skeptic

Why God?

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In the last two blogs, I’ve discussed the presence of evil in the world.  There are times when people meet evil face to face and then question the existence of God:  How can there be a God when there is so much evil in the world today?

My response to this question is a question:  How do you know evil exists?  To determine what is evil and what is good, a person must have some standard or moral law by which evil and good are measured.  A moral law of this sort requires a moral law giver, and that, I believe, is the God of the Bible.

With God as my starting point, I believe He created a universe in which there was no evil and no suffering.  This includes Adam and Eve who were created as perfect beings with the ability to choose right and wrong.

This is where things take a turn for the worse.  Adam and Eve freely chose to engage in an act of disobedience, and sin entered the world.  Their act of rebellion gave birth to sin and evil.

God did not directly create evil.  He created Adam and Eve with the ability to choose good or to choose evil.  “God created the fact of freedom; we perform the acts of freedom.  God made evil possible; men make evil actual (Norm Geisler).”

A couple of days ago, I made the comment that I find myself praying for peace.  The underlying assumption of that prayer is that evil will be eliminated.  When will this happen?  I don’t know about you, but I want it to happen immediately.

More often than not, I find that I do not understand God’s timetable.  In my understanding of theology, I believe God is in the process of eliminating evil.  The Scriptures tell us there will be a future day of peace when even the lion and lamb will lay down beside each other.

As we wait for this day to arrive, we need to realize that we are a key component in restraining evil.  This statement can be understood by seeing the contrast between the following statements made by Jesus.

  • Men loved the darkness because their deeds were evil.
  • You are the light of the world.
  •  God is light an in Him is no darkness at all.

Here is a thought to keep you thinking.  When your light shines in the darkness, is it perceived as one of condemnation or compasssion?  Is it a light that shows the Way or a light that pushes away?

Signs of the Times

/ insightbyseymour / 2 Comments

The sign to the right is one I see when I stop at Sam’s to purchase gasoline.  Every time I see it,  I think of the way it is worded.  Evidently the pumps have the ability to see.  Look at the directive words: stay outside of the vehicle in view of fueling nozzle.

The ability to see and comprehend were synonomous with Sam Walton.  While he was creating his empire,  his competitors thought the Wizard of Walmart was all seeing and all knowing.  What was hyperbole concerning Sam, is an accurate depiction of God.

There are three terms that define God, and each begins with the prefix omni.  They are:  Omnipotence:  God is all powerful;  Omniscience:  God is all knowing; and,  Omnipresence: God is fully present everywhere at the same time.

These characteristics of God are comforting to me.  They tell me that God has all power, all knowledge, and He is always present.

Let me pose a question about our never absent God:  Has it ever occured to you that nothing has ever occured to God?  He is aware of all things; comprehends all things; and, He never has a need to acquire new knowledge.

There are those among the naysayers who would try to refute my beliefs with a question:  What happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?  While they suppose this hypothetical event would limit God, their argument collapses on itself.

If an irresistible force ever met an immovable object and the object moved, it would not be immovable.  On the other hand, if the object did not move, the force would not be irresistible.

The more I come to know God, the more I find myself agreeing with Moses—Our God is awesome!  With this attribute in mind, I encourage you to take a moment to listen to this song:  Our God is an Awesome God.

This song always blesses me with thoughts worth thinking.