This past week I received an email from a middle school boy. In his email he asked me to answer 5 questions for a paper he was writing for school. I love it when I'm forced to dive into my shallow mind and dig deep. Below are the questions and the answers I gave. Please feel free to expand or correct me, I'm only human after all.
Does God exist? If so, what is he like, and how do you know?
I believe it's harder to NOT believe in God than it is to believe He does exist. Let's look at the Earth. If we were any closer to the sun we would burn up. If we were any further away we would freeze. The earth has not slowed down at all for however long it's been rotating the sun. We have an unexplainable atmosphere that protects us from the deadly radiation of space. These four things alone have baffled scientists for centuries because they can't explain them. God is the explanation. You can go on and on simply on the creation that surrounds us. Look in a mirror and explain how an eye works or how it came to be. Scientists want you to believe we came from some oozy slime that one day decided to divide and form things. If this is how it happened then I believe Genesis would've started more like this. In the beginning God created the heavens and the slime of the earth...and later on it would mention how this slime got up and walked over and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Pretty silly huh?
I gather all the attributes of God from His word. In Colossians it tells us that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. So God is invisible, kind of like a vapor. In Exodus we read that when people looked at Him they died. This wasn't because he had a face only a mother could love. His presence is so magnificent, His glory so mighty that our earthly bodies cannot handle it. We drop like dead men in his presence. Some things about God we may never understand till we meet him. For instance, He is omnipotent (all powerful). One of my youth leaders put it this way. Could God create a mountain so big he couldn't move it? Of course he could, then he'd move. But why? Because this is an earthly way we can understand his power. He is omnipresent (can be everywhere at once). The Holy Spirit allows this to happen. He isn't limited to time either, I believe if God wanted to "travel back in time" he could. Our life is like a cd and God can play any part of it whenever he wants. He is omniscient (all knowing). He is the beginning and the end of all these to be known. I'll put it plainly, He knows everything. God is more than love. He is unchanging. God hasn't budged from his stance ever. The world became like it is because we changed. For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6) This question has so many different avenues you could go down. I believe David best describes God in the Psalms. Psalm 139 He can search us and know our heart. Psalm 140 He delivers us from evil, 142 He is our refuge, 147 He heals the broken hearted. There's so much more I could say about God and what he's like and how I know.
What is real? Is reality merely matter, an illusion, some combination, or something else?
Awesome question. It's nice that you ask this too. The blog I write is titled "Making God Real". If I don't fully understand the meaning of "real" then nothing in it will make sense. Real is one of those crazy words that can be an adjective, noun or an adverb. As an adjective real is actual (ie.: the real reason) . As a noun real exists (ie.: real number). As an adverb real is informal (ie.: real nice job). The "real" I aim for is the noun one. This is probably the toughest one but to me it's the most obvious. I believe God can be seen and heard in everyday things. The laugh of a baby, the wind in a field, the love of my children. I don't think these things are God but merely the essence of an ever present caring God. I guess the "real" real we as Christians are looking for is real faith and in this it matters immensely.
What is the origin of life and the universe?
Life began with Adam...period. After a while God noticed Adam needed a companion so he gave him Eve...period. There is no missing link. We did not evolve from apes. I make this statement solely on the faith that God's word is true and I believe it to be true. Genesis spells out our origins. The universe? Tina used to have a shirt that said "I believe in the Big Bang Theory. God spoke it and BANG! It happened." I think the thing that confuses or throws us off the most is the mention of days in Genesis. God isn't tied down with time. 2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Does this mean God created the world in 7, 24 hour days or 7 thousand years? I do know that scientists who believe in the Big Bang Theory don't have an explanation on where the explosive matter came from. Uh, God made it.
Are human beings special? Are we just animals, do we have souls? Are we basically good, bad, or something else?
Oh boy, I could really get in trouble with this one. Humans are very special, so special that God used to physically walk around and talk with them. I believe this was in the form of a Glorified Jesus. Up until God created man and women he said things were "good". After man and women it was "very good". Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. There are several things that make us different from animals. Hands, voice box, walk upright, logical thinking brains...etc. The biggest thing that separates us is our soul. Sorry but all dogs don't go to heaven. The soul is the spiritual principle embodied in human beings. I grabbed that from a dictionary. I don't know if there's a good answer to if we are good or bad. I do know that because of Adam we are all born into original sin. This doesn't however make us bad people or encourage us to make bad decisions. We, being all humans, need rules. Without rules there is chaos. People like to push the apron and see how far they can go before consequences arise. This is the reason God gave us Jesus...our Savoir. Because of our bad decision making and inability to do it on our own he sent his son to die on the cross. This is basically the plan of salvation. I don't want to get too technical but in the eyes of God 'good' is pretty stinking good; actually it's a good that we could never achieve on our own. So to answer your question, we are sinners in need of a Savoir and through Him (Jesus) we can be made righteous or right (or good) in the eyes of God.
What is right and wrong? How do you know?
One of the dumbest sayings I've heard in the past is this, "if it feels right then how can it be wrong?". A big alarm should be going off in your head after hearing that one. What people today try to do is live with what we call "relative morals". These are morals based on doing whatever feels good or relative to the situation. People who live this way tend to change their moral beliefs daily. Can you understand now why their is so much chaos and disorder in the world today? Another thing we will do is base our rights and wrongs on what celebrities are doing. Christians believe that if objective principles of right and wrong exist, there must be a foundation for them. And the foundation that makes the most sense is the character of a perfect and holy God. God's word is truth, it will never fail you. That's how I know.
Thanks for reading...
peace,
totalheel
Does God exist? If so, what is he like, and how do you know?
I believe it's harder to NOT believe in God than it is to believe He does exist. Let's look at the Earth. If we were any closer to the sun we would burn up. If we were any further away we would freeze. The earth has not slowed down at all for however long it's been rotating the sun. We have an unexplainable atmosphere that protects us from the deadly radiation of space. These four things alone have baffled scientists for centuries because they can't explain them. God is the explanation. You can go on and on simply on the creation that surrounds us. Look in a mirror and explain how an eye works or how it came to be. Scientists want you to believe we came from some oozy slime that one day decided to divide and form things. If this is how it happened then I believe Genesis would've started more like this. In the beginning God created the heavens and the slime of the earth...and later on it would mention how this slime got up and walked over and ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Pretty silly huh?
I gather all the attributes of God from His word. In Colossians it tells us that Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. So God is invisible, kind of like a vapor. In Exodus we read that when people looked at Him they died. This wasn't because he had a face only a mother could love. His presence is so magnificent, His glory so mighty that our earthly bodies cannot handle it. We drop like dead men in his presence. Some things about God we may never understand till we meet him. For instance, He is omnipotent (all powerful). One of my youth leaders put it this way. Could God create a mountain so big he couldn't move it? Of course he could, then he'd move. But why? Because this is an earthly way we can understand his power. He is omnipresent (can be everywhere at once). The Holy Spirit allows this to happen. He isn't limited to time either, I believe if God wanted to "travel back in time" he could. Our life is like a cd and God can play any part of it whenever he wants. He is omniscient (all knowing). He is the beginning and the end of all these to be known. I'll put it plainly, He knows everything. God is more than love. He is unchanging. God hasn't budged from his stance ever. The world became like it is because we changed. For I, the LORD, do not change; therefore you, O sons of Jacob, are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6) This question has so many different avenues you could go down. I believe David best describes God in the Psalms. Psalm 139 He can search us and know our heart. Psalm 140 He delivers us from evil, 142 He is our refuge, 147 He heals the broken hearted. There's so much more I could say about God and what he's like and how I know.
What is real? Is reality merely matter, an illusion, some combination, or something else?
Awesome question. It's nice that you ask this too. The blog I write is titled "Making God Real". If I don't fully understand the meaning of "real" then nothing in it will make sense. Real is one of those crazy words that can be an adjective, noun or an adverb. As an adjective real is actual (ie.: the real reason) . As a noun real exists (ie.: real number). As an adverb real is informal (ie.: real nice job). The "real" I aim for is the noun one. This is probably the toughest one but to me it's the most obvious. I believe God can be seen and heard in everyday things. The laugh of a baby, the wind in a field, the love of my children. I don't think these things are God but merely the essence of an ever present caring God. I guess the "real" real we as Christians are looking for is real faith and in this it matters immensely.
What is the origin of life and the universe?
Life began with Adam...period. After a while God noticed Adam needed a companion so he gave him Eve...period. There is no missing link. We did not evolve from apes. I make this statement solely on the faith that God's word is true and I believe it to be true. Genesis spells out our origins. The universe? Tina used to have a shirt that said "I believe in the Big Bang Theory. God spoke it and BANG! It happened." I think the thing that confuses or throws us off the most is the mention of days in Genesis. God isn't tied down with time. 2 Peter 3:8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Does this mean God created the world in 7, 24 hour days or 7 thousand years? I do know that scientists who believe in the Big Bang Theory don't have an explanation on where the explosive matter came from. Uh, God made it.
Are human beings special? Are we just animals, do we have souls? Are we basically good, bad, or something else?
Oh boy, I could really get in trouble with this one. Humans are very special, so special that God used to physically walk around and talk with them. I believe this was in the form of a Glorified Jesus. Up until God created man and women he said things were "good". After man and women it was "very good". Genesis 1:31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. There are several things that make us different from animals. Hands, voice box, walk upright, logical thinking brains...etc. The biggest thing that separates us is our soul. Sorry but all dogs don't go to heaven. The soul is the spiritual principle embodied in human beings. I grabbed that from a dictionary. I don't know if there's a good answer to if we are good or bad. I do know that because of Adam we are all born into original sin. This doesn't however make us bad people or encourage us to make bad decisions. We, being all humans, need rules. Without rules there is chaos. People like to push the apron and see how far they can go before consequences arise. This is the reason God gave us Jesus...our Savoir. Because of our bad decision making and inability to do it on our own he sent his son to die on the cross. This is basically the plan of salvation. I don't want to get too technical but in the eyes of God 'good' is pretty stinking good; actually it's a good that we could never achieve on our own. So to answer your question, we are sinners in need of a Savoir and through Him (Jesus) we can be made righteous or right (or good) in the eyes of God.
What is right and wrong? How do you know?
One of the dumbest sayings I've heard in the past is this, "if it feels right then how can it be wrong?". A big alarm should be going off in your head after hearing that one. What people today try to do is live with what we call "relative morals". These are morals based on doing whatever feels good or relative to the situation. People who live this way tend to change their moral beliefs daily. Can you understand now why their is so much chaos and disorder in the world today? Another thing we will do is base our rights and wrongs on what celebrities are doing. Christians believe that if objective principles of right and wrong exist, there must be a foundation for them. And the foundation that makes the most sense is the character of a perfect and holy God. God's word is truth, it will never fail you. That's how I know.
Thanks for reading...
peace,
totalheel
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