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The author of the Gospel of John 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) According to the context of this passage, the world is a non-specific term for humanity in a general sense. A remarkable fact is that God loves all people, each and every one.
How do you see humankind? For sure, your point of view of human beings affects how you see yourself and how you treat others as well.
- Evolutionary Species
Many people around the world claim to be believers in evolution. If you were one of them, when you visit a zoo, do you ever wonder why you are the visitor, but the monkeys are caged as exhibit animals instead?
According to many surveys, more and more people believe in evolution. These evolutionists believe human beings were evolved from lower species such as apes. A large population in Sweden, Germany, China, are ardent believers in evolution. In many parts of the world, people strongly believe humanity is an evolutionary species.
Evolutionists view humans are not that much different to animals. They believe in evolution because “Given enough time, anything might be possible.” In theory, if given enough time, I guess most evolutionists believe monkeys would eventually evolve into more intelligent animals. According to their belief, do evolutionists expect monkeys could handle computers one day?
According to most scientists, animals live for three purposes: First, self-propagation. Second, self-preservation. Third, self-gratification. If you were a true evolutionist, you should believe that you were nothing more than an ordinary animal. Most evolutionists trust that humankind is superior to animals only because they have a higher intelligence.
The theory of evolution talks about the survival of the fittest. No wonder some people simply behave like animals. For the sake of survival, people strive to be the fittest among their peers, and that is why, they lie and slander others without a second thought. If necessary, they would even take action to annihilate their opponents.
As a creationist, I strongly believe humans are created by God and all human beings are unique. Most important of all, we are distinct from animals. For instance, human beings are ethical in nature. We have the ability to make the choice between right and wrong. Making moral judgments is a capacity that we have. Deep inside of us we have conscience.
Believe or not, evolution is not a modern-day or recent theory but an ancient concept. Its roots can be traced back to the ancient religion of Hinduism.
In the beginning all was one, this is what both Hindus and evolutionists believe. However, for no apparent reason, there was a great explosion of some sort, which brought about the present Earth and all other existing things today. Hindus believe the lower forms of life will evolve into higher states. As many of you know, Hinduism believes in reincarnation. They believe humanity is evolving into a higher and higher state of consciousness, and the ultimate destination is that they become one with the Hindu god, Brahman.
Evolution is an unproven theory about the origin of life. You might be an ardent believer of evolution, but have you ever thought that you have put your faith in it? Believe in anything needs faith. A believer in creationism needs faith and so does an evolutionist.
- All-powerful Humans
Do you believe humans are all-powerful? Some people do.
Within the kingdom of politics and business, some individuals honestly think they are all-powerful. Numerous politicians consider they are so influential that they have the power to manipulate their supporters. In the business world, some tycoons think they have the power to control the stock market.
If given enough time, some scientists think humans can conquer many things that their ancestors could not do. In the world of science and technology, some individuals even think they can conquer all diseases and even death one day.
During the darkest days of the Covid pandemic, hundreds and thousands of people fell ill and even died because of this terrible virus. Back then, there were no Covid vaccinations—medical scientists were still tirelessly seeking for the proper vaccine. According to what I know, a typical vaccine development timeline takes 5 to 10 years. However, in record-breaking time, several vaccines were finally created for the Covid-affected world. Honestly, I am so grateful for these medical scientists. Without their devotion, I am sure we would still live a life full of fear and isolation. Like many evolutionists and scientists think, if they have enough time, anything might be possible.
Although some people think human beings are all-powerful, I openly disagree with them. My understanding is that humans are wise but not all-powerful.
Satan is a fallen archangel. After his fall from grace, he has become an enemy of God. He hates what God loves and loves what God hates. As humans are God’s prized creation, Satan, the father of lies and deception, would do every thing he could to harm them. In the very beginning of humanity, Satan deceived Eve, the first woman of humanity. He told her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4–5 ESV) The words of Satan were shown to be both true and false. It was very true that after eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve did not die physically immediately. Satan’s half-truths concealed falsehood and led Eve to expect a different result altogether. Satan spoke only about what she would gain and avoided mentioning what she would lose consequently. Satan successfully deceived Adam and Eve. Since the fall from grace, our ancestors and some individuals were misled that as if we were like God, who has the capacity of knowing good and evil.
Let me recap what I said. Humanity is powerful but not all-powerful like God. What can we learn from this fact? All humans should be humble before the all-powerful God.
- Soulless Beings
Fundamentals of Marxism-Leninism, a textbook written by Soviet scholars in Moscow. A statement in this book says, “Materialists do not expect aid from supernatural forces. Their faith is in man, in his ability to transform the world by his own efforts and make it worthy of himself.”
As we can observe, the world is crumbling apart around us, both ethically and physically. What should we do? Some people say, let’s pray for the world. Please do not ask materialists to pray for this because they do not believe in prayer.
One extreme form of materialism believes all of reality consists solely of matter. It denies the existence of spirits, souls, and gods. Moreover, it insists that all activities of mind and emotion are based on physical properties.
Do materialists believe in God? Either some materialists do not believe there is a God, or believe there is no need for a God.
Do materialists believe in the immortality of human beings? Materialists see humans are not immortal. To put it briefly, materialism believes human beings are soulless beings. In practice, most materialists regard the only worth-while pursuit in life are wealth and sensual gratification.
It is true that we need material goods to survive. For sure, we need air, food, water, clothes and shelter. That said, we need non-material things as well. Some people simply live for material goods and do not care about anything else. Sadly, there are individuals only pursue wealth and sensual gratification. The first thing that some people can think of when they wake up in the morning is either money or food. As human beings have a physical body and a soul, we have non-material needs for our souls as well.
It is extremely sad but it is true that many individuals believe humans are soulless beings. On the contrary, the Bible states that human beings are made up of two substances, material and immaterial.
Once again, let me remind you that human beings are not simply material beings. In a word, human beings are made up of both body and soul, thus we have material needs as well as immaterial, spiritual and emotional needs. Have you found something that can fully satisfy you? I guess you have not found it yet. There is a spiritual void or vacuum inside of us, which only Jesus Christ and His Gospel can fill.
Dear friends, open yourself up to Jesus Christ and ask Him to come and fill you up with His amazing and unending love.
- God’s Children
How do Christians see themselves? They see themselves as God’s children. So, what does the Bible say about non-Christians? The Bible reveals God’s heart to human beings. It is adamantly clear that all people are God’s creation (Colossians 1:16), and that God loves the entire world (John 3:16), but only those who are born again are children of God (John 1:12; 11:52; Romans 8:16; 1 John 3:1–10).
The author of the Gospel of John 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) Earlier in the same Gospel, he says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12–13 ESV)
How can a person become a child of God? People become God’s children through faith in Jesus Christ. When individuals trust in Jesus Christ as their Saviour, they would be adopted into God’s family through their relationship with Jesus Christ (Galatians 4:5–6; Ephesians 1:5; Romans 8:14–17).
The reality of being God’s children is a spiritual relationship. Through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, a person of any ethnicity will definitely become a child of God. When a person places his or her faith in Jesus Christ as Saviour, he or she will have the right or the legitimate claim of becoming a child of God.
There was a story about an Englishman who for many years worked as a porter in a railway station. But one day, things changed dramatically. A gentleman went to the station and found him. He broke the sudden news to the humble porter that he was a certain earl and was entitled a large estate. Because of his special physical relationship with the English nobility, this undistinguished porter had suddenly become a rich and powerful man. Similarly, through the spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ, a person can immediately become a child of God.
What is so special about the identity of a child of God? The apostle Paul told the church in Rome, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Romans 8:15 ESV) Similarly, he told the Galatian believers, “And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ ” (Galatians 4:6 ESV)
Jehovah is an older English representation of the proper name for the God of Israel (YHWH). Instead of Jehovah, many people prefer to use Yahweh now. Back in the old days, God’s chosen people did not dare to pronounce Yahweh because they thought His name was too sacred to be uttered. Even now, Jews avoid mentioning God’s name. HaShem (literally ‘the Name’) is employed to refer to God in prayer. In praying and reading the Bible, the term Adonai (“my Lord”) is used.
As Christians, we can call God as Abba. Abba is an Aramaic word and its closest translation in English is daddy. It was an everyday term that young kids would use to address their fathers. It speaks of the intimate relationship of a father to his child. Also, it indicates how a young child trusts in his “daddy.” As followers of Jesus Christ, we are blessed to have the privilege and right to call God our Daddy.
The most precious thing is that God the Father has reserved a place in heaven for Christians. Can you imagine heaven is God’s residence, but lowly human beings can have a spot there? Christians have received the right to call God their Father because what Jesus Christ did on the cross. Thus, heaven has become a home for all believers in Christ.
Dear friends, the earth is not our home. God has prepared a place for us in heaven. If you want to be there when you finish your earthly journey, all you have to do is to receive Jesus Christ into your heart as your Saviour. Only then, we can catch a glimpse of heaven and experience His unfailing love in your heart.
Dear Christians, there are many people around you who have not heard of God’s grace. Let’s go tell them about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
Kenneth Thumb Ministry 譚約珥事工 