Do you think there is no God or do you actually know God?
One of the most incredible discoveries astrophysicists have ever made is that if gravity were just 0.000000000001 (one-trillionth of one) percent stronger, our universe would have reversed course a long time ago, collapsing on itself in a big crunch, the opposite of the big bang. But, if gravity were just 0.000000000001 (one-trillionth of one) percent weaker, our universe would have flown apart so fast that planets, stars, and galaxies would never have had a chance to connect and we would all be dust in the wind.
It’s the Goldilocks Principle that says, everything is just right, not too strong, and not too weak.
Sir Fred Hoyle, an avowed atheist astronomer didn’t think it could be an accident. After doing countless computations, Hoyle discovered that the odds of us being here by an accident of nature would be like a tornado sweeping through a junkyard and assembling scrap metal into a fully functioning jumbo jet. He actually said, “’So small as to be negligible, even if a tornado were to blow through enough junkyards to fill the whole universe. One arrives at the conclusion that biomaterials with their amazing measure or order must be the outcome of intelligent design.”
Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1
There are 2 major ways we can see that God exists.
General Revelation
General Revelation or Natural Revelation means you can look around and see what God has made. And from that, you can know that God exists. You can even know certain things about God. You can know that God is creative and a master artist. You can know that God is a God of order.
They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Romans 1:19-20
You can see that He is strong when you consider the power of nature. You can see His love for His creation.
What is the most excellent thing you have experienced recently? Our ordinary experiences of beauty are there to give us a starting point to help us see just a glimpse of God Himself so we can worship God and see Him more clearly.
At the Museum of Natural History in New York City during the summer of 2017, I saw many inspiring and amazing exhibits. I was in awe and even almost moved to tears at some of the wonders on display. But as we looked through the wonders of the museum, that there were people there who were seeing the same things we were seeing but they were bored. Their eyes were open, but their hearts were stone cold. Some people refuse to see what is right under their noses.
Antony Flew was one of the world’s most well-known atheists. In fact, he was an outspoken opponent of Christianity who would regularly debate with Christian thinkers about the existence of God. Later in his life, when confronted with the indescribable complexity of the ‘simple cell’, he realized that life couldn’t have happened by accident. Even more, the existence of the laws of nature, the precise fine-tuning of those laws to enable life to exist, and the enormous amounts of information encoded in DNA pointed clearly to the existence of God.
Specific Revelation
Beyond just knowing about God, specific revelation is the way God has revealed more about who He really is specifically through the Bible, most clearly through Jesus, and through people He has sent to share His message.
So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Romans 10:17
We want to turn atheists into missionaries!
The most important thing about you is what you believe about God. Your thoughts about who God is impacts every other part of your life. It makes a difference in how much you worry. How much guilt you carry on. Whether you believe your life has a purpose in life and how happy you are. It all depends on how you view God.
VAGUE VIEWS OF GOD
The Cosmic Cop
Many people view God as a stern, police officer watching people on Earth just waiting for someone to have some fun so He can zap them with a lightning bolt.
God wants you to experience the fullness of life with joy and even pleasure.
You make the path of life known to me. Complete joy is in Your presence. Pleasures are by Your side forever. Psalm 16:11 (GW)
The Impersonal Force (Star Wars)
Obi-Wan Kenobi explained the force to Luke Skywalker like this, “The force is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Does that sound like the way some people picture God? They think God is a faceless, formless energy that surrounds us and guides the universe.
God is everywhere, but He is not some mysterious force. In fact, He is not an “IT.” He is personal and loving.
In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:12-13
God is a Person with a capital P! The God of the Universe, who created everything, knows your name. He’s a personal God.
The Vending Machine
Some people look at God as their personal Genie in a Bottle. They don’t think much about God until they need something from Him, then they will pray for God to meet their need. God is not a means to an end. Sometimes we think about God just because of what we think God will do for us instead of getting to know Him because He is God.
The amazing thing about God is that when we come to Him for who He is, then sometimes that leads to us receiving from God.
Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? Romans 2:4
Don’t mistake God’s kindness for weakness.
Can you imagine how hard it is for an atheist when good things happen? When good things happen to me, I say, “Thank God!” “Thank you, Jesus!” God is good! What does an atheist say, “Thank the Universe!” “Thank Me!” Thanks but no thanks!
As followers of Jesus, we should be the most thankful people on the planet.
The Senile Grandfather
This is the picture of God as a kindly old man who is a little senile, out of touch, and maybe a little hard of hearing. When you decide to do something you know is wrong, gramps is so nice that he doesn’t really mind and he looks the other way. After all, you’re his grandchild. The problem is, God doesn’t have any grandchildren. He only has children. Every person in every generation has to make the choice whether or not to trust in Him. God doesn’t just look the other way and snicker at your sin.
Don’t be misled–you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Galatians 6:7
When you choose to sin, you will always reap what you sow.
How did Jesus view God?
A Loving Father
See how very much our Father loves us, for he calls us his children, and that is what we are! But the people who belong to this world don’t recognize that we are God’s children because they don’t know him. Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is. 1 John 3:1-2
Because God is my Father…
1) I am deeply loved.
That only happens in relationship. When you are secure in the fact that God loves you unconditionally, you don’t have to live to please anybody else. You have a secure place in God’s forever family that gives you the freedom to be who God made you to be.
2) I have a different life.
As a child of God, you are set apart and you should look different from the people around you. You should begin to look more and more like your Father as a part of God’s forever family.
3) I have a desirable future.
He promises us that He is coming back for His children.
Believing in God is a step of faith. But it’s not a leap in the dark, it’s a step surrounded by light.
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:6
Freedom comes when we stop trying to play God in our lives and trying to be our own God. It means coming to the end of yourself and saying, “God, have your own way with my life.”