FROM THE PASTOR
How do we know there is a God?
The “Designer” argument
We know from experience that virtually any complex object has been created by either a person, or at least some kind of intelligent activity. Listening to a radio station this morning, I was reminded again how the mobile phones we use, have more technology in them than the technology used to land men on the moon. Anything from a beautiful painting to a highly technical computer, nothing happens by accident or sheer random chance. Everything has a creator, a designer and a manufacturer. The world we live in, is incredibly complex and complicated, and to say, it all happened by accident is to state the impossible. The world speaks of a designer and creator. As Christians, when we look at creation and it’s beauty, we say that we see the work of God, and nature reflects God’s beauty.
That’s the “Designer” argument in a nutshell.
The “Inner Testimony” argument
Humankind of nearly every nation or race of people have worshipped some form of god, or gods. People have always had a sense of a higher spiritual state or higher spiritual being. Some people believe in God because of some supernatural experiences they’ve had. Or to put it another way, some people believe in God because they’ve experience some kind of miracle in their life that they simply cannot explain; so there is a strong inner conviction that there is a God.
That’s a condensed version of the “Inner Testimony” argument.
Problems with the “Inner Testimony” and “Designer” arguments
Although nature and instinct point us towards the possibility there is a god, there is still some uncertainty about god and what god is like. We know nature has its opposites; it can be beautiful, but also brutal.
Many ancient religions saw the gods they believed in as being brutal; some resulting in human sacrifice as fear of the gods were a central part of their religion. Earlier this week, we may have heard some news of a volcanic eruption, in our own nation there is drought, while other places have famine, disease – or some negative effects of nature, so this would be a sign(s) the god(s) are not happy; and some kind of sacrifice would have to be made to appease their god(s).
With the inner conviction argument, it’s true that different people have different experiences and feelings. What you experience may not be my experience. And if I have not had that same experience you’ve had, where does that leave me? So that’s the kind of thing relating to the “Inner Conviction” argument. One person can have a strong belief about something, but the next person can feel just the opposite. Inner conviction is an essential part of religion, but as Christians, we need to be careful about what we base that on; feelings and emotions change, day in, day out. And, as Christians, our faith in God are not based on feelings.
Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian Faith.
We know, and we are sure there is a God because of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God showed himself and taught us about himself. Jesus showed he is God by the incredible things he did which only God could do. Such as controlling the weather, raising dead people back to life, healing diseases by touch or command, Jesus gave his life, and took it back again. Now some people will argue that we depend on what others saw and wrote down about who Jesus was and what he did – so then, how can we be sure they got it right and didn’t just make it up?
Put simply. The early Christians had nothing to gain by making up lies; they gave up their lives for Jesus Christ, you don’t die for something you know is a lie. More to the point; Jesus was most of the time, if not all the time out in the public, and a character
that thousands of people heard and saw. So if the early followers made up lies about him, they would have been seen as frauds and no one would have listened or taken much notice. Even non-Christians, who lived at the time of Jesus have written about him, and what they said backs up what the Bible says.
The Bible
We depend on the bible to know about God. The Bible is God’s communication tool that he uses to tell us how he feels about us, his plan to save people, and how he wants us to live. We believe that down through the centuries, God at various times and in various places communicated with people whom he chose to bring his messages to the whole human race.
Dear friends, God does not leave us to work out for ourselves who God is, what kind of God he is, and what he wants from us, and what he does for us. God graciously communicates with us. The Bible (the word of God / Holy Scripture) is God’s “self-revelation”; it makes God known to us, so that we can honour, love and trust him as our God.
We Pray:
† That the church will always remain committed to following Christ.
† That the church will always hear and proclaim God's word and do his will.
† That Christians would not become discouraged, but be filled with hope, knowing that a great glory awaits them.
† For governments everywhere, that they may be committed to opposing evil and corruption and upholding justice and goodness.
† For all who face discouragement and troubles may be comforted by God's loving care.
The “Designer” argument
We know from experience that virtually any complex object has been created by either a person, or at least some kind of intelligent activity. Listening to a radio station this morning, I was reminded again how the mobile phones we use, have more technology in them than the technology used to land men on the moon. Anything from a beautiful painting to a highly technical computer, nothing happens by accident or sheer random chance. Everything has a creator, a designer and a manufacturer. The world we live in, is incredibly complex and complicated, and to say, it all happened by accident is to state the impossible. The world speaks of a designer and creator. As Christians, when we look at creation and it’s beauty, we say that we see the work of God, and nature reflects God’s beauty.
That’s the “Designer” argument in a nutshell.
The “Inner Testimony” argument
Humankind of nearly every nation or race of people have worshipped some form of god, or gods. People have always had a sense of a higher spiritual state or higher spiritual being. Some people believe in God because of some supernatural experiences they’ve had. Or to put it another way, some people believe in God because they’ve experience some kind of miracle in their life that they simply cannot explain; so there is a strong inner conviction that there is a God.
That’s a condensed version of the “Inner Testimony” argument.
Problems with the “Inner Testimony” and “Designer” arguments
Although nature and instinct point us towards the possibility there is a god, there is still some uncertainty about god and what god is like. We know nature has its opposites; it can be beautiful, but also brutal.
Many ancient religions saw the gods they believed in as being brutal; some resulting in human sacrifice as fear of the gods were a central part of their religion. Earlier this week, we may have heard some news of a volcanic eruption, in our own nation there is drought, while other places have famine, disease – or some negative effects of nature, so this would be a sign(s) the god(s) are not happy; and some kind of sacrifice would have to be made to appease their god(s).
With the inner conviction argument, it’s true that different people have different experiences and feelings. What you experience may not be my experience. And if I have not had that same experience you’ve had, where does that leave me? So that’s the kind of thing relating to the “Inner Conviction” argument. One person can have a strong belief about something, but the next person can feel just the opposite. Inner conviction is an essential part of religion, but as Christians, we need to be careful about what we base that on; feelings and emotions change, day in, day out. And, as Christians, our faith in God are not based on feelings.
Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Christian Faith.
We know, and we are sure there is a God because of Jesus Christ. In Jesus, God showed himself and taught us about himself. Jesus showed he is God by the incredible things he did which only God could do. Such as controlling the weather, raising dead people back to life, healing diseases by touch or command, Jesus gave his life, and took it back again. Now some people will argue that we depend on what others saw and wrote down about who Jesus was and what he did – so then, how can we be sure they got it right and didn’t just make it up?
Put simply. The early Christians had nothing to gain by making up lies; they gave up their lives for Jesus Christ, you don’t die for something you know is a lie. More to the point; Jesus was most of the time, if not all the time out in the public, and a character
that thousands of people heard and saw. So if the early followers made up lies about him, they would have been seen as frauds and no one would have listened or taken much notice. Even non-Christians, who lived at the time of Jesus have written about him, and what they said backs up what the Bible says.
The Bible
We depend on the bible to know about God. The Bible is God’s communication tool that he uses to tell us how he feels about us, his plan to save people, and how he wants us to live. We believe that down through the centuries, God at various times and in various places communicated with people whom he chose to bring his messages to the whole human race.
Dear friends, God does not leave us to work out for ourselves who God is, what kind of God he is, and what he wants from us, and what he does for us. God graciously communicates with us. The Bible (the word of God / Holy Scripture) is God’s “self-revelation”; it makes God known to us, so that we can honour, love and trust him as our God.
We Pray:
† That the church will always remain committed to following Christ.
† That the church will always hear and proclaim God's word and do his will.
† That Christians would not become discouraged, but be filled with hope, knowing that a great glory awaits them.
† For governments everywhere, that they may be committed to opposing evil and corruption and upholding justice and goodness.
† For all who face discouragement and troubles may be comforted by God's loving care.