Who is God? (Part 2)

Who is God?

Part 2

Author's Note: In part 2 of my quest to discover who God is, I will take a brief look at the beliefs of the major religions in the world today. But first, let me make this statement.  If there is compelling evidence of something great and powerful and intelligent behind the universe, and if we are trying to see what we can find out about this Somebody who created it, then some words of caution are appropriate. First, we need to remember that God is who God is, regardless of what I or any other person or religion claims to know or believe about Him. Second, we must accept the fact that in matters of absolute truth there can be only one right answer. Consider the simple math problem, 1+1. We can fill in any answer we want for the sum. But there is only one right answer, although some are closer to being right than others. All of us understand the importance of being right when it comes to mathematics. But when it comes to moral beliefs, many think they can carelessly or frivolously fill in any answer they want for the truth, and somehow everything will magically work out. But like in mathematics, if we are wrong about our understanding of God, everything else in life will be messed up as well.

Experts claim there are around twenty major religions in the world today, with literally hundreds of sects within those religions. Of these, the major religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and New Age. But what do they believe about God? There is a tremendous diversity.

For example:

• Hindus believe in multitudes of gods and goddesses.
• Buddhists and atheists do not believe in God.
• New Age followers believe they are god.
• Judaism, Islam, and Christianity believe in one eternal God 

So which one has a correct view of God? Let's use what was said in part 1 of "Who is God"to try to discover the truth. We said that God has to exist outside of all creation; beyond time or space. If God were to exist within the realm of this universe, then He would have had to have a beginning. And if He had a beginning, then something greater than Himself would have had to cause Him to exist. Using this method of reasoning as a process of elimination, we are quickly down to the view of God of three religions; Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. All three believe in one eternal God who is the creator of all that exists, and Who dwells in a dimension outside the boundaries of this universe.

Yet there is surprising hostility between these three religions. Why? All three believe in the same eternal, all powerful, all knowing, and just God. All three believe that mankind fell from a position of rightness with God, bringing corruption and the curse of death and decay upon all creation. All three believe that God will one day restore all things. And all three believe in a future life beyond this one in a place called Paradise.

So why all the hostility? Well, that is a very good question that I cannot fully understand, but I believe the answer lies in how each views the condition of the human heart (in a spiritual sense) and how it can be restored to a perfect state.

Note: Some of the thoughts and insights following are treasures found in the works of C.S. Lewis, whose work I find incredibly inspiring and thought-provoking.

So let us take a closer look at the condition of the human heart. Human beings all over the earth, no matter what  culture they live in or how they were raised, are haunted by this curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way, but do not. We find ourselves constrained by an unwritten moral law that we did not make, and that we cannot make go away no matter how hard we try, and that we know we ought to obey, but do not.

This should make us uneasy.

Because if there does exist an eternal God who made all things, and if this God is intensely interested in right conduct; in being kind and fair, unselfish, honest, loving, and truthful, then He must hate most of the things that we do. Because we lust. We covet. We boast. We are incurably selfish. We want to be in control. We want to be our own god.

So this is the terrible fix we find ourselves in. Because if we are daily making ourselves enemies of a universe governed by this absolute Goodness, then there is no hope for us. The very God who should be our comfort becomes our greatest terror. He who is our only possible ally we have made our enemy. He who is the one thing we need the most is also the one thing we want to hide from the most.

It is only when we get to this point that Christianity begins to make sense. Because any religion that is  only about rules and regulations that are impossible for us to keep, and does not have a remedy for the condition of the human heart is of little value to us.

But I have to admit that Christianity is an odd story about an eternal God who becomes a man and dies, and comes to life again, and by His death has somehow given new life to men. It is a story so bizarre, so unexpected, and so unnatural that it has on it the very fingerprints of truth that we see everywhere else in nature. Nothing we find in the universe is predictable or logical. If it was something we could get our arms around, something that is easily believable and made sense, then we should fear it is just something that we made up. 

Instead it is this strange story of a God who first created powerful beings called angels. And He made them good and gave them minds that could think and reason. And in each of them He put the inalienable right of free will. The right to choose. And one day sin was discovered in the heart of the highest of these angels. And rebellion ensued. And the universe was at war. Then God created a second creature of even higher order, one after His own image. One destined to rule over everything eventually, but for now made a little lower than the angels. And He put this creature on a tiny planet in an obscure part of the universe, in the middle of enemy occupied territory. And like the angels, He gave them the right of free will also. Why? Because free will, though it makes evil possible, also is the only thing that makes love and goodness and joy possible. But the dark power influenced man, and he chose evil over good. And man's nature became corrupt and the curse of death fell on him. And ever since human history has been littered with sad accounts of money, sex, power, poverty, ambition, war, prostitution, drugs, classes, and empires, where man has tried to find purpose and meaning and happiness in something other than the God that created him.

But with the spiritual death of man also came a promise. A promise to restore all things. A promise of a Redeemer. And then comes the real shock. One day a man shows up talking as if He were God. He claims to forgive sins. He says He has always existed. He says He is coming to judge the world. And He claims to be God. He foretold His death and resurrection. And the reason why - so man would have the choice to have his sins forgiven and his heart eternally changed, restored, reborn so to speak. 

So who was this man we call Jesus? 

Some say He was a great moral teacher, but that He was not God. But that is the one thing we must not say. A man who claimed what Jesus did is either a nutcase, a lunatic, or He is speaking the truth. But He is nowhere in between.

Before many witnesses, He did miraculous things. He walked on water. He quieted storms. He healed lepers and blind men and cripples. He spoke, and a man dead for four days walked out alive. He could read peoples thoughts. He knew their intentions. But perhaps the biggest and strangest of all, He predicted His own death, and resurrection three days later. And it came to pass just as He said.

So who was this man? A good teacher? A prophet? Or God Himself? You and I must decide. For me, I believe He is exactly who He said He was. Both the Son of God, and God Himself.

But that raises a further question. How can Jesus be God, and God the Father be God, and the Holy Spirit be God, and yet be One God and not three.

Check back in the next blog as we tackle this question.

May God bless you all with a revelation of His love and goodness toward you.

Who is God?

Who is God?
Part 1

Note from author: I made some recent changes to this post, so if you have read it previously, you may want to take another look. I apologize for that, but revelations are coming to me faster than I can write them, and I felt it was important to document them.


Who is God? How can I know for sure that He truly exists? I have never seen Him. I have never had an audible conversation with Him? I can't prove beyond all doubt that He exists. 


And if God exists, which God is the real one? All the religions of the world claim to believe in some form of deity.They can't all be right.


And if God is truly real, why does He keep Himself hidden? Why doesn't He reveal Himself to the masses and silence the critics?


Or, maybe the skeptics and atheists' have it right who claim that God isn't real, but just an invention of mankind in order to help us deal with our insecurities and fears of the unknown. 

Those are tough questions that philosophers and theologians have been debating for ages without resolution. So what could I possibly add to this debate? And why even make an attempt in the first place? Because there is a desire inside of me for significance.  I want to know where I came from, why I am here, and where I will go when I die. You probably feel the same way. And if we can't find meaningful answers to those questions, then we tend to  fill up our lives with trivial pursuits and medicate ourselves to suppress the emptiness.

So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, and let's have a discussion.


First, I will consider the skeptics and atheists' claim that there is no God. To believe their claims, one must assume the theory of evolution is true. Evolution is the idea that all living things in our world, and the universe itself, came into being through natural unguided processes over billions of years. For me, this theory is so full of holes and improbable events that it requires a much greater leap of faith to believe in it than believing in an invisible supernatural God. For instance, how did the first living cell come into being? If the principles of mutation and natural selection are to work, there had to be living things for them to work on. Life itself has to exist before it can begin to diversify. So where did life come from? And  consider that even the most primitive cells are amazingly complex; containing cell walls for containment, genetic DNA blueprints, an enzyme capable of copying information from the genetic blueprint in order to manufacture new proteins and enzymes, and the operations necessary to split a single cell into two to implement reproduction. I ask, which is more likely, that the original living cell came into being by spontaneous creation through random chemical processes, or it came into being through supernatural creation by an Almighty God. 

The second problem I have with evolution is with intelligent design. Everywhere you look there is amazing detail and order. Consider the human eye. Light passes through the lens where it is focused and converted into an image on the retina at the back of the eye. The retina is comprised of photoreceptor cells that are light sensitive converting the image into electrical signals that are in turn interpreted by the brain. Each eye has one million nerve fibers that electrically connect the photoreceptors to the visual cortex of the brain, which reconstructs the image in such a way as we "see it." And if that doesn't impress  you, the performance of the eye will blow you away. To simulate even 10 milliseconds of the processing of a single nerve cell would require the solution of 500 simultaneous nonlinear differential equations, and would take at least several minutes of processing time on a Cray supercomputer. Now consider that there are 10 million or more such cells interacting with each other in complex ways in each eye, so that it would take a Cray supercomputer 100 years to simulate what takes place in your eye many times a second. How does that happen by evolution?


And that is just one of millions of examples of intelligent design, with more being discovered daily. And if intelligent design is not evidence enough, then explain how human emotions; like love, reason, or conscience, evolved. Or music. Where did musical notes and harmonious chords come from? Science alone just doesn't have the answer for life's tough questions.

But, if there is a God who created everything, who is He? And who created Him? If we say that evolution makes no sense because living things can't come into being without something that caused it to exist, then why doesn't the existence of God also need a cause? And if we reason that the existence of God doesn't require a cause, then why should we require that for an explanation of the universe?

This is getting really interesting. 


If life can only exist within the finite dimensions and boundaries of our reality, then there is good reason to question the whole concept of a Living Creator God. But what if there is more? What if there is existence beyond time and space as we know it?

Let's start with the concept of existence itself. If something has a beginning, then it had to have a cause that brought it into existence. But can the same be said for something that has no beginning?

In Hebrews 7:3, God says that He has no mother or father, no genealogy, no beginning of days, nor end of life; but that He exists perpetually.

What if we think of it this way. Assume Einstein's theory of general relativity is correct. Then all matter is inseparably linked to time and space. Which means that time had to begin simultaneously with matter and space. If God, by definition, is the creator of the entire universe, then He is also the creator of time. If He created time, then He is not limited by the dimension of time, and therefore doesn't need a cause for existence. He exists beyond the dimension of time in a parallel universe. 


So what can we learn from this discussion? 


For one thing, there are a lot of opinions out there, and each person has the right of free will to believe in whatever they want. 


Some might say that they believe that this life is all there is. That since there is no God, nor heaven or hell, nor eternity, they are going to live for themselves, and try to enjoy their few short years of existence as best they can. You only go around once, so live it up!


Others might say that they sort of believe in some form of higher power, but don't like the concept of moral rules and regulations and someone telling them how to live. 


Still others believe that there is only one true God who is the author of all life. That He created all things perfectly, but something went terribly wrong causing His creation to fall under the curse of self-centeredness, death, and decay.


But a bigger question might be, why do we believe what we do? 


The truth is always the truth. One plus one equals two. It is not altered because of what we choose to believe. But if what we choose to believe does not align with the truth, then there will be consequences we have to accept. For example, if a sailor sets out to sea despite the warnings of an approaching hurricane because he doesn't believe the forecast, then he must accept the consequences if he is wrong.


So it is vitally important that we discover the truth, and not be caught off guard.


For me, I choose to believe that there is only one true God who is the author of all life. I cannot bring myself to believe that life created itself, that it came into existence out of nothing by some unexplainable process over billions of years. So the next question in my journey will be, how can I know who the one true God is? There are many religions who claim to believe in some form of deity. 


God bless you all as you travel with me on this journey to discover the truth.

A Parallel Universe?

Personal note: I believe in Jesus. I know he paid the price for my sins. I know I am going to heaven when I die. I live a reasonably decent life. I give generously, lead a small group, volunteer at church, and try to help others when I can.

So what's the big deal? Why is there this need to search for more, as some of my well-wishing church friends and family would say?

Because.

Because, the Bible says we should love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. 

And I don't.

And the Bible says we should love our neighbor as ourselves.

And I don't.

And the Bible says I should walk by the Spirit, (in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-conrrol) so that I will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

And I don't.

I am tired of living like a hypocrite, where my walk doesn't match my talk. Some well-meaning people will say that's just the human condition. We are all like that. 

I believe there is something more. 

I know a few people who have found it. There lives are different. Changed. There is a peace, an inner strength, a continuous joy, and an unnatural love for God and man that cannot be duplicated in the human condition. I want that. I need that. I was intended for that. And I will not rest until I find it.

I am entitling these first series of blogs "A Parallel Universe?"

An odd title? Perhaps. But if this walk of faith depends entirely on the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit, and I am having doubts in this area, it seems appropriate to begin by examining what God has revealed to us about Himself and His kingdom.

So my journey will begin with a laundry list of tough questions.  

Who is God? Where did He come from? And how can He exist in three distinct person's and yet be one? 

Where is heaven and God's throne? Somewhere in this universe? A distant planet, perhaps?

How did evil come into this world?


Is the whole world really under a curse? And what is a curse anyway?


Why did God create man in the first place? Was there something unique about us that could not be fulfilled by the angels He created before Adam and Eve existed?


What was so important about redemption from the curse that God was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to achieve it? Is there something more here than His love for us?

Does God really hold us accountable for sin when it is part of our very nature?

What really happened on the cross?

How does God communicate with us? Some claim to hear His voice and see His hand in almost every circumstance. Others doubt God speaks to us at all. Who is right?

What does it truly mean to be born again? And how can I know for sure if I have truly been born again? A majority of Americans claim to be born-again, but there is very little fruit in their lives to support it.

What does it mean to be "in Christ," and is this experience universal to all Christians?


If the Holy Spirit lives in me, why do I still have sin in my heart? 

Why does sin still make me feel guilty if I have been fully forgiven?

And more to come.

Pray for me. And stay tuned. This journey is about to get very interesting if you are one of those like me whose curiosity drives you to see what is over the next hill and around the next curve. 

God bless until next time.

Happy New Year

I

It is just past midnight here in the northern town of Bloomington, and 2012 has arrived. 

Happy New Year!!

As I was counting down the minutes until the new year I was watching a show on the History Channel about the Mayan calendar. We will be hearing a lot about this in the coming year since the Mayan calendar strangely ends on December 21, 2012. Some experts are interpreting this to mean that the end of this age, or at least the world as we know it, will occur on that day.

Like many recent predictions, that date is likely to come and go without incident. But there is no denying that many of the unusual changes in our world lately; from devastating earthquakes and weather extremes to worldwide political unrest and economic turmoil; were foretold in Bible prophecy concerning the end of this age. So the potential is there for 2012 to be a historic year, adding a sense of urgency to my journey.

Despite the baggage I carry into the new year, I am excited and encouraged by what lies ahead. 

Since I began this journey, I have already begun to see and experience the unexpected hand of God at work. The first instance was a belated Christmas letter from an old friend. It was an unusual Christmas letter in that it contained a number of references to revelations this person has received lately that seemed to directly pertain to my journey. A coincidence? Maybe. Stay tuned.

The next occurred in Church this past Sunday. Earlier in the week I had been working on my first post of the new year. Intending it to be a glimpse into how God supernaturally interacts with and relates to us, I titled the post, "A Parallel Universe?" Surprisingly, the sermon this week was entitled "Seeing The New," and was full of references to the wonder of God, curiosity and attraction, string theories and quarks, and of all things, "a parallel universe!"

We belong to a large church with multiple pastors filling various roles. This pastor, who is one of the most genuine and authentic people I know, is mainly involved with kingdom outreach (missions), and rarely gives the message on Sundays (unfortunately) so that made it even more  unusual. God is good. All the time.

Look for my next post coming soon entitled, "A Parallel Universe."

Leopard Spots

Born again...and still the same. 
Do we ever truly change? 

Or are we forever stuck with the way we are like the spots on a leopard; a product of our genetics, personality, and environment.

"Can an Ethiopian change the color of his skin? Or can a leopard take away his spots? Then neither can you start doing good, for you have always done evil." (Jeremiah 13:23)

This Bible verse tells us it is impossible to change who we are by our own self-efforts. From my own personal experience, I know this to be true. 

But the Bible also tells us it is possible to become a completely new person:

"If any man be in Christ he is a new creature, the old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."  II Corinthians 5:17

This, however, is a supernatural act of God. And therein lies my problem.

Thirty-plus years ago I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ at a time of personal crisis, with the expectation and hope that I would be instantly and totally transformed, as the verse above indicates. But it has not worked out that way.

Oh sure, my life has changed in many ways since that momentous day, but surprisingly I still struggle with many of the same old habits, desires, thoughts, and attitudes I had before. I still seem to have the same old nature living inside of me, alive and well.

Why? 

Doesn't the verse above say that I will be a new person, miraculously and instantly changed? What am I missing? If it is God's supernatural work to change me, then why do I still feel guilty, living a powerless and fruitless life?

Beginning on January 1, I will embark on a journey to find the answer. I will chronicle my discoveries with the hope that in my search for the truth you will find some small benefit as well.

Personal note to those who follow my journey: The intent of this blog is to find the reason(s) behind the inconsistencies that exist between what I believe and how I live, not to be judgmental or force others to accept my beliefs or philosophies. If in my search for the truth your life is touched in some way, or I am touched by yours, it will be because of something beyond either of us.

I also warn that I intend to be brutally honest. Some of what I write may be offensive to some. I apologize for that. My intent is not to sensationalize nor glorify the good or the bad, but to tell the truth, to myself first and foremost, but also to you.

Look for my first post in the new year!