a nutshell, this is the message of the Old and New testaments:

• God created the Earth, and everyone in it. He intended us all to have a full and satisfying life, achieved through relationships with eachother, but most of all with Him. He was to be the King of our lives in a world without defect.
• Every one of us has, from birth, rejected God as rightful King of our lives and turned away from a relationship with Him. We have instead made ourselves rulers of our own lives. As a secondary and natural consequence, we have also rejected God's rules and guidance for how to live our lives and followed our own often selfish desires. The results of these selfish desires are self-evident in the world today: pain, war, suffering, famine, poverty, oppression, hatred, murder, adultery and others are all consequences of humans somewhere along the line putting their wants above those of others. This the Bible calls "sin".
• What we have done is detestable to God, who is perfect in not only His love but also His justice and moral perfection. We cannot escape His judgment when we die. Each of us longs to see justice done to those who wrong us, and God will not, and indeed because of his perfection and consequent hatred of evil cannot, neglect to pay back each of us for what we have done to His world. We have accrued a debt which we will not be able to pay back ourselves inside eternity.
• Because God is love, He chose to make possible what otherwise would be impossible: reunion with Him and the chance to have the deep relationship with Him which he originally intended for us. His flawless justice demands that the penalty for our wrongdoings be fully paid, and so this is what God did: He sent his only Son, Jesus Christ into the world to show by example how to live a life pleasing to God. Fully man yet also fully God, Jesus died on the cross, and there took the full punishment from God that we deserve. A sacrifice, the perfect on behalf of the imperfect.
• Death could not hold Jesus, and as a sign of God's power over the death that would claim us, He rose again on the third day, and has now been appointed by God as Lord with all authority over the earth, and judge of all men and women.
• Anyone who will respond to the call to renounce their own evil ways, trust in the saving power of Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross and re-appoint Him to His rightful place as King of their life can be reconciled to God. A relationship can begin now and continue until we see Him face to face in Heaven. Because Jesus lived a perfect life and was not merely a man but also the Son of God, his death was a ransom high enough for even the most evil man or woman who will turn to him. Jesus didn't promise that life would then become easy - in fact quite the opposite, but Jesus has complete authority over every earthly enemy.
• But for those who choose to reject Jesus, his death on the cross and deny him his rightful place in their lives, on the day of judgement God will not withhold His anger, but will give to each person what their actions merit, which will be everlasting pain, shut away from the presence of God and his love forever. For everyone who chooses not to have their penalty paid by Jesus must pay it themselves, firstly because of the demands of justice, and secondly because God cannot let an evil person into his presence.

In the light of this revelation there is surely only one acceptable response - to pray to Jesus, to apologise for and renounce former ways and begin a new life and relationship with Him as King. I have never regretted doing so, and indeed cannot imagine what life would be like without Him.

I could go on, but I have said enough! If you are still reading and think that you need to make further enquiries, then maybe I can recommend one of the following:

• Read the Bible. It's God's word; it doesn't need me to defend it. Read it, and examine yourself in light of what it teaches. A good place to start is with one of the four eye witness accounts of Jesus' life, the gospels ('good news') of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
• Speak to a minister at a bible-believing church. Make sure it's a church where God's word, the Bible is the sole authority, not one where man-made religion is practised. Attend a church where the centre of the service is the exposition of the Bible.
• Follow one of the following links:
  • Matthias Media - 2 Ways To Live - http://www.matthiasmedia.com.au/2wtl/
    Online pamphlet explaining the message of the bible
  • The Gospel - http://www.dw-perspective.org.uk/believe2.php
    Another brief explanation of the Christian message on this website.
  • Contact Me - http://www.dw-perspective.org.uk/contact.php
    I am more than happy to field any questions you might have or pass them onto someone more knowledgeable, so feel free.

Back to the Paddler's Perspective...