Unlike brute creation that operates on instinct, humans have the capacity to think. And sometimes we dare to think about God. Is there a God? Can we know Him? What is He like? This process is more like checkers than chess. Each move involves just one elementary question.
First move: God or no God? If you accept no God, again there are two options. The atheist says categorically there is no God. This position is untenable because you could only truly say this if you had been everywhere and knew everything—otherwise God could be outside your range of travel or knowledge.
But how is God described? The Being who is everywhere and knows everything! Thus the only way to say there is no God is if you were God. And God says that’s foolish (Ps 14:1)
God is not material, of course; we must search for Him by spiritual means. I’m reminded of Yuri Gagarin, the first Soviet cosmonaut. When he returned from his one orbit around earth at a height of just over 200 miles, he opined, “I looked and looked but I didn’t see God.” I would think if he was serious about meeting God, he might have just stepped out of his spacecraft.
The other option for the no-God position is agnosticism. “Agnostic” is the Greek form of the Latin “ignorant,” but sounds better. They say, “I don’t think anyone can know if there’s a God.” Those who take such a position shouldn’t be called agnostic—they DO know a lot. More than Jesus! He said you CAN know: “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (Jn 8:32)
If we accept God’s existence, the next move is between one God or many. But the concept of pantheism presents a serious moral problem: If God is in everything, then I can’t take evil seriously. As Charles Manson said at his trial, “If I’m God and you’re God, then nothing’s wrong.” Yikes! He was right!
If you’re driven to monotheism because you take evil seriously, there are three basic options: Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The most ancient book accepted by all three beliefs is the book of Job. He wrote, “I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.” (Job 19:25-26)
Amazing! But here’s the kicker. Muslims don’t believe the Redeemer died; Jews don’t believe He rose again. The Christian is the only one who believes we will “see God”—God the Son with the love-wounds of Calvary still visible.
Now comes a challenging move where those who’ve made it this far can make a major misstep. The two choices are these: Must I merit eternal life by my own efforts, or is it a gift of undeserved grace? The Bible is clear. Salvation “is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)
One final choice. If it’s true that “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved,” will I put off this decision, or receive Him right now?
“Now is the day of salvation.” (2 Cor 6:2) It’s your move.
Article by Jabe Nicholson first published in the Commercial Dispatch, Sunday, August 28, 2022