Is there a God?

I talked to some friends recently about the question of God and His existence. I told them that I could show an atheist that the statement, "There is no God," is impossible to prove. Here is how.

Draw a large circle on a blank paper. "This is the totality of all knowledge in the universe." Then hand them the pen and ask them to draw a circle that includes all of the total knowledge that they know. You learn a lot about their perspective here.

Then ask this question. "You say that there is no God. And, we can assume that this circle," indicating the one that they drew, "is the totality of knowledge that is available to you. So the rest of the big circle is all of the rest of the knowledge that you do not know. Is it possible that the knowledge of God is in the big circle, but you do not know it? It isn’t in your circle."

Here you find out if they are intellectually honest or just want to argue. "Since you admit that you do not know everything, then is it possible that the existence of God is not in your understanding, but can be 'out there’ somewhere?'"

"So you have to admit that you are not a true atheist, but an agnostic. You don't know that God exists, but you cannot prove it either way." This is a big step in the direction of the truth. 

If they respond that they just know that there is no God, respond, "So, you are claiming to know everything, to be omniscient. That is a characteristic of God. If you know everything, then you are God. And obviously, that rules out the option of 'atheist.'"

This will not lead a person to confess Christ at this point, but you will have moved them a ways down the path to Truth. If this is a really hard case, a bit of candor might either break the ice or drive them off. "So if you recognize and admit that there is a body of knowledge that you do not know, yet you continue to refuse to admit that there could be a God in that body of unknown knowledge, you are demonstrating that you are both ignorant and dishonest. Ignorant, in that you do not know something, and by refusing to admit that you do not know, you are intellectually dishonest." (You can use "stupid" for dishonest if you really want to shake up the box.)

Again, our job is not to convince, convict, or convert the people we meet. We are to give them the Truth, the Gospel. Sometimes hard cases refuse to respond, but that is not my purview. I can expose them to the Message and they must decide what to do with it. 

In Ezekiel 33, the watchman is not responsible for saving the hearers, but only warning them of the coming peril. And we have the advantage of knowing more of what is in the big circle, and God is there.

The last approach is clearly not kind or compelling. But it does drive the conversation to a conclusion. It does not have to end the dialogue, but we should always drive towards moving everyone we meet closer to the Lord. Regardless of whether they believe or not, everyone we meet can move closer to the Savior. Amen.

Follow Up to the Circle Discussion

Using the same set of circles, take the pad and put a dot one the circumference of his circle. “Here is my circle of knowledge–enlarged to show detail.” (A little humor never hurts.)

Continuing, “Would you agree that you know some things that I do not?” They always answer in the affirmative. “Would you also agree that my circle of knowledge includes some things that yours does not?” Again, the answer is affirmative, most of the time.

“The circle of my knowledge includes the fact that there is a God. And, here is some good news. This bit of knowledge is very close to the boundary of what you know. If you want to, it is possible for you to expand that area and know God. Incidentally, many famous atheist/agnostics have made that expansion. But that is a discussion for another day.

“And when you come to the knowledge that there is a God, you will also find some better news. That God already knows about you. The big circle, all knowledge, is what He has. God knows everything. It is called ‘omniscience.’ And that knowledge includes all about you.

“Here is even better news. The God Who knows everything wants you to know Him. Not just that He exists, that He created the whole universe, but to know Him personally. Imagine that. The perfect God wants to have a personal relationship with you and me. Only, I am not perfect. How can a perfect God allow an imperfect being, like me, into relationship with Him?

“That brings us to the best news of all. This perfect God sent His perfect Son to die for the sins, shortcomings, that mar me. I have missed the mark of living up to His perfection, and the consequence for that is death. Imagine a rocket being shot at Mars. (This really happened.) The scientists who programmed the rocket mixed up miles and meters. So when the landing craft descended into the atmosphere of Mars it shut down its motors at the proper METER distance from the surface, it ‘thought,’ but it was actually miles away. It crashed on the surface, much to the chagrin of its controllers. It was a mistake, although a costly one.

“We are in the same deadly descent. Our perfection, or holiness, if you please, will run out long before we reach the landing point. We will crash and burn, literally. But the perfect God sent a rescue mechanism, His Son, to ‘crash for us,’ and cushion our landing–in heaven. But we can know Him now, in the present.

“And this knowledge is just outside your circumscribed body of knowledge. All you have to do is to reach out, and take it. It is a matter of the mind, and the will. I have done it. This transaction, trading my fatal descent for a gentle landing, is available to anyone who will accept it.”

Here is where we let them respond. What ever choice they make is theirs. You can ask what it is or let them tell you. I always like to ask for a decision. Regardless of the answer, do not argue. Just accept it. If they say, “Yes, I want to believe,” rejoice with them. That is great. Let’s pray.

If they say, “No,” just accept it. Keep the door open. You can offer to pray for them, but always leave on a pleasant standing.

The Holy Spirit does His best work in the dark, at night. Your job is done, except to pray and love your friend. God set up the moment, a God-moment, and He will orchestrate the finale. All we can say is, “Amen. Glory hallelujah!”

God's Wonders in the Sky and Earth

 I made it to Indianapolis and had a great view of the eclipse. God's wonders were on full display. When we think of how intricate and precise even that event was/is we are overwhelmed with awe at the power and knowledge involved. And we just finished celebrating the greatest wonder of all, the resurrection of the Savior and its signifying that our sins have been forgiven. Nuff preaching.

Bev is coming back from Arizona this afternoon, so the house has some inhabitants, again. It was lonely, I'm sure.

While talking with a class member about health concern, we got "off the topic" to talk about the eclipse. It was fantastic and we talked about God's wonders. Psalm 19 says "The heavens declare God's glory." And talk about glory, just think of the glory and power that was displayed there. But that only lasted at most, about four minutes. When Jesus was crucified, the darkness lasted for three HOURS! God was shouting out to the world, "Listen!"

And Bev was at the Grand Canyon and saw the wonder of God displayed in the "dirt, or earth." That thing is stunning in its size and intricacy. He is calling out in every thing around us. "Listen."  Oops, preaching again.

Meanwhile, keep looking up. Just as the sun, moon, and earth lined up to show just a little of God's glory, so are events leading up to Revelation 19. He is coming back, riding on a white horse. I like the song about the "Days of Elijah." It says, "Behold He comes, riding on the clouds, shining like the sun, at the trumpet call.

Listen here:https://www.songfacts.com/lyrics/robin-mark/days-of-elijah

Glory, and amen.

Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

 

Why did Jesus have to die? Wasn’t the problem that God was just irritated that Adam and Eve had ignored His warning not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Was God angry because He wanted to be the only One Who knew what was good and evil? Couldn’t He just forgive them when they said they were sorry? What was so bad about just forgiving and forgetting?

These questions are due to a misunderstanding of what sin really is. Sin is not just hurting God’s feelings or making Him feel rejected. Let’s look at the first sin and dissect it into its component parts. Genesis 3 is the story.

Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! 5 For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings.

I. Serpent a Cunning Beast

I was asked by a supposed atheist, “Do you believe in talking snakes?” My answer surprised him, I think.

“Yes I do, and I also believe in talking donkeys. There are two instances in the Bible where animals speak. But you and I both know that animals do not have the requisite bodily parts needed to form words. And, their brains do not have the capability to formulate language. But, I have a piece of plastic and metal that talks to me. It has none of those items either, but it can talk because there is a intelligent mind that ‘created’ it. The instances of the Scripture where animals speak are just instances of a Mind, or mind, behind it, animating it.”

So the “talking snake” is really animated by some other entity, just as was the donkey was that talked to Baalam. And we do not need to read very far to find the identity of the “talking snake.”

First, God is never described as “cunning.” Wise, loving, merciful, sound like Biblical terms, and they are. Read on. “Has God really said...?” Would the Lord question what He had said? Never. “mē genoito.” But someone would, and here we find the first of literally millions, probably billions, of instances of doubt. Notice that the question is even couched in erroneous language. 

“You can’t eat from any trees?” Read chapter 2 for clarification. Too bad Eve, and Adam, who was there with her, didn’t say that. God only restricted them from one tree and it would cause death. It was poison, spiritual poison.

II. The Big Lie v. 4

Here is the crux of the matter, and the turning point of history. “You certainly will not die!” Later, in the New Testament Jesus described this snake as Satan. “Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”

And ever since, this liar has been plying his trade, deceiving people all through time. But if that was all that he did, it could have gone aside. But he followed up with a second lie, the great temptation.

III. The Great Temptation v. 5 

“For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 

This lie, the second in a row, is not that you will be able to discern what is good and what is evil. It was that you, like God, will decree what is good and what is evil. In other words, what you say is good, is not wrong or to be avoided. And what you say is evil, is wrong, and should be avoided and in fact, doing it will be an affront to You, the God. (Ed note: You are not god.)

Verse 7. “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings.” We could insert anther subhead here, “The Great Coverup.” But I will desist.

Satan was right in his prediction that they would know when they had done wrong. It was immediate. They did not prescribe it, they perceived it. I think that the Shekina Glory was covering them while they were holy and pure, and once they were not, the Spirit left them. It had covered them and now was gone. (My inference, do what you want with it.) But they knew that they had done wrong.

And since that time, all of mankind has been deciding what was right for them, and what was wrong. In short, we, for all of us have done it, we are acting like God, the definer of all things good and proper. Isaiah 5:20 describes every person who has ever lived. “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” And since Adam and Eve, we have all been totally wrong.

Our battle cry is, “You can’t tell me what to do and what not to do! I make up my own rules.” If someone decides what they are doing is right, don’t dare say anything else. You are bigoted and a hater, a (fill in the blank) phobic.

Our aim here is not to discuss the current state of affairs, but to examine the remedy. And, thank the Lord, there is a point IV. So let’s go on. Eve took and ate, and guess who was right there with her. Adam ate too. We won’t comment farther on that either.

IV. Redemption Previewed Genesis 3:14-21 (Read it and rejoice)

When Adam and Eve ate, it was not the fruit, was wrong, it was the rejection of God’s command. They substituted their own will for what His was, and what was right and good for them. They were estranged from God. What was the first thing they did? They hid. They tried to disguise the lack of covering, Shekina, for me. And then when they heard God coming they hid themselves. (Not that it would do any good to hide from the all knowing, all seeing God.)

Long story short, they gave up their hiding place and were confronted by the Lord. “Where are you? Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree?” This is an interesting series of diagnostic questions, and the Lord already knew the answers. Adam had to confess. This is the first step in redemption and restoration. And Adam fessed up. “The woman YOU gave me gave it to me and forced it down my throat.” Well, maybe not quite, but close.

The the Lord God turned to the accomplice. “What is this that you have done?” No explanation or any such thing.  And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Pass the buck, Eve.

Notice that there is no inquisition in v. 14. “Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘“Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock.’” We will leave the “play by play” for later and get to the climax of the story.

V. 21 tells us that the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. But we skipped an important part of the story.

Back in v. 15 the Lord completes His curse on Satan. (Not the snake, though my Mom said they were accursed as well.)

“And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.”

The “seed of the woman,” or “Her Descendant” as this translation has it, was capitalized. And notice that the line of this Descendant omits the participation of Adam. Explanation? The One was virgin born. Sounds like Christmas, doesn’t it? It is.

And the best part is next. “He (capitalized, again) shall bruise you on the head!” That is a death blow. And, like a snake, he is still writhing in the dust, but he is dead. (German: tot!) Glory. Notice the final phrase. You shall bruise Him (caps) on the heel.” We don’t die from a heel wound. Keep this in mind. And neither did He!

Then read v. 21.” And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” And where did garments of skin come from? A dead lamb. God told them that their enemy would be totally and eternally defeated, and they would be redeemed. The skins were the first installment, so to speak. They came from a substitute for Adam and Ev. And the promise of One who would be bruised on the heel would complete the redemption. It just gets better and better.

V. The Redemption Completed (the Gospels) 

So why did all of this have to happen? Didn’t Adam and Eve confess? Weren’t they sorry? Yes and Yes. But where did the offense come from? They refused to obey God’s command. They offended His nature. That nature was the source of the 10 commandments. God revealed His holiness and purity, so each of the commandments reflected both His nature and His care for His creation.

Don’t worship other gods. They are not real, and trusting in them will cause you much harm and even death. Don’t make an image, because they are fake. (See Command 1) Don’t take the Name of the God Who created and loves you in vain. (As a curse or a false promise.) Do follow His pattern of rest. It is good for you. Honor your parents. That is also good for you, and will help you live a long life. Don’t murder, commit adultery, steal, or lie. Those are the opposite of God’s character, and, incidentally, is bad for you too. Don’t covet, which is an intense desire for what you do not have. That is the same as worshiping other gods. (See Command 1)

All of these things offend God’s holiness and love. Since God is infinite, these become infinite offenses. And what was the penalty for disobeying the first commandment, the one in the Garden? It was death. The lambs died, and ultimately, so did Adam and Eve. An infinite offense would require an infinite payment to atone for it.

So how long would Adam and Eve, and you, and I have to “die” to pay for any infinite offense? And all of us even have more than one. We would have to die forever. So just saying you are sorry falls infinitely short of satisfying the offense to a holy and perfect God.

Remember the Seed, the sacrifice. He is also the Substitute. Adam and Eve got a down payment, or a picture of the sacrifice to come that would redeem them. The lambs died to cover them. What a picture. The offerings in the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, were also pictures, precursors of the Sacrifice to come.

John the Baptist, in John, the disciple’s book introduced Jesus as the “Lamb of God Who takes away the sin of the world!” No one shouted that day, but we can! Glory! (John 1:29 and 36. John the B said it not once, but twice. It was worth repeating.)

So Jesus was crucified on the day that the Passover lamb was offered in the Temple and incidentally, the spike that held His feet was driven through His HEEL! They crossed the ankles so that one heel lay on top of the other and one spike through the heel held the feet and body to the cross. Does that bring a glory? Yep, GLORY!

VI. We Can’t Stop There

Jesus, the infinite God, died, suffering an infinite penalty for the infinite sin offense of me, you, Adam, Eve, and everyone else on earth. And God, the Father accepted this sacrifice by raising Him from the dead. This is summarized in Romans 4:25. “He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification.” “Because of,” or as a result of. Glory!

When God looked down on Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins, the offense was paid in full. Jesus cried that out in John 19:30. And Paul explained that when God saw that, He agreed and accepted the sacrifice and forgave the sins of all who would believe on Jesus, accepting the covering, just as Adam and Eve accepted the substitute so many years ago. We can accept it too.

VII. Why Did Jesus Die?

God loved us and chose to make a way for us to be reconciled with Him, despite the infinite offense that we owed. So He paid the price, Himself, and then to declare that it was enough, He rose from the dead. What a story. What a love. What a God!

Is There a Hell?

 Martin Thielen (02/25/24) wrote an article arguing that there is no hell. The entire article was replete with error and misrepresentations and would take several pages of apologetic refutation to address it adequately. But I will restrict my comments to one salient point. To quote: “hell is the most flagrant violation of proportional punishment ever devised.”

That statement is based on a complete ignorance of God. The God of the Bible is not a major or minor resident in a pantheon of deities, He is the omnipotent, omniscient, infinite, and holy  Creator of the universe. And, as such, God did not capriciously flip a coin to determine the Ten Commandments. “Tails, no other gods but Me. Tails again, no graven images. Tails, no taking the Name in vain. Heads, respect the Sabbath to keep it holy. Heads again, honor father and mother.” And so on through murder, theft, adultery, lying, coveting. All tails, no go.

The Ten Commandments are reflections of the character of God and His holiness, and any violation of them is an offense against Him personally. And recall that He is infinite. He is an infinite Being and even a junior high math student knows that anything times infinity is infinity. So an offense against an infinitely holy God is an infinite offense. And an infinite offense would require an infinite penalty to atone for it. 

IF we were to stop there, this would be the worst news in the universe. But, God, in His mercy and grace, made a payment, an infinite payment in the death of His Son, Jesus to pay for man’s sin. Since Jesus is God, and thus infinite, His sacrifice was an infinite sacrifice and is infinitely sufficient to pay the debt of every person ever born on earth.

That is the good news. But not everyone does not accept that payment, choosing to do their own thing. So a “life of 70 or 80 years” as referenced by Theilen, even if lived perfectly cannot pay an infinite debt since only one offense is an infinite offense. And no one has ever come close to being perfect, except Jesus. His perfect life was sacrificed, not for His own sin, but for every person on earth. 

God does not send anyone to hell. They choose to accept the deliverance, salvation, and be redeemed or reject the infinite sacrifice offered for and to them. Choose Jesus.