Tough questions

The Existence

Feature: Is There a God?…Six straight-forward reasons to conclude that God exists

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Does God exist? The following offers honest, straight-forward reasons to believe in God…

By Marilyn Adamson

Just once wouldn’t you love for someone to simply show you the evidence for God’s existence? No arm-twisting. No statements of, “You just have to believe.” Well, here is an attempt to offer some of the reasons which suggest that God exists.

But first consider this. If a person opposes even the possibility of there being a God, then any evidence can be rationalised or explained away. It is like if someone refuses to believe that people have walked on the moon, then no amount of information is going to change their thinking. Photographs of astronauts walking on the moon, interviews with the astronauts, moon rocks…all the evidence would be worthless, because the person has already concluded that people cannot go to the moon.

When it comes to the possibility of God’s existence, the Bible says that there are people who have seen sufficient evidence, but they have suppressed the truth about God.1 On the other hand, for those who want to know God if he is there, he says, “You will seek me and find me; when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you.”2 Before you look at the facts surrounding God’s existence, ask yourself, If God does exist, would I want to know him? Here then, are some reasons to consider…

1. Does God exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe, but sustains it today.

Many examples showing God’s design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:

The Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity holds a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter.3 Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal and human life.

The Earth is located the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +48 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.

And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movement so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.4

Water…colourless, odourless and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You’ll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:

It has an unusually high boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes, while keeping our bodies at a steady 37 degrees.

Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that thousands of chemicals, minerals and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.5

Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.

Water has a unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.

Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.

Ninety-seven percent of the Earth’s water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed which removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds which are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.6

2. Does God exist? The human brain’s complexity shows a higher intelligence behind it.

The human brain…simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colours and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts and memories. At the same time your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger and movement of the muscles in your hands.

The human brain processes more than a million messages a second.7 Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. A brain that deals with more than a million pieces of information every second, while evaluating its importance and allowing you to act on the most pertinent information… did it come about just by chance? Was it merely biological causes, perfectly forming the right tissue, blood flow, neurons, structure? The brain functions differently than other organs. There is an intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people. How does one explain the human brain?

3. Does God exist? “Chance” or “natural causes” are insufficient explanations.

The alternative to God existing is that all that exists around us came about by natural cause and random chance. If someone is rolling dice, the odds of rolling a pair of sixes is one thing. But the odds of spots appearing on blank dice is something else. What Pasteur attempted to prove centuries ago, science confirms, that life cannot arise from non-life. Where did human, animal, plant life come from?

Also, natural causes are an inadequate explanation for the amount of precise information contained in human DNA. A person who discounts God is left with the conclusion that all of this came about without cause, without design, and is merely good fortune. It is intellectually wanting to observe intricate design and attribute it to luck.

4. Does God exist? To state with certainty that there is no God, a person has to ignore the passion of an enormously vast number of people who are convinced that there is a God.

This is not to say that if enough people believe something it is therefore true. Scientists, for example, have discovered new truths about the universe which overruled previous conclusions. But as science has progressed, no scientific discovery has countered the numerical likelihood of an intelligent mind being behind it all. In fact, the more science discovers about human life and the universe, the more complex and precisely designed we realise these to be. Rather than pointing away from God, evidence mounts further toward an intelligent source. But objective evidence is not all.

There is a much larger issue. Throughout history, billions of people in the world have attested to their firm, core convictions about God’s existence–arrived at from their subjective, personal relationship with God. Millions today could give detailed account of their experience with God. They would point to answered prayer and specific, amazing ways God has met their needs, and guided them through important personal decisions. They would offer, not only a description of their beliefs, but detailed reports of God’s actions in their lives. Many are sure that a loving God exists and has shown himself to be faithful to them. If you are a sceptic, can you say with certainty: “I am absolutely right and they all are wrong about God”?

5. Does God exist? We know God exists because he pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.

I used to be an atheist. And like most atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don’t believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people…to help them realise their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.

I didn’t realise that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn’t escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God’s existence, my prayer began with, “Ok, you win…” It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.

I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, socialist and philosophical author, wrote, “I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued.” C.S. Lewis said he remembered, “…night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”

Lewis went on to write a book titled, “Surprised by Joy” as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God’s existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.

6. Does God exist? Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God pursuing us.

Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you’ll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you’re looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.

He said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”8 He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sin, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, “follow my words and you will find truth.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”9

What proof did Jesus give for claiming to be divine? He did what people can’t do. Jesus performed miracles. He healed people…blind, crippled, deaf, even raised a couple of people from the dead. He had power over objects…created food out of thin air, enough to feed crowds of several thousand people. He performed miracles over nature…walked on top of a lake, commanding a raging storm to stop for some friends. People everywhere followed Jesus, because he constantly met their needs, doing the miraculous. He said if you do not want to believe what I’m telling you, you should at least believe in me based on the miracles you’re seeing.10

Jesus Christ showed God to be gentle, loving, aware of our self-centredness and shortcomings, yet deeply wanting a relationship with us. Jesus revealed that although God views us as sinners, worthy of his punishment, his love for us ruled and God came up with a different plan. God himself took on the form of man and accepted the punishment for our sin on our behalf. Sounds ludicrous? Perhaps, but many loving fathers would gladly swap places with their child in a cancer ward if they could. The Bible says that the reason we would love God is because he first loved us.

Jesus died in our place so we could be forgiven. Of all the religions known to humanity, only through Jesus will you see God reaching toward humanity, providing a way for us to have a relationship with him. Jesus proves a divine heart of love, meeting our needs, drawing us to himself. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, he offers us a new life today. We can be forgiven, fully accepted by God and genuinely loved by God. He says, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.”11 This is God, in action.

Does God exist? If you want to know, investigate Jesus Christ. We’re told that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”12

God does not force us to believe in him, though he could. Instead, he has provided sufficient proof of his existence for us to willingly respond to him. The earth’s perfect distance from the sun, the unique chemical properties of water, the human brain, DNA, the number of people who attest to knowing God, the gnawing in our hearts and minds to determine if God is there, the willingness for God to be known through Jesus Christ. If you need to know more about Jesus and reasons to believe in him, please see: Beyond Blind Faith.

If you want to begin a relationship with God now, you can.

This is your decision, no coercion here. But if you want to be forgiven by God and come into a relationship with him, you can do so right now by asking him to forgive you and come into your life. Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door [of your heart] and knock. He who hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him [or her].”13 If you want to do this, but aren’t sure how to put it into words, this may help: “Jesus, thank you for dying for my sins. You know my life and that I need to be forgiven. I ask you to forgive me right now and come into my life. I want to know you in a real way. Come into my life now. Thank you that you wanted a relationship with me. Amen.”

God views your relationship with him as permanent. Referring to all those who believe in him, Jesus Christ said of us, “I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.”14

So, does God exist? Looking at all these facts, one can conclude that a loving God does exist and can be known in an intimate, personal way. If you need more information about Jesus’ claim to divinity, or about God’s existence, or if you have similar important questions, please email us.

About the Author: As a former atheist, Marilyn Adamson found it difficult to refute the continuously answered prayers and quality of life of a close friend. In challenging the beliefs of her friend, Marilyn was amazed to learn the wealth of objective evidence pointing to the existence of God. After about a year of persistent questioning, she responded to God’s offer to come into her life and has found faith in Him to be constantly substantiated and greatly rewarding.

Was There Ever Nothing?part 2Somethingpart 3Who…Is it possible that everything came from nothing?

Was There Ever Nothing?

A thought journey on the beginning of time, the…origin of the universe & the question of intelligent design…

Have you ever thought about the beginning? You know — whatever it was that showed up first. Or whatever it was that was here first, at the earliest moment in time. A difficult concept to get your head around, but have you ever thought about it?

Isn’t it possible that in the beginning there was nothing? Isn’t it possible that kazillions of years ago, there wasn’t anything at all? That’s certainly a theory to consider. So let’s consider it — but first by way of analogy.

Let’s say you have a large room. It’s fully enclosed and is about the size of a football field. The room is locked, permanently, and has no doors or windows, and no holes in its walls.

Inside the room there is…nothing. Absolutely nothing. Not a particle of anything. No air at all. No dust at all. No light at all. It’s a sealed room that’s pitch black inside. Then what happens?

Well, let’s say your goal is to get something — anything at all — into the room. But the rules are: you can’t use anything from outside the room to do that. So what do you do?

Well, you think, what if I try to create a spark inside the room? Then the room would have light in it, even for just a moment. That would qualify as something. Yes, but you are outside the room. So that’s not allowed.

Here again is the dilemma: you have to get something inside the room using only what’s in the room. And, in this case, what’s in the room is nothing.

Well, you say, maybe a tiny particle of something will just show up inside the room if given enough time.

There’s three problems with this theory. First, time by itself doesn’t do anything. Things happen over time, but it’s not time that makes them happen. For example, if you wait 15 minutes for cookies to bake, it’s not the 15 minutes that bakes them, it’s the heat in the oven. If you set them on the counter for 15 minutes, they’re not going to bake.

In our analogy, we’ve got a fully enclosed room with absolutely nothing in it. Waiting 15 minutes will not, in and of itself, change the situation. Well, you say, what if we wait eons? An eon is merely a bunch of 15-minute segments all pressed together. If you waited an eon with your cookies on the counter, would the eon bake them?

The second problem is this: why would anything just “show up” in the empty room? It would need a reason why it came to be. But there is nothing inside the room at all. So what’s to stop that from remaining the case? There would be nothing inside the room to cause something to show up (and yet the reason must come from inside the room).

Well, you say, what about a tiny particle of something? Wouldn’t that have a greater chance of materializing in the room than something larger like, for example, a football?

That brings up the third problem: size. Like time, size is an abstract. It’s relative. Let’s say you have three footballs, all ranging in size. One is ten feet wide, one is five feet wide, one is normal size. Which one is more likely to materialize in the room?

The normal-size football? No! It would be the same likelihood for all three. The size wouldn’t matter. It’s not the issue. The issue is whether or not any football of any size could just “show up” in our sealed, empty room.

If you don’t think the smallest football could just show up in the room, no matter how much time passed, then you must conclude the same thing even for an atom. Size is not an issue. The likelihood of a small particle materializing without cause is no different than a refrigerator materializing without cause!

Now let’s stretch our analogy further, literally. Let’s take our large, pitch-black room and remove its walls. And let’s extend the room so that it goes on infinitely in all directions. Now there is nothing outside the room, because the room is all there is.

This black infinite room has no light, no dust, no particles of any kind, no air, no elements, no molecules. It’s absolute nothingness. In fact, we can call it Absolutely Nothing.

So here’s the question: if originally — trillions of years ago — there was Absolutely Nothing, wouldn’t there be Absolutely Nothing now?

For something — no matter how small — cannot come from Absolutely Nothing. We would still have Absolutely Nothing.

What does that tell us? That Absolutely Nothing never existed. Why? Because, if Absolutely Nothing ever existed, there would still be Absolutely Nothing!

If Absolutely Nothing ever existed, there would not be anything outside it to cause the existence of anything.

Again, if Absolutely Nothing ever existed, there would still be Absolutely Nothing.

However, something exists. Actually, many things exist. You, for example, are something that exists, a very important something. Therefore, you are proof that Absolutely Nothing never existed.

Now, if Absolutely Nothing never existed, that means there was always a time when there was at least Something in existence. What was it?

Was it one thing or many things? Was it an atom? A particle? A molecule? A football? A mutant tennis ball? A refrigerator? Some cookies?

Something

Note: this is a follow-up to the article called Nothing.

If there ever was Absolutely Nothing, there would still be Absolutely Nothing today. Since there is something (you, for example), that means that Absolutely Nothing never existed. If it ever did, you wouldn’t be here reading this right now. Absolutely Nothing would still be here.

So there was never a time when Absolutely Nothing existed. Therefore, there has always been something. But what? If we go back to the very beginning, what was the Something that must have existed? Was it more than one Something, or just one? And what was it like, judging by what exists today?

Let’s explore the quantity issue first. Let’s call into mind again our large, pitch-black, sealed-off room. Imagine that there are ten tennis balls inside the room. As far back in time as we can go, there was only this: ten tennis balls.

What happens next? Let’s say we wait an entire year. What’s in the room? Still just ten tennis balls, right? Because there is no other force in existence. And we know that ten ordinary tennis balls — no matter how much time passes — cannot spawn new ones. Or anything else for that matter.

Okay, what if there were six tennis balls in the room to begin with? Would that change the situation? No, not really. Alright then, what if there were a million tennis balls? Still no change. All we’ve got in the room is tennis balls, no matter how many there are.

What we find out is that quantity is not an issue. If we go back to the very beginning of all things, the quantity of the Something that must have existed is not what’s important. Or is it?

Remove the tennis balls. Now inside the room is a chicken. Now we wait a year. What’s inside the room? Just one chicken, right? But what if we started out with one hen and one rooster in the room? Now we wait a year, what do we have? A bunch more chickens!

So quantity is important, IF inside the room are at least two things that can produce a third thing. Hen + rooster = baby chick. But quantity is not important if we’re talking about at least two things that cannot produce a third thing. Tennis ball + football = nothing.

So the issue isn’t quantity so much as quality. What qualities does the Something possess? Can it bring other things into existence?

Let’s go back to our chickens, but let’s get very exact, because such would be the case in the very, very beginning. We have a hen and a rooster in the room. They are in different parts of the room, suspended in nothingness. Will they produce other chickens?

No. Why? Because there’s no environment to work in. There’s nothing in the room except the hen and the rooster. No air to breathe or fly in, no ground to walk on, no sustenance for them to live on. They can’t eat, walk, fly or breathe. Their environment is complete nothingness.

So chickens are out. Chickens cannot exist or reproduce without some sort of environment. With an environment, they could spawn other chickens. And with an environment affecting them, maybe they could — though it seems absurd — change into a different kind of chicken over time. Something along the lines of an otter or a giraffe.

So we’ve got a room with no environment. Therefore, we need Something that can exist without an environment. Something that doesn’t need air, food or water to exist. That disqualifies every current living thing on this earth.

So, then, what about non-living things? They don’t need an environment, that’s true. But then we’re in the same predicament we were in with the tennis balls. Non-living matter doesn’t produce anything. Let’s say, instead of ten tennis balls, you had a trillion molecules of hydrogen. Then what happens? Over time, you still have a trillion molecules of hydrogen, nothing more.

While we’re talking about non-living matter, let’s also consider what it takes for that to exist. Ever heard of the Supercollider? Years ago the American government embarked on an experiment to create matter. The Supercollider was miles and miles of underground tunnel through which atoms would travel at supersonic speeds and then smash into each other, in order to create a tiny particle. All that for the tiniest, most microscopic bit of matter.

What does that tell us? That our illustration of the ten tennis balls is not nearly as easy as it sounds. It would take an AMAZING amount of energy just to produce one tennis ball out of nothing. And nothing is all we have. The room has absolutely nothing in it.

So here’s where we are. The Something that existed at the beginning must be able to exist without depending on anything else. It must be totally and fully self-sufficient. For It was alone at the very beginning. And It needed no environment within which to exist.

Second, the Something that existed at the very beginning must have the ability to produce something other than Itself. For, if It could not, then that Something would be all that exists today. But Something Else exists today. You, for example.

Third, to produce Something Else — out of nothing — requires an incredible amount of power. So the Something must have great power at its disposal. If it takes us miles and miles of corridor and the most energy we can harness, just to produce the tiniest particle, how much power would it take to produce the matter in the universe?

Let’s go back to our room. Let’s say we have a very special tennis ball inside the room. It can produce other tennis balls. It has that much power and energy. And It is completely self-sufficient, needing nothing else to exist, for It is all there is. It, this one tennis ball, is the Eternal Something.

Let’s say the tennis ball produces another tennis ball. Which of the two will be greater, say, with respect to TIME? Ball #1. It is the Eternal Something. It has always existed. Ball #2, however, came into existence when produced by Ball #1. So one ball is finite with regard to time, the other infinite.

Which of the two will be greater with regard to POWER? Again, Ball #1. It has the ability to produce Ball #2 out of nothing — which also means it has the ability to unproduce (destroy) Ball #2. So Ball #1 has far more power than Ball #2. In fact, at all times, Ball #2 must depend on Ball #1 for its very existence.

But, you say, what if Ball #1 shared some of its power with Ball #2 — enough power to destroy Ball #1? Then Ball #2 would be greater, for Ball #1 would cease to be, right?

There’s a problem with this. If Ball #1 shared some of its power with Ball #2, it would still be Ball #1’s power. The question then becomes: could Ball #1 use its own power to destroy itself? No. First of all, to use its power, Ball #1 has to exist.

Second of all, Ball #1 is so powerful that anything that can possibly be done, can be done by Ball #1. But it is not possible for Ball #1 to cease to be, therefore it cannot accomplish this.

Ball #1 cannot be unproduced, for Ball #1 was never produced in the first place. Ball #1 has always existed. It is the Eternal Something. As such, it is existence. It is life, infinite life. For Ball #1 to be destroyed, there would need to be something greater. But nothing is greater than Ball #1, nor ever could be. It exists without need of anything else. It therefore cannot be changed by any external forces. It can have no end, for It has no beginning. It is the way it is and that cannot change. It cannot cease to be, for BEING is its very nature. In that sense, it is untouchable.

What we see is this: the Something at the very beginning will always be greater than the Something Else it produces. The Something exists on its own. Something Else, however, needs Something to exist. Therefore, Something Else has needs. It is therefore inferior to Something, and will always be so, for the Eternal Something has no need of another.

The Something might be able to produce Something Else that is like It in some ways, but — no matter what — Something Else will always be unlike It in other ways. The Eternal Something will always be greater with respect to time and power. Thus, the Eternal Something cannot produce an exact equal to Itself. It alone has always existed. It alone can exist independent of another.

Want to explore more about the Eternal Something? See Who.

Note: this is a follow-up to the article called Something.

Who

There is an Eternal Something. Something has always existed. Something has no beginning. If this Something has any needs, It can fulfil those needs for Itself. It needs nothing else in order to exist. And It cannot produce an exact equal or another who is greater. Anything that is produced is not eternal. Therefore, the Eternal Something cannot produce another Eternal Something. It will always be greater than anything else that exists.

Now, could this Eternal Something be plural? Possibly. Let’s say that originally there were five Eternal Somethings. If that were the case, however, those five would be exactly the same with respect to time and power. All unproduced, all eternal, all able to do whatever is possible to do. This again shows us that quality, not quantity, is the real issue.

So, what do we know about the Eternal Something(s)? It is not alone. For Something Else exists. You, for example. Now you have to ask yourself, are you the Eternal Something, or one of the Eternal Somethings? If you are, then you have no beginning, no needs which you yourself cannot meet, and anything that can possibly be done can be done by you. Is that who you are? If not, then you are truly Something Else, not the Eternal Something or one of the Eternal Somethings.

Let’s go back to our large, pitch-black, empty room. But now let’s say that one molecule of hydrogen and one molecule of nitrogen are in the room. For argument’s sake, let’s say that these are the Eternal Somethings. They have always existed. Anything that can be done, can be done by Them.

So, They decide to produce Something Else, for They are the only things that exist in the room. But wait, can hydrogen or nitrogen decide anything? Well, for them to be the Eternal Somethings, They MUST have the ability to make a decision.

Think about it. The Eternal Something must choose to change things. The Eternal Something is eternal. It has always existed independent of another. More importantly, It alone has always existed. What does that mean? It means that no event can take place without the say-so of the Eternal Something.

The Eternal Something is all there is. Therefore, the only thing in existence that can change the Eternal Something’s aloneless is the Eternal Something Itself. There can be no force outside the Eternal Something because the Eternal Something is all there is.

Therefore, if one molecule of hydrogen and one molecule of nitrogen are the Eternal Somethings, no outside force can direct Them. They are all there is. They are the only force there is.

As the only force in existence, it is They alone who can change Their aloneness. There is nothing in existence that can arbitrarily, by chance, influence Them to produce Something Else.

Something Else could not be produced by chance. Why? Because, for that to happen, “chance” would have to overpower the hydrogen and nitrogen molecules. But They are all there is. Anything that can be done, can be done by Them. “Chance” is Something Else. Something Else cannot overpower the Eternal Something. In fact, at this stage, Chance does not even exist.

If Chance is something outside the Eternal Something, then it does not exist unless produced by the Eternal Something. But even if Chance were produced by the Eternal Something, Chance, since it is Something Else, would always be inferior to the Eternal Something.

So, if Something Else is produced, it is by the power and WILL of the Eternal Something. Something Else can be produced by Chance only if Chance is produced before that Something Else. But Chance itself cannot be produced by chance. It would have to be produced by the will of the Eternal Something.

What does that tell us about our hydrogen and nitrogen molecules? That They are not merely the Eternal Something(s), They are eternal persons. They have will. That is, They must have the ability to choose. Therefore, They are personal.

Again, why must the Eternal Something have the ability to choose? Think back to the empty room with only the hydrogen and nitrogen molecules in it. They are the Eternal Somethings. They alone exist in the room, and have done so eternally.

They exist totally independent of another. For survival, They need no other. Therefore, if They produce Something Else, it will not be out of necessity (as in instinct for survival as we see with animals). Also, if They produce Something Else, it will not be by chance — unless They first produce Chance. Chance is a force, but the Eternal Somethings (the two molecules) are the only force that exists.

Furthermore, the molecules cannot be mere machines. Machines are built and programmed by an outside force of some kind. But the molecules (the Eternal Somethings) are the only force that exists. No force exists outside Them.

Therefore, if They produce Something Else inside the room, the reason for this production must reside within Them, for no other force exists. Nothing else exists within the room except Them.

They are not forced to produce Something Else by instinct, chance, necessity, or the will of another. They are controlled by no other. Whatever They do is done for reasons within Themselves.

This reason can only be Their will. They must choose to produce Something Else, or else nothing else will exist. They will remain alone forever in the room, unless They decide to produce Something Else. They must have more than the power to produce Something Else. They must — at some moment which differentiates it from all the other moments that They’ve existed alone — decide to use Their power to produce Something Else.

If they have no will (like the tennis balls we spoke of in a previous study), then Their power would never be used to produce Something Else. Their power would only be used to further Their own existence. And their aloneness would remain forever.

The Eternal Something has existed alone eternally. There must be a reason, therefore, within the Eternal Something, for that to change. If Something Else exists, it exists because of the Eternal Something, because the Eternal Something has chosen to end its aloneness.

If the reason for the Something Else is not within the Eternal Something, then Something Else will never exist. For the Eternal Something, at some point, was all that existed.

But we know that Something Else exists. Therefore, the Eternal Something must have the ability to decide to use Its power. It must have the ability to choose to produce Something Else outside of Itself. Since it has a will1, the Eternal Something is personal. This means that the Eternal Something is actually an Eternal Someone.

This Eternal Someone is not controlled by instinct for survival, for It has no needs and cannot cease to exist anyway. Also, the Eternal Someone does not produce by Chance, unless It first produces Chance. Chance is a force that must be produced by the Eternal Something, or it does not exist. Finally, the Eternal Someone is not a machine. There is no other, outside of Itself, to force It or programme It to do anything.

To continue on this study, see Who2.

(1) “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (The Bible, Revelation 4.11)

Feature: Why Pick the God of the Bible?…We all pick who or what we’ll worship…

Human nature likes the freedom of picking our own “God.” Why pick the God revealed in the Bible?

By EveryStudent.com

Many of us have in mind the “ideal” God. Maybe we think God should be capable, able to relate to us, care about us. The following qualities are pretty much what the Bible tells us about God…

#1: The nature of God – A God Who Is Greater Than We Are

Humanity has made some great strides in recent years. We can live longer than our ancestors, fly faster than the speed of sound, and access the world from a computer keyboard. But while we’ve progressed in some ways, we seem to be digressing in many others. Every decade, we see rises in violent crime, the divorce rate, and teenage suicide. Thousands of people around the globe contract HIV every day. Hundreds of millions of people experience chronic hunger.

The list could go on. For example, in recent decades we’ve witnessed a record number of wars worldwide. If humanity is God, it doesn’t appear that we’re doing a very good job of it. Even with heightened technology, we still have crime, divorce, racial strife, and government-imposed hunger. Therefore, wouldn’t it be better to have a God who is greater than humanity, a God who has the ability to take us beyond where we can go on our own?

The God described in the Bible is that God. He claims to be the Creator of the universe–a transcendent, all-knowing, all-powerful being who has always existed and is the sustainer of all things. He says, “It is I who made the earth and created mankind upon it. My own hands stretched out the heavens.”1 “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me.”2 “I am…who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”3

#2: The nature of God – A God Who Can Be Known Personally

It’s popular these days to think of God as some kind of force-field that exists in all things. But even if all things exist and are sustained, moment by moment, by God’s power, there can be more to God than that. For example, wouldn’t it be better to have a God who is more like a parent, sibling, or friend? Someone you could talk to, share your problems with, receive guidance from, experience life with. What’s so special about a God that’s impersonal, unknowable, distant?

In spite of his grandeur and “otherness,” the God of the Bible is knowable and wants to be known. Though God is not visible, we can talk with him, ask him questions and listen to him, and he will give us answers and guidance for life. He often gives those answers and guidance through his Word, the Bible, which many have called God’s love letter to us.

A person can have the same kind of relationship with God that he or she has with a close family member. In fact, those that know him, he calls his children, bride, friends. So the God of the Bible is anything but impersonal. He gets angry and sad, shows mercy, kindness and forgiveness, and is a wholly emotional being. He is highly intellectual, having personality and wit. We can know more than just merely facts about him, we can actually know him intimately like a best friend. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God.”4

#3: The nature of God – A God Who Can Relate to the Human Experience

Some think of a God as being remote and distant, like he created the universe, then left it alone to operate on its own. Wouldn’t it be better to have a God who is involved in the universe, and specifically, in what’s happening here on Earth? And what about the unique difficulties, responsibilities and challenges that we face as human beings? Wouldn’t it be better to have a God who could understand those things, a God who somehow knows what it’s like to endure life in the harsh world he’s allowed to exist?

The God of the Bible knows what it means to be one of us. Jesus Christ was not only God’s Son, he was God who had taken on a human form and a human nature. “In the beginning was the Word [Jesus], and the Word [Jesus] was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God. The Word became flesh [human] and made his dwelling among us.”5

Of God’s Son, the Bible says, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”6 He is “the image of the invisible God.”7 He is the “Mighty God, Eternal Father”8 who was “made in human likeness”9 and “found in appearance as a man.”9 In him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”10 And “by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible.”11

Jesus said of himself, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”12 “He who beholds me beholds the One who sent me.”13 And, “I and the Father are one.”14

Though he was fully God, Jesus was also, somehow, fully man. He hungered, slept, wept, ate. He endured every kind of difficulty we face, and then some. Therefore, the Bible says he is not “unable to sympathize with our weaknesses.”15 He was “tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.”15

So the God of the Bible didn’t remain aloof from the pain, suffering and evil in our world. He endured life as we must endure it. In fact, he had a very humble time while on this planet. He was born into a poor household, was not physically attractive, encountered prejudice and hatred, was misunderstood even by family and friends, and was wrongfully executed.

#4: The nature of God – A God Who Really Cares About Us

Most of us want to be accepted and loved. We want people to really care about us, and not just with superficial words. We want their care and concern to be proven by their actions. Wouldn’t the same be true for God? Meaning, wouldn’t it be ideal if God really cared about us and then gave us tangible proof of that love?

The God of the Bible really cares. He has said so in words. In fact, the Bible says that “God is love.”16 But words don’t communicate care and concern as much as actions do. That’s where the God of the Bible is so unique and awesome. He really showed us how much he cares…

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”17 “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”18

The God of the Bible claims to be a perfect and holy being. “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.”19 As such, he desires relationships that are clean and pure. Therefore, God sent his own Son to make a way for us to become clean before God. Jesus lived a morally perfect life and then was beaten, tortured, and crucified as “payment” for all the wrongful things we’ve said, done, or thought (called “sins”). In a sense, he died in our place, on our behalf–“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”20 “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity [sins] of us all.”21

God cared for us enough that he sent his Son to die in our place, for our sins. That’s how much God wanted to know us. He was willing to do whatever was necessary…dealing with our sin was necessary. Now we can be fully forgiven and begin an unhindered relationship with God.

#5: The nature of God – A God Who Has Things Completely Under Control

All the terrible things in the world prove that a good, all-powerful God doesn’t exist, right? Not necessarily. Even a perfect God might allow bad things to happen for a time, as part of some higher plan. God could know exactly what’s going on all of the time and only allow so much, all as part of his grand scheme.

The God of the Bible is that God. He claims that nothing on Earth happens without his say-so. He is completely sovereign over all things. “Who can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it?”22 “I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.”23 “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”24 “It is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”25

This does not mean, however, that everything that happens is something God likes. For example, Jesus told his disciples how to pray; in that prayer, one of the key statements is: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”26 God’s moral will is always done in heaven, but not on Earth. While God is sovereign over all things, he doesn’t like everything that takes place on Earth. But for some reason, he allows those things to happen (his permissive will), maybe as part of the freedom of choice we have as human beings.

But the God of the Bible does have a plan, and he will not rest “until he fully accomplishes the purposes of his heart.”27 What is that plan? God’s ultimate goal is to dwell with people in a totally different environment than what we presently experience. Of that next world, this God says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. I am making everything new!”28

#6: The nature of God – A God Who Gives Meaning and Purpose to Life

If you think about an important task or project you completed, you probably recall the sense of purpose you had when it was all over. Is that what you want your overall life to be like? To amount to something? Could there be a God who created your life with purpose, and can lead you to experience that purpose?

Yes. The God of the Bible can. He promises that he can make our lives meaningful and purposeful. Through a relationship with him, we can “do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”29 We can make a positive difference in the lives of others. We can become part of his master plan.

The God of the Bible also says that, in a moment-by-moment relationship with him, he can direct our steps so that we can do what pleases him, and what’s in our own best interest at all times. “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.”30 This is not to say that life becomes perfectly wonderful. There is still illness, problems in life, and personal failures. Life does not become perfect, but it becomes more enriching. The benefits of knowing God, he says, are “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”31

#7: The nature of God – A God Who Offers True Fulfilment

Like love and acceptance, most of us want to find fulfilment in life. There seems to be something akin to a thirst within us that yearns to be quenched. But that thirst–even though we try–does not get satisfied by things such as money, possessions, romance, or even fun. Therefore, wouldn’t it be great if there was a God who satisfies that “thirst,” a God whose presence brings a constant level of satisfaction to life?

The God of the Bible offers the most fulfillinglife possible. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”32 He also said, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”33 So, the God of the Bible promises to quench that inner longing that nothing else seems to satisfy. (And he has probably made us in such a way that that is exactly the case!)

The Ideal God

According to the Bible, there is only one true God, only one Creator of all things. But that God is an ideal God. We cannot wish another God into existence, but even if we could, why would we want to? The true God is already the best possible God.

This article has just scratched the surface on what the God of the Bible is like. If you have a desire to investigate the matter further, you can read the Bible section called “John.” If you are sincere, and if the God of the Bible is real, wouldn’t it make sense that he would reveal himself to you? He says, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.”34 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”35

Are you wondering how you can know this ideal God? Basically, beginning a relationship with God is a lot like beginning a marriage. There is a decision to willfully enter into this relationship. Similarly, with God, it’s a matter of you saying to him, and sincerely meaning, “I do.”

Jesus Christ died for our sins, rose from the dead three days later, and is alive and well today. He now offers new life to us if we trust in him for the forgiveness of our sins: “My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”36

God is no respecter of persons. All people have been created in his image. Thus, his eternal family is described as “a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language.”37 And no sin in your life can bar you from beginning a relationship with him. He took care of the sin issue on the cross, where Jesus was crucified. Now it’s a matter of you putting your faith in Jesus’ death on your behalf, no matter what you’ve done in the past.

Once you begin a relationship with God, that relationship is meant to last for all eternity. But it is also meant to be a living and vital relationship today, in this life, a relationship that will grow over time. Like any relationship, it will have its ups and downs, its highs and lows, its joys and pains. But you will be in a relationship with the God who created you for just such a purpose (to know him).

Do you feel God tugging at your heart? Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him.”38 If you would like to invite God into your life right now, here is a suggested prayer to guide you (what’s important, though, is not the exact wording but rather the sincerity of your heart):

Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner. Thank you for taking all of my sin upon yourself in the person of Jesus Christ on the cross. I want to receive your forgiveness and enter into a relationship with you. I ask you to come into my life as my Saviour and Lord, to be my God from this day forward, and to make me into the person you’ve intended me to be.

If you’d like to know more about having a relationship with God, see Knowing God Personally. If you’ve made this decision, we would love to know about it. Please contact us. Also email us if you have any questions about the issues raised in this article, want more information about knowing God, or want to connect with people on your campus.

I just asked Jesus into my life (some helpful information follows)…

I may want to ask Jesus into my life, please explain this more fully…

I have a question…

Yes or No…The remarkable freedom that God gives us…

Yes or No

What’s the biggest decision you will ever make? Let’s come back to that question later. Instead, think about this: you can make decisions. You can make decisions! In case you’ve never thought about it before, please realise: making decisions is an extraordinary function.

Why does a salmon swim upstream once a year? Because it decides to? Or because some instinct within it propels it to? It likely has no choice in the matter.

But a university graduate can move to New York or Cleveland, provided she’s had job offers in both cities. She has to make a choice, not based on instinct. Will it be New York or Cleveland? Maybe the job in Cleveland pays better, but she’d still rather live in New York. To choose one or the other will mean a “yes” and a “no.” She will be saying “yes” to the city of her choosing, and “no” to the city she’s decided not to take the job in.

We make “yes” and “no” decisions all the time. Possibly thousands in a given day. Have you ever considered what an incredible ability this is? Have you ever considered what life’s most important decision is?

Decision Making Requires Options

The ability to choose is quite remarkable. If your major requires a foreign language component, you can choose what you want. Will it be French, Russian, German, or Spanish? You are not instinctively forced to take one over another. Instead, you weigh your options and say “yes” to one and “no” to all the others.

A boy who grows up in the Dominican Republic does not decide who his parents will be, what city he will be raised in, what language he will speak. But as he grows older, his world of options increases. If he makes it through primary education, he can join the military or go to university. Which will it be?

He did not choose to be born in the Dominican Republic, but if he studies hard in university, gets his medical degree and makes enough money, he might decide to leave his homeland and open a clinic in another country.

Many things are forced upon us initially. Who our parents are, where we are born, what gender and race we are. But as life goes on, we learn that we can and must make choices, ones that involve multiple options. In a healthy home, a dad helps his teenagers to understand that they must make decisions in life, and that there are consequences to life’s decisions.

People make decisions with regard to the options available to them. If they have no options, they don’t have a decision to make. But if they have more than one option, a choice must be made. Even a decision not to decide is actually in itself a decision.

Some decisions are more important than others. Whether a woman has John or Ted as a marriage partner is much more important than whether she has waffles or pancakes for breakfast. It’s more important because who she will marry has greater, more lasting consequences. Also, it’s more important because John and Ted are more important than waffles and pancakes.

What we see is that the importance of a decision is tied to two things: 1) what its consequences will be, and 2) what persons or things the decision involves.

For example, who you will marry is a very important decision. It involves another human being, and the person chosen will bring great and lasting consequences to your life. So, with that in mind, what’s the most important decision you will ever make?

When Decision Making Becomes Important

Consider this: the most important decision you will ever make is what you will do with God.

Think about it. If God is who most people think he is, then God is the most important person in existence. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. He is the one being who has always existed and is here to stay, no matter what.

If you decide to have onion rings instead of french fries, that’s no big deal. If you buy a plaid shirt instead of a solid red one, what does it matter, really? If you marry Bill instead of Brad, or Mandy instead of Marcia — even though that’s quite important, in the long run how important is it compared to whether or not you choose to be wed to God?

And that is exactly the situation we find ourselves in. For God has allowed us to say “I do” or “I don’t” to him. We can enter the divine matrimony or reject it altogether. We can say “yes” or “no” to the God of all creation. And not deciding is actually a decision.

Now, consider, this is quite amazing. Imagine that you were loved and adored by the most beautiful, intelligent, witty, loving, and courageous man or woman who ever lived. This perfect person loved you dearly, with a sacrificial love, and wanted to be wed to you for life, actually for an eternity of marital bliss.

What would you say? “I’m sorry. You’re not good enough for me.”

Yet that is the position that many people (most?) take with God.

Some Decisions Should Be Easy to Make

If we ever wanted a relationship with anyone, it should be with God. There is no one better to have a relationship with. He’s perfectly good, wise, loving, just, fair, respectful, honest and caring. It’s likely that just to see his face would mark the greatest moment in our lives.

And yet we say to him, “Thanks anyway but…no thanks.” To make such a statement is to declare, in a sense, that he is not good enough for us. How ironic.

But why reject him in the first place? Maybe it’s that he’s too intimidating. We think, “Who wants to be married to someone who’s perfect? They’d be noticing my faults all the time!” But God doesn’t ask us to be perfect, but merely to come to him in our imperfection. He even says he will remove our imperfections in the next life, so that we will be more like him.

Okay, then what is it? Why reject someone as awesome as God? God only knows. For each person, the reason may be different.

In any case, it is very, very humble for God to allow us to decide on such a matter. It’s really the great condescension.

Think about it. God is God and we are not. We need him but he doesn’t need us. He can exist without us. He always has. But we can’t exist without him. We never have.

And he knows that he is the best thing for us. He knows he’s the most beautiful, intelligent, honest, loving, and caring person who ever lived. He knows that if we really submitted ourselves to having a relationship with him, it would be in our best interest. In fact, there is nothing that could be better for us. Nothing.

Therefore, by all rights, he shouldn’t permit us to decide against him. But he does. He allows us to say the big “no thanks.” Even though, in truth, who are we to reject him?

He Leaves the Decision Making Up to Us

The great condescension is that God stands ready and waiting to receive us to himself, whenever we will finally come around to him, though we should have been going to him all along. Were he a snob or one who holds grudges, he wouldn’t receive us at all. For it would be (and actually is) beneath him to receive us after we have initially rejected him.

But God shows mercy and grace. He is compassionate. He is patient. He knocks on the door of our hearts and waits for an answer. He allows us to make the great decision. Is there a more haunting “no” than the “no” said to God? Is there a more fulfilling”yes” than the “yes” said to God?

For info on having a relationship with God, see Knowing God Personally.

……

most?

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (The Bible, Matthew 7:13-14)

Who is God?…What is God really like? A one-page description…

.Where Did Life Come From?

Does DNA point to evolution or intelligent design?

by Charles Colson

In 1967 astronomers were startled to discover radio pulses coming from outer space. “Our first thought,” they said, was that “this was another intelligent race” trying to communicate with us. They labeled the signals “LGM,” standing for Little Green Men.

But it turned out they had discovered a pulsar, a rotating star that mimics a radio beacon.

How can scientists tell whether something is coming from a natural or an intelligent source? When you think of it, this is the question at the heart of the creation-evolution debate: How can we tell whether life originated by natural causes or was created by an intelligent being?

Think for a moment of some common analogies. Imagine we are travelling through South Dakota and see a mountain with the faces of four presidents carved in it. Immediately we recognise the work of an intelligent agent. No one would mistake Mount Rushmore for a natural phenomenon.

Or imagine finding an arrowhead beside a stream. No one would attribute the shape to water erosion.

This ability to distinguish human workmanship from the products of nature is crucial in archaeology. Digging through the dust in Mesopotamia, the archaeologist has to decide whether he has found a bit of rock or a bit of broken pottery.

It’s true that the physical world can produce a regular pattern–like the ripples on a beach. Or like the radio pulses that fooled astronomers into thinking they had found Little Green Men. But what nature cannot produce is complexity.

Imagine we’re walking along a beach and come across some words written in the sand: “John Loves Mary.” Immediately we recognise a different level of order from the surrounding ripples–what scientists call complexity.

Or imagine we’re looking up at the sky and we see something that looks fluffy and white like a cloud but spells out the words “Drink Coca-Cola.” Without a moment’s doubt we conclude that this is no ordinary cloud, and we start looking around for an aeroplane pilot doing sky-writing.

You see, common everyday experience gives us a good idea of the things nature is capable of creating by itself–and the things that can be created only by an intelligent source.

So what does that tell us about the origin of life?

At the core of life is the DNA molecule. Geneticists tell us the structure of DNA is identical to a language. It acts like a code–a molecular communication system within the cell.

In other words, when geneticists probed the nucleus of the cell they came across something analogous to “John Loves Mary” or “Drink Coca-Cola.”

Of course, DNA contains a lot more information than these simple phrases. Generally speaking, the DNA in a mammalian cell contains as much information as several thousand books.

So if “John Loves Mary” had to be written by an intelligent being, how much more the DNA code?

You don’t have to have sophisticated knowledge of chemistry and genetics to respond to challenges from evolution. Based on common experience–and, after all, science is supposed to be based on experience–you can argue logically that life was created by an intelligent agent.

Editorial insertion: We are aware of how technology has advanced, allowing computer chips to compact ever-increasing amounts of information into smaller and smaller spaces. But we have not yet come close to matching the information density of DNA. “[T]here is enough information capacity in a single human cell to store the Encyclopaedia Britannica, all 30 volumes of it, three or four times over,” according to Richard Dawkins of Oxford University. And, though we are amazed by the increasing compactness of personal computers, “the information storage density of DNA, thanks largely to nucleosome spooling, is several trillion times that of the most advanced computer chips.” (Dr. William A. Dembski) The sheer amount, density and importance of DNA information to all of human, animal and plant cells…all gives reason to be amazed and aware of the deliberate design behind it.