Does God really exist?
There is no logical reason behind a nonexistence of God. I believe the only reason there is any debate on this topic is because humans have such a difficult time living life in submission to someone else that over time people found a reason not to believe in God. If God does not really exist then humans are able to do anything they wish without any consequences. But to rationalize the nonexistence of God, one must first figure out how humans came into existence if there is no creator. This is where the big bang theory and evolution come into play. Scientists, desperate to justify their belief that there is no God, had to find a way to rationalize their existence in the absence of a God. When researching this topic in eighth grade, I came upon a quote that stated, “If you throw a stick of dynamite into a pile of logs, it doesn’t form a log cabin. It explodes and scatters everywhere.” Meaning, the theory that an explosion could have started the world as we know it is equal to blowing up a pile of logs and getting a log cabin from it. It takes more faith to believe in manmade theories than it does to believe in God. But humans do not have to follow the rules of their manmade theories. Logically, there’s no other way that we could be in existence without God, therefore God must exist.
What is the character and nature of God?
Francis Chan makes the point that, “We don't get to decide who God is.” Chan also says, “…we have an inaccurate view of God. We see Him as a benevolent Being who is satisfied when people manage to fit Him into their lives in some small way. We forget that God never had an identity crisis. He knows that He’s great and deserves to be the center of our lives.” There are many misconceptions of God. Some view God as a loving being, one that would never lash out in anger and does all things in a kind and generous way. Some view God as a spiteful being who makes bad things happen in the world because He is angry with us for sinning and going against Him. But in all reality, God is an even mixture of these two extremes. God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the basis of all that He does. He created us out of love. He sent Jesus to die for us and pay the punishment for our sins out of love. But God also puts trials in our path out of love, because He knows that we can make it through them and come out a better person than before. God also judges those who go against Him. God loves but He is also fair. He will carry out punishment on those who are unfaithful to Him. But He is generous and merciful to those that faithfully follow Him. In all things, we must trust that God is sovereign. Even if He is doing something that makes no sense to us, it is important to remember that He is much wiser and is able to see the big picture. One of the biggest things God desires from us is our love, which is why He created us. God wants to be loved, praised, and worshiped by His children, what father wouldn’t?
How and why was the world created?
According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “The work of creation is God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.” God created the world in six days (Genesis 1:31) and created something different on each day. After each thing He created He said declared it as good. But God also created the world by the word of His power. God is all of his majesty; need only speak a word in order to bring everything we see and live in, into existence. But God created the world because He wanted company, He wanted to be worshipped. I feel the closest to God when I am surrounded by pure nature. When I am in the beautiful rocky mountains of Colorado, sitting on the beach and gazing at the endless sky, or overlooking the fields of Nebraska and enjoying God’s color schemes, I feel closer to Him. God did not create the world in magnificent and beautiful ways just because it happened to turn out that way. He created the world in a beautiful way so that we would be able to worship Him because of it. As Francis Chan says, “God's art speaks of Himself, reflecting who He is and what He is like.” Creation is God’s way of showing off, it is through the beauty of creation that God shouts, “Look what I can do! See how great I am?”
What is the nature and purpose of humanity?
The Westminster Shorter Catechism also states, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” This means that God created us for the purpose of worshipping Him and enjoying Him and all that He has done. God created us because He desired to have someone to be with Him and keep Him company. God created man not because He needed him, but because He wanted him. As Francis Chan puts it, “The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time.” Before the fall of man, God was able to be face to face with man, walking through the garden spending quality time with humans. But humans messed it up when they chose to sin. Now even though God created man to glorify God and enjoy Him, God cannot be directly in the presence of man because we have a sinful nature. One sin didn’t just lead to another sin, one sin led to an entire human race trapped in a sinful nature.
What happens after we die on earth?
One of two things happens after life on Earth is over. There is the option of either going to Heaven and spending eternity with God, or going to Hell and spending eternity in a fiery misery. Where we spend the afterlife is completely up to us. In C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”, he states, “[E]very time you make a choice you are turning into the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different than it was before… all your life long you are slowly turning this central thing into a heavenly creature or a hellish creature: either into a creature that is in harmony with God, and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself.” To be heavenly is to be like God. To be hellish is to be anything apart from God. Therefore, if during our life on Earth we choose to be godly, follow His leadership, live a life completely devoted to Him as a servant, and allow Jesus into our hearts to wash away the sins, we will go to Heaven at the end of our earthly life. If we do anything other than follow the one true God, whether it is good works or following other moral teachings, it is not enough to get us to Heaven because it is not of God.
What spiritual authorities exist?
There are four spiritual authorities. The first authority is God, the creator. God has authority over everything because He created everything. Without God nothing would be in existence. He also has the ability to change at any moment at any given time if He wanted to. In concordance with God are Jesus and the Holy Spirit. They are each spiritual authorities as well. Jesus has the authority over Heaven and Earth as He states in Matthew 28:18, “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” The Holy Spirit is the authority working in us. It is the part of God that manifests and lives in us. The fourth spiritual authority is Satan. Satan is the king of the world. The things that happen on Earth are under his control. However, God overpowers Satan in all things. God is the ultimate power over all things. These authorities are divided into two dominions, God’s dominion and Satan’s dominion. The two dominions are at constant battle with each other, searching for control over everything. However, Satan’s dominion will never overpower God’s dominion. It is up to us to decide which authority we will follow. If we are not following the authorities in God’s dominion, then we are of Satan’s dominion.
What is truth?
Truth is anything but a grey area. The difference between what is true and what is wrong is as definite as the difference between the color white from the color black. Truth is by no means a personal preference. According to the dictionary, truth is a verified or indisputable fact, proposition, principle, or the like. Truth is verified through God. God is the only reliable source from which we attain truth because God is the only perfect being in the universe. Therefore any fact, proposition, or principle He gives is also perfect and unflawed. Therefore, the only truth is found in God. John 17:17 states, “Sanctify them by the truth, your word is truth.” If anything is not of God or is not in concordance with His word, then it is not true. There are no situations where something might be true for one individual but not for another. Truth is found in God and only God, not in the circumstances of the world.
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