God, gods, or no god – What do you believe, and does it really matter?

Everybody believes in something, whether they are aware of it or not. Every one of us has a world view, a belief system of some sort, thought-out, imposed, or fallen into. And what we believe affects the way we do life. Not only that, what you believe has eternal consequences, repurcussions beyond this life. Therefore it’s important WHAT we believe.

But, WHAT should you believe?

It’s a confusing world! Beliefs come in all sorts of shapes and sizes.

• Some believe there is no god.
• Some believe spirits live in all natural phenomena.
• Some believe God is everything and everything is God.
• Some believe there are an unlimited number of gods.
• Some believe that they are divine/god/s.
• Some believe God is impersonal.
• Some believe God is terrifying.
• Some believe that personality is an illusion.
• Some believe that it doesn’t matter how you live.
• Some believe life is to be lived by the strictest rules.
• Some believe that God is out of date – OK for primitive cultures, but not for ours.

CAN THEY REALLY ALL BE RIGHT, AT THE SAME TIME?

CAN YOU REALLY HAVE MORE THAN ONE TRUTH/GOD?

LOGIC says, no way!

After all…

How can it be true to have 30 million gods and none, an impersonal God and a personal God, a God who is heavy on rules and a God who is not, a God that’s OK for yesterday’s culture but not for today, a God who is you and a God who is not? Logic says they cannot all exist as equal aspects of truth; they cannot all be true at the same time.

FIVE GOOD REASONS FOR BELIEVING IN GOD

1. Dignity – if there is no God, there is no such thing as human worth. Today, many people have everything and yet feel they have no dignity and value; so creating an image has become everything. Some simply have no dignity and value.
2. Morality – if there is no God, right and wrong are irrelevant, yet we all know that for society to exist, right and wrong must be established, yet on whose or what basis?
3. Reason and Rationality – if there is no God, we have no logical basis for understanding the world in which we live. Humanity though has tremendous thinking capacity – where does it come from?
4. Purpose – Humanity has a tremendous ability to invent and create, but that is not the same as ultimate purpose. If there is no God, there is no ultimate meaning or purpose to life – life is what you make it, it’s all down to you.
5. The Soul – That something within everyone that is beyond the mere physical aspect of our being – that is more than our bodies and brains. That something that has a longing that no physical person or thing can satisfy. That something, that is there, that is us.

But, is it possible to know the true God?

Yes!

GOD HAS MADE HIMSELF KNOWN

1. In Creation – this amazing and marvelous world is so intricately designed, so phenomenally balanced that more and more scientists are moving over to the idea of intelligent design. This world shouts at us about God. Read Psalm 19:1-3 and Romans 1:18-21.
2. The Nature of Humanity – there is something about humanity that speaks of something higher than ourselves – our sense of right and wrong, of justice; a higher scheme of things; the innate desire to worship someone or something. These are not products of society or culture, but reveal something fo the fact that we are made in God’s image. Read Romans 2:1,14,15. (Points 1 and 2 are know as general revelation, that which can be deduced from the world around us).
3. A Book – The Bible. Here we find the truth of God revealed in his dealings with ordinary people. Hebrews 1:1; 2 Peter 1:19,20,21.
4. A Person – Jesus Christ, God revealed in human form. Jesus said, “whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:7-9; Hebrews 1:1-3. (Points

WE WERE MADE TO KNOW GOD

The Bible makes it very clear that God made humanity in his image, distinct from the rest of creation, for a relationship with himself (Genesis 1-3). It’s what the Bible is all about!

WE WERE MADE FOR A PURPOSE

The Bible says that God made humanity for a purpose, that humanity has a destiny to fulfill. We were made no only to know God and be his image in the earth, but to steward the creation that God has made, to co-worker with God in his purposes on earth.

BUT, SOMETHING IS WRONG

I’m sure you know that, you’ve only got to read or see the news, or know yourself. The probl m is the first humans ‘blew it’. They messed up big time by doing their own thing rather than God’s will (Genesis 3). The Bibl calls it sin, which means missing the mark – and we have all been affected by it (Romans 3:10-18,23). It means that we find it easier to do wrong rather than right (have you noticed how parents never have to teach their children to do wrong, but always to do right!). It means that whatever good we may be able to do (and we can do a lot), it is never enough – it doesn’t meet the standard of a holy and righteous God.

This wrongness has not only messed up our relationship with God, it’s also what messes up our lives and relationship with others.

SO WHAT’S TO BE DONE?

Thankfully the Bible says that God is not only holy, but love. His love is defined by his holiness. It goes beyond all human loves. Scripture tells us that because he loved the world he had made – you and me – he had a plan, and that was to see nd his Son Jesus Christ into the world in flesh just like ours (John 3:16), to live the life we should have lived. Day by day he was tempted in every way we are, but every day heooked to the Father, and through the help of the Holy Spirit, overcame every temptation.

Jesus then took our sin, and bore it’s judgment on the cross, and having paid the price for it he rose again, and a few weeks later he ascended into heaven, from where he will one day come again (Romans 3:21-25).

So, there’s nothing left to be done, nothing, except…

BELIEVE

All that’s required is the recognition that you have sinned and come short of what God expects, and a realisation that you can’t do anything about it, but Jesus has – that he came and lived and lived and died and rose again for you. That on the cross he paid the price in full for your sin, so that you could be forgiven, made clean, given a brand new life, and receive the power of the Holy Spirit so that you can live in right relationship with God, know his purposes and ultimately to live with him forever through the gift of eternal life.

© Richard Burgess, 2010, 2024.