From seeking the truth to being seized by Christ

On my journey of reflection, I came across a simple yet profound set of questions often used to guide a person from unbelief to faith. These eight steps move from basic honesty with oneself to the heart of Christianity:

1. Are you being honest with yourself?
2. Do you seek the truth?
3. Is there some kind of God? (atheism vs. theism) — 5/6 of the world believes in some kind of god.
4. Is it one God or many? (monotheism vs. polytheism) — about half of the world believes in one God.
5. Is all God, or is He present but separate? (pantheism vs. Creator).
6. Is God morally good, or is He indifferent to good and evil?
7. Did God simply wind up the world, or is He present in history?
8. Is God one person or three? Is Jesus His Son? One-third of the world is Christian.

Each of these questions acts as a step on the “road to Christ.” They push us to examine what we believe, and why. Yet, even after answering all eight in favor of Christianity, there is still a deeper question that cannot be ignored.

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) expressed it this way:

Have you experienced an event or person which gives life a new horizon, and a decisive direction? Do you experience it as joy and hope? Are you inwardly seized by Christianity, and have you become a lover of Christ?

That final question makes all the difference. It cuts to the heart: how many who call themselves “christian” (with a small c) have truly become Christian (with a capital C) in this deeper sense?

The journey is not only about intellectual assent but about encounter, transformation, and love. Without that, the “road to Christ” remains unfinished.