During our lifetimes society has embraced secularism (doctrine that morality should be based on the well-being of man in the present life, without regard to religious belief or a hereafter") or even atheism (there is no God, eat, drink and be merry).
Such alternative worldviews include, but now-a-days are certainly not limited to: secularism (human focused) nationalism (nation focused), environmentalism (environment focused) and organized atheism (anti-God-ism). Sometimes militant and other social, political, or popular ideologies such as veganism or ethical veganism may dominate world views.
In the midst of so MANY world views is there any world view that is “purely God focused”? And I don’t mean God-focused in religion (practice), but God-focused in faith (motivation to action)?
This study looks as six prominent questions that individuals in secular society use along with an apologetic (defensible position) for standing strong against UNTRUTHS.
In today’s culture, people want us to assume that truth is what the individual believes it to be, everyone has their own truths. If that is true, then the concept of truth becomes non-existent because two opposing views can’t both be true.
Some conclude that truth doesn’t matter; yet because that notion is so illogical, we should be driven to the opposite conclusion: there must be a singular truth that applies to all people. Diverse viewpoints lead to division rather than unification.
Are Miracles Relevant?
Miracle has come to include “an amazing product or achievement” – “It’s a miracle that the school won the game.”
But a miracle is defined as a “surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.” The word is derived from Latin meaning “object of wonder” and is itself derived from an ancient word meaning “to laugh, to smile”. Miracles often do make us laugh and smile!
Contemporary culture often dismisses true miracles and promotes natural amazing events as miracles. True miracles are dismissed as events we may not understand but which have rational, natural explanations. Take Apollo 13 for example. Was it a miracle that the astronauts made it home alive, or was it just great engineering? Did the fact that MUCH of the world was praying for their safe return play a part or was it just “wishful thinking that influenced the outcome?”
Many of the people had been following Jesus and many had participated, observed or heard about the miracles that he performed. But the politicians just couldn’t believe it. They wanted 1) him to clearly and unequivocally state his purpose, 2) provide proof that his assertion was unequivocally true, and 3) do what THEY wanted him to do, not necessarily what God wanted him to do. You know, JUST LIKE US AND OUR MODERN CULTURE.
Why do We Suffer?
The word suffer is from ancient words meaning to carry under, or to bear under and it also refers to to bear children.
In our culture it is common to hear “If God loves us, He must not be all-powerful or else He would stop all suffering” and “If God is all-powerful and could stop suffering but doesn’t, He must not be loving.”
The Bible is honest about the issue of suffering and points out that we may not know why we suffer, but God meets us in our suffering. This study looks at parts of the story of Job. Job was a prosperous and good person. He was enjoying life. Satan promoted that HE could make Job curse ("a prayer that evil or harm God”).
God allowed Satan to make Job suffer to demonstrate Job’s integrity. God, KNOWING Job’s heart basically said, “you can TRY, but I KNOW Job!” So Satan caused harm to Job’s “environment”, it property and the stuff AROUND him. When that didn’t cause Job to call for harm to God Satan asked for and received permission to attack Job’s person… the stuff INSIDE him.
The world does not like the idea that one particular belief system possesses an exclusive claim to access God. Even in the evangelical church 19 percent of church goers believe there are other ways to God. Historically humanity did not draw intimately close to God, they remained at a distance from God. Faith in God allows us to become intimate with the creator of the universe. Humanity is NOT LIKELY to discover such access to God without God being in their lives.
Won’t Humanity “be with God” Anyway?
Words mean things and if the definition of “heaven” is merely… “doesn’t our spirit return to the sky when we die?”, then maybe. But if the meaning of Heaven is intended to be “at home with God” then no, not ALL people will go to Heaven.
It just makes logical sense:
- IF there is no God (as many say) then what does a Heaven matter?
- IF there IS a God (as many say) then Heaven is loosely defined as “God’s Home”.
- Why should those who reject or ignore God; who don’t care about God, who don’t love God’s children and who won’t follow God’s guidance, be invited into God’s Home? Why would they even desire to live in “heaven”.
There only two choices. “Get on Freeway 666 and it will take you TO Godsville”, may be a true statement, but it will NOT TAKE YOU INTO Godsville. “Unless you take Highway 777 you may go BY Godsville, but you won’t get into it.”
While a fast and broad Freeway may take you BY Godsville… but slow and steady Godly choices will let you arrive into the Kingdom of heaven. Going BY Godsville is NOT the same as arriving IN Godsville. There are only two possible destinations – destruction or life. The term for destruction can also be translated as “ruin” or “annihilation” (“act of reducing to non-existence; literally leading “to nothing”). Another way to say it would be the Freeway will take you towards Godsville, but it won’t get you there…you will get lost and wander all over the roadways going nowhere fast.”
Hell is an uncomfortable subject for most people. The concept of a Loving God directly causing punishment upon someone doesn’t sit well with many. We read about “eternal hell” and many imagine a vengeful, hateful supreme being just waiting to cause remedial pain upon some undeserving individual; or perhaps an unjust judge penalizing a poor innocent individual. Isn’t it just a place of eternal punishment for doing wrong?
God allows us to make our OWN choices, but God has established the cosmic rules by which ALL must adhere or the penalty for violation will be invoked. God ALLOWS us the right to violate his cosmic law if we so choose. We are free to ignore Cosmic laws, but we are also free to pay the penalty for violating them, even if it means living apart and separated from God for eternity.