Maintaining an Eternal Perspective

I believe one of the big reasons we have such a tough time with evil and suffering is because we've lost (or have never had) an eternal perspective.

The apostle Paul suffered greatly throughout his life. The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 11 that for choosing to follow Jesus the apostle Paul was flogged 5x (v.24), beaten with rods 3x (v.25), shipwrecked 3x (v.25), and one time he was even stoned with rocks and left for dead (v.25). He lived in danger constantly (from rivers, from bandits, from fellow Jews, from Gentiles and from false believers). He was in danger in the city, in the country, and even at sea. He often went without sleep, without food or water and without clothes. He slept many a night cold and naked (vv.26-27). But despite all this Paul maintained a positive outlook on life. 

He wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:17, "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all." How was he able to keep this positive perspective? By maintaining an eternal perspective!

If we, like Paul, would keep eternity in mind, it would help us deal with the hurt and pain we experience in this life. Let me illustrate it this way...

Suppose on the first day of this year, you had a terrible day. You woke up with a migraine headache. The pain was so bad that you were afraid you were going to die. Then it got so bad that you wanted to die. On the way to the doctor’s office, you were hit by an uninsured motorist, totaling your car. The car was a Christmas present, and it was the car you had always dreamed of owning. When you finally got to work, you found out your company was downsizing and that your name was at the top of the list. The whole day was like that - just terrible. But then pretend that the next day everything changed. The next day you wake up to a phone call from a competitor that you’ve secretly been wishing you could work for, and they offer you a better job than the one you had with twice the pay. Suppose the entire rest of the year turns out to be like day two? You inherit a large sum of money from an unknown relative. Your kids get straight A’s. Your marriage is perfect. You get voted “Person of the Year” by the local newspaper. You play golf with Phil Mickelson and you win! Pretend the rest of the year went like this. Now image it's December 31st and someone asks you, “So, how was your year?” “It was unbelievable!” you reply. “Really? How about that first day?” they ask “Oh yeah, that was a little rough, but everything else has gone so well, I had almost forgotten about it.” That’s what it will be like in heaven. 

How could Paul refer to his troubles as "light" when he suffered so heavily? His suffering is light compared to the weight of joy he will have in eternity. And the longer he’s in heaven, the more his entire life will appear to be but a moment. In talking about our suffering as being something “light”, Paul wasn’t being insensitive to the plight of those who suffer horribly in this life - on the contrary, he was one of them - but he saw that those sufferings were simply overwhelmed by the ocean of joy and glory that God will give to those who trust Him. 

I hope you see how important it is to maintain an eternal perspective as you think about evil and suffering in this world. Having an eternal perspective really does make all the difference. 

Pointless Suffering?

When people ask the question "How can an all powerful and all good God allow suffering and evil in the world?" they are upset because they assume that suffering is pointless and serves no good purpose. But is this true?

1. This argument doesn't stand to logic. 

Some say "I don’t understand how good could come from evil". Well, sorry to tell you this, but your inability to comprehend something doesn’t make it untrue. Astro-physics isn’t a bunch of nonsense just because you don’t understand it. In the same way, you can’t conclude that it’s nonsense that good can come from evil just because you don’t understand how that could be. It is wrong to conclude "Evil and suffering appear pointless to me, so it must be pointless." 

Let me illustrate what I’m saying this way...There are certain sounds that dogs can hear that humans can’t, right? Well just because we can’t hear them, does that mean they don’t exist? No! In the same way, sometimes, even though we can’t see it, good comes from evil. But just because we can’t see the good, does that mean it doesn’t exist? No, of course not! 

I was at a wedding recently and met someone who attends New Day. I asked this young lady how she started coming to New Day and she told me that after I spoke at the funeral of her friend that she started coming. This young lady is now a Christian and is dating a Christian. Let me ask you: If I never heard her story, would that mean no good came from her friend's death? Of course not! Friends, in heaven we'll hear all the stories. 

2. This argument doesn't stand to human experience. 

We all know from human experience that good can come even from painful experiences. For example: Every Thursday I go through a painful process called a sermon run through. I pour everything I have into my sermon. I read so many books and study for so many hours. And at the sermon run through I invite constructive criticism from my staff so the message can get better for Sunday. You have no idea how painful this process is, but it always, without fail, makes my sermon better than it would’ve been without it.

3. This argument doesn't stand to the teaching of Scripture. 

Take Joseph (from the Old Testament) for example. Joseph was an arrogant young man who was hated by his brothers. In their anger at him, they imprisoned him in a pit and then sold him into a life of slavery and misery in Egypt. Doubtless Joseph prayed to God to help him escape, but no help was forthcoming, and into slavery he went. Though he experienced years of imprisonment and misery, Joseph’s character was refined and strengthened by his trails. Eventually he rose up to become prime minister of Egypt and saved thousands upon thousands of lives and even his own family from starvation. If God had not allowed Joseph’s years of suffering, he never would have been in the position to save all those lives. In this situation we see ultimate good coming from ultimate evil. In Joseph’s own words in Genesis 50:20, Joseph told his brothers “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (NIV). The apostle Paul was no doubt reflecting on this example of Joseph when we penned Romans 8:28 which says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (NIV) 

Or take Jesus (from the New Testament) for example. Homicide is man killing another man. Suicide is man killing himself and deicide is man killing God. And that's what happened to Jesus. He suffered horrible evils, yet out of his suffering came the salvation of mankind.

You can say that suffering and evil are pointless and serve no good purpose, but as we've seen, that argument defies logic, human experience and the teaching of Scripture.

Even though God is all-good, He might well have good reasons for permitting pain and suffering in the world. When people say “an all-good and powerful God would not permit such things to happen” they are assuming that God cannot have morally sufficient reasons for permitting the amount and kinds of evil that exist. The problem with this assumption is that it’s simply not true. The Christian believes that God has overriding reasons for permitting even terrible atrocities to occur. And just because you can’t see them or understand them, doesn’t mean they don’t exist. We are simply not in a position to know why God permits various evils to occur. Certainly many evils seem pointless and gratuitous to us - but how can we be sure they really are? Perhaps they fit into a wider picture. We just don’t know how the sufferings we endure might be used of God in our lives or, if not in ours, in the lives of those around us. Yes, they often look pointless, but we are simply not in a position to judge. The brutal murder of an innocent man or a child’s dying of leukemia could send a ripple effect through history so that God’s morally sufficient reason for permitting it might not emerge until centuries later or perhaps in another country. Events which appear disastrous in the short-term may contribute to the greatest good. We just don’t know. But what we do know is this: There's no such thing as pointless suffering. 

What Evil Actually Proves

Skeptics try to use the existence of evil to disprove God's existence. The argument goes like this: If an all powerful God existed, he would stop bad things from happening. Since He doesn't, He must not exist. But we have to ask ourselves: Does the existence of evil argue against God's existence or for it? 

Some have said (and I agree) that the existence of evil does more to prove God's existence than disprove it. Think about it...For you to be outraged against evil, there has to be such thing as evil. And there can only be true evil is there's such thing as "right" and "wrong". And right and wrong can only exist if God exists too.

C.S. Lewis used to deny God's existence because of the evil and suffering he saw in the world. He reasoned that an all good and all powerful God couldn't exist because if he did, he would surely put an end to all evil. But as he thought about it he realized that the evolutionary process of natural selection couldn't be responsible for his internal moral compass (for natural selection depends on the death, destruction and violence of the strong against the weak). So he came to realize that in the same way creation points towards a creator and a design points towards a designer, so an internal sense of right and wrong points towards Moral-Standard Giver (who Christians call God).

You could rightly state that one can't believe in evil without also believing in God. As Christian philosopher Alvin Plantinga has written “...A secular way of looking at the world has no place for genuine moral obligation of any sort...and thus no way to say there is such a thing as genuine and appalling wickedness. Accordingly, if you think there really is such a thing as horrifying wickedness then you have a powerful...argument for the reality of God.”

In other words, if evolution explains the origins of life and there is no God, then there’s also no right or wrong. If evolution explains life, we have no obligation to do what’s “right” and no accountability for doing what’s “wrong” because in a universe where God doesn’t exist, there’s no such thing as right or wrong. So again - in order to be outraged against evil and suffering, “right” and “wrong” have to exist. And “right” and “wrong” only exist if God does too. 

3 Common Questions About Evil & Suffering

The existence of evil and suffering in the world is the number one issue that causes people to doubt or deny God's existence (to learn more click here). Here's three common questions skeptics have about this subject and the answers you can share as God provides the opportunity.

1. "How could an all good and all powerful God allow evil and suffering in the world?" 

Answer: God created the world and man good. It was Adam and Eve's rebellion against God that ushered sickness, disease, pain, suffering and ultimately death into the world. God may have made evil possible, but it was man who made evil actual (for more on this click here).

2. If God knew man would choose to sin and consequently bring evil and suffering into the world, why did he still choose to create him? 

I think it's helpful to answer this question with a question. You might ask your friend: Well why do parents choose to bring children into the world, even though there's the potential for birth defects and other dangers? Why do most people choose to go ahead and have kids despite the risks? Because of love and a desire to have a relationship with someone in their own image. God made that same choice.

3. Why didn't God just create us with the inability to sin? 

Answer: Because God wanted a meaningful relationship with us. God didn't want robots that had to love him, he wanted humans who would choose to love him. How meaningful would it be if all I had to do to get my wife to say "I love you Mike" was press a button on her back? If that were the case, she wouldn't be human, she'd be a programmed robot. If I had to pick between a wife who chose to love me vs a programmed robot that had to obey me, I'd take the wife every time. God made that same choice. 

Who's Really Responsible?

When skeptics angrily ask "How can a good God allow so much evil and suffering?" you don't even have to be listening closely to hear the accusation behind the question. In other words, skeptics blame God for evil and suffering. But is God really responsible? 

We have a gross misunderstanding regarding who's really responsible for evil and suffering. And the misunderstanding comes from lack of information. Let me illustrate it this way. If you picked up watching a movie halfway through, could you make sense of what's happening without someone telling you what you've missed? And if you picked up a book and started reading at page 100, could you make sense of what's happening without someone telling you what you've missed? Of course not! To make sense of the story, you have to understand the beginning. 

Well, history is His-story (God's story). And history has a beginning, middle and end. We're in the middle and the middle is filled with evil and suffering, so many people naturally conclude that God is responsible because he must have made the world this way. But that would be a mistake, for in the book of Genesis (the book of beginnings) we read that the world God created was good and that God made man good, for man was created in God's image and likeness. God knew we'd be tempted to blame him for evil and suffering so he made a point to have it recorded seven times that when he made the world, it was good (see Genesis 1). 

If God made the world and man good, then we have to ask ourselves: What happened? Well, though God told Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17), they did so anyway (Genesis 3:6-7). And when sin entered the world so did death for God had told Adam and Eve that disobedience would bring death. As Romans 5:12 teaches us, sin entered the world through Adam and death entered the world through sin. 

Friends - sickness, disease, suffering, pain, evil and death are all consequences of man's rebellion against God. So who's really to blame? God or man? God may have made evil possible, but it was man who made evil actual. 

The Problem of Evil & Suffering

How could an all good and all powerful God allow so much evil and suffering? This is generally considered to be the number one issue causing people to doubt or disbelieve the existence of God.

The Bible teaches that God is all good and all powerful. But skeptics see the existence of evil and suffering in this world as a stumbling block to believing that an all good and all powerful God exists. As they consider the options, here’s how they see it: 

Option #1: God wants to abolish evil but can't. 

Option #2: God can abolish evil but doesn't want to

They conclude that if God wants to but can't, then he is impotent (not all powerful). And if God can abolish evil but doesn't want to, then he is evil (not all good). They are puzzled by this question: If God both can and wants to abolish evil, then how come evil is still in the world? To many people, it seems unbelievable that if an all-good and all-powerful God exists, He would permit so much pain and suffering in the world.

For more on this subject click here. 

Understanding Romans 8:28

Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."

This is one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible and also one of the most misunderstood. I love Mark Mittelberg's commentary on this verse...

First, it does not say that everything that happens is good. Rather, it acknowledges the reality that many things that happen in our lives are bad, but it assures us that God can use them for good or bring good out of them.

Second, it does not promise that God will always let us see the good right away; many suffering people strain for a long time to see anything positive about their suffering, and even then only glimpse it from a distance - if at all. In other words, God can bring out good that we don't recognize.

Third, the verse does not promise that God will bring good out of bad for everybody, but only for those who love God and are called according to his purpose - that is, for true Christians who are sincerely walking with Christ.

With those qualifiers understood, it is encouraging when we take this promise to heart and realize that God is always at work in our lives as followers of Jesus, taking the things that are bad and bringing good out of their wake, and realize that he offers to do this for everyone we talk to if they'll just turn and follow him as well.

Note: It's rarely appropriate to quote Romans 8:28 to people in pain. Yes, if they are followers of Christ, then it's true that God will cause it all to work together for the good, but they're probably not in the position to see, feel, or appreciate that truth at this point. At first, just try to encourage them, love them, support them, serve them, be there for them and assure them of your sympathies and prayers. 

He Stepped Forward

In his book Give Me An Answer, Cliffe Knechtle recounts the following story.

During World War II the guards at a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp would take the English soldiers out into the fields to do hard manual labor. At the end of one day the guards lined up the English prisoners and counted the tools. They found that one shovel was missing. A guard called out, "Who stole the shovel?" No one responded. The Japanese guard cocked his rifle and said, "All die! All die!" Suddenly one Scottish soldier stepped forward and said, "I stole the shovel." Instantly he was shot dead. His comrades gathered up his body and the remaining tools and went back to the prisoner-of-war compound. Back in the prison camp, the Japanese guards counted the tools again. They found that no shovel was missing. The Scottish soldier had sacrificed his life that his buddies might live.

Two thousand years ago God became man. His name was Jesus Christ. He lived a perfect life. He never did anything wrong. He did not deserve to die. He stepped forward and bled and died on a cross to pay the penalty that you and I deserve for having stolen, cheated, lied, dishonored our parents and ignored God. Your guilt and my guilt point to the wrong we have done. The cross of Jesus Christ points to the depth of God's love for us. You and I must decide to ask Christ for forgiveness and to commit our lives to him. 

The Evidence of Fine Tuning

There are four basic evidences of God's existence: 1) Creation, 2) Design, 3) Morality and 4) Fine Tuning. In this post we'll look at the evidence of fine tuning.

You may not know this, but it’s actually extremely difficult for life to exist. Scientists have discovered about fifty parameters and constants that must be “just so” (or “finely tuned”) in order for life to be possible anywhere in the universe. 

Have you ever used a radio tuner? Everything’s digital now but people used to use a tuner to find the station they wanted to listen to. They would turn a dial until it landed exactly on the station they wanted to listen to. If you went too far you’d hear nothing but static or the next station. If you didn’t go far enough - same thing. It had to be tuned just right for you to get the station you wanted. Well this is something like how the universe works. Things need to be tuned just right. But there’s not one dial that has to be exactly in place. There’s about 50. And even if 49 of these 50 constants are in place, without all 50 life would be impossible.

Let me give you a couple examples of these parameters and constants...

• If the force of gravity were to change by one part in ten thousand billion billion billion, conscious life would be virtually impossible anywhere in the universe. 
• The human body is made up of a ridiculously large number of atoms. And inside those atoms are neutrons, protons an electrons. Did you know that if the neutron inside the atom were not exactly as it is - 1.001 times larger than the proton, life would not be possible? 
• If the expansion rate of the earth was a little stronger or a little weaker when the universe was set in motion - if the strength differed by as little as one part in a trillion trillion trillion trillion trillion, the universe would’ve either collapsed back in on itself or expanded too swiftly for stars to form. Either way, life would be impossible. 
• The list goes on!!! Again - there are about 50 of these parameters and constants that must be “just so” in order for life to be possible!!!

This is why Paul Davies, one of the leading physicists and cosmologists of our day, makes the following claim: “I cannot believe that our existence in this universe is a mere quirk of fate...We are truly meant to be here.” What a statement from someone who doesn’t even claim to believe in a personal God!

Now, in addition to the parameters and constants that need to be in place for life to be possible in the universe, there are also at least 24 parameters and constants that need to be in place for life to be possible on a planet. It’s not just our universe that needs parameters and constants, our planet does too! Let me give you a couple examples...For life to be possible on a planet...
The planet has to have the correct mass

• It has to be orbited by a large moon 
• It has to have a magnetic field 
• It has to have an oxygen-rich atmosphere 
• It has to be in the correct location in the galactic habitable zone. Life can’t exist anywhere in the universe. For life to exist you have to be in just the right spot in the universe. And that’s exactly where earth is. 
• The list goes on!!! Again - there are at least 24 of these parameters and constants that must be “just so” in order for life to be possible on a planet!!! 

Now the probability of these factors converging is so ridiculously small that many cosmologists and astro-physicists now admit that it’s more reasonable to believe that a divine designer was involved than to assume it all happened by chance. They might not concede that the divine designer is the God of the Bible, but at least they’re starting to admit the foolishness of saying the universe came about by chance or as a result of some cosmic storm (i.e. from chaos).

You see - the fact that our universe and our planet have been precision tuned so that life can exist, powerfully points to the existence of God. I mean - we have to ask ourselves - WHO TURNED ALL 50 KNOBS TO JUST THE RIGHT PLACE? These incredible examples of fine-tuning in the universe - each independently set to the precise measure necessary to support life - points powerfully to the existence of an incredibly intelligent designer who made it all “just so”...for us!

The Evidence of Morality

There are four basic evidences of God's existence: 1) Creation, 2) Design, 3) Morality and 4) Fine Tuning. In this post we'll look at the evidence of morality.

The fact that we all have a moral standard powerfully points to the existence of God. Exact ethical codes vary from person to person and culture to culture, but every human being is born with a moral standard.

Even if you’re not a Christian - How many times have you started to do something, and an alarm in your head went off saying “Don’t do that!” How many times have you opened your mouth and your conscience said, “Don’t say it!”? You know what the right thing is, even if you don’t always do it, right? Well, where did that universal sense of “right” come from? Have you ever thought about that?

On what basis is something considered good or evil, right or wrong? And where did this basis come from? No one really believes that these metaphysical morals came from a physical explosion (like the Big Bang). That is, even if the Big Bang could account for the origin of the universe, you still need to account for the origin of morality. We have, then, what is sometimes referred to as the problem of “good”.

Think about it... If there were a culture that killed their firstborn male babies by burning them to death in a fire in order to gain the favor of their gods, we would consider this a morally dreadful act. If there were a culture in which men kept females as slaves and beat and raped them at will, we would be morally outraged. If there were a culture that locked up people with certain skin colors or people of certain ethnicities or people who were left-handed, we would decry these actions as moral abominations.

Well, where did this sense of right and wrong come from? How is it that we all know intrinsically that murder and rape and bigotry and racism are wrong? It’s because of this knowledge that we could boldly tell the Nazis that exterminating Jews was wrong and that they deserved to be punished for such wicked acts. It’s because of this knowledge that we knew Saddam Hussein was doing evil when he oppressed the Iraqi people, murdered his own family members, tortured and killed those he considered political threats, and ordered the gassing of thousands of Kurds. But again, where did we get this knowledge of right and wrong?

While atheists have no answer to this question, Christians do. We believe that a Moral Lawgiver actually knit these moral standards, along with the ability to understand and operate by them, into the very fabric of what it means to be human. This is exactly what the apostle Paul taught in...

Romans 2:14-15, “Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” NLT

The Bible says your internal moral compass was put there by God AND that you should listen to it. It’s like a spiritual version of the “check engine” indicator in your car. When you sense it going off, you better listen or there’s going to be trouble (either now or later). Apart from God, there’s really no good answer as to how every human from every culture on every continent has this internal moral compass. 

And in the same way that creation points towards a creator and design points towards a designer, so our sense of morality points towards a Moral Standard Giver (who Christians call God).

The Evidence of Design

There are four basic evidences of God's existence: 1) Creation, 2) Design, 3) Morality and 4) Fine Tuning. In this post we'll look at the evidence of design.

In the same way that every creation reflects a creator, every design reflects a designer. Even if creation was in complete disorder, it would still powerfully point towards a creator. But that’s not the case. Not only has the universe and everything in it been created, it’s clearly been created with design.

Plato decided that it was reasonable to believe in God based on “the order of the motion of the stars...” In other words, he saw that it was designed!

Sir Isaac Newton said, “When I look at the solar system, I see the earth at the right distance from the sun to receive the proper amounts of heat and light. This did not happen by chance.” In other words - it happened by design! And every design reflects a designer! Let me illustrate...

Imagine you walk into my office, see a can of Pepsi sitting on my desk, and ask “How did that get there?” What if I told you: Millennia ago, a huge explosion sent a small meteor spinning through space. As it cooled, a caramel-colored, effervescent liquid formed on its surface. As time passed, aluminum crept out of the water and shaped itself into just these dimensions. Over time, this thing formed itself a one-time retractable lid from which a crease appeared, a bit off-center, and out of it grew a pull-tab. Centuries later, red, white, and blue paint fell from the sky and clung to its exterior, forming the letters P-e-p-s-i on its surface. (Remember now: This Pepsi can fits perfectly in the palm of the normal-sized human hand. Its volume is just about right for satisfying one person’s desire for something sweet and liquid. It has just enough caffeine to pep you up, but not so much that you realize you’re actually in an artificial state of stimulation. Its contents are always the same. Its quality never varies.)

How many scientific explanations about the nature of matter and the origins of the universe would I have to give to convince you that the Pepsi can happened by chance vs by design? What are the odds that something this complex, useful, comfortable and attractive came about as a result of a random collision of molecules? Rational human beings conclude: The can is too carefully designed to have been formed by chance or coincidence! Some very smart people did some careful thinking and planning to create it.

Well, creation, like the can of Pepsi, shows evidence of design. Take for example the banana. The banana fits perfectly in the palm of your hand. In fact, it fits better than the Pepsi can. It’s been thoughtfully made with a non-slip surface. It comes with a time-sensitive indicator on the outside to let you know the condition of the contents before you even open it. Green means “don’t eat me yet”. Yellow means “eat me now” and black means “too late - you should’ve eaten me earlier.” The banana’s top contains a pull-tab for convenient opening. Pull back firmly on the tab, and it peels neatly according to its pre-made perforations. Unlike the Pepsi can, this wrapper is environmentally sensitive, made completely of bio-degradable substances that in time enrich the soil it nestles in. If left uneaten, it has pre-programmed orders to reproduce itself into a whole new fruit-bearing plant, so it is a virtually inexhaustible food-producing source (wouldn’t it be cool if your soda could reproduce all on its on?). The banana is full of bodybuilding calories and is easy for the stomach to digest. And the Maker-of-the-banana has even curved it toward the face to make the whole eating experience easier and more pleasant.

Now like the Pepsi can, it’s very clear the banana was designed - that someone with intelligence put some careful thought and planning into the design of the banana. But let me ask you a question: How is it that some people can look at the design present in a can of Pepsi and conclude “Someone made this!”, yet when they look at creation and see the same design and careful planning, conclude “It happened by chance!”? When someone draws conclusions so inconsistently, to me it reveals their prejudice against God as well as their commitment to any theory (no matter how silly) so long as the theory doesn’t include God.

Things are much easier for the Christian. Not being committed to eliminating God as an option no matter what the evidence shows, the Christian has a simple answer. God not only created the universe, but is also responsible for the design found within that which he created. King David (the guy who killed Goliath with the sling shot) said to God in Psalm 139:14, “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous...” NLT Why did David believe God existed? He saw clearly that he was designed, and as we’ve just learned: every design reflects a designer. 

Suppressing the Truth

In previous posts we discussed the three main explanations for the origin of the universe: 1) Creation by Creator, 2) Creation by Chaos, and 3) Creation by Chance. In these posts I explained why creation by chaos and creation by chance are such foolish theories. But the question begs to be answered: If creation by chaos and creation by chance are so ridiculous, why do so many scientists, professors and public school educators teach these theories? 

It’s clear to me that many educators and scientists alike have intentionally chosen to believe and teach these foolish theories that defy common sense and logic, simply because they don’t like the alternative. They’d rather affirm an explanation that makes no sense than attribute the creation of the universe to the God of the Bible. Why?

Well, Romans chapter one explains it this way: In Romans 1 the apostle Paul tells us that even though knowledge of God is obvious through creation (through what has been made), godless and wicked people intentionally suppress the truth (about God) because they prefer wickedness to truth. Simply put, many people aren’t interested in truth, because truth gets in the way of their sin, which they don’t want to give up. Not wanting to hear the truth, learn about the truth, or accept the truth (which demands they change), these people accept and teach any old theory so long as it doesn’t condemn their sinful lifestyle, even if the theory is improbable or seemingly impossible. And it doesn’t seem to matter how foolish the theory is - so long as it doesn’t involve God. For people looking for ways to avoid the truth - a crazy theory without God is better than a credible one with God. 

Creation by Chance

There are three basic options for explaining the origins of the universe: 1) Creation by Creator, 2) Creation by Chaos, and 3) Creation by Chance. In this post we'll look at option #3: Creation by Chance.

When people say that the universe was created by “chance”, they are saying that “chance” is a being that has the power to create, which isn’t true. On the contrary, chance simply refers to the mathematical odds that something will or will not happen. For example...

When a coin is tossed, we say it landed heads or tails “by chance”, but matter of factly it landed heads or tails as a result of a variety of factors (i.e. what side did it start on, how hard was the coin flicked into the air, was there wind, what kind of surface did it land on, at what angle did it land, etc.). When it lands one way or the other, it didn’t happen by chance, it happened as the result of a variety of different factors.

The word “chance” is simply another word for “odds”. And when we talk about chance we’re simply talking about the odds of something happening. When we toss a coin the chances (or odds) of it landing heads is fifty-fifty. The same is true for tails. But whether heads or tails, nothing happened by chance.

Chance can’t cause things to happen because chance has no being. Again - chance is not a thing that operates and works upon other things. Chance is just a mental concept that refers to mathematical possibilities. It has no being. And because it has no being, it has no power and therefore can’t cause things to happen. So when people state that the universe was created by chance, they are really saying the universe was created by nothing. And as a matter of prudence we ought to stop saying that nothing causes something, because it’s a nonsense statement.

So for me personally, not only do I reject the “creation by chaos” theory, I also reject the “creation by chance” theory as well. Why? Because I after studying the evidence, I think it takes for faith to believe in creation by chaos or creation by chance, than creation by creator.

Creation by Chaos

There are three basic options for explaining the origins of the universe: 1) Creation by Creator, 2) Creation by Chaos, and 3) Creation by Chance. In this post we'll look at option #2: Creation by Chaos.

This theory says chaos is responsible for the order in the universe that we see today. One of the featured articles in the 2013 July issue of National Geographic magazine is entitled “It All Began With Chaos”. And this is what public school teaches our kids - that all the right particles and elements needed for life to begin were just floating around and one day “bamb!”, they collided in a cosmic storm and “whallah!”, life as we know it began. But let’s consider this teaching: that order comes from chaos. Let’s consider whether this is something we really believe. 

What if you came over my house and saw a beautiful in-ground pool in my backyard and when you asked me about it, I told you that the June 1st tornado of 2011 died down right over my backyard and that when all the building materials that were spinning in the tornado dropped to the ground, they just formed this beautiful pool. Would you believe me? Of course not! But what if I tried to reason with you that in Springfield the tornado hit the buildings and that’s where the bricks came from...as it crossed the Connecticut river it picked up the water, trees and shrubs...and that as it passed Rocky’s Hardware on the way to my house it picked up the fencing that’s now around the pool? Would that explanation stand to reason? No! Why? Because we all know that order doesn’t come from chaos. Order comes from an organizer.

So personally, I reject the popular theory “creation by chaos”. I think the much better option is "creation by Creator". 

Creation by Creator

There are three basic options for explaining the origins of the universe: 1) Creation by Creator, 2) Creation by Chaos, and 3) Creation by Chance. In this post we'll look at option #1: Creation by Creator.

When you see something that’s been made, the most logical conclusion is that someone made it, right? In other words, where there’s a creation, there’s a creator. Let me illustrate...When I go to Old Lime Beach and see a heart shape in the sand, I intuitively know someone made it. Did I see them do it? No. But it stands to reason that where there’s a creation, there’s a creator. In the same way, when I go to the Granville Gorge and see a Zen rock formation, I intuitively know someone made it. Did I see them do it? No. But it stands to reason that where there’s a creation, there’s a creator. 

So when I look at the heavens and the earth I make the same logical conclusion - creation by creator. When I see a heart shape in the sand on the beach I don’t conclude a wave crashed and created it by chance. When I see a rock formation by a stream bed I don’t conclude that the strong wind of a storm blew them into place. In the same, I don’t believe that chance or chaos created the world. I give credit to a creator. 

I believe God created the heavens. Isaiah 40:25-26 says "“To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?” asks the Holy One. 26 Look up into the heavens. Who created all the stars? He brings them out like an army, one after another, calling each by its name. Because of his great power and incomparable strength, not a single one is missing.” NLT

And I believe God created the earth. Isaiah 40:28 says “Have you never heard? Have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of all the earth...” NLT

Like it says in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” NIV

If God Doesn't Exist...

One of the questions we're answering in our TOUGH QUESTIONS teaching series is: Does God really exist? In this post I hope to show why this is an important question to answer.

If God doesn’t exist, life has no ultimate significance, value or purpose. If God doesn’t exist, there is no afterlife. If God doesn’t exist, there is no hope. If God doesn’t exist, there’s no difference between humans and animals. Without God, you’d be in a real dilemma if you saw a child and a squirrel in the road about to get hit by a car. A child has no more value than a squirrel apart from God, so why save the child and not the squirrel? If God doesn’t exist, then neither do good and evil. Without God, it’s impossible to condemn genocide, oppression, crime, terrorist bombings or school shootings as evil. Nor can you praise generosity, self-sacrifice and love as good. In a universe without God, to kill someone or to love someone is morally equivalent. Finally, if God doesn’t exist, we have no good reason to restrain evil. If life ends at the grave, then it makes no ultimate difference whether you live as a Hitler or as a Mother Teresa. Since your destiny is ultimately unrelated to your behavior, you may as well just live as you please.

Are you starting to see why the answer to this question is so important? See the difference it makes? Christian apologist William Lane Craig wrote in his book On Guard, “If God does not exist, then you are just a miscarriage of nature, thrust into a purposeless universe to live a purposeless life.” And I agree. That’s our situation apart from God, so it’s actually really important we make a decision where we stand on this issue of God’s existence.

To read other posts of an apologetic nature, click here.

Start Playing Offensively

If we're going to ensure the Christian life doesn't become something boring to endure, rather an adventure to be lived, we've got to start playing offensively. 

You can live the Christian life one of two ways. You can focus mainly on defensively avoiding that which is evil, or you focus mainly on offensively doing that which is good. 

It’s ironic that so many people play the Christian life defensively (not trying to be good, rather just trying not to be bad), because it’s actually quite risky to play defensively, as the Boston Bruins illustrated in the 2013 Stanley Cup. The Bruins were ahead 2 to 1 in game six, with about two minutes left on the clock. Trying to hold onto their lead they started playing defensively. Long story short, in those last two minutes they let up two goals. No game seven. Bruins lose. Chicago wins the Cup. Moral of the story? Playing it safe can be risky!!! 

Certainly there are times in the Christian life to play defensively, but the Bible teaches that our main focus ought to be not so much avoiding that which is wrong, but actively and passionately pursuing that which is good. Take a look at Ephesians 6:11 which says “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.” NIV Included in the armor of God is the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness (v.14), shoes of peace and shield of faith (vv.15-16), helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit (v.17). Quick question: Is there any armor included in this list that covers your back? Answer: No! Why? Because we’re not supposed to defensively retreat! God intended for us to go on the offense!

Made for a Mission

When followers of Jesus find themselves bored with their Christian life , it's a tell tale sign they've lost their sense of mission. Let me illustrate...

In Despicable Me 2, Gru and Dr. Nefario have given up their villainous ways. They are bored to tears without a clear sense of mission (or purpose). As villains their modus operandi was clear: lie, pillage, steal. That's what criminals do. But they are both quite unclear what former villains are supposed to do. Dr. Nefario gets so bored he quits working for Gru and joins back up with the bad guys. He basically concludes he's rather have fun with the bad guys than be bored with the good guys. 

This is what's happened to many Christ-followers. Without a clear sense of purpose, they've faltered in their faith. Like Dr. Nefario, they've basically concluded they'd rather have fun with Satan than be bored with God. I guess we could conclude that a dull Christian life often results in dumping the Christian life. 

Well what's the remedy for our restlessness? What's the antidote for our apathy? What's God's cure for our boredom? The answer lies in rediscovering our sense of purpose - remembering that we're made for a mission! God is at work in the world and he wants us to join him. God is out to save the world and he has a role for us to play in his redemptive plan. If you're bored, chances are you're not playing your part. 

Here's four ways you can begin immediately partnering with God: 

1. Commune with God. As you spend time reading your Bible and praying you'll find a supernatural source of power for the mission. 

2. Get in community with other believers. As you engage in Christian community you'll find support and encouragement to persevere with the mission. 

3. Contribute your time and treasure. As you contribute your time by serving you staff God's mission and as you contribute your treasure by giving you fund God's mission. 

4. Take serious God's commission - the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). As you use your life as a sign post to point others to God, you continue the mission. Jesus started it and every time you share your faith or invite someone to church, you continue it.