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If you have been following the 7-part series of why we can believe in Jesus, then you have seen that the evidence concerning Jesus of Nazareth is crystal clear. The evidence declares: Jesus Christ is THE Son of God. He is the ONLY WAY of ensuring Eternal Life. If you have not read the series, you can find links to the posts here.
One Remaining Issue
Therefore, there is only one remaining issue. What are you going to do with the evidence? There are only two options available.
Option #1 – Will you bow your knee and follow Jesus Christ knowing that this life is the closest you will ever be to Hell?
Option #2 – Or are you going to ignore the evidence, take a rebellious attitude, and live your life on your own terms? If so, this choice guarantees your reservation to live throughout eternity in the Lake of Fire created for Satan and the angels who rebelled against God.
However, in case you are considering option #2 or think you have other options BEWARE, you are deceiving yourself. Let us take a moment to view the following table.
If Jesus… Then We Can…
| If Jesus… | Then We Can… |
| Is the Son of God… | Understand that His teachings are more than just good ideas from a wise teacher. They are divine insights on which we can confidently build our lives. |
| Set the standard for morality… | We have an unwavering foundation for our choices and decisions rather than basing them on the “woke” opinions of ourselves or others. |
| Rose from the grave and is alive today… | We can have confidence knowing that He can provide Eternal Life for us too. |
| Loves us and has our best interest at heart… | We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by committing ourselves to Him and his purposes. |
| Has divine power… | He has the supernatural ability to guide, help and transform us as we follow Him. |
| Knows the pain of loss and suffering… | We know He can comfort and encourage us in the midst of any trouble and chaos in this fallen world corrupted by sin. |
Personally, I would call this decision a no-brainer. However, if you are still on the fence so to speak and still considering option #2, perhaps a brief look at the following eight self-proclaimed “atheists” who changed their minds and decided to follow Jesus Christ may help.
8 Atheists Who Became Christians
There are plenty of New Testament scholars who have not been Christians. However, many of them through their study have come to faith in Christ. Likewise, there have been countless more scholars, who were already believers, whose faith has been made stronger, more solid, and more grounded, because of the evidence examined. The same applies to skeptics. Below is a sampling of eight atheists who have become followers of Jesus Christ.
C.S. Lewis
C.S Lewis is the author of popular books like The Chronicles of Narnia and Mere Christianity.
Before he wrote the Narnia saga, Clive Staples Lewis was a professed atheist. He spoke of a “blandly Christian childhood” but wrote in his biographical work Surprised by Joy of his “seemingly firm belief in the inexistence of God”, in which perhaps the most famous passage from that book, he writes:
“You must picture me alone in that room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England.” – C.S Lewis
Peter Hitchens
The younger brother of noted atheist writer Christopher Hitchens once shared his late sibling’s worldview. A journalist, author, and conservative political commentator, he infamously set fire to his copy of the King James Bible as a 15-year-old at boarding school. He and Christopher shared a tempestuous relationship over 50 years, exchanging their youthful arguments over toys for debates about the existence of God in later life.
He describes coming to an awareness of his own sin, writing that
“My large catalogue of misdeeds replayed themselves rapidly in my head… I had absolutely no doubt that I was among the damned, if there were any damned.” – Peter Hitchens
After his brother famously published God is not Great in 2007, Peter wrote his own book, The Rage Against God in response, critiquing the new atheist movement among which Christopher was so prominent.
Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris is hands-down the most iconic person in Hollywood to have become a born-again Christian. He kicked off his career as a martial artist and starred in more than 23 films. While he was rapidly climbing the ladder of success, his personal life bore the turmoil.
“I had earned millions of dollars over my lifetime,” he writes. “I’d been a friend to several presidents, yet all the money in my bank account couldn’t help me now…. There was only one person to whom I could turn.” – Chuck Norris
You can learn more about his epic story by reading Against All Odds: My Story.
Alister E. McGrath
Alister McGrath is an Irish Anglican priest, historian, and biochemist scientist who believed in evolution. He is also a Professor of Science and Religion who became a Christian apologist and author.
He is perhaps the most intellectual Christian of this century. His writings follow the discipline of historical theology, systematic theology, and the relationship between science and religion.
In 2004, he wrote “The Twilight of Atheism and also The Dawkins Delusion?” considered one of his best works. McGrath holds three doctorates from the University of Oxford: in molecular biophysics, theology, and intellectual history.
Gary Busey
Gary Busey is a prolific actor, best known for his roles in Point Break and Lethal Weapon. He lived a non-Christian lifestyle that revolved around cocaine and women. However, in 1988, his life changed forever after a motorcycle accident. Busey’s skull fractured, and he suffered permanent brain damage. The extreme hardship changed Busey’s religious beliefs, and he announced himself a Christian in 1996.
“I am proud to tell Hollywood I am a Christian. For the first time, I am now free to be myself.” – Gary Busey
Anthony Flew (1923 – 2010)
A son of a preacher, Anthony Flew was a British philosopher and a notorious advocate for atheism who preceded Dawkins and Hitchens in the 1980s. In 1950, he wrote a short paper, “Theology and Falsification,” that disavowed God’s existence. He quickly became a famous intellectual voice for atheism and wrote more books to discredit God’s existence.
In 2004, his faith changed, and he announced that he believed in God, sending shockwaves in the atheist community. Three years before he died, Flew wrote the book, “There Is God: How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind.”
Lee Strobel
Lee Strobel is an atheist-turned-Christian with a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School. He was the award-winning legal editor of the Chicago Tribune. After probing the evidence for Jesus for nearly two years, Lee became a Christian in 1981.
Lee Strobel is a New York Times best-selling author of more than forty books and curricula that have sold fourteen million copies in total.
Josh McDowell
As a young man, Josh McDowell considered himself an agnostic. He truly believed that Christianity was worthless. However, when challenged to examine the claims of Christianity intellectually, Josh discovered compelling, overwhelming evidence for the reliability of the Christian faith. After trusting in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, Josh’s life changed dramatically as he experienced the power of God’s love.
Since 1960, Josh has written or co-authored 155 books in 128 languages including More Than a Carpenter and Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
What these eight men and many others have discovered is that the evidence unwaveringly points to Jesus Christ AS our ONLY Hope. If you are still struggling with your decision and think you have plenty of time to come to a decision, things to do, and life to live, perhaps you do have a little more time. Perhaps not…
Jesus told a parable of a rich man whose land produced what we would call a bumper crop. Not having any more room to store his crops the man decided,
“I will pull down my barns and build greater ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take rest. Eat, drink, and be merry.”
“But God said to him, ‘You fool! This night your soul will be required of you. Then whose will those things be which you have provided?’
“So is he who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” – Luke 12:18-21
After all, this farmer thought he had plenty of time also, and yet…
All Flesh is as Grass
The Bible tells us that our lives are but a breath, like the flowers of the field, we are here one day and gone the next.
“All flesh is as grass and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away…”- 1 Peter 1:24
From the first breath we take leaving the womb, we begin the journey that for our natural bodies ends in death. None of us know when that last breath will come. Young people for the most part think they’re invincible. When I was young, I never thought about it. Most are occupied with education, jobs, dreams, goals, families, vacations, and some may squeeze God and the thought of eternity in there. However, most never give it a thought.
A True-Life Illustration
I recently had the honor to accompany friends (more like family) of mine from Kentucky to Ohio to support them during the auction of their deceased son’s, (nephew, brother) possessions who had passed away suddenly at the age of 57.
To me, I cannot imagine anything more difficult than a parent losing a child. It does not matter what the child’s age is when they pass.
I thought I was prepared for this heart-wrenching experience as the family watched the final bits of their son’s life being auctioned off. I had only attended one other auction. Therefore, this was a new experience as I was seeing it from the family’s perspective.
During this experience, it was the knowledge that God’s Word is true, and He is enough to get us through anything that we may face IF we are followers of Jesus Christ that gave us strength in our weak moments during the auction. For the Lord said to Paul,
“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness… So I take pleasure in weaknesses… for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
During the auction, the Lord reminded me of three specific things to remember.
We Are Not Promised a Life of Ease
The first reminder was that He never promised life would be easy, in fact, He told us that:
“I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.” – John 16:33
However, God never leaves us stranded and on our own as orphans.
“The Lord, He goes before you. He will be with you. He will not fail you nor forsake you. Do not fear, nor be dismayed.” – Deuteronomy 31:8
Jesus’s Clothes Were “Auctioned Off”
The second thing the Lord brought to my remembrance was Mary the mother of Jesus was there at His crucifixion and watched as they “auctioned off” her Son’s “possessions”.
“When they crucified Him, they divided His garments by casting lots…” – Matthew 27:35
The auction took about four hours. However, to me and I’m sure to the family those four hours felt like an eternity as they watched people paw through and bid on their deceased son’s possessions.
Some attending the auction knew the son who passed. Many others did not care and to them, this was just an entertaining way to spend a Saturday in the atmosphere of a carnival setting. Food and prizes for pennies. I wondered at the time if the family felt like they were being skinned alive every time another piece of their son’s life was sold. Especially when it came time to auction off the drums that this man had played most of his life since childhood. The mom and the aunt could not watch but the brother stayed, My heart was breaking for them all.
A precious life, a person made in the image of God reduced to…
A Man’s Life is a Vapor
The third thing the Lord reminded me of was:
“Man is like a breath; his days are as a shadow that passes away.” – Psalm 144:4
“You do not know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? It is just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” – James 4:14
When we returned home, I asked the parents if I had their permission to share my observations and a brief background of their son’s history. Which they gave.
The “Drummer Boy”
This man’s parents loved children and fostered many. Unlike so many “foster families” this family loved each one as their own. One foster child, who I will call the little “drummer boy” was legally adopted into the family.
This reminded me that we also are adopted into the family of God, IF we believe in, rely on, and have faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus willingly endured our sentence of death so we could be adopted into His family. And as He conquered death, we also will live with Him forever, if we do not reject such great a sacrifice.
Eventually this “drummer boy” became a drummer for a popular heavy metal band in the 80’s. This meant that their son was heavily involved in sex, drugs, alcohol, and satan worship for many years. This lifestyle results according to God’s Word, in being judged and cast into the lake of fire.
The Great White Throne Judgment
“Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. From His face the earth and the heavens fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God.
“Books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to their works as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one by his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.“Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” – Revelation 20:11-12
But God: the Prodigal Son
However, God would not let go of this “drummer boy” because:
“The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness. But He is patient with us, because He does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance.” – 2 Peter 3:9 (emphasis mine)
Like the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32), this “drummer boy” when he came to his senses (vs 17) gave his life to Jesus Christ who began to work in his life and set him free from his old way of life. Moreover, this “prodigal son/drummer boy” went from playing drums for Satan to playing drums for Jesus Christ, his Creator, Savior, and Lord as he played his drums during worship services in a local church.
Because he repented of his old ways and chose wisely, he is safe in what I like to call, his “happily ever after home.” Healed and whole.
Eternal Life: Our Number One Focus
As we go about living our lives in this fallen world, we must make our Eternal Life our number one focus.
Where we choose to spend eternity depends on whether we accept Jesus of Nazareth as God and follow Him on His terms or reject Him.
Those who follow Jesus Christ will stand before Him to receive the crown of life.
Others who decide to do life “their way and on their terms” will stand before Him to give an account of their lives and then as the Scripture above states “be assigned to the lake of fire” created for Satan and his demons.
This does not have to be the outcome of your brief life. Choose Eternal life with Jesus Christ.
“Lord, make me to know my end, and what is the measure of my days, that I may know how transient I am. Indeed, You have made my days as a handbreadth, and my age is as nothing before You; indeed, every man at his best is as a breath.” [a wisp of smoke, a vapor that vanishes]!”
Selah
“Surely every man walks in a mere shadow [in a charade]; surely, he goes as a breath; he heaps up riches and does not know who will gather them.” – Psalm 39:4-6
Do you have a relationship with Jesus?
Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.
Resources
- Book: Why Believe in Jesus? – Tim LaHaye
- Book: The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of Jesus – Lee Strobel
- Book: Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical … – Josh McDowell
- Resources, Apologetics, and Answering Skeptics – Josh McDowell
- Video: The Case for Christ explained in 16 minutes. – Lee Strobel
- John 15 Rocks: 11 Intellectuals Atheists Who Became Christians
- The Witness: Famous Atheists Who Became Christians
- Christian Today: Five atheists who lost faith in atheism
