Why I Believe!
Part 2
"WHY I BELIEVE IN THE EXISTENCE
OF GOD"
In my initial article about
God's existence I gave the first reason why I believe that
He is: "There is a universe which contains great design, and
to me this necessitates a creator and designer." God revealed
himself to us through nature, known simply as "Natural revelation."
Many passages in the Bible allude to this but even if you
did not have a Bible, you would still have to come to grips
with the question, "There is a world, so where did it come
from?" There are only two possibilities: It was either created
and designed by divine idea, or it just happened by mere blind
chance. The evidence is overwhelming for the first of these
options. But let's go further to another source of evidence,
known as "Special Revelation."
This avenue of thought goes
beyond nature to a very unique source -- The Bible.
And at this point someone
might say, "Well, there you go again, arguing in circles."
But let me explain. The Bible
is filled with evidences about God that can only be explained
by divine idea. 1) There is what we call Internal Evidences.
This simply means that there are some things within the pages
of the Bible itself that could not possibly be the product
of human invention. Consider the unity of the Bible. It was
written over a period of about 1500 years and contains an
amazing thread of continuity and consistency throughout. Moses
was the first writer and the Apostle John the last. Other
than those two, there were about 40 different writers who
contributed to the text of the Bible, either in the Old Testament
or in the New. Some of them had no idea that what others would
write would agree with them precisely on a wide range of topics.
Yet that is the case. 1500 years is a long time for a production
to be in the making, yet when it was completed it demonstrated
great design and a remarkable collaboration of its theme,
content, facts and events. When viewed as a complete whole,
it demonstrates a nature that cannot possibly be the product
of mere man. Divine intervention is the only answer. Not only
is the Bible unique in its unity, but consider its predictive
nature, known as "prophecy."
There are hundreds of facts,
figures and events that were predicted centuries prior to
their actual happening. Take for instance the prediction of
a world-wide flood. Noah was warned about it years before
it happened -- Genesis 6. And, archaeology has proven in an
unbiased way that there was a global, catastrophic event known
as the flood. Legends of just about every tribe in the history
of man has also verified the story about a flood. But there
are many other predictions in the Bible that have come true
to the very smallest detail as it was supposed to happen.
Men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and Joel of the Old Testament
told about events that would come to pass hundreds of years
later. They predicted that Jesus would be born of a virgin,
and that it would happen in a certain place in the world.
This was foretold at least 700 years before it happened. How
does one account for that other than divine intervention?
It was also predicted that he would die on a cross, be buried
for three days and be raised from the dead. Did it happen?
Yes indeed, and history itself is the record of its occurrence.
In his book, "Evidence That Demands A Verdict," Josh McDowell
gives indisputable evidence about the person of Jesus and
who he was, the Son of God. In another little book of his,
"More Than A Carpenter," Josh gives a rundown on many of the
things Jesus did and shows how he was no mere man. Both these
sources are well worth the reading. Also included in the Bible
are such things as "Scientific Foreknowledge." This bulk of
information consists of a great number of scientific principles
that were mentioned in the Bible long before man knew anything
about them. For many years it was thought that the world was
flat, but Isaiah 40:22 says that God was sitting on the "circle
of the earth." Hum! that certainly was not what the folks
in Columbus's day thought. But Isaiah made that statement
730 years before Christ was born. This is just one example,
and there are many more. But I want to close by saying that
Special Revelation has also been verified by "Eternal Evidences,"
such as the fulfillment of prophecy, archaeology, scientific
discovery, and Biblical accuracy.
Indeed God did reveal himself
by "Special Revelation," known to us a "Scripture."
This word refers to the Holy
Bible, a book that has been proven reliable throughout history
as being true. There have been many attacks on the Bible,
but it still remains the best seller every year. In closing,
I would like to quote a beautiful poem to illustrate exactly
what I mean when I say that the Bible has stood the test of
time. It is entitled, "The Anvil."
THE ANVIL
Last eve I passed beside
the blacksmith's door and heard the anvil ring the vesper
chime. Then looking in I saw upon the floor old hammers worn
with the beating years of time. "How many anvils have you
had," said I, "To wear and batter all those hammers so?" "Just
one," said he, "The anvil wears the hammers out, you know."
And so, thought I, the anvil of God's word, for ages, skeptic
blows have beat upon. And though the noise of falling blows
was heard, the anvil is unharmed, the hammers are gone.
Stay with us cause there's
more to come.
Part 3
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