What a glorious statement of clarification and revelation is in the Hebrew writer's words: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, NASB). The writer was not guessing or imagining. He stated that he understood! Both by reason and revelation this one God and Father of all (whom Paul affirms is “over all” [his power], “through all” [his providence], and “in all” [his presence] — Ephesians 4:6) is worthy of our worship and service! Would you dare believe it?
In recent years I have reasoned from a seven-fold foundation of known facts with Hindus in India, who boast of a million gods, and with Russian atheists, who affirm that there is no God. Without naming the source, each one is urged to recognize as to the visible universe that an: (1) Unseen, (2) Intelligent, (3) Eternal, (4) Feeling, (5) Purposeful, (6) Uniting, (7) Communicating power made all of this.
FIRST — There is no man nor group of men, at present or known in history, who made the universe. No one in this age or any other age has seen the power that produced and sustains the universe. Therefore, it reasonably follows that an unseen power did it!
SECOND — That unseen power surely possesses intelligence, for the massive network of heavenly bodies, plus the intricate makeup of just the human body shouts the imperative need for intelligence!
THIRD — By reasoning on the facts we know, that unseen, intelligent power must be eternal. Socrates was one of the earliest to apply the reason of cause and effect — something is because something was, therefore something always had to be!
FOURTH — It is further reasonable that the unseen, intelligent, eternal power must have feelings. From the air we breathe to the water we drink, and many other things, we must draw the conclusion that power that created us has feelings for us because of all the good things designed for our welfare!
FIFTH — It further follows as a reasonable conclusion that this unseen, intelligent, eternal, feeling power must have some purpose for all things made. A watch that indicates time and dates, has an alarm, and contains a light for night viewing obviously is no accidental arrangement. Its design powerfully cries out its existence as a means to fulfill multiple purposes. If that is a reasonable deduction it would call for a watchmaker just as an automobile calls for an auto-maker. Then there is overwhelming evidence this universe and the life on it were surely designed and developed for some purpose!
SIXTH — Most germane to Paul's plea for one God, is the fact that this power must be a united and a uniting power. Having personally been introduced to the claim for Ju Ju gods in Nigeria; the Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva (plus the other million) gods of India; and the avowed denial of any God by some in Russia, it is most evident that there is no unity in that conglomerate of ideologies. The existing harmony as to time (day/night, weeks/months/years, summer/winter, etc.), plus consistent, predictable function patterns of the universe accumulate as a mountain of evidence for monotheism, or one united power source. The consistency of earth's rotation and orbital path about the sun shout for unity and oneness for the power that governs the universe. A rational conclusion that fits the facts known by all is that power is one.
SEVENTH — The unseen, intelligent, eternal, feeling, purposeful, uniting power surely must seek to communicate with us. The conclusion is reasonable that this power with feelings and purpose would seek to communicate with us. You long to communicate with someone you genuinely care for. Add the fact of this power's intelligence in forming the universe, making man, etc. — that power certainly has sufficient intelligence to communicate! The evidence is overwhelming that this power would seek to, and surely could communicate with us.
There should be an inner hunger in you and me to want to know about that power! Consider the following incident. Years ago William Jennings Bryan was on a journey to Columbus, Ohio. He stopped at a restaurant, ordered a meal, which was topped off with a cool, nice, juicy, sweet piece of red watermelon. He carefully raked aside the seeds, putting them in a small container. Upon his return home, he first used some meticulous scales, concluding it would take about 5,000 dried watermelon seeds to weigh a pound.
Later, he followed through on his mind-set from that good experience in the restaurant. He placed the seeds in the ground. For our purposes now, just follow the function of one seed. Blended with the soil, sunshine, some rain, that little rascal went to work. It pushed a stalk or stem up through the ground, gradually crawling across mother earth, forming a vine, leaves, pistil, blooms, curls, etc. The most amazing thing is that through one of the stems it ballooned out an object two hundred thousand times its own weight, put on it a green covering called a rind, and within was a white streak plus a core of red, and symmetrically placed throughout were seeds just like itself!
What architect drew up that plan? Where did that seed get its power to produce such a vine and such a melon? Where did it get the coloring matter to make part of it green, part white, part red? Where did it get the flavoring extract to make it juicy and sweet? Where did that little seed get such amazing power and pattern-producing skill?
Did you know that there is not a scientist or group of scientists on the earth who can tell us where that seed gets its power by their laboratory experiments. They can name every leaf, bloom, and curl, and they can classify the plant type; but they cannot tell us where the seed gets its power, nor can they produce such a seed!
When you think of that watermelon seed in comparison to the universe, do you not think you and I had better be concerned about that power operating the earth, sun, moon, and stars? Would you like to know and be acquainted with that power? Keep reading.
Having reasoned through the seven stages of existing circumstances relative to this undeniable power, only one step needs to be taken. Every one of these rational deductions concerning this power is attributed to God by his communcating tool — the Bible! As we go back over the seven reasonable points, note the passages from God’s Word that parallel with each reasonable conclusion!
1. There is an unseen power that did it. Note John 1:18 and 1 John 4:12. Jesus said that no one has seen God at any time. That is no positive proof that God is that power, but being unseen, he could be that power! This rules out matter as the cause because we can see matter!
2. It is an intelligent power. This is a trait attributed to God with the emphasis that “His understanding is infinite” (Psalms 19:1 ff and 147:4 ff). This rules out naturalistic evolution as the cause, because the record states that He spoke and it was done (Psalm 33:8 ff). No materialistic evolutionary process fits!
3. This intelligent power must be eternal. God is repeatedly referre d to as being eternal or everlasting. Moses stated, “… from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psalms 90:2; 93:2; 102:25 – 27; Jeremiah 10:10; 1 John 1:1 – 3).
4. This intelligent power must have feelings. We know this because what has been made is perfectly designed for the good of life on the earth. Both the Old and New Covenants emphasize God’s feelings. First John 4:8 declares that “God is love.” Matthew 5:45 informs us that God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (note also Ecclesiastes 3:11 – 13 and John 5:17). Acts 17:24 – 28 declares that God is not very far from each one of us, assuring us that he has reached out through time to us. That rules out Deism, or God in isolation.1
5. This intelligent power must have a purpose for the universe and people. This fact is repeatedly declared in God’s word. Jesus said, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only” (Matthew 4:10; note Psalms 22:27; 115:12; 8:4; Ecclesiastes 12:13 ff.) Plato was on target when he advanced the idea that energy plus design equals purpose. The earth has a great display of both! This was later labeled by Christian Wolff (1728) as the teleological argument. This point emphasizes that God is the Maker, we are the made. He is the Creator, we are the created (Genesis 1, 2). This rules out pantheism, which is a philosophy that all forces and love constitutes God — everything is God. Not so! He made us, and we must be sure we never forget it (read Psalm 55:20 – 23). To him we must give an account (Romans 14:11 ff].
6. This intelligent power must function as one because of the lasting harmony and order evident in the universe. That stability and pattern is characteristic of God's very nature. Note Deuteronomy 6:4, “Hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!” Other passages affirm this same fact (Deuteronomy 4:39; Mark 12:29 ff; Isaiah 44:6; 45:5, 18, 21, 22; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Corinthians 8:4, etc.). This fact rules out polytheism and atheism!
7. This intelligent power must make known his purpose and feelings by communicating with us. Such is the repeated claim in the Bible as God's Word. The Hebrew writer stated: “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days, has spoken to us in His Son” (Hebrews 1:1, 2). Jesus even affirmed that full and vibrant living for man comes by “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; Deuteronomy 8:3). Note all of Psalm 119; Romans 1:16 – 25; 1 Corinthians 2:9 ff; Jeremiah 31:31 – 24; Hebrews 8:6 – 13; Acts 14:15 – 17, etc. This make-up of God's Word — his rules, commands, precepts, and promises — eliminates the “no standard” theory and situation ethics. Hearing and heeding this communication from the Maker and Sustainer of the universe should capture our attention and our hearts.
What accumulated evidence that there is one God! These facts are proven by reason and revelation. How many habitats of harmony would be established if mankind would only keep the unity of the Spirit relative to one God as to worship and service! How are you currently related to that Power — that one God?
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1. Deism is a philosophic effort to justify how an all-powerful God could allow so much suffering, pain, disasters, etc. The philosopher's putting God into isolation neither fits Scripture nor the facts. On a teaching tour in India a man asked me, “If God is all powerful and is love, why does he allow so many of my people to starve, hurt, and have pain?” I asked him, “Are you married? Do you and your wife have children?” His answer was, “Yes, and we have 5 children” My next question was, “Do you love your children?” His answer was, “Yes, I love my children?” I asked, “Did you know when you and your wife decided to have children that they would get sick? Suffer? Could do evil? Would die?” His response was that he did not want such to happen, but he knew that it would happen. My response was, “Don't tell me you love your children. If you brought them into a world with pain and problems, you do not love your children. You have lied!” After a stunned expression, he and I both smiled because he had gotten the point. “You mean if I know I love my children and brought them into such a world, God could love us though such perils as befall my children.” My response was, “That is correct except for one big difference. If your children die, there is nothing you and your wife can do about it, but death is no problem to God” (1 Corinthians 15:50 – 57; Matthew 3:9). God does care and he corrects. Through him and Jesus Christ we can overcome (read carefully John 3:16; Romans 8:35 – 39).
Picture credits:
Roland Earnst
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