I Thought I Already Knew
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that people can have strong opinions about Christianity without ever spending much time reading the Bible for themselves.
I know because I was one of them.
Before I became a Christian, I had opinions about God, Jesus, church, and religion. Looking back, it’s strange to admit, but I thought I had a decent understanding of Christianity despite never seriously reading the Bible for myself. I had picked up bits and pieces along the way, formed conclusions, and built a picture in my mind of what faith was all about.
The problem was that much of that picture came from assumptions rather than understanding.
The God I Had Created in My Mind
When I think back to those years, I realize I viewed God more like an accountant than a Savior.
God was somewhere “up there” keeping score. I was mostly getting things wrong, but maybe I could balance things out. If I did enough good things, maybe that would help. If I stayed out of too much trouble, maybe that would count for something. Maybe showing up at church on Christmas or Easter would move the needle a little in my favor.
It was a strange system, but it made sense to me at the time.
What stands out now is that I had developed all these ideas without ever seriously asking whether they reflected what Jesus actually taught.
When Assumptions Feel Like Knowledge
At one point during a difficult season of life, I picked up an old King James Bible we had in our home. Like many people, I was looking for answers to problems I was facing. Instead, I found myself struggling with language that felt unfamiliar and difficult to follow.
There was nothing wrong with the Bible itself. The problem was that I quickly became frustrated and put it back on the shelf. Years later, I realized the larger issue wasn’t the translation. The larger issue was that I wasn’t truly searching.
I wanted answers, but I wasn’t yet willing to seriously investigate the source.
That experience taught me something. Assumptions can feel a lot like knowledge when they go unchallenged. A person can become convinced they understand Christianity without ever carefully examining what Christ actually said.
What Jesus Actually Invites People To
Eventually, I reached a point where I could no longer ignore some of the questions I had spent years pushing aside.
I won’t retell my entire story here, but a series of events forced me to take a closer look at the claims of Christianity. What I found surprised me.
The Jesus I encountered in Scripture wasn’t the version I had imagined. He wasn’t primarily inviting people into a religious system. He wasn’t looking for people who had everything figured out. He consistently met ordinary people where they were and called them to Himself.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
What struck me was the simplicity of that invitation.
Jesus didn’t say, “Come once you’ve cleaned yourself up.” He didn’t say, “Come once you’ve earned it.” He simply said, “Come to me.”
That is very different from the picture I carried around for much of my life.
Seeing What Was There All Along
One lesson I learned during my years in emergency services was the danger of making decisions based on assumptions instead of facts.
At emergency scenes, people often described what they thought had happened. Sometimes they were right. Sometimes they weren’t. The details mattered because assumptions could lead you in the wrong direction while firsthand information usually pointed you toward the truth.
Faith isn’t all that different.
Many of us inherit ideas about God from culture, family, media, experiences, disappointments, or conversations with other people. Some of those ideas may be accurate. Some may not be. But if we never take the time to examine them for ourselves, those assumptions can quietly become our reality.
That’s where I found myself for many years.
I thought I understood Christianity without ever seriously investigating Christ.
Reading the Bible for Yourself Changes the Conversation
One of the things I appreciate most today is the difference between secondhand opinions and firsthand examination.
When people discuss Christianity, the conversation often centers on religion, churches, denominations, traditions, or even the failures of Christians. Those discussions have their place. But eventually a more important question emerges.
What does Jesus actually say?
Not what someone claims He said.
Not what culture says He said.
Not what critics say He said.
What did He actually say?
That question changed everything for me.
“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
— Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)
The older I get, the more I appreciate the value of looking at the source rather than relying on assumptions about the source.
Looking Back Now
Looking back, I don’t think my biggest obstacle was disbelief.
It was familiarity.
I thought I already knew what Christianity was about. I thought I understood the message. The reality was that much of my understanding had been built without ever seriously examining it for myself.
If you’re interested in the longer story of how I arrived at faith, including some of the events that eventually led me to Christ, you can read my testimony in Why I Believe.
Sometimes I wonder how many people have rejected a version of Christianity they never actually investigated.
And how different might their conclusions be if they started not with religion, but with Jesus?
More Straight Talk on Faith
Want More Real-Life Faith?
Looking for more straight talk about faith—without the sugarcoating?
If you’re searching for real-life encouragement and honest faith, check out my book, YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE: Christianity… From a Firefighter’s Perspective. It’s a short, straightforward read—something I wrote for regular folks, maybe especially guys, who want a no-nonsense look at faith that applies to real life. I often think of it as my own “tract”—just a simple way to point people to hope and honor God.
If it rang true for you or made a difference in your life, leaving a quick review on Amazon may help someone else who’s looking for the same kind of hope.
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