I can’t believe…
§
In a God that required an entire nation be
utterly destroyed; men, women, and children.
§
In a God that allows little children to die from
cancer and other diseases.
§
In a God that created a place of torment.
§
In a God whose followers are messed up and
scattered throughout hundreds of churches.
This is not the entire list of reasons people give for not
believing in God. However, it generally covers the majority of reasons given.
At the outset let me say, that I can’t provide a practical rationale why
someone should believe in God. I’m not able to logically assuage every doubt. It
is impossible to prove that God exists. It is also impossible to prove that God
doesn’t exist. I will not attempt to explain God in connection to the
objections raised by those who do not believe he exists. I will rather look at
what God has revealed about himself; if this influences someone to believe,
that’s good. Some consider the Bible to be obscure and unreliable. That
objection is largely based on misunderstanding and misrepresentation by people
claiming knowledge of the scriptures.
God see things
differently to man
…the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward
appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.[1]
In the process of selecting a replacement for King Saul, the
prophet Samuel was warned not to rely on human judgment. That’s easier said
than done. Our brains are wired to make sense of situations based on our life
experiences.
Humans are adaptive creatures. As kids,
we adjust to our social environment as part of our survival. Our sensory
pathways start to develop as early as three months before we’re even born. The
first six years are a critical period in which we lay down many neural circuits
of our brain. Events that occur in this timeframe can therefore shape how
reactive we are and how triggered we’ll be into different states later in life.
Because of this, any early adversity we experience heavily influences how we
process the world around us.[2]
…as you go about your life, you are
constantly (and unconsciously) organizing sensory inputs via rules and then
matching them to your perceptual knowledge, which in turn is then translated,
analyzed and manipulated via conceptual knowledge, at least when you are
surprised or in need of deeper understanding what you are seeing. It is one of
those everyday things that we should occasionally remind ourselves how awesome
it really is.[3]
The tendency to let expectation be our
guide can cause even those of us who are intelligent, experienced, and
well-trained to overlook some startlingly obvious things.[4]
The advice to Samuel was instructive, alerting him to the
hidden qualities recognized by God. As a prophet, Samuel represented God’s
will.
Seek the LORD while he may be found,
call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the
unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy
on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not
your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts.[5]
Samuel’s assessment of the qualities of the future king were
at odds with those of God. It is necessary for us to accept the fact that God’s
thoughts and ways are higher (better) than ours. We do not think like God, we
do not understand like God, we don’t see what God sees. I am under no
compulsion to explain the events some find objectionable to the point of
rejecting God. The problem for those people is not what God permitted or
commanded, but their own perception of justice under which God is guilty. The
problem is there is no place for faith, because the objectors have set
themselves above God. People like this have gone beyond the skepticism of Job,
which was tempered by piety, to rejecting God because he doesn’t fit with their
perceptions of was is right or acceptable. They have become gods to themselves.
Assessing divine events by human reason is the same as idolatry. In essence one
is saying that he or she can only believe in a god who meets a human standard
of acceptability. Even some who do believe in God fashion his form acceptable
to their understanding.
God is superior to
man
The Lord said: Because these people
draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts
are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by
rote; so I will again do amazing things with this people, shocking and amazing.
The wisdom of their wise shall perish, and the discernment of the discerning
shall be hidden. Ha! You who hide a plan too deep for the LORD, whose deeds are
in the dark, and who say, "Who sees us? Who knows us?" You turn
things upside down! Shall the potter be regarded as the clay? Shall the thing
made say of its maker, "He did not make me"; or the thing formed say
of the one who formed it, "He has no understanding"?[6]
Some people just can’t accept that God is superior to them.
In their pompous arrogance they see themselves as superior to all and any.
There is none like you among the gods,
O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall
come and bow down before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are
great and do wondrous things; you alone are God. Teach me your way, O LORD,
that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify
your name forever.[7]
Who has directed the spirit of the LORD, or as his counselor has
instructed him? Whom did he consult for his enlightenment, and who taught him
the path of justice? Who taught him knowledge, and showed him the way of
understanding?[8]
He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. He
wraps up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud does not burst under them. He
obscures the face of the full moon and spreads His cloud over it. He has inscribed a
circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness. The
pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. He quieted the sea with
His power, and by His
understanding He shattered Rahab. By His breath the heavens are cleared; His
hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are the fringes of His
ways; and how faint a
word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?[9]
Godly men of the past have written about the greatness and
superiority of God. However, the scripture records, “Fools say in their hearts, "There is no
God.”[10]
God is beyond human
understanding; the infinite vs finite
Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of
the Almighty? It is higher than heaven--what can you do? Deeper than
Sheol--what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader
than the sea.[11]
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How
unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known
the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Or who has given a gift to
him, to receive a gift in return? For from him and through him and to him are
all things. To him be the glory forever. Amen.[12]
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”--these things God has revealed to us through
the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For
what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is
within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of
God.[13]
Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond
measure.[14]
Of all that can be thought or said
about God, His Infinitude is the most difficult to grasp. Even to try to
conceive of it would appear to be self-contradictory, for such
conceptualization requires us to undertake something which we know at the
outset we can never accomplish. Yet we must try, for the Holy Scriptures teach
that God is infinite and, if we accept His other attributes, we must of
necessity accept this one too.
Infinitude, of course, means
limitlessness, and it is obviously impossible for a limited mind to grasp the
Unlimited.
The reason for our dilemma has been
suggested before. We are trying to envision a mode of being altogether foreign
to us, and wholly unlike anything we have known in our familiar world of
matter, space, and time.[15]
The problem facing people is how to grasp and understand
God’s infinitude. A task suggested by Tozer, is impossible. Words associated
with God are, “Omnipotent. Omnipresent. Omniscient”, which mean, God is
all-powerful, all-present, and all-knowing. The characteristic of each of these
words is infinite. There is no way to comprehend that God is at all places at
all times. There is debate on God’s all-knowledge. Calvinists protect God’s
sovereignty, by establishing the doctrine of predestination. Their reasoning is
that without foreordination, God cannot be all-knowing. Human free will allows
that a person has the right to change his or her mind, that being so, God can’t
know for certain what a person might choose. Calvinists, rather than supporting
God’s Sovereignty, actually deny it –but that’s how we human’s reason.
Jesus, God’s
representative on earth
Mohammed, Allah, the pope, Buddha, Hindu gods, Joseph Smith,
Mary Eddie Baker, Ellen G. White, Russell/Rutherford, Baha Ulla, a church, a
preacher, etc. etc. None of these or any like them can give life or access to
God the Father. There is only one person, one agent, who has been designated to
offer access to God, and that is Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father
except through me.”[16]
Then from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my Son, my
Chosen; listen to him!"[17]
I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and
go out and find pasture.[18]
Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the
prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he
appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is
the reflection of God's glory and the exact imprint of God's very being, and he
sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,[19]
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let
us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the
pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set
before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at
the right hand of the throne of God.[20]
This Jesus is 'the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has
become the cornerstone.' There is salvation in no one else, for there is no
other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.[21]
…this is right and is acceptable in the sight of
God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge
of the truth. For there is one God; there is also one mediator between God and
humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all--this
was attested at the right time.[22]
Jesus was the sacrificial lamb. Through his blood we have
access to God the Father. It doesn’t matter how religious you are, it doesn’t
even matter how often you pray to God the Father; the only access to the Father
is through the Son. That’s the way God planned it, and that’s the way it is. There
is a haunting statement by Jesus;
Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of
heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day
many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast
out demons in your name, and do many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will
declare to them, 'I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers.'[23]
No amount of religious work, no number miraculous deeds, not
even extensive prophecy is sufficient to assure access to God. Only those who
do the will of God will have entrance into eternal blessings. The will of God,
“For this is the will of My
Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal
life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day.”[24]
Trying to understand the infinite God is impossible for
human minds. As Tozer wrote “Even to try to conceive of it would appear to be
self-contradictory, for such conceptualization requires us to undertake
something which we know at the outset we can never accomplish.” The scripture
says that Jesus was the “the
exact imprint of God's very being,” or in a different version “the exact representation of His
nature”. It may be that God in his wisdom sent his son into the world as
a human, so that we can relate to Jesus, as human, yet he was the very likeness
of God. We see the love of God in Jesus, we recognize the power of God in
Jesus, and we notice the relationship Jesus had with God his Father. We focus
on Jesus to learn about the heavenly Father. Our relationship with God is
through Jesus. We are to do everything in the name of Jesus.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not
have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has
been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw
near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need.[25]
It is difficult, if not impossible to understand the
statement made by John that “God
is love”[26]. But, we see Jesus
demonstrating love in all that he did. While it’s impossible to comprehend the
concept that God is love, we see God’s love in sending his son into the world,
and the abounding love of Jesus offering himself as the sacrifice for humanity.
Jesus speaking to Philip said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.”[27] Jesus
is God’s connection with people, Jesus is the medium through which people
approach God. “…we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
People who reject God, because he doesn’t meet there rules
of assessment should keep in mind that nowhere is it evenly remotely suggested
that God has to justify himself to people. God doesn’t require people to
approve of him, he doesn’t seek people to agree with him; God requires
obedience, and belief. Those who reject God because they feel he is
inconsistent, or not demonstrating his attribute as they think he should, need
to stop and face the facts. God is blameless, and righteous. People who reject
God because he doesn’t meet their expectations, are putting themselves and
their intellect above God’s. That is truly dumb. People need to be honest with
themselves. If they reject God, it’s not because God has faults, the problem is
with the unbeliever, not God. God doesn’t ask us to agree with him, he asks for
faith. As the prophet said, “…
Will the clay say to the potter, 'What are you doing?”[28]
… God has chosen the foolish things of the world
to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,
and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things
that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may
boast before God.[29]
People can rummage around in the ancient scriptures and find
situations which offend their senses. It might be better to acknowledge lack of
understanding of those events, rather than assigning fault to God. To set
oneself up as the judge and jury of God, is the highest form of idolatry. Jesus
has to be the focus and substance of our faith. People can get to know God
through Jesus. The reason we are told to look to Jesus is that we can on a
human level learn from him. Jesus experienced life the same way as any human,
yet he was God’s exact image. Jesus experienced being finite. The scripture
addresses his life and his relationship with God the Father. Jesus spent a lot
of time in prayer, communicating with God. That might be an indication how
people can learn to cope with life’s stresses and doubts.
For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted
of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have
tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have
fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they
again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.[30]
This is an ominous warning to people who give up their
belief in God. The tragic reality of people who reject God after drawing close
to him through Jesus, is that they are pronounced guilty of personally
crucifying him. This warning makes it clear that salvation is through and in
Jesus.
[1]
1Sam 16:7
[2]
Can You Trust Your Own Perceptions? By, Lisa Firestone Ph.D. Psychology Today
[3]
Perception and Perceptual Illusions, by Gregg Henriques Ph.D. Psychology Today
[4]
We See What We Want to See, by Joseph T. Hallinan. Psychology Today
[5]
Isa 55:6-9
[6]
Isa 29:13-16
[7]
Psa 86:8-12
[8]
Isa 40:13,14
[9]
Job 26:7-14
[10]
Psa 53:1
[11]
Job 11:7-9
[12]
Rom 11:33-36
[13]
1Co 2:9-11
[14]
Psa 147:5
[15]
Knowledge Of The Holy by A.W. Tozer, chapter 8
[16]
Joh 14:6
[17]
Luke 9:35
[18]
Joh 10:9
[19]
Heb 1:1-3
[20]
Heb 12:1, 2
[21]
Act 4:11, 12
[22]
1Ti 2:3-6
[23]
Mat 7:21-23
[24]
Joh 6:40
[25]
Heb 4:14-16
[26]
1Jn 4:8
[27]
Joh 14:9
[28]
Isa 45:9
[29]
1Co 1:27-29
[30]
Heb 6:4-6
No comments:
Post a Comment