Wednesday, June 3, 2009

June 4, 2009

We learned the song as kids, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." Faith is easy for us. The Bible says it and we believe it, case closed! It never occurred to us to doubt the existence of God. That's always been a given.
Ask us if God exists and we'd reply, "Does oxygen exist? Does gravity exist? Of course God exists!"
However, for many in our world God is grouped in with Santa, Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. Santa leaves toys under the Christmas tree, EB leaves colored eggs and the Tooth Fairy slips some coin under the pillow, what evidence do we have of God?
That will be the topic of my next few blogs. I'll deal with two proofs in this article.
Every Effect Has A Cause
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." Psalm 19:1
The law of cause and effect is best described as the law of life. It is the law by which all the other universal laws are based upon. Understanding that everything in the universe is energy and therefore everything is connected. Then we can see how through this interconnectedness, what happens to one thing must effect another thing. The old saying “what you give is what you get” is entirely true of life and directly describes the law of cause and effect.

In the entire universe, nothing exists independently. Everything has been created by something else and nothing is permanent. The law of cause and effect is commonly known throughout science. For every action there is a reaction or similarly, for every cause there is an effect and from every effect there must have been a cause. This law is an inescapable truth and until you learn and accept it you will be like the cat chasing its tail.
Here is a point of agreement between believers and unbelievers - the universe is vast and awesome and is the result of an incredible cause. Everywhere you look you see the wonder of our world and it came from something somewhere. That is undeniable and not debatable. From there the opinions vary widely.
Atheists and agnostics usually align with the evolutionary theory of a "Big Bang". Christians accept the Biblical record of a Creator, God, speaking the world into existence according to His plan.
As Alex McFarland writes in the text we are using for this series, "So the question up for debate isn't whether the universe has an origin, it's who - or what - prompted that beginning. Imagine you are in your living room, enjoying a peaceful afternoon while reading the paper. Suddenly, a baseball flies into the room, shattering your window. Obviously, your first question wouldn't be, 'How did this get here?' It would be in a highly-bothered tone, 'Who did this?!'" The baseball didn't just smash through your window for no reason. Some agent acted upon it, causing a "disturbance in the force" that ruined your perfectly good afternoon.
Just as that baseball didn't launch itself through your window, but it was propelled by a person either accidentally or in anger. There is zero percent probability of a baseball throwing itself through a window.
Likewise, as the baseball could not throw itself the universe did not generate itself. To believe either of those could happen is to defy significant mathematical odds. And as that baseball had to be thrown by a person, so Christians believe the Biblical explanation that the universe was created by a Person, God. It is a far more reasonable and logical explanation.
Every Creation Has A Creator
I have been around for quite awhile but I have never heard of anything that created itself. Everything on earth is made by something or someone. I did not create myself. You did not create yourself. We were created by our parents who were created by their parents all the way back to the original parents, Adam and Eve. Where they came from is a point of some contention.
Either they spontaneously constructed from some random convergence of flesh and bones and blood or they were created by Someone. Which sounds most plausible to you? Which one takes the most faith to believe?
If you feel confident with the probability that your Honda constructed itself from raw iron ore, bauxite, pertoleum based materials and fibers, and assorted electronic components, then you can be comfortable with the atheist and agnostic ideas of creation.
Personally, I'll line up with the Genesis account.
So, why would someone align with the highly improbable concept of the origin of the universe when it defies all the odds and many accepted laws of physics? Maybe because they desire control and no consequences more than they desire truth.
How could someone subscribe to a random, irrational, demeaning, and impersonal version of creation when you it makes more sense to believe the Biblical account? It makes no sense unless they are more committed to being in control and escaping consequences than they are to truth.

June 3, 2009

Have you ever noticed that the Bible doesn't spend any time arguing for the existence of God?

From the first sentence of Genesis to the last words of Revelation, God's existence is assumed.

So, why then would anyone doubt that God exists or that if He exists He is Who the Bible says He is?

I want to suggest two primary reasons: the desire to be in control and the desire to sin without consequences. If there is no God I can be in control of my life and not have to answer to anyone for what I do. That is a powerful delusion. That delusion (nice euphemism for a lie) is the main culprit for the mess we presently find ourselves mired in.

This deception actually predates mankind. Lucifer was the first to fall prey to its lure:

"All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the "stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

According to Revelation 12, one-third of the angels bought into his lie and were cast out of heaven with him. If the delusion of control and sin with no consequences can deceive the very angels of heaven, you can understand how powerful it is.

In Genesis 3, we see this deception spread to mankind when the serpent pitched it to Adam and Eve and they bit. This is a powerful delusion.

In Romans 1, we see the spirit of atheism and spiritual independence has become widespread and we see its destructive effects.

"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen."

It is crucial that you understand the power of this deception and the chaos it has created in our world. Here are several reasons why:

1) You need to flee to God's truth and cling to it lest you be deceived. Are you hiding God's Word in your heart?

2) You need to understand how we got into this mess and why it is not likely to get better until God's people stand against it in truth and holiness. Have you surrendered your control issues to the Holy Spirit?

3) You need to know how to pray for those who are slaves to this deception. Have you prayed for God to send the Spirit of truth to deal with your deceived friends and loved ones?