There Is A God You Should Know!
THERE IS A GOD YOU SHOULD KNOW!
Introduction
Throughout the world, all peoples and all cultures have some form of religion. While the religions are very different from each other in many ways, there is the universal belief that the world we live in was not formed by accident but by the hands of a God or Gods much more powerful and much wiser than are we.
But how do I know which God is true and which one is not? The only way I will ever know is to look at the facts and use reason to determine the truth. Truth does not avoid examination - it welcomes it. Truth has nothing to fear - examination supports it. Any religion and any God who is a true God will be well pleased by the inquiring mind - the mind that wants to know the truth. Only false gods are threatened by examination and reason. A true God would only be exalted by it. With this in mind, there are some thought provoking concepts I would like to discuss.
I. Things True Religion Should Be
1. Religion Should Be Reasonable
Many are the times that mankind acts foolishly. With all of the wisdom of the ages and with all the knowledge available in these modern times, mankind still often acts in an unreasonable manner. We as people have come to expect this because such is our history and such is our nature, being the lesser creatures that we are.
But such should not be true of God because through His wisdom He can create or destroy, He can build up or tear down, He can put to death or He can raise the dead again to life. It is true that God, with His wisdom, power, greatness, and understanding, always acts in the way which is most reasonable. If there is any true religion (and we all agree that there is) then that religion, created by a reasonable God would also be reasonable.
2. Religion Should Be Consistent
A reasonable God would also be a consistent God. Being all-powerful and eternal, He would not change in His nature from year to year as do men. What He would be today He would have been a 1000 years ago or a 1,000,000. It would not matter. Any religion or any religious book which came from Him would also be consistent.
3. Religion Should Be Accurate
Sometimes I make mistakes because either I do not have all the facts or I do not reason properly. The same is true about every man in every place on this earth. At one time or another our judgment or our facts are just a little inaccurate.
But with God it is not so. Having all the facts at His disposal and having perfect reason, everything that God has revealed to us through His holy prophets, teachers, and writers will be completely accurate. If God tells us anything as fact, then no amount of evidence or reason by mankind could overthrow it or prove it to be wrong. God, and any religion which is true, will always be accurate.
4. Religion Should Be Verifiable
In the USA there is a fable told of a man named Pecos Bill who used a rope to tie up a cyclone and then put a saddle on it and rode it until it rained out from under him. Then there is the story of Paul Bunyon, a great lumberjack in northern America who was six axes handles tall at birth (about six meters) and, when grown, could cut down twenty trees with one swing of his massive axe. These stories are fables, stories made up by men to entertain children, each other, or to teach ideas or principles. All cultures have such fables and reasonable people know they are simply from the imagination of men. But in some cultures, if we are not careful, these fables can be perceived as religious truth.
One thing that sets apart religious truth from fables is that the one is verifiable and can be shown to be true while the other cannot truly be defended. Religion, if it is true religion, should be verifiable and defendable.
II. Several Concepts About God
1. All-Powerful
Whoever the true God is, the Creator, the Destroyer, the Deliverer, the Giver of Life, He is certainly all-powerful. One only needs to look into the night sky to witness the power of God's mighty hand. One only needs to look at our world with all things working together to see God's great ability to design. One only needs to look briefly at the human body to see God's love and care for us. Truly the Creator is a being who is all powerful!
2. Eternal
Something has always been. Nothing can produce only nothing. Since something is eternal and everything is either living or non-living, one of these two must be eternal. But science and reason tell us that matter (non-living) is not eternal. The sun is burning up; The universe is expanding; Eventually everything will turn cold and lifeless. There had to be a-beginning for the earth, sun, stars, and so forth. If matter is not eternal, then mind (life) must be. This eternal mind, this eternal life we call God. Only God could be eternal.
3. Creative In His Nature
There is an amazing diversity of life on our planet, plants and animals designed to function together as a unit. There are boundaries and limitations set to keep things in order. What an amazing and creative mind it must have taken to structure such a designed creation.
Then there is the function of this planet with its seasons.) its rains, rivers, and oceans. There are the winds and the tides which, functioning together, make our planet a place where life can not only survive but can thrive.
Then there is our life itself. We eat using our digestive system, we see and feel using our nervous system, we move and stand through muscles operating on our skeletal system, and of course there is much, much more. Truly God is a creative God.
4. Deserving and Demanding of Worship
Considering the glory and majesty of the omnipotent God, it is only reasonable that man should want to worship Him. God has given us so many great and wonderful things in this life. Our very lives are a blessing from God. Then there are the foods we enjoy, the years of growth and learning, nature's glories we can witness, our families with whom we share our days, and our happy memories as we reach old age. There is the abiding presence and care that God offers us. There is His watchfulness and love that He extends to us. Only someone without a clear mind would refuse or would have no desire to worship such a loving and giving Creator.
It is also the case that the true and living God desires our worship. While God does not need us, He does want and deserve our love and appreciation. When we as parents bring children into this world, we desire that they will love us and respect us. Even though we can live without their love and affection, we still desire it and, if we are good parents, deserve it. Such is the case with God. While He needs nothing from us, He loves us and wants us to return that love to Him. God demands that we love Him, honor Him, and worship Him because of His greatness and goodness towards us. To do any less will offend the omnipotent God of the heavens.
III. A Comparison of Hindu and Christian Beliefs
On this entire planet there is no group of people more religious or more sincere than the people of the Hindu faith. But such is also true of the Christian faith and it is for certain that both religions cannot be true. Being religious and being sincere are not enough. One must also be right in the sight of God. This paper is designed to give you information so that you can better make an informed decision. Whichever you choose is left up to you. I will pray that you choose wisely.
1. God The Object of Worship
In the Hindu faith there are millions of gods. If you do not like the gods that are available, you may fashion another in wood or stone that carries the image you desire and is worshiped in the manner you choose.
In the Christian faith we worship only the God of the Bible and His son Jesus. Our worship is also very restrictive, doing only those acts of worship that God through the Bible has authorized.
In the Hindu faith the skills of the worshiper determine the image that his god will have and this god relies on his worshiper to wake him and carry him wherever he will go.
In the Christian faith we believe that God fashioned us in the image He chose and, being the all-powerful God, He is in need of nothing from us. David, a prophet of God, wrote these words 3000 years ago at God's directions:
"Hear, 0 my people, and I will speak: 0 Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even'thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof." Psalm 50:7-12
In the Hindu faith there is the belief in reincarnation.
In the Christian faith we believe you live once and die once and, based on how you live that life in relation to the will of God, you either spend eternity in paradise with God or in Hell with all the wicked where you will suffer for all eternity. These are a few of the many differences between the Hindu and Christian beliefs.
IV. Evidences of Christianity
This final section of discussion will contain some of the reasons I believe Christianity is true. Only a few arguments will be listed for your consideration. I pray you will thoughtfully consider them and see whether or not they are valid.
1. The Nature of the Bible
The very character of the Bible demonstrates it is from God. Consider the following facts:
·
a.
It took 1500 years to write the Bible (completed 2000 years ago).
·
b.
It was written in three languages.
·
c.
It was written on three continents.
·
d.
It was written by both rich and poor, slave and free, kings and common men,
educated and uneducated.
·
e.
It deals with issues that are controversial.
2. The Prophesies of the Bible
The Bible contains hundreds of prophesies dealing with a wide variety of events. It tells of historical events such as the rise and fall of nations, the destruction of cities and even whole civilizations, it names kings even before they are born. Only a book inspired by the true and living God could perform such a miraculous act.
The Bible contains hundreds of prophesies about a man named Jesus. 1500 years before His birth the Bible told He would be born as the enemy of the wicked one (Gen. 3:15). The Bible teaches He would descend from Abraham and He would bless all nations (Gen. 12:3). The Bible teaches He would be a great lawgiver (Deut. 18:15-18). The Bible teaches that a star would mark His birth (Num. 24:17).
1000 years before His birth the Bible taught that Jesus would be from King David (Psalm 132:11-18) and that He would be crucified (Psalm 22).
500 years before Christ we were told He would be born of a virgin (Is. 7:14) in the town of Bethlehem (Micah 5:1-2) at a specific time (Dan. 9:24-27) in a particular nation (Dan. 2:44). No amount of philosophy can remove the hand of God from the Bible. Only God can know such miraculous events before they occur. Truly the Bible is the inspired word of God.
It is the Bible, God's holy word, that tells us of Jesus. The Bible teaches us that because of sin, man is lost and will spend eternity in hell, suffering forever. It also teaches us that God does not want us to be lost and for that reason He sent His son Jesus to tell us what we must do to be saved. It is only through accepting and obeying Jesus that we can have any true hope of eternity with God.
Conclusion
There are many ways in which mankind throughout the world measures wisdom. Some measure it by what they possess; Some measure it by the years they have lived and experiences they have had; Some measure it by their social standing or political power; The truly wise man measures it by the word of God and his submission to that word. I invite you to learn more about Jesus and the true and living God, the God of the Bible, and what you must do in order to please Him and enjoy eternal life when you pass from this world. Remember, the Bible, the book of ages says,
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time unto salvation."
Hebrews 9:27-28.
Joseph Khati
www.bagdogracoc.webs.com
Comments