I sincerely hope you won’t “throw the whole thing overboard”—because God is real, and He cares for you. Furthermore, He alone has the answers to life’s deepest questions: who we are, where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going when we die.

And no, you don’t have to commit “intellectual suicide” to become a Christian. In fact, the opposite is the case; some of the most intelligent people I’ve ever met were men and women who were highly respected in their fields but also deeply committed to Jesus Christ. They were convinced that the Bible’s words about Jesus were true: In Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

This is why I hope you won’t take your cues from people whose knowledge of Christ is only secondhand, or based on what someone else told them about Jesus. Instead, I invite you to examine Jesus for yourself by reading the accounts of His life found in the Gospels of the New Testament.

When you do, you’ll not only be surprised by His personality, but you will want to put your life into His hands. Don’t give up searching for God, for the greatest joy we can ever know is the joy of knowing God personally. God’s promise is for you: “If you seek him, he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9).