Category Archives: Christian Evidences

There is a God

Posted on by under Christian Evidences
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

In my earlier days in the church there was an old hymn, number 728b in most of the older song books, that is still one of my favorite hymns.  The chorus states that there is a God and that He is alive!  Indeed, the existence of God is one of the central tenants of any religion.  As more and more people in our world and in our nation have questioned the existence of an all-knowing, all-powerful being, just what are we to think?  Is there really a God?

The short answer is yes, there is a God.  He is the God we read about in the Bible.  However, since many skeptics that we are likely to encounter do not believe the Bible, let us rather look to science and logic in this moment for our proof.

Science has shown two major issues with regards to what we can see.  The first is that matter, stuff, is not eternal.  Matter has not always been here.  Matter has a born-on date.  If that is the case, then where did matter (all that we can see, touch, taste, and smell) come from?  This is one thing that science cannot explain.  Secondly, if there was once nothing (no matter), how is it that there now is something (the world that we live in)?  Matter does not just spontaneously appear.  Cars and houses do not magically appear out of nowhere.  They must be designed and built by someone.  Scripture has an answer for this.  The Bible states, “For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4, NKJV).

In looking at these two scientific facts, let us reason logically about what this means.  If there once was nothing, why isn’t there nothing now?  Since there is something now (the universe), just how did that come into being?  There had to have been a cause.  Since matter is not eternal, there had to be a beginning of its existence.  Everything that begins to exist must have a cause.  The universe began to exist at some point in the past.  Therefore, the universe must have had a cause.  That cause has to be a superior being who has always existed.  Matter is not eternal, but the mind of God is.

Science and logic tell us that there must be a God.  Therefore, it is incumbent upon us that we seek Him out and learn about Him.  We cannot find God through our feelings or by a blind leap in the dark.  That would not be logical nor scientific.  We must follow the evidence and go where it leads.  Surely, a God who created us and all things would want to communicate with us.  He has.  “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).  Let us not refuse Him who has spoken to us from heaven (Hebrews 12:25).

You Do Not Have a Soul

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

Gen 2-7     Modern science and evolutionary theory would have us believe that mankind is nothing more than another type of animal. The necessary conclusion of a “Big Bang” and an evolution of the species is that man is not special, we are nothing more than a happy accident, and thus man does not have an eternal soul. When those of us who have a different worldview consider this issue, we believe in the pages of scripture, which tell us that God made man in His image, that mankind is special and is above the animal kingdom, and that we have an eternal soul (Genesis 1:26-27). However, we often think of the soul as just another physical part of the body, like our heart or our mind.

     If we look deeper into the soul of man, we should come to realize that we do not have a soul in that physical sense. We are a soul. We have a body. Our soul is who we really are on the inside. It is that inner man. It is what we think and how we see the world. Jesus explained to His disciples that it was not what goes into the physical body that defiles a man, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man” (Matthew 15:18, NKJV).

     Our bodies are like the houses that we live in. We are not our house. Our house is just a temporary dwelling place while we live in a certain community. Our bodies are our temporary dwelling place while we are here on this earth. When this life is over, our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and our spirit (the power from God that gives our bodies life) will return to the God that gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Our souls will live on into eternity. “For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1). All three of these elements, body, spirit, and soul are seen in the use of three different words for each of these in Genesis 2:7. “And the Lord God formed man [our body] of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [our spirit]; and man became a living soul.”

     Seeing then that we are spiritual creatures, that we are not just this physical body, how then should we live? All the physical things of this world will be destroyed someday, but our souls will live on (2 Peter 3:11). Let us then seek to feed our spiritual souls, and not waste our time on the lusts of the physical body. Let us prepare for that eternal home, for that spiritual body, which awaits those who are obedient to the Lord!

The Paths of the Sea

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

Matthew_Fontaine_Maury-wmm6

   Matthew Fontaine Maury

     Have you ever taken a canoe trip?  Perhaps you were put into the river at one point and were later picked up at another point downstream.  If you want to take a leisurely trip, you do not even have to paddle other than to steer the canoe away from rocks or the bank.  The current of the water will carry you along to your destination.  If you have ever dropped anything out of your canoe, then you know how hard it can be to row against the current to go back upriver to retrieve it!

     Matthew Fontaine Maury is credited with the discovery of ocean currents, which make shipping and travel upon the seas much more efficient than they would otherwise be.  By using the paths of the sea, shipping vessels can use less energy and travel faster than they would if they had to struggle against the current.  Just how did Maury discover these paths?  How is it that he became known as the “Pathfinder of the Seas?”

     Matthew Maury was a member of the United States Navy in the mid 1800’s.  The story is told of how he was bed ridden with illness, and thus had one of his children read to him from the Psalms of the Old Testament.  As he listened to the eighth Psalm, he was intrigued by the phrase “paths of the sea.”  He was determined that if God’s word mentioned paths in the sea, then they must be there.  Thus it was because of the Scriptures that Maury went in search of ocean currents.

     In looking at the Psalm we find these words written about man, “You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen — Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas” (Psalm 8:6-8 NKJV).  Just how is it that a shepherd, who became the King of Israel, could know about ocean currents?  David never sailed the high seas.  Yet David writes of the paths of the sea almost 3,000 years before man made this scientific discovery.

     This is yet further proof of the inspiration of the scriptures.  This shows us that the only way David could have had this information so long ago, was that God revealed it to him.  Maury heard the phrase “paths of the seas,” he believed God’s word to be true, and he went out and discovered what God’s word already knew was there.  Perhaps you would like to know more about other scientific knowledge that has been revealed in God’s word long before man discovered it.  If so, come and see what God’s word has to say about this and many other subjects!

Show Me the Evidence!

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

Show-me-the-evidence     When it comes to matters of faith these days, it seems that many have determined that they are just going to believe in something whether there is any evidence for it or not.  For instance, I could state that I believe that the world was created by the one eyed spaghetti monster, and that is who I am going to worship.  When pressed for evidence of said creature, I could state that we just need to have faith and evidence is not necessary.  It may be pointed out that belief without proof/evidence is irrational.  It does not make logical sense to believe in a spaghetti monster without evidence.

     Our faith and belief in God, who is not visible, must then be based upon the evidence that is visible.  This is biblical faith. “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1, NKJV emphasis added).  There is evidence of God in the creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).  The fact that there is a cosmos proves that there has to be a God.  Because there is something now, there must have been something before.  We cannot get something from nothing.  Something must then be eternal, but we know that matter is not eternal.  Thus it had to come from somewhere.  The design we see in the universe also shows us that there has to be a designer.  Systems as complex as the human body could not have come about by chance.  Those who place their faith in random chance and evolution have the same problem as those who believe in the spaghetti monster.  The evidence does not support their claim.

     Imagine that you are on trial for your life.  Now imagine that I am on the jury that will decide your fate.  How would you want for me to proceed?  Should I say that I think you are guilty because that is how I feel?  Should I say that you are innocent because you have an innocent looking face?  How about if I base my judgment in your case on the evidence?  Looking at the evidence takes all of the emotion out of the issue.  Looking at the evidence will help us to achieve a logical, rational, and correct viewpoint.  This is how God wants us to proceed!  That is why He invites us to come and reason together (Isaiah 1:18).  Faith and reason are not enemies; they are joined hand in hand.  Our faith must be based upon reason!

     The evidence of God is all around us.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Romans 1:18-21).

The power and wrath of God has been revealed.  Those who are unrighteous wish to suppress the truth.  They do not want for there to be a God, so they ignore the evidence.  The evidence is manifested within their own bodies.  God has shown us the evidence, and true science indicates how complex the human body is (skeletal system, digestive system, nervous system, cardiovascular system).  Each part of our body receives just what it needs when it needs it.  If we were to look upon a manufacturing system with such complexity, we would certainly conclude that it did not happen by chance.  Since the creation of the world, the workings and power of God have been clearly seen.  So then, if we choose to ignore the evidence, God says we are without excuse.  We cannot claim that we did not know.  Ignorance is not an excuse.

     Let us not run from evidence, reason, and science.  All of these prove to us that there is a God.  All of these indicate to us that there has to be a God.  Since there is a God, how should we react?  (Deuteronomy 6:5; Joshua 22:5; Mark 12:30; John 14:15).  Because there is a Creator, we should seek Him out and find out what it is that He wants for us to do (Matthew 7:21ff).  The answers are in His word.  Let us continue to dig for the evidence, which will show us that our faith is true and not based on irrationality.  Let us then show that evidence to those who are around us!

How Did They Know That?

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

The_Earth_seen_from_Apollo_17      Have you ever been amazed by a child, perhaps your own, who shows that they have been paying attention to something that was said? Maybe they show a grasp of a new idea, and you can see that light bulb going off in their head for the first time. Sometimes we may wonder, “How did they know that,” or “how did they pick up on that idea.”

    In the Bible there are many examples that can be studied where the writers of the Holy Scriptures had a knowledge of scientific facts that would not be discovered by man for many, many years. This should lead us to the same question that we have with the child. Just how did they know that? For instance, consider what we read in the book of Isaiah. “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:21-22 NKJV).

      Notice that as Isaiah is speaking about our God, the Creator of the universe, he mentions that God sits above the circle of the earth. Isaiah is writing this sometime around 750 B.C., and he knows that the earth is round – it is a circle. Today we take this knowledge for granted, but it took a long time for man to come to the realization that the earth is round. We no longer worry about sailing over the edge of the earth. But how did Isaiah know this? He had never circumvented the globe or traveled into space to see this for himself.

       Furthermore, Job states “He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7). Job had never traveled into outer space either, so how does he know that the earth hangs on nothing? The ancients had all sorts of theories about what the earth was like and how it was held up. One theory was that Atlas held the world on his shoulders. Another was that the earth was on the back of some great tortoise. Now that we have traveled beyond our atmosphere, man can see that the earth indeed hangs on nothing.

       Did these men just get lucky with their knowledge of scientific facts that would not be discovered for a long, long time? That is unlikely. The only way these men could have known this information to be true is that God revealed this to them. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). This is just one small proof that the Bible is not from man, but indeed has been penned by God through His Holy Spirit!

Life Is In The Blood

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

George Washington     In December 1799 George Washington passed from this life.  He had been out taking care of his property in foul weather and had come down with what would appear to be a cold (sore throat, congestion, etc.).  In an effort to save the former president, his doctors took to opening veins and “bleeding” him, which was believed at the time to be the way to get the illness out of his system.  What the doctors of the time failed to realize is that life is in the blood.

     Man cannot sustain his physical life without blood.  This was well known to the Israelites, or should have been, since God forbade the eating of blood because “life is in the blood. . .” (Leviticus 17:11a NKJV).  Human medicine has come to realize the importance of blood in sustaining life in the years following Washington’s death.  Now, much can be done with transfusions to help stabilize patients who have suffered a loss of blood.

     In looking at man’s spiritual life, it can be seen that our spiritual life is also in the blood.  The Scriptures tell us that we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and that the wages, the anticipated payment, of sin is spiritual death (Romans 6:23).  We know that this is not in reference to physical death, for we must all be subject to that unless the Lord returns first (Hebrews 9:27).  In order to have spiritual life, an eternity in heaven, we must have our sins covered by the blood of Christ (1 John 1:7; Revelation 1:5).

     We make contact with the blood of Christ when we are buried with Him in the act of baptism (Romans 6:3-4).  In obeying the command of Christ to be baptized (Mark 16:16), we can have our sins washed away (Acts 2:38; 22:16).  It is in our obedience to the words of Scripture, that the blood of Christ is applied to us and we are cleansed from our sins.  Thus, we are able to have spiritual life.  Thus, both our physical life and our spiritual life are in the blood!

Does Moral Law Demand a Moral Lawgiver?

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

right-way-wrong-way1     Have you ever wondered about how we know what is right or what is wrong?  For instance, in most of the civilized societies around the world it is illegal and considered immoral to murder another person, or to steal from them.  How is it that different groups of people, separated by geography, all came to the same realization that these activities are wrong?

     Perhaps the sense of right and wrong is nothing more than the majority opinion within these civilized societies.  Most people just think that these activities are the wrong thing to do.  Is that it?  If that is the basis for right and wrong, then what if a society decided by a vote that it was okay to kill off people from a certain race?  Or that it was okay to enslave people who have a different skin color?  Would the majority approval for such behavior make that behavior “right”?

     It would seem clear that just because a majority of people say that something is right does not make it so.  The civilized society of Nazi Germany made the determination that it was “right” to try to exterminate the Jews as a lesser race.  While much can be said for how they arrived at that conclusion, at this time let us just notice that they felt they were right in what they were doing.  At their war crimes trials after World War II many Nazis claimed that they were simply following orders and obeying the laws of their land.  However, the prosecutors appealed to a higher law, a higher power, which made what these men did clearly wrong.

     Where did that higher law come from?  It had to have come from God.  Since mankind is not capable of determining what is right and what is wrong on their own (Jeremiah 10:23), then a simple majority vote is not sufficient.  In the argument of morals many will say something like, “who are you to decide what is right and what is wrong?”  They are correct in that statement.  It is not up to you and me to decide what is right and what is wrong.  That is up to God, and He has specified right and wrong within His moral law.  Paul said that he would not have known sin (what was wrong) without the law of God (Romans 7:7).

     Since we as humans lack the authority to mandate moral law, let us then turn to God and to His law to determine what is right and what is wrong.  Let us then speak with regards to morals as God’s word directs us to (1 Peter 4:11).

Great Discoveries

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

Christopher_Columbus_on_Santa_Maria_in_1492     In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue with three ships from Spain.  It was his plan to prove that the earth was round, and to find a better trade route to the East Indies than traveling overland through Asia.  We all know what happened. Columbus landed in the Americas, discovered the New World, and the rest, as they say, is history.

   While this was an important discovery, and one that has had a profound effect on modern history, there was another discovery made almost 500 years later that is even more profound.  In 1947 a young shepherd boy stumbled into a cave in Qumran on the NW shores of the Dead Sea and discovered jars full of ancient manuscripts.  Among these manuscripts there were found to be copies of the Hebrew Old Testament.

      What makes the discovery of such importance?  Prior to this time, the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament were dated from the 10th century A.D.  These manuscripts found in the caves of Qumran were dated from the 2nd century B.C. to the 1st century A.D.  That makes them about 1,000 years older than any known Old Testament manuscripts at the time.  Many of those who do not believe in the inspiration of the scriptures had made the argument that the Bible was corrupted by man over time and could not be relied upon to be accurate in our modern age.  However, the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls showed just the opposite.  The modern Hebrew text was shown to be extremely accurate in comparison with these much older manuscripts.

      This discovery in Qumran is important because it shows that God’s word has been preserved and has not been contaminated by man.  Therefore, we can trust that the Bible today is still the word of God that He intended for man to have and obey.

Much Ado About (Next to) Nothing

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

1410083904547_wps_9_Television_Programme_Step     In the news this week is a story about the “God particle” that scientists and evolutionists are eagerly anticipating will help them to understand the origin of the universe.  This surfaced in the news this week, because of the preface to a new book by famed physicist Stephen Hawking.  He warns that the experiments in particle collision to try to ‘recreate’ the God particle could lead to a cataclysmic catastrophe that we would never see coming.  Hawking warns that a vacuum caused by the particle could lead to a sudden collapse of time and space.

     Not to worry, though, as additional scientists point out that the collider to cause this catastrophe would have to be larger than the earth.  In the “current economic climate” this is seen as something that would be impossible to construct.  Really?!  One wonders where they would build this experiment that would have to be larger than the earth (anyone have a few acres they could contribute?).

     The idea of the “God particle” was first conceived by British scientist Peter Higgs in the 1960’s, and was ‘discovered’ in 2012.  Scientists believe that this particle creates an invisible energy field that causes small particles to gain mass and shape as they pass through the field.  Let’s break that down.  What they are looking for is a force that would cause small particles from the Big Bang to grow in mass (size) and that would shape them into planets, stars, comets, asteroids, etc.  Um, have you heard of God?

     What most people will fail to realize is that this does not explain the origin of the universe.  Where did the small particles come from?  Where did the initial energy and material come from to create the supposed Big Bang?  Evolutionary ‘scientists’ can kick the can down the road as far as they like, but they still cannot answer these fundamental questions about the origin of the universe and all that is in it.  True scientific laws of nature show that matter could not have been created out of nothing, without some sort of supernatural direction.  Therefore, they are arguing against science.

     In the news article the statement is made that this “God particle” has been confirmed by recent scientific discovery, but then there is a statement that scientists do not fully understand it all yet.  So which is it?  Have they really discovered something?  How can they claim to have discovered something that gives them understanding, and then turn around and say that they still don’t understand it?  Their argument would seem to beg the question.

     As for the potential destruction of the planet by the “God particle,” the question would be who is it that holds the future of the universe in their hands?  Is it the population of a small, seemingly insignificant planet when compared to the vastness of the universe, or an all knowing, all powerful God, who created it all (Gen. 1:1; Psalm 19:1; Heb. 1:3)?  God has said, “While the earth remains, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Winter and summer, And day and night Shall not cease” (Gen. 8:22 NKJV).  It is God who is in control.  It is God who has made all that is seen and unseen.  It is God who will decide when the end will come (Mat. 24:36).

Did We Get Something From Nothing?

Posted on by under Christian Evidences

earth-244238_640

Evolutionary scientists have struggled to adequately explain the origin of the universe since, without an outside force (God), the beginnings of all things cannot be scientifically proven. Indeed, the first and second laws of thermodynamics, scientific laws of matter and energy, prove just the opposite conclusion that evolutionists would have us believe. In the end we see that it takes a greater amount of blind faith in the so called ‘scientific experts’ in order to believe in a God-less evolution, than the faith based on tangible evidence in God’s creation of the universe and all that is in it.

The first law of thermodynamics clearly states that matter/energy cannot be created or destroyed within the confines of nature. In accordance with this law, matter could not have created itself, or just suddenly appeared from nothing. What this means to us is that the matter in the universe could not have spontaneously appeared. The material that makes up our planet, our solar system, and the universe therefore had to come from somewhere. To suggest that matter suddenly came into being from nothing, as some evolutionists maintain, is to argue against unchangeable, natural laws.

The second law of thermodynamics states that as systems age they fall victim to entropy. This means that things tend to decline, or wear out, over time. We can certainly look around us and see that this is the case. If we do not maintain a car’s engine, for instance, how long will it be before the motor seizes up and fails to function as designed? We only need to look at our own bodies to see that over time we wear out and break down. When we compare this scientific law to the idea that life progressed and became more sophisticated over the course of time, we can see that the idea that we all evolved from a single celled organism is not in tune with the unchangeable laws of science.

Now imagine, if you will, that you drive to the shores of Lake Erie in northern Ohio. Once you arrive at the lake, you completely disassemble your vehicle and put all of the parts, the oil, the gasoline, the antifreeze, etc. into the lake. This becomes our ‘primordial soup’ if you will. Then you get a ride (since you disassembled your car) to the bottom of Niagara Falls (outside energy force/”big bang” event). Standing at the bottom of the falls, you find your car after it had come over the massive waterfall. What’s more, your car is completely assembled and the engine is running. This is the blind faith, in events that cannot be proven, that it takes to believe in the macro-evolution process that so many people have the audacity to call “science.”

In contrast, consider the only other option, which is mandated by the obvious design that we see in the universe. That other option is that the universe and all that is in it was created by God as stated in Genesis 1:1. The evidence is all around us. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1, NKJV). When we take the time to fully consider the issue, we see that evolutionary theory cannot answer the question of the origin of the universe in the light of the scientific laws of nature designed by God.