And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
It
is likely that you have accessed this page, because someone gave you a
little card call like the one picture above. The questions which we
posed on this card are not new. They have been asked for thousands of
years and they will be asked, God willing, for many more years to
come. They are the BIG QUESTIONS
of life and they are important. We have two choices here. We can either
seek answers to these questions, or we can put or heads in the ground
and try and convince ourselves that they do not exist. By coming to
this page, it is evident that the ostrich approach is not for you.
Having made this choice, we can either look in the wrong place for
answers or look in the right place. Again, you have made the right
choice, if coming to this site, because we glean all our answers from LIFE'S MOST FUNDAMENTAL BOOK i.e. the Bible which is the word of God.
1) IS THERE A GOD?
The short answer is "YES"
How do we know that God exists?
It is interesting to notice that God steps unannounced into His
own Book (Genesis 1:1) There is a large element of faith in the matter:
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to
God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) There is enough evidence His
creation so as to leave men without excuse (Romans 1:20) One of the
best arguments for the existence of God is the argument of the very
complex design of the universe. This could not happen by blind random
chance as the fallout from an explosion. (There was little order after
Hiroshima.) There are several other arguments also.
Is He not just one god among many?
Other gods/deities exist only in the figment of men's imaginations. The
God of the Bible declares Himself to be "the only true God" (John 17:3)
and distinctly says that "beside me, there is no God" (Isaiah 44:6)
This is the God "with whom we have to do" (Hebrews 4:13)
What are the attributes (characteristics) of God?
God has revealed Himself in the Bible as a Spirit [1], infinite [2],
eternal [3], and unchangeable [4], in his being [5], wisdom [6], power
[7], holiness [8], justice, goodness, and truth [9].
1.God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24,).
2.Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? (Job 11:7,).
3.Before
the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth
and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou [art] God.
(Psalms 90:2,).
4.Every
good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning. (James 1:17,).
5.And
God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (Exodus 3:14,).
6.Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding [is] infinite. (Psalms 147:5,).
7.And
the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were]
full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy,
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.
(Revelation 4:8,).
8.Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for [thou] only [art] holy: (Revelation 15:4,).
9.And
the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God,
merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty];
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the
children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].
(Exodus 34:6-7,).
As you can see…all these attributes or characteristics reveal Him as One to be worshiped and loved.
Why does God allow suffering?
A short answer can easily
be viewed as a glib answer and such must be avoided. However it is
suffice to say that all suffering in the world is the result of the
sinful fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There was no
suffering in the world before this calamity. It is worth pointing out
that when there are great disasters in the world with the resulting
suffering, we are always anxious to save lives…which shows that,
overall, life is well worth holding on to. Also if God was to directly
intervene and stop suffering by dealing directly with the root cause,
then He would intervene in men's lives in a way that they would
vehemently protest against. Men want to sin without the horrible
consequences. [Note: Not all suffering flows from personal sin as the
case of Job proves and also the question answered in John 9:2-3 proves)
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for
that all have sinned: (Romans5:12)
Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. (Ecclesiastes 7:29)
Does God believe in atheists?
Yes…in the sense
that He knows that they exist. But he doesn't think very highly of
them. Behind those white coats and certificate framed walls, God simply
says: The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are
they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
(Psalm 53:1)
2) WHO AM I?
Obviously, I don't know your name, but even this piece of non
information tells me that you are a person with a unique identity. You
have a body and a soul - your soul constituting the spiritual part of
you that relates to God. Your body will one day die and go back to dust
again, while your soul will live for ever, either in Heaven or in Hell.
It is the aim of this whole website to see that your soul at last goes
to Heaven.
And fear not them which kill the
body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is
able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)
3) WHERE HAVE I COME FROM?
Leaving aside the obvious biological answer to that question,
you are a created Being and if you could trace your ancestry back, you
would find yourself (like everyone else in the human race) back to Adam
and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (Genesis 1-3) You did not evolve
from or share evolutionary roots with apes or any other. You owe your
continued existence to the sovereign purposes of God who not only
ensured your place in history (albeit a quiet one) but who daily
sustains your life here, until the day of your death.
In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was
not any thing made that was made. (John 1:1-3)
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether [they be] thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him: (Colossians 1:16)
4) WHY AM I HERE?
Your chief end, or main purpose, on earth is to glorify your
Creator and to enjoy Him for ever. Too often, we seek to live for our
own purposes and pleasures and ignore our great debt to God. This may
bring some degree of satisfaction to the body, but it starves the soul
that cannot live on bread (material things) alone (Matthew 4:4).
Those who live for self and seek after the world's pleasures find
that "Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness. (Proverbs 14:13) whereas those who obey the Lord saying, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways" (Proverbs 23:26) are those who find true peace and satisfaction in this life.
5) HOW CAN I KNOW GOD?
Yes. Even though sin has separated your from Him and He must judge that
sin, nevertheless He has made a way back to Himself. He sent His Son,
the Lord Jesus Christ, to die for sinners like you.
How can I be saved?
Salvation is by grace
through faith in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9) It is not of him that
willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
(Romans 9:16) If you have a desire to be saved, then you should:
[1] Acknowledge that you personally as an individual are a guilty
sinner in the sight of a holy God. Christ only came to save sinners and
bring them to repentance (Luke 5:31)
[2] You should recognise that God has provided a Saviour for you and
that this Saviour is Christ alone. Not a church. Not a sacrament. Not a
priest or a minister. Not a pilgrimage or some religious duty or
observance. Christ's work alone. His righteous life and atoning death
is sufficient to satisfy the Divine requirements and reconcile us to
God.
[3] In a simple act of faith - put your full trust upon that finished
work, making it the sole grounds of acceptance with God. [4] Although
listed separately, yet such faith in the Bible always includes
repentance for sin. Repentance is to confess, hate and forsake sin and
embrace righteousness.
These "steps" (if I can use that word) will bring you into acceptance with God. Jesus said: "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him
that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." (John 5:24)
Thank
you for reading this e-tract. Don't forget to ring our 24/7 Gospel
Hotline for a two minute recorded message from the Bible:
Telephone: 021-4393334. This is a Cork based landline and therefore carries the cost only of a local call.
Come and visit us in Cork Free Presbyterian Church, 10 Briarscourt (Annex), Shanakiel, Cork (Top of Blarney Street)
Sunday's at 11:30am and 6:30pm. Press here for precise directions.
If you get saved through reading the above card or through this page, please encourage us here by letting us know.
We can help you "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ " (2 Peter 3:18)
* More questions about the gospel - including an expansion on some of those mentioned here
* Questions about Cork Free Presbyterian Church
