Good News About God and Man
Who, or what, is God? Where is he? Is
belief in God merely something we must accept "in faith," believing
with absolutely no evidence? Or is there
actually "proof" of God's existence?
Is man just an intelligent animal, floating aimlessly through space on a
dying planet, with no purpose to his existence? Is man simply a highly evolved
monkey, or was he, indeed, created by an all-wise God in his own image?
Most importantly, if God exists, what
kind of Person is he? Why should we love and obey him?
These questions have burned in the heart of mankind for ages. Since it
is difficult to eradicate belief in God, his enemy did the next best thing: he
maligned God's character, creating a distrust and fear of him.
Many have believed God to be an arbitrary,
selfish dictator who blasts a lightning bolt at anyone who dares to question
his authority.
The teachings from the pulpit have turned
many into skeptics and infidels, making millions turn away and completely
abandon trust and belief in such a deity.
Yet as we will continually see as we unfold the truth about God, the
good news is that God is not the kind of
person his enemies have made him out to be!
EVIDENCE
1. Does God actually give men evidence to believe in his existence?
We
are here to announce the Good News, to turn you away from these worthless
things to the living God, who made heaven, earth, sea, and all that is in them.
In the past he allowed all people to go their own way. But he has always given
evidence of his existence by the good things he does: he gives you rain from
heaven and crops at the right times; he gives you food and fills your hearts
with happiness.
Acts 14:15-17 TEV
2. Can anyone say that they didn't believe because they had not had enough
evidence?
God punishes them, because what can be known about God is
plain to them, for God himself made it plain. Ever since God created the world,
his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have
been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those
people have no excuse at all! Romans
3. What are some of the places God tells us to inquire about him?
Even birds and animals have much they could teach you; ask
the creatures of earth and sea for their wisdom. All of them know that the
Lord's hand made them. It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone's
life is in his power. Job 12:7-10 TEV (see also Matthew
Note: All
around us, in earth and sea and sky, there are countless evidences of order,
beauty, accuracy, adaptation and intelligent planning. Consider these marvels
of creative design: The beauty and perfume of the flowers. Snowflake crystals.
A butterfly's wings. A spider's web. A bird's feather. A cob of corn. The
marvelous instincts and mechanisms of the honeybee. The annual miracle of bird
migration. The bat's ingenious "radar" system.
In the story, "Robinson
Crusoe," the story of a man stranded on a desert island, we find that
he was concerned when he found fresh footprints in the wet sand. By the
footprints he knew that another person was on the island, even though he had
not seen that person with his eyes.
If one print of a bare foot in the sand is absolute proof
of the existence and presence of a human being, what are we to think when we
see the prints of the Master covering the whole world?
Now, let us ask ourselves:
could these wonders have created themselves? In this beautiful, incredible
world we live in, we can see footprints of God.
4. Read and consider the following texts:
How clearly the sky reveals God's glory! How plainly it shows what he has done! Psalm 19:1 TEV
And
then the people of
Note:
In the heavens above us there are the
same evidences of pattern, order, beauty, accuracy and apparent purpose
which we see in our own world—only magnified
to a breathtaking degree.
Consider these wonders of the starry heavens: the enormous sizes, weights, speeds, numbers, distances and temperatures of the billions of planets and stars. The precise calculation and coordination of their weights, motions, speeds, temperatures and orbits. The fine balancing of attractions and repulsions. The split-second timing. The perfect synchronization. The clock-like regularity. All maintained in a state of harmony by constantly operating laws and controls.
Now, let us ask
again: could these marvels have made themselves?
“Lift
up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth
out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might,
for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.” Isaiah 40:26 KJV
5. What did David say when he considered the human body and its miraculous
composition and functions?
I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. Psalm 139:14 KJV
Note: In the human body there are the same amazing
evidences of ingenious design, coordination and adaptation and creative
forethought which we see in the earth and in the heavens. Consider these
wonders of the body: The living cell. The heart. The brain. The digestive
system. The prolonged and intricate miracle of reproduction and growth. The
glands. The body's marvelous defense and healing mechanisms.
What shall we do with these countless evidences of intelligent planning and forethought in the earth, in the heavens, and in our bodies? We cannot ignore them; they demand a rational explanation. How have they come into existence? We must ask for the third time: could these marvels of creation have made themselves?
6. Then how did the universe come into existence?
7. Who was the designer of each of these details?
And the LORD said unto him, Who hath
made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?
have not I the LORD? Exodus
God made
our ears—can't he hear? He made our eyes—can't he see? Psalm 94:9 TEV
8. Read the following scriptures:
Every house, of course, is built by someone—and God is the one who has built all things. Hebrews 3:4 TEV
Fools
say to themselves, "There is no God!" Psalm 14:1 TEV
Honestly now; can you find
any fault in these conclusions?
9. What makes him "God"?
Don't you know? Haven't you heard? The Lord is the everlasting God; he created all the world. He never grows tired or weary. No one understands his thoughts. Isaiah 40:28 TEV
Note:
God is the all-powerful Creator and
Sustainer of all things.
10. Is he so far away that he is ignorant of man's doings? Has he abandoned
the human race?
Where could I go
to escape from you? Where could I get away from your presence? If I went up to
heaven, you would be there; if I lay down in the world of the dead, you would
be there. Psalm
139:7-8 TEV
The
eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the
evil and the good. Proverbs 15:3 TEV (See also Genesis
11. Is he near to us personally?
He did this so that [humanity] would look for him, and
perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from
any one of us. Acts
No
one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us,
and his love is made perfect in us. If we declare that Jesus is the Son of God,
we live in union with God and God lives in union with us. And we ourselves know
and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and those who live in
love live in union with God and God lives in union with them. I John
12. What does God say about his own character?
The Lord then passed in front of him and called out, "I, the Lord, am a God who is full of compassion and pity, who is not easily angered and who shows great love and faithfulness. Exodus 34:6 TEV
13. Anyone can make claims. How do we know we can believe these claims
about himself?
Philip
said to him, "Lord, show us the Father; that is all we need." Jesus
answered, "For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know
me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say,
"Show us the Father”? John 14:8-9 TEV
Note:
Mere claims prove nothing. But God came and lived among us for 33½ years and
demonstrated what he is like. By beholding Jesus and his life, we see what kind of a person God is,
for Jesus is the "express
image" (Greek charakter) of
God: “He [Christ] reflects the brightness of God's
glory and is the exact likeness of God's own being, sustaining the universe
with his powerful word.” Hebrews 1:3 TEV
14. What, in essence, sums up what God is?
Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us. God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them. I John 4:8,16 TEV
Note:
It does not say that God has
love, but that God is love.
15. How does God show his love? What does God mean by
"love"?
Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail. Love is eternal. I Corinthians 13:4-8 TEV
16. Does God think of us as his mere creatures?
See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children—and so, in fact, we are. This is why the world does not know us: it has not known God. My dear friends, we are now God's children, but it is not yet clear what we shall become. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he really is. I John 3:1,2 TEV
17. Why should we obey God?
But I did command them to obey me, so that I would be their
God and they would be my people. And I told them to live the way I had
commanded them, so that things would go well for them. Jeremiah
Happy
are those who obey the Lord, who live by his commands. Your work will provide
for your needs; you will be happy and prosperous. Your wife will be like a
fruitful vine in your home, and your children will be like young olive trees
around your table. A man who obeys the Lord will surely be blessed like this. Psalm 128:1-4 TEV
18. Does he care about our problems?
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Jeremiah 31:3 KJV
Leave all your
worries with him, because he cares for you. I Peter 5:7
19. How much does he care?
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life. John
Note:
In Matthew 7:7-11, Jesus taught us that if earthly fathers care for their
children, how much more does our heavenly Father care for us!
20. What relationship does he desire to have with us?
I do
not call you servants any longer, because servants do not know what their
master is doing. Instead, I call you friends, because I have told you
everything I heard from my Father. John
Note:
God's ultimate desire from us is trust based on intimate knowledge: “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and
to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.” John 17:3 TEV (see also Jeremiah
31:34, Isaiah 11:9, and Isaiah 26:3)
21. Will we find happiness if we place priority on our relationship with
him?
Be
concerned above everything else with the
22. How deep can this relationship go?
Love
the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength. Deuteronomy 6:5 TEV (Matthew
I
pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me
and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent
me. John
And the Spirit
and the bride say, Come! And let him that heareth say, Come! And let him that
is athirst come! And whosoever will, let him take the water of life
freely! Revelation
In light of God's matchless love for
you and his invitation to become his friend, will you decide to:
1. Ask Jesus to become a part of your
life,
2. Tell others of his love and power to
change lives, and
3. Consider your relationship with Jesus
a matter of life and death?
My response to Christ is:______________________________