The Bible is the unique book in the world. The first subject covered in the Bible is God. God is the main theme of the Bible. The first verse in the Bible says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Scientists have explored our physical universe for a long time. Through their studies they have discovered that our universe is an orderly system that is full of design. Before we consider what the Bible has to say about God, let us first consider what the universe has to say about God.
Look at the sky above you at night. Astronomers estimate that
there are more than one hundred billion stars in our galaxy,
and that there may be billions of galaxies in the universe.
Each star we see represents a solar system in the universe.
Our own solar system has the sun as the center, and it has nine
planets revolving around it in clocklike precision. The earth,
as one of the planets, speeds through space at 67,000 miles an
hour and takes 365 days to circle the sun. This fact is
astounding when one considers that a train traveling at one-one
thousandth of this speed will many times miss its schedule.
Furthermore, the moon in its motion around the earth has its
orbit and period. The earth's rotation and the twenty-three
degree tilt of its axis gives us our twenty-four-hour day, our
four seasons, and our many different climates. The movements
of the sun, the moon, and the earth gives us our wonderful
calendar.
The distances between the sun, the moon, and the
earth provide a marvelous environment for life to exist. If
the earth were to come ten percent closer to or farther away
from the sun, all living beings on earth would be either
scorched to death or frozen. The moon were 50,000 miles from
the earth instead of 230,000 miles from it, all the oceans on
earth would be sucked up by the moon; the land mass would be
deluged, and the mountains would be submerged. The precise
distances and circulations of the sun, the moon, and the earth
tell us of a wonderful design that is in place.
And these are but a tiny fraction of the movement of the heavenly bodies above
us. Such a wonderful testimony displayed in the universe
around us is a living witness to the existence of a Creator.
The law of cause and effect tells us that for every
phenomenon there must be a cause. If a watch keeps time
accurately, there must be a watchmaker who made it. If a house
stands magnificently on a hill, th4ere must be a builder who
built it. If a garden is welltrimmed and fenced, there must be
a gardener who is taking care of it. In the same way, the
obvious design behind the universe speaks of a Creator who has
caused these things to appear the way they are.
In physics there is the Second Law of Thermodynamics,
which says that any physical system left to itself will decay
and become disorderly. Yet the processes that operate in the
universe, and particularly on earth, remain highly organized.
There is order and design in everything that we see. For such
order and design to come out of nothing would surely defy the
natural law stated above. Dr. Boris P. Dotsenko, once the head
of the nuclear physics department in the Institute of Physics
in Kiev, who was taught in atheism, wrote in relation to the
earth being what it is in spite of the Second Law: "As I thought
about all of that, it suddenly dawned on me that there must be
a very powerful organizing force counteracting this
disorganizing tendency within nature, keeping the universe
controlled and in order. This force must not be material;
otherwise, it too would become disordered. I concluded that
this power must be both omnipotent and omniscient. There must
be a God -one God- controlling everything!"
Throughout history some people have at times
opposed the idea of God. The very fact that they have opposed
it means that God is there. The fact that some rebellious sons
disown their fathers means that they do have a father. The fact
that some people try to tear down the family means that the
family is a reality. The law of inference tells us that
opposition to anything presupposes that the thing itself exists.
It has been proven in history that it is futile to oppose the
idea of God, for no matter how cultures and human governments
change, the belief in God always prevails in the end.
Let us consider what the universe tells us about God. The Bible tells us that God's "eternal power and divine characteristics" are seen through the creation (Rom. 1:20). As a painting displays the characteristics of the painter, so the Creator's attributes are manifested through His created universe. Although man cannot say much about Dog Himself, through the majesty displayed in the creation he can see that God is powerful. Psalm 19:1 says that "the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of His hands." The material universe speaks of God's glory, and it also speaks of His wisdom. The God who created the universe is powerful, glorious, and wise.
The very existence of mankind speaks of the existence of God.
The human body is a true marvel. Although modern medicine has
invented many machines to imitate and to replace man's orgains
and limbs, no machine can come close to the dexterity and
effectiveness of the human organs. The human hearth pumps 72
times a minute, or 40 million times a year, while one is awake
or asleep. Every day an adult heart pumps blood through
100,000 miles of blood vessels, enough to travel around the
world four times. It pumps enough blood to fill a 2,000 gallon
tank car every day. Who could have designed such a wonderful
organ within man? If one were to pile up the red blood cells
in his body, the height would exceed that of Mount Everest five
thousand times! The nose inhales air seventeen times a minute.
Every day it has to process about 14,000 liters of air. In
addition to adjusting the temperature of the air, it also has
to temper its humidity and filter its dust. A man-made machine
that will handle all these three functions might weigh one
hundred pounds. What if such a "man-made nose" were to be
installed on our face! These are but a few examples fo the
wonders of the human body. If we stand before a mirror, we
cannot help but agree with what the psalmist in the Bible said:
"I am awesomely an dwonderfully made; Your works are wonderful,
and my soul know it well" (Psa. 139:14).
The very makeup of the human personality is also a
strong proof to the creation of God. Man is not just made of
an outward body, but is endowed with some natural traits such
as tendencies and aptitudes to love, to be upright, to be holy,
and to be righteous. These psychological inclinations are in
every person, irrespective of the culture he inherits or the
kind of language he speaks. No animal comes close to man in
demonstrating these virtues. We must conclude that these human
characteristics come from a source higher than man. The Bible
says that they come from God, who Himself is the source of love,
light, holiness, and righteousness. The reason man reflects
these divine traits is that he was made in the image of God
(Gen. 1:26-27).
Furthermore, there is a strange tendencty in man to
worship God. Even the most primitive culture is replete with
ways and rituals in the worship of deity. The study of
anthropology has found that this worship trait is peculiar to
the human species. A monkey never builds a shrine, and a
chimpanzee never prays. But everywhere on the earth man prays
to God. The Bible says that man was created with a spirit
(Job 32:8). This spirit is the organ with which man contacts
and worships God.
The very fact that mankind has been able to exist
until today is a testimony to the sovereignty of God. If God
had held back the sunshine and the air, man would have ceased
to exist on this earth long ago. Every second the sun burns up
the equivalent of four million tons of fuel in order to keep
our planet warm. If God were to charge man for this energy
consumption, man would have to come up with about 160,000,000,000,000
U.S. dollars a day. But all this sunshine and air has come to
us free. As the Bible says, "He Himself gives to all life and
breath and all things" (Acts 17:25).
The ancient Greek poets declared, "For we are also
His [God's] race" (Acts 17:28). The ancient Chinese sage
Confucius called God "heaven" and taught men to honor Him.
Socrates had "a strong belief in God as ruler of the world."
St. Paul in the Bible said that "in Him we live and move and
are" (Acts 17:28). One of Russia's most distinguished wiriters,
Leo Tolstoy, was but echoing the words of St. Paul when he
declared, "God is He without whom one cannot live."
Without God, human history could not have evolved the way it has evolved. God is behind everything that happens among mankind. He is the sovereign Ruler, the King above all kings. The first century Roman Empire persecuted the Christians, but in the end the roman Emperor Constantine himself was converted to Christianity. When Hitler attacked England, and again when he invaded Russia, for a time it seemed as if he would prevail. But God was sovereign in preventing his army from advancing. In the course of human history, though evil forces may prevail for a while, in the end goodness always wins. No despot or tyrant can establish his kingdom forever. King Nebuchadnessar of the ancient Babylonian Empire boasted of his own glory, an dwas made to live like a beast for a season, until he humbled himself before the Almighty. The founding fathers of the United States of America realized that it is God who allows a government to stand. Over the United States capitol building the words "In God We Trust" are inscribed. The same words are inscribed on every piece of American currency. The course of human history is a strong testimony to the existence of God.
Although God is manifested in
many ways through the universe and through mankind, the most
direct revelation of Himself is through two things: His word
and His Son. God's word is the Holy Scripture, which is the
Bible. The Bible reveals to us the titles of God. Among the
many titles for God in the Old Testament, primarily only three
are used - Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai. Elohim is a
plural noun in Hebrew. It implies the notion of "the faithful
strong One." God is strong and faithful. He is strong in
strength and faithful in word. Jehovah means "I Am That
I Am," revealing that God is the self-existing and ever-existing
One. He is the One who was in the past, who is in the present,
and who is to come in the future. Adonai means "master"
and "husband." On the one hand, He is man's Husband. In theh
New Testament there are many other titles, such as Father, Lord,
Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit. All these reveal to us what and
who God is.
The lives of the patriarchs are a strong evidence
of God's working in men's lives. The experience of these men
and their records show how God is the caring One who takes care
of men's affaris and guides them to know Him.
If one reads the Old Testament he will find that
the laws given by Moses are a living picture of God Himself.
God is holy; therefore,the laws that He gave are holy. God is
righteous; therefore, the laws that He gave are righteous (Rom. 7:12).
The psalmist in the Old Testament tells us that we can know God
through the law (Psa. 9:16). Without the law no one knows what
God is like. The law is like a photograph; it shows us what
God is like.
All the prophets in the Old Testament spoke through
the inspiration (1 Pet. 1:10-11; 2 pET. 1:21). It was God who
put the words of prephecy into their mouths. The phrase "thus
says the Lord" is often repeated in the Old Testament. The
wisdom of the prophets' words and teh fulfillment of their
prophecies have proved that their words are indeed divinely
inspired. One of the greatest prophecies concerns the destiny
of the nation of Israel. The Bible prophesied that the Jews
would be scattered throughout the world, but that at the
appointed time the nation of Israel would be restored and the
city of Jerusalem would be returned to the Jews. We can see
this in our own time with the restoration of the nation of
Israel in 1948 and the return of Jerusalem to the Jews in 1967.
The establishing of that tiny nation in the Middle East is a
living proof of God's work in history.
No other books has been attacked as severely as the
Bible. Atheistic governments have tried their best to remove
this book from their lands, but God's sovereign hand has
preserved this book. We are happy that the Bible is now being
made available to the people of Russia, a country formerly
under the rule of atheistic communism, after so many years of
prohibition. We must realize that it is God's hand that has
made this possible. The preservation of the Scripture is one
strong evidence that God is alive in the world today.
Hebrews 1:1-3 says that God,
having spoken to man in many ways in ancient times, one day
decided to speak to man personally in Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ is God coming in the form of man. his coming declared
God (John 1:18). Through Him man sees God Himself (John 14:9).
The Gospel of John records that when He was on earth, He told
others one hundred fourteen times that He was God. In His last
discourse with His disciples He made reference to His being God
over fifty times. The miracles that He performed could not
have been done by anyone unless this one was God. He ordered
and controlled the laws of nature, changing water into wine
(John 2:1-11), quelling the storm (Matt. 8:23-27), and feeding
five thousand with five loaves and two fish (Matt. 4:24; 8:28-32;
11:4-5). He spoke words of wisdom which only God could utter
(Matt. 13:53-56).
After thirty-three and a half years of living on
earth, He died a supernatural death. His death was a
fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. He
foretold His dh to His disciples before the event happened. At
His death He declared "It is finished," meaning that God's work
of redemption was done. The death of all world leaders marks
the end of their influence and career, but the death of Christ
formed the beginning of Christianity and the ushering in of an
earth-shaking faith. It is no wonder that the centurion and
soldiers who guarded Him at the cross confessed, "Truly this
was the Son of God" (Matt. 27-54). His death was the death of
the God-man. At His death the sky became darkened and the
tombs were opened, and many bodies of the dead saints were
raised. It was God who had died for man! No historian can
explain the power that lies behind the death of Christ. The
life and death of Jesus Christ are a living testimony to the
power and work of God.
The above discussion has proved
to us that God is real and living. But we must ask the most
important question: What is this God doing today? What is His
plan for man today? Acts 17:27 tells us that God wants man to
seek after Him and to know Him. He has displayed His
workmanship in the universe, and He has spoken in His Scripture.
He has even manifested Himself in Jesus Christ. His intention
is that we would know Him. God has no intention to hide Himself.
He intends that man would come to know Him first as the Creator
and then as his God and his Father.
Second, God intends for man to worship Him. John 4:23
tells us that God seeks for true worshippers, those who would
worship Him in spirit and truthfulness. He has no intention
for man to worship the things that He has created. The true
worship of God is to worship with our spirit. In the past, man
has set up many idols and worshipped these things instead of
God. But in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, God
forbids all forms of idol worship (Exo. 20:4-5; 1 Cor. 10:14; 1 Thes. 1:9b).
He is the unique God. No other object is qualified to demand
our worship.
The true worship of God does not consist of many
rituals or forms. Neither the place nor the way we sit or bow
matters much to God. What He cares for is that men would
worship Him in their spirit. God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit (John 4:24). If a person
wants to receive radio waves, he must use a radio receiver. If
a man wants to receive a telephone call, he must pick up the
telephone receiver. In the same way, if a man wants to worship
God and contact Him, he must use his spirit. One cannot hear
color with his ears, nor can one see music with his eyes. We
need the right organ for the right substance. God is Spirit
and is not anything material. This is why we must not worship
Him with anything material, but must worship Him with our spirit.
The way to use our spirit is to pray by calling on
the name of the Lord Jesus (Rom. 10:12-13). If we will open
our mouth and our heart and will pray to God, our spirit will
touch Him, and God will be real to us.
The ultimate plan of God for man is that man would
express God. The way to express God is to be filled with God.
If we pray to Him and receive Him, God will come into us and
will fill us. He will not be an objective God outside of us
anymore, but will be a subjective God inside of us. He will
fill us with Himself and will change our whole being. To be a
Christian is not merely to believe in some creeds or to learn
some teachings. It is to know God, to worship Him, and to
express Him by being filled with Him.
This article is taken from a series of gospel messages
given in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia in 1992. They have
been instrumental in bringing over 7,000 people to the knowledge
of God, the Bible, and the Christian salvation.
The entire series comprises six articles with the
following topics:
1) The Bible,
2) There Is God,
3) Christ Is God,
4) Christ Is Spirit and Life,
5) Christ's Redemption and Salvation,
and 6) The Meaning of Human Life.
