THE GOD INCLUSION (NOT ‘DELUSION’) – A GUIDING EXPLANATION

Assuming the question at the end of my previous blog is answered in the affirmative that is, God exists.

The God of the bible has always existed. He is all powerful, all knowledgeable, everywhere and infinite.

This is difficult, indeed impossible, for us to comprehend, given that we expect all things to have been created.

The God of the bible was not created. To have been so would have made Him dependent on some other being, entity or force and He would not then have had the autonomy He has to exercise His own self-determination. He also has to be eternal, and He has to be external to the natural world.

The God of the bible is the sole God, or as Christianity declares it, the one, true, God.  

If there were other ‘gods’, there could not be one divine will, and their influence would be impossible not to observe.

God did not need to create anything but chose to create ‘heavenly angels’ within His realm, in His image with their own free wills to worship Him, help carry out His will, and act as messengers and protectors of His plan for salvation.

There was a revolt by some of the angels on account of their pride and their refusal to serve the interests of God. This group was cast out of God’s glorious paradise. 

God created the ‘heavens and the earth’ and humanity. Humanity was created in the image of God with intelligence, individuality and free will. Without free will, there could be no genuine love, moral responsibility, creativity, or meaningful relationship. Humanity would merely have existed as programmed beings without a capacity to choose.

God created humanity so that we could manifest in His glory, share in His love, and engage in a personal relationship with Him for all eternity, by choice rather than necessity.

Yet free will carries risk and brings with it diverse views and opinions and behaviours and yes, even wickedness. Why then would God allow such freedom?

One answer is that true love requires the ability to choose. A world containing freedom, growth, sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption may ultimately possess greater meaning than a world without choice at all.

From this perspective, earthly life is temporary and preparatory rather than ultimate. Human experience involves struggle, moral development, relationships, suffering, compassion, and the search for truth. Through these experiences people are shaped spiritually and invited into relationship with God.

God knew that humanity would choose independence from devotion to Him and attempt to define good and evil on its own terms and shatter harmony. The result was brokenness, suffering, division, and mortality. It was disobedience of catastrophic proportions.    

However, God did not abandon humanity to its brokenness. He determined that we remained capable of love and redemption and that He would display His grace, mercy, and glory through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.   

The sacrifice of Jesus was determined pre creation, allowing for the ultimate reconciliation and salvation. Redemption could only have been achieved through the death and resurrection of a sinless person, hence the need for God’s intervention.

JESUS AND A RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM

The Old Testament records creation and God’s interaction with mankind through angel messengers, prophets, visions and sometimes (though rarely) God’s own intervention by way of a burning bush or loud voice from Heaven. It is a remarkable historical and religious record that claims continuous interaction between God and His people over many centuries. This ongoing connection heavily suggests the reality and influence of the single deity we know as God.

The New Testament is an account of the historical events surrounding the life and teachings and promises of Jesus.

Jesus was a real person. He is attested through the writings of multiple, aggressive, non-Christian writers of the first century. Jesus proclaimed Himself to be the Son of God and taught humanity to love God and one another.

His resurrection from death and indeed, His ascension into ‘heaven’ were proclaimed by His followers, who were witnesses to these events, and who preached His teachings throughout the known world, despite persecution and hardship. It is perhaps a telling fact that Christianity arose AFTER the death of Jesus, giving even further credence to the evidence of His resurrection and ascension.

God’s ‘new world’ holds the promise of “total restoration”; an eternal paradise where pain, sorrow, and death are completely eliminated and “all tears are wiped away”! It presents a fresh start for humanity, allowing people to live in perfect harmony with nature, one another, and our Creator. The ‘second coming’ of Jesus will herald the end of times as we know them and announce the Day of Judgement.

It is vital we confront our transgressions, acknowledge and account for our failings, and pray for God’s merciful forgiveness and salvation and be counted among the souls who are saved for all eternity.

Mike.

mike@acaseforgod.com

Post 26B of a 33-part series exploring the evidence for the existence of God

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