|
[ o u t r e a c h ]
HOW CAN I BE
SURE THERE IS A GOD?
The key question is, 'How can I be sure that
there is a God? How can I be certain?' Let me give some
suggestions for thinking through this leading question. I suggest
that we ask ourselves the following questions: What do I make of
the fact that I exist at all? What do I make of the world around
me, the universe? How do I account for it? What is the purpose of
it?
How do I account for the complexity of
life? Can I really shrug it all off as an accident of
biochemistry which occurred millions of years ago? Can I
seriously believe that all the order, the life cycles, the
amazing systems -- all the unmistakable signs of a great designer
behind the universe -- can I seriously believe that it can be
explained by pure change?
We are told by biochemists that a
bewildering array of complex chemical reactions would have had to
have taken place at precisely the same time and in perfectly
correct order and synchronisation to turn non-living substances
into simplest living organism. No one can conceive how such an
impossible thing could occur by sheer accident.
Can I believe that one day, millions of
years ago, many highly sophisticated components somehow just
leapt together, in perfect synchronisation, by pure chance, in
order to create a living cell? And if I can believe that, can I
also believe that this first living cell could somehow, unaided,
give rise to life as we know it today?
Think of the amazing complexity of
everything. Think again of all the life cycles and of the
organisation of the human body. Think of the microscopic detail,
order and wonder of the created world. Think of our own highly
delicate and profound emotional make-up.
Then think of the extraordinary beauty of
so many things, a beauty which frequently extends beyond the
range of human vision. The micro-snowflake is uniquely different,
each one resembling a most intricately designed piece of exotic
original jewellery. Is it order or chaos? Design or accident --
which is it?
Accident or
design?
We know that accident and chance in the
affairs of everyday life always lead to chaos, muddle and
confusion. Are we to believe that an accident brought this
complex world into being; that chance brought all this order and
design into existence? Surely it requires vastly more faith to
believe in accident than it does to believe in a Creator; a
designer behind the universe.
Accident? Chance? It is impossible to
conceive, and it requires the most sublime form of blind faith.
Yet we are told that it requires blind faith to believe in a
Creator God!
But there is another quite different line
of thought which we should pursue, and it is this: how do we
account for the human race? How do we explain ourselves?
What a unique and strange creature man is! The entire animal
kingdom is ruled by instincts and drives, and yet man stands
absolutely unique, a thousand times higher, endowed with the
power of reason.
How do we account for this? Not only does
man possess the power of reason, but he also has a conscience, a
mysterious, built-in knowledge of right and wrong; an intricate
moral value system.
The
mysterious conscience
You can prove the existence of the
conscience by observing its operation at the international level.
Every nation in the world is corrupt and breaks its own rules,
yet it looks with righteous indignation at the aggression and the
unreasonable activities of other nations.
Alternatively, you can see conscience
operating in some way in the lives of individuals. What am I? I
am a being with a highly-tuned conscience which frequently hurts
me, and which I habitually use to judge and criticise others by.
Yet at the same time, while I have this conscience, this
remarkable piece of equipment, I am utterly incapable of living
up to it.
Every time I try improve my life, turn over
a new leaf, advance, or make progress to become the kind of
person I would like to be -- I fall.
People do not always want to lie; they just
lie. They do not always set out to commit sin; they just do it.
How do we explain this? What explanation do we have for mankind
possessing this knowledge of right and wrong, this highly-tuned
conscience, and yet having no power to live up to it?
There is only one explanation for these
things and it is the explanation given to us in the Bible. Man
was originally made by God and in His image, but he is now a
rebel who has fallen away from God.
God planted within him this moral
consciousness, this awareness of right and wrong, but because he
is a fallen rebel he cannot keep these standards.
Has this conscience just developed and
emerged during a process of evolution? No, for there is not the
lest shred of evidence for that. Man is clearly designed
differently from the animals. He has in common with them many
biological features, but once we take account of reason
and conscience we realise he is altogether different.
The massive contradiction of human race is
that we possess the power of reason and moral values coupled with
hopeless weakness and failure! This enigma can only be explained
by the Fall -- the sinful rebellion of man against his Creator
God which is described in the Bible.
When we consider these things, we must
surely realise that there is a God, and that there is truth in
God's Word -- the Bible. The alternative explanations for the
existence and make-up of the human race are too far-fetched, too
impossible to contemplate.
So far we have glanced at just two lines of
argument to help faith. Actually there are many more which
Christians have used down the centuries to help seekers. Yet
however convincing they may be, such pieces of reasoning can do
no more than persuade us intellectually.
The question, 'How can I be sure
that there is a God?' can only be fully answered by a felt
experience of God, and this is what Christian conversion
brings. It is not a matter of just believing with the mind, and
certainly not just knowing about God. Neither is it merely
going to worship on Sunday.
Conversion is nothing less than undergoing
a personal experience of seeking and finding Christ the Saviour,
Who suffered the penalty and punishment of sin to make it
possible for people to be forgiven.
Proving God
is real
Conversion is an experience which answers
our greatest needs. It brings pardon and forgiveness, an
understanding of God, and a completely new life. It changes us so
that we come to feel and know the Lord in a way that is
unmistakable.
How can I be really sure that there
is a God? Only be seeking and finding Him. Contrary to what some
think, that is, in a way, the hardest battle of life. To seek and
find the Lord I must desire conversion. I must be ready to turn
my back on past life, my greed, ambition, and pride. I must be
willing to acknowledge my sin and failure, and to repent humbly
and truly. I must sincerely put my trust in God and yield my life
to Him.
God is the rewarder of all who earnestly,
wholeheartedly seek Him and He makes them sure. For the
sake of your eternal soul, you must earnestly seek to know God.
Be more serious about this than you have ever been about anything
else, because it is possible to know Him, if you sincerely apply
for a new life. You must seek the Lord, while He will still be
gracious to you.
 E-mail a friend about this page
 Printer friendly page
 Search the site
Top
|
