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Questions About God Did you ever wonder if there is a God? And if there is, how you might come to know Him? You are not the only one who has questions about God. Almost everyone does. That is why the Bible has answers to questions such as these:
Is
there really a God? How could a blind evolutionary process write the vast encyclopedia of biological data that we carry around in our cells? The truth is that when any person looks at the universe around him or her, he or she notices that the universe has an apparent design. The Apostle Paul explained it this way, "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse" (Romans 1:20). Why do scientists opt for an evolutionary explanation, when it is clear that the world was created? It is because of the philosophy called "Rationalism". Rationalism denies that anything exists outside of what we can see, hear, feel, touch or taste. If an explanation is given that is supernatural, it is ignored as being unscientific or "irrational." Yet the evidence points toward a supernatural explanation for our existence, rather than the truly irrational speculation of a materialistic philosophy for the origin of life. From
classical antiquity through the rise
of modern science,
leading
philosophers, theologians,
and scientists--from
Plato to Aquinas
to Newton-- maintained
that
nature The Bible foretold that man would not be able to find God with his mind. "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." (1 Corinthians 1:21) There is only one way to know and understand God, and that is through faith. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) The life of Wilma Rudolph, the great Olympic sprinter, is a remarkable story of faith. Wilma was born with health problems that left her crippled. "Will I ever be able to run and play like the other children?" Wilma asked her parents. "Honey, you have to believe in God and never give up hope," they responded. "If you believe, God will make it happen." Taking her parents' counsel, she painfully struggled to walk. By the time she was 12, to the delight and surprise of many, Wilma no longer needed her braces. She went on to play basketball on her championship high school team and win three gold medals in the 1960 Olympics. When you hear inspiring stories of faith like Wilma Rudolph's, do you sometimes wonder, "What could I accomplish if I took God at His Word?" Faith is the foundational principle of the Christian life. Believing who God is, what He says, what He has done, and what He will do defines the kingdom of God. Furthermore,
faith is the essence of the Christian's day-to-day activity. Paul
wrote: "As
you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk
in Him" (Colossians
2:6). We tend to think of faith as some kind of mystical quality which belongs only in the realm of the spiritual. But everybody walks by faith. It is the most basic operating principle of life. The question is, in what or in whom do you believe? We are challenged to believe in God and take His Word seriously. Thank You, Lord, that Your Word stands forever in heaven. I can trust in You and Your Word despite my changing feelings and circumstances.
The Bible tells us that God has revealed himself to man through the prophets, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets" (Hebrews 1:1). The writings of the prophets became the Holy Bible, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Timothy 3:16) The final revelation of God came through his Son, Jesus, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." (John 1:18) Jesus said "I and My Father are one." (John 10:30)
Jesus declared himself to be God. He was either God, a liar or a lunatic. You do not call someone who called himself God a good teacher unless he truly was God. If you consider Jesus only a good teacher, and do not believe He is God, you are calling him a liar or a lunatic. You cannot have it both ways. The word "Trinity" is not found in the Bible. Yet the Bible declares this doctrine. First, God is revealed as being one God "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! (Deuteronomy 6:4) with three distinct persons "...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19) "..elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ..." (1 Peter 1:2) Because of this, we can have assurance of salvation. If Jesus is not God, than his death on the cross could not pay the price for all men's sins. If Jesus and the Father are not both God yet distinct persons, how could Jesus pray to God while He was here on earth? If the Holy Spirit is not God, than how could we grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30), lie to Him (Acts 5:3) or blaspheme Him (Matthew 12:32, Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10)? There are many gods that people worship. If your god is not the God of the Bible, revealed as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you worship a false god. Behold what Jeremiah said "But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King." (Jeremiah 10:10) Who is the true God? Compare 1 John: "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." (1 John 5:20) If Jesus is not your God, than you do not know God. He wants to know you. "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10) Still yourself right now, and begin that relationship with Him by praying this prayer: Heavenly Father, I believe that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are God just as the Bible says. I believe that Jesus, as God the Son, paid the price for sins on the cross. Please forgive my unbelief. I thank you for the gift of knowing you. Please come into my heart, by the Holy Spirit, that I might be your child. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
The reason we have difficulty discerning Him is: "But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear." (Isaiah 59:2) "The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one." (Psalm 14:2,3) Is
God going to send people to hell? Hell, despite the denials of many, is real. Sin demands it. Sin is a violation of the law of God (1 John 3:4). If there were no punishment for sin, then there could be no law for law without penalty is null and void. If there is no law, there would be no sin. That would make the death of Jesus useless because if there is no sin, there is no responsibility to save anyone from it. Our aversion to hell is equal to our indifference toward sin. As sin becomes more evil in our minds, hell becomes more logical. The reality of life after death also demands the reality of hell. Jesus taught, in Matthew 22:23-33, that there was life after physical death. In the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, two distinct destinies are presented comfort for the righteous but punishment for the wicked depending on whether or not one serves God while living on earth. Hell was not originally prepared for man. It was prepared for Satan and his angels (Matthew 25:41). Jude 6 states that fallen angels are placed in chains awaiting judgment. Yet, when men and women join the devil in his work and live in servitude to him, they must suffer the same fate that will befall him. Many people find it difficult to accept the reality of hell because they cannot understand or believe that a loving, merciful and forgiving God could create such a place and then place people in it eternally. If no punishment were given for violation of His law, then God would not be just. Being a just God, He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Hell is to punish the wicked. How would you feel about the justice of God if Adolph Hitler shared the same fate as Mother Theresa? God is just, and sentenced Hitler to eternal damnation.
Hell is a place of darkness. Jude 13 speaks of "the blackness of darkness" to which false teachers will be confined forever. God is light (1 John 1:5) and the Father of lights (James 1:17). Hell is described as darkness because it is the place farthest removed from God. Hell is a place of fire. Matthew 13:42 speaks of it as a furnace of fire. Matthew 25:41 calls it an everlasting fire. Mark 9:44-45 says the fire is never quenched. Revelation 21:8 refers to it as the lake of fire. There will be no relief from its fires because Revelation 14:11 says the smoke from the fires of torment ascends forever and ever. There is no rest there. Revelation 14:11 says the wicked will have no rest from their torment day or night. Hell is a place where there is no hope. The punishment is everlasting (Matthew 25:46) with no chance of pardon or parole. So who will go to hell? As already noted, Satan and his angels will be there (Matthew 25:41). Revelation 21:8 says the "cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars" will be there. 2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 says that those who do not know God and those who will not obey the gospel of Christ will be punished with everlasting destruction. In short, all sinners who choose to remain in their sin will be found in hell. It is merciful for God to allow people to go to hell who do not want a relationship with Him as the Lord of the universe. If living your life for God sounds like hell to you in this lifetime, imagine living for God for eternity? I believe God deserves my complete obedience to Him and am convinced that I would want to do this for eternity. Are you? People will not be in hell because God wants them to be there. He desires that all be saved (1 Timothy 2:1-4). They will not be there because God cannot save them. God is all-powerful and the gospel, His power to save (Romans 1:16), can save to the uttermost. God sent His Son into the world so that all might have salvation (John 3:16) and He has extended His invitation to all who would come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). If a person ends up in hell, he is lost by his own free choice. He has no one to blame but himself. Many see no need to be interested in spiritual things and are indifferent to the pleas of the gospel. Others refuse to obey the gospel or submit to the will of God. Some refuse to believe. Others just love sin more than righteousness. Some, though once obedient, become unfaithful in service. Many put off obeying until it is too late. Hell is real. The suffering of it is waiting for the sinful. You can escape the torments found there by giving obedience to Christ now. He will wash away the guilt of your sins and grant you hope of a life of eternal bliss in His presence. If you fear hell, and are unsure of your own salvation, than you need to receive the free gift of Christ's salvation. Jesus prayed the night before his crucifixion to God, the Father, asking if there were any other way that man might be saved, to let "the cup" of God's wrath pass from Him. There was no other way. Jesus therefore said, "Not my will, but yours be done." Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins. If you want to be assured that you have received that price, pray the following prayer: Heavenly Father, I know I have sinned against you. I know I deserve hell. I want to live with you in Heaven when I die. I ask your forgiveness for what I have done. I want to follow you. I invite you to come and live in my heart by your Holy Spirit. Thank you for loving me. In Jesus' name, Amen.
A baseball in my hands is worth about $6. A baseball in Mark McGwire's hands is worth $19 million. It depends whose hands it's in. A tennis racket is useless in my hands. A tennis racket in Pete Sampras' hands is a Wimbledon Championship. It depends whose hands it's in. A rod in my hands will keep away a wild animal. A rod in Moses' hands will part the mighty sea. It depends whose hands it's in. A sling shot in my hands is a kid's toy. A sling shot in David's hand is a mighty weapon. It depends whose hands it's in. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in my hands is a couple of fish sandwiches. Two fish and 5 loaves of bread in God's hands will feed thousands. It depends whose hands it's in.
As you see now it depends whose hands it's in. So put your concerns, your worries, your fears, your hopes, your dreams, your families and your relationships in God's hands because, you see, It depends whose hands it's in. --Author Unknown
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manifests
the design of a preexistent mind or intelligence. Moreover, for many
Western thinkers, the idea that the physical universe reflected the purpose
or
design of a preexistent mind--a Creator--served to guarantee humanity's
own sense
of purpose and meaning. Yet today in nearly every academic discipline
from law to literary theory, from behavioral science to biology, a thoroughly
materialistic understanding of humanity and its place in the universe
has
come to dominate.
Free will, meaning, purpose, and God have become pejorative terms in
the academy. Matter has subsumed mind; cosmos replaced Creator.
When
God spoke to Moses, Moses asked
God for his name. "And God
said to Moses, "I AM WHO
I AM." And He said, "Thus
you shall say to the children
of Israel, 'I AM has sent me
to you.' " (Exodus 3:14) When
the Jewish leaders were questioning
Jesus about his identity, he
responded "Most assuredly,
I say to you, before Abraham
was, I AM." (John 8:58)
Hell
is eternal. It is described that way in Matthew 25:46. In
Romans 16:26, God is said to be eternal. The Holy Spirit, in Hebrews
9:14, is also
described as eternal. The same Greek word is used in all
three passages. The word means "eternal, everlasting, without end, never to cease." Hell
and the punishment meted out there will last as long as God
forever. 
Nails in my hands
might produce a birdhouse. Nails in Jesus Christ's hands will produce
salvation for the entire world. It depends whose hands it's in.