Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cc37ca77-9049-4a9b-bd84-e2697b06db4e
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
Whether we like it not, without our prior consent, we are born into this world. Whether we like it not, we all live in this world of plurality. Whether we like it not, as human beings, we have to make uncountable choices of big and small every day. Based on our knowledge and past experiences about worldly matters, we choose what is best for us and other people.
Our criteria of decision-making is anchored on how we see this world. Another technical word for how we see the world is world view.
John 3:16 is one of the most famous verses of the Bible. It says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 ESV) May I highlight a few words in this verse; the first one is God. The understanding of these words reflect your world view. My question to you is what is God to you?
- People’s Views of God
Atheism
Some people might snub me by saying, “I don’t believe in God. I am a downright atheist!” Admittedly, it is a fair response. I understand atheists don’t believe in God, but according to the experts, there are different types of atheists. Let me point out two groups.
Traditional Atheists
The first group are traditional atheists. They take the view that there is not, never was, and never will be a God.
Mythological Atheists
The second group are mythological atheists. These people believe the existence of God is simply a myth or legend. According to these mythological atheists, by the advancement of modern science, philosophy, and culture, the folklore of God by which western culture lived for so long has already died.
Humans Are Material
Some atheists don’t believe humans have immortal souls. They are strict materialists. They see humans as just matter in motion. In a word, certain atheists believe they exist on earth temporally.
As some materialists don’t believe they have a soul, they only live for material things. Many folks only care for are wealth, good food and enjoyment.
Numerous individuals put their trust in material things. They think gourmet food, vintage wine and designer label clothing can truly satisfy them. But, can they really find ultimate satisfaction in consumerism?
Let me remind you that every human being has a spiritual vacuum in their souls. Human beings are not just a material being, but also have a spiritual part, which I call soul. This God-shaped vacuum can only filled up by God Himself. Therefore, for sure material goodies will not fully satisfy us.
No Moral Absolute
Generally speaking, atheists don’t believe in moral absolutes. They regard all ethics are relative.
When I say we live in a chaotic world, I am pretty sure you would agree with me. One of the many causes is no moral absolute. No wonder we cannot agree on our views on abortion, euthanasia and sexual orientation, etc.
My Response to Atheism
Atheists might challenge me saying, “Can you prove the existence of God?”
Many people have tried very hard to disprove or prove the existence of God, but the Bible always assumes God’s existence. Many Bible-believing theologians have already written numerous articles on this subject, and if atheists like, they can always refer to their works. Right here I will not spend time proving the existence of God to you.
However, my question to the atheists around the world is “You can live your life without believing the existence of God, If God really exists, if Jesus Christ is really God’s Son and the Saviour of the world, what would you lose now and at the end of your life?”
Pantheism
Many people in the world are pantheists. In short, they believe all is God and God is all. Nothing exists that is not God. For example, pantheists see trees and oceans as gods and goddesses.
Shinto is an indigenous Japanese religion. Shinto is the way of kami. Literally, it means “the way of the higher spirits or gods.” In short, the kami are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent landscape locations.
After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Shinto became the state religion of Japan. Back then, Japanese believed they were descendants of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Japanese emperors are seen as gods, but after World War II, the state support of Shinto was abolished by the United States occupation authorities. Consequently, the emperor renounced his claim of divinity.
Japan is a popular tourist attraction. Every year many people all over the world flock to visit this country. If you pay close attention, this country is full of Shinto symbols. For example, the torii gate is the gateway of a Shinto shrine, with two uprights and two crosspieces. It is a symbol which marks the transition from the mundane to the sacred. Also, it is a spot where kami are welcomed and thought to travel through. Besides, the national flag of Japan has a red dot centred on a white background. It is a a Shinto symbol. The red circle represents the rising sun, which is a symbol of the sun goddess Amaterasu.
According to my understanding, Shinto is pantheistic and polytheistic in nature.
Likewise, in many parts of the world, individuals worship rocks and trees because they think these things are divine beings.
Deism
Deism flourished in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries but began to fade away in the nineteenth century. Although this belief has lost its popularity, its effects still impact modern people. For instance, people deny miracles, hold critical views of the Bible, and many people behave God has little or nothing to do with their lives.
The Belief of Deism
What is deism? Deists believe in a God who made the world but never interrupts it with supernatural events. Instead, He lets it run by immutable natural laws.
Deism is the belief in a God who made the world but never interrupts it with supernatural events. They believe God does not interfere with His creation. Rather, God has designed it to run by immutable natural laws.
My Response to Deism
Deism portrays a God who is aloof and indifferent to human beings, which is contrary to the teaching of the Bible. In the Bible, God is the Creator who cares so much about the well-being of humankind that He sent His only begotten Son to rescue them from eternal punishment.
Finite Godism
There is a belief called finite Godism. It is also known as theistic finitism, also known as finitistic theism. Its name might be difficult to comprehend, but its theory is pretty simple. They state that God’s power is limited. First of all, they reason that if God were omnipotent, He could destroy evil. Secondly, if God were all-good, He would destroy evil, but wickedness has not been destroyed, thus they reason that God is not all-powerful.
My Response to Finite Godism
Here is what my response to finite Godism. For sure, evil exists in this world, but God will completely destroy evil one day. John 3:16 speaks of the power of the cross. All humans are evil in nature. All of us, including children, have committed evil deeds in our lives. Let me give you an example. All of us have hated someone before. Some of us have even hated somebodies so bad that we wished them were dead. The most appalling thing was that these people that they hated were their siblings.
The Bible indicates that the consequence of sin is eternal death. However, God in Jesus Christ conquered evil on the cross. Not only Jesus died on the cross, He rose to life after three days, By the resurrection of Jesus, He defeated sin, death and hell. In the last book of the Bible, God will eventually judge all evil people, and will send them to hell forever. God’s eternal and sinless kingdom will finally arrive.
Polytheism
Polytheism is the belief that there are multiple gods in the universe. These gods are not equal in power and have distinct domains of influence. Additionally, they are not being beyond the space-time world, but they are in the world. These gods and goddesses are not creators of the universe but they help to shape and transform the cosmos.
In the ancient world, such as the Greeks and Romans, they are worshippers of many gods and goddesses. Around the world today, there are people still believe in numerous deities. Let me name a few: Hinduism, Taoism, Chinese folk religion, Shinto, most traditional African religions and Wicca.
Let me draw your attention to Wicca. Wicca is a neopagan religion. Over the years, it has become more popular and has significant acceptance in America and Europe. Perhaps, you might still find Wicca foreign to you, but you must have heard of Halloween. Halloween is the night when pagans say farewell to the spirits of loved ones who died the previous year. Millions of people celebrate Halloween around the world. Many people, especially young people, find wearing strange costumes and go trick-or-treating fun and trendy. As you can see, the ancient Wiccan religion still has a stronghold on modern society.
- Christian’s View of God
Unique God
In the first book of the Bible, it says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NIV) From the outset, God’s Word refutes pantheism. Instead, it affirms monotheism. There is one and only God in this universe. In other words, God is unique.
Let me give you two examples. The first one is if God is one and only, He must have no beginning.
God Has No Beginning
Many truth-seeking people have asked the following question: “Who made God?” The biblical answer is no one because God has no beginning. The reason is simply because whoever could create God would then be God Himself. The rationale is that a god that could be created would be no god at all.
God Is Beyond Time
God is one and only because He is eternal. God has no beginning point and no ending point. Eternality relates to time. The eternal God is beyond time and is not constrained by time. One important thing is that time is created by God. Time has a beginning, but God has no beginning. Some Bible-believing Christians like to say, God is timeless.
Can you find me on earth a hundred years ago? I admit I am getting old, but not that old! Sorry, I do not exist a century ago. I am not timeless, but God is.
Transcendent God
God is transcendent, that is to say, He is beyond our understanding. In other words, He is mysterious to us.
In a language that Christian Theologians think we understand, they try to explain God to us. However, after reading these articles, we still don’t quite understand God. Is it because we are stupid? Perhaps! Um, don’t worry, we aren’t that foolish! There is a major reason that we don’t understand theological truths completely because God is mysterious. No human beings would have all the wisdom to understand God. If we are humble enough, we would admit that we could not fully explain or understand God.
There is a classic passage about the mystery of God. The apostle Paul says, “Oh, 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 counsellor? Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33–36 ESV)
Although God is willing to reveal Himself to human beings, we simply cannot completely understand Him. Humankind are beings. We are limited in wisdom and bound by time and space. On the other hand, God is the incomprehensible Creator existing outside of space and time and thus He is unknowable and unsearchable.
Astronomers often talk about their new findings about the vastness of the universe. As human beings are bound in time and space, we cannot fully understand the universe. Similarly, since God exists outside of space and time, there is no way for us to fully know Him.
Approachable God
Although God is transcendent, He is approachable. In the Bible, God is seen as transcendent but He is also immanent at the same time. In other words, God is approachable and He is always willing to connect with human beings.
God is immanent. Immanence speaks of the fact that God is present in all of creation, while remaining distinct from it. As you can see, God cannot be part of the universe.
On the one hand, God is transcendent, but on the other hand, He is omnipresent, that is, He is every where. It is a comforting thought to the believers because God is with them all the time.
God doesn’t want to hide Himself from humans. He is with us all the time. He wants to connect with us. In conclusive terms, God is approachable.
There are many distant fathers in this world. When distant fathers come home after work, they watch TV instead of being with their children. They are physically and emotionally unavailable to their kids. Unlike distant fathers, God wants to get involved with humans spiritually and emotionally.
Personal God
The Bible teaches us that there is a personal God in this universe. God is the One who acts in history and answers prayers. Also, He is more than willing to let people experience His presence.
What does john 3:16 teach? Not only it teaches us God exists, it speaks of a personal God who is willing to sacrifice His own Son for the well-being of all human beings. All of us are sinners and we need salvation badly. Here are the following responses that I would like you to have.
First, all you need to do is believe that God exists and that He is a personal God. Second, you have to acknowledge that you are guilty in the presence of God.
Thirdly, you need to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins.
Finally, if you claimed to be a Christian, since you believe in a personal God, be conscious that you can connect with Him on a regular basis. Moreover, you should find the opportunity to share the Good News of a personal salvation with your non-believing friends and relatives.
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 