The way we often try to win people to Christianity is funny. We lead by telling them how much better their life will be if they turn to God. How they will be blessed and God will do great things for them. But the Bible seems to paint a different picture. Even Jesus Himself often taught that the road for His followers would not be an easy one. Which causes us to ask does being a Christian really make your life better?
As we have already mentioned Jesus often taught on this subject. And much of what He taught seems to indicate that the Christian life will not always be an easy one.
Matthew 10:16-18 (ESV)
16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.
The Apostles Persecution
The lives of the Apostles show that even the best Christians still do not have it easy in this life. They were often scoffed at, lied about, beaten, imprisoned, and even murdered for their faith. You can see almost all of that listed in Paul’s account of his life in Second Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (ESV)
23 Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,[a] in cold and exposure.
As well in First Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 4:11-13 (ESV)
11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
When he wrote to Timothy, he explained that all who want to live a godly life are going to suffer persecution. While those who live an evil life will flourish.
2 Timothy 3:12 (ESV)
12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,
Paul is not the only one who faced great hardship in his life. Stephen was a man who was full of the Holy Spirit and not ashamed to preach the truth. Yet we get introduced to him in Acts chapter 6 and in the very next chapter, we read the account of his death. Stoned for preaching the name of Jesus.
Acts 7:58-59 (ESV)
58 Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. 59 And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Thankful for Persecution?
It may sound strange but the New Testament teaches us we should be thankful for the persecution and hard times we receive.
James 1:2-3 (ESV)
2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, 3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
1 Peter 1:6 (ESV)
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
And believe it or not, the Apostoles actually practiced what they preached and found a way to be thankful even after suffering punishment at the hands of others.
Acts 5:40-41 (ESV)
40 and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. 41 Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.
Paul and Silas even sang and prayed to God loud enough for all to hear. While chained together in prison and after they had been beaten.
Acts 16:23-25 (ESV)
23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. 24 Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
25 About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,
It seems strange to us to view persecution in this way. Especially since most truly believe being a Christian is supposed to make life better. But the Apostles found joy in their struggle because they understood what waited for them on the other side.
Matthew 5:10-12 (ESV)
10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Matthew 10:22 (ESV)
22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Romans 8:18 (ESV)
18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Hebrews 13:14 (ESV)
14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
The True Reward of Christianity
All of these seems to indicate that this life really does not get any better when you become a Christian. In fact, it really seems to say you should expect your time on earth to get worse after professing faith in Christ. But that’s just it. Before we come to know God, we are looking at things only tangible but that is not what the promises of God refer too.
The reward for remaining faithful through this life is not health, wealth, status, popularity, or anything like that. No, our true reward is the gift of life eternal spent in Heaven. And that perfect life in heaven is what should give us hope and it is what makes the life of a Christian better.
No matter what happens to us in this life we are still granted, Heaven. So whether we experience loss, disease, persecution, hate, or truly anything else it does not matter. Because this is just our temporary home. A minor blip on the grand scale of eternity that waits for us on the other side.
John 3:16 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
1 John 5:13 (ESV)
13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
The Other Rewards
Our hope in a heavenly life is not the only reward we have as Christians. For instance, we have no reason to fear man because while they can end this life, they have no way to affect the next life. Only our God is able to affect that.
Matthew 10:28 (ESV)
28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Hebrews 13:6 (ESV)
6 So we can confidently say,
“The Lord is my helper;
I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”
On top of that, we have been given the gift of prayer. Which is our place to have a conversation with our Creator! Plus we are able to make our request known unto Him. And the Bible says He always hears the prayers of His people.
1 John 5:14 (ESV)
14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Those are just a couple of the rewards we have as Christians and to tell you of them all would take to long. Especially if you were to list all the possible blessings God may pour out in one’s life. Such as the blessing of enough which we just recently had an article come out about.
God truly rewards Christians more than we actually deserve both in this life and in the next. Yet the better life we are given may not seem that way to those looking in with a worldly mindset. Because we do not always have all that the world sees as good. But what we do have is joy and peace that only comes from a right relationship with the Lord.
Romans 14:17 (ESV)
17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
So What’s The Real Answer
So what is the answer to the question does being a Christian make your life better? That ultimately depends on what you are seeking after. If you want the things of this world, status money, etc and are wanting to enjoy temporary blessings then no you won’t find that by becoming a Christian.
However, if you want true joy and peace that lasts a lifetime and even into eternity. And you don’t mind things in this life not always going your way, then yes becoming a Christian will make your life better. Because once you give your life to Christ all other things seem to melt away and your focus is on the kingdom and nothing can take that away from you or bring you down.
Hopefully, this article has helped to show you how being a Christian does make your life better even though it may not be in the way many think it should. It truly is the best life and I would choose to live no other way. Please share this article if you enjoyed it really helps us out. Thanks for reading and God Bless!
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What a fantastic article! Thank you so much. This will help me answer questions I receive concerning this issue and my belief in the Lord so much more confidently and easily.