Worldview #19: “What If I Don’t Need God?”

 While Mohammad Ali was on one particular flight, the plane experienced some significant turbulence. So the captain stated that everyone needed to fasten their seatbelts. Ali refused. When he was confronted by a flight attendant, Ali declared, “Superman don’t need no seatbelt.” At this the flight attendant replied, “Superman don’t need no airplane either.” :)

Some people openly declare that they do not need God, and many others declare this with the way that they live: extraordinarily similar to the atheist. There are 3 realities that these 2 groups of people need to address if what they believe is actually true.

First, without God, there is no moral law and thus no standard for right and wrong. Here’s a tip for those philosophy students. If your professors teach that there are no moral absolutes (things that are inherently right or wrong), then tell them that it is ok for you to cheat on your assignments and tests. :) If there is no moral law then it is wrong to have prisons for anything including rape, theft, and murder, for those things were morally justifiable to the perpetrators. Thus, for those who do not believe in moral laws, who are you to say that Hitler was wrong when he murdered 6 million Jews, or when terrorists attack, or someone robs you? 

Second, without God, there is no meaning in life. Just consider what a couple of the most respected atheists in the world have to say about purpose: Richard Dawkins said “The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at [the] bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil and no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference” (River Out of Eden, p. 133). Alex Rosenberg is even more to the point: “What is the purpose of the universe? There is none. What is the meaning of life? Ditto. Does history have any meaning or purpose? It’s full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” (The Atheist’s Guide to Reality, pp. 2-3). Without God there is no purpose in life.

And third, without God, there is no hope. “If God does not exist, then both man and the universe are inevitably doomed to death. Man, like all biological organisms, must die. With no hope of immortality, man's life leads only to the grave. His life is but a spark in the infinite blackness, a spark that appears, flickers, and dies forever” (William Craig, “The Absurdity of Life without God” available from http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-absurdity-of-life-without-god#ixzz4ixvmwq1H).  Therefore, without God there is no hope.

Thankfully, the evidence for God’s existence and Biblical worldview is astounding as we have seen over the past several months (for more info see www.eugenechristianchurch.blogspot. com). Thus, since God does exist, there is a moral law protected mankind from right and wrong. There is great purpose to your life. And with God we can have great hope in spite of any situation that we encounter, including death itself.

In His service,

      Matt 

Covenants #2: A Plan for Peace from Eternity to Eternity

As I write this article, I find myself anxiously awaiting the birth of my daughter. Yes, I know that she is not due until September 18th, :) but I’m still anxiously looking forward to Naomi’s arrival. Yet, there is one thing I’m not looking forward to: dating. As a father, I know that we need to question the plans of those who come to date our daughter, since I was also one of those questionable punk teens. ;) Many have come up with practical rules for dating one’s daughter like “Use your hands on my daughter and you’ll lose them after.” And “If your pants hang off your hips, I’ll gladly secure them with my nail gun.” etc. :)

Thus, motives need to be questioned. However, one whose motives do not need to be question is the Lord Himself. Why do His motives not need to be questioned? Answer: because He clearly revealed them in His Word from eternity past. “May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen” (Heb. 13:20-21).

As we study the pages of the Bible we learn that God had a plan from eternity past to eternity future to know, experience and live in His perfect peace. Biblical peace speaks of completeness, health, justice, prosperity, and protection. It is a peace which calms any internal conflict. Sin, fear, uncertainty, doubt, and numerous other forces are at war within us, but the peace of God moves in our hearts and lives to restrain these hostile forces and offer comfort in place of the conflict. It is a peace that passes all understanding.

How was this peace made possible for us? It is made available to us through the blood of the eternal covenant (Heb. 13:20). From eternity past, God had a plan to create mankind so that we might enjoy a relationship with Him and the peace that He offers. However, mankind rebelled against God ever since the Garden of Eden.; and God knew that this would take place even before He created mankind. Therefore, He likewise had a plan to restore that peace before we ever rebelled against Him.

God’s plan of peace with mankind was revealed immediately following the first sin that ever took place (Gen. 3:15). The punishment for sin, our rebellion has always been death (Rom. 6:23; Heb. 9:22). However, God provided a means for us not to experience the punishment that our sins demand. In the Garden of Eden, it was the blood of animals that God created, knowing in advance that they would be used to cover Adam and Eve’s sin (Gen. 3:21). This in and of itself would be a picture of what was to come, the Lamb of God, Jesus, who would die taking away our sin.

Jesus’s death was in accordance with God’s eternal plan (Acts 2:23). In fact, Scripture even states that Jesus was “slain from the foundations of the world” (Rev. 13:8). “In eternity, God planned for the Son of God to step into history to provide the ultimate sacrifice—the sinless Son of God would suffer sin’s penalty of death, be raised from the dead, thus providing a way of salvation” (Ken Ham, “Slain from the Foundation of the World” available from https://answersingenesis.org/ministry-news/creation-museum/slain-from-the-foundation-of-the-world/).

God knew and planned through His great sovereignty to work through people and their own freewill decisions to accomplish His plan of peace for mankind. Even when we were His enemies, and hostile towards Him, He accomplished His wonderful plan of peace (Rom. 5:10). God knew the battle that would rage between Satan and those seeking to follow God, yet He orchestrated His eternal plan of peace through endless trials (Rev. 12:17).

When He created the stars in the heavens for signs and seasons, declaring His glory (Gen. 1:14; Ps. 19:1), He created and knew the star that would guide the wise-men to Bethlehem at the time that the eternal Son of God became a man (Matt. 2:10).  And when the hands of sinful men nailed Jesus to the cross of their own freewill, they were actually fulfilling His eternal plan of peace. The eternal covenant of peace rules the universe. God will accomplish His plan for our lives, a plan not to harm us, but a plan of peace, hope, and a future with Him (Jer. 29:11). That is God’s motivation behind what He does.

But have you come to peace with God? You can. It is through a personal relationship with His Son. If you would like to know about having peace with God, I encourage you to join us on Sunday mornings at 10:30. 

“Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you” (2 Thess. 3:16).

 In His service,

        Matt