If truth is suppressed long enough, eventually truth will be substituted for a lie. This is a deliberate exchange. A person may tire of pushing back their guilt and wrestling with their conscience, so they buy into a system of thought that supplants the truth that was bothering them.
People do this despite the clear and compelling evidence of God’s eternal power and presence. We not only have the witness of conscience in us, we have the witness of creation to us. All of nature cries out, “There is a God!” That which is visible in nature, with its marvelous intricacy and majestic complexity, dramatically declares the existence of a Creator. Paul writes, “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” (Rom.1:20 NKJV). You have to deliberately deny and distort the facts, substituting the false religion of naturalism, bowing at the altar of Darwinism, to convince yourself that there is no God. Those who are atheists have to suspend reason, and become irrational and, according to the Apostle, this is quite inexcusable.
Those who shut their eyes to God’s witness exchange truth for a lie. Paul underscored this: “who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom.1:25).
Still, most people around the world cannot deny the twofold witness of conscience in them and creation about them—so that the atheist is a rare breed. Most people in the world are religious to some degree. They acknowledge some kind of God, yet their knowledge of someone out there does not lead them to Him, but in their sinful nature and depravity, they substitute the creation for the Creator. Weigh these words carefully:
“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. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.” (Rom.1:21-23)
They substitute a God who has made them in His image for a god made in their image. They travel an ever more degrading path from “the glory of the incorruptible God” all the way down to “creeping things” –bugs! In Egypt they held the scarab sacred—a dung beetle! They worshipped an insect that rolled a ball of feces around! The Bible warns that we become like the god we worship (Psalm 115:4-8). Filthy gods lead to filthy lives. “Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves” (Rom.1:24). Idolatry breeds immorality that leads to an ever-deepening cycle of degeneracy.
We become “fools” (Rom.1:22). This isn’t a flaw in mental ability—there are fools with a high IQ. It is a failure in moral aptitude—they love sin and do not want to face consequences, so they deny God’s existence or fashion a god that will bless their sin. In Scripture, folly isn’t about the level of education, but about the depths of rebellion against God.
In Paul’s day, the pagan gods were full of lust and vile passions. There was Bacchus, the god of drunkenness. How was he worshipped? By getting drunk! There was Aphrodite, the goddess of sex. Her worship featured orgies. Many of the idol temples were mere marble-columned brothels.
Yet, even at the heart of this decadent empire, God had planted a church. Many of the members of that Roman church had been rescued from corrupt lives and cleansed from sin by the power of the Gospel. That is the message of hope we bear to the world. Why don’t you invite someone to church to hear that message tomorrow?
1 comment:
I will deal with your first question. We should believe Jesus is God because:
* He claimed to be God. Jesus said,"Before Abraham was I am" (John 8:58). He does more than say He existed before Abraham, which He did, but more—that He is eternal. The Jews recognized the phrase "I am" as referring to God because God used it (a) to describe himself when He commissioned Moses to demand the release of His people from Pharaoh (Ex.3:14), & (b) to identify Himself in the second half of Isaiah. The Jews hearing Jesus understood the nature of these claims. After His comment about pre-existing Abraham, they immediately picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy. Further, Jesus said that "He who has seen Me has seen the Father."(John 14:9).
* Jesus had the attributes of God. (a) Omnipresent: Christ told His disciples, "For where two or three have gathered together in My Name, there I am in their midst (Matt.18:20). He told them Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt.28:20). (b) Omniscient: He knows the inward thoughts of man, an ability peculiar to God (1Kings 8:39; Jer.17:9-16). He saw the evil in the hearts of men (Matt.9:4), He knew beforehand those who would reject Him (John 10:64) & those who would follow Him (John 10:14). He could read the hearts of all (Mark 2:8; John 1:48; 2:24, 25; 4:16-19; Rev.2:18-23). A mere human can no more than make an intelligent guess as to what is in the hearts and minds of others. Christ has a knowledge of other facts beyond mere human comprehension. He knew where the fish were (Lk.5:4-6; John 21:6-11), & knew which fish contained the coin (Matt.17:27). He knew future events (John 11:11; 18:4), & details (Matt.21:2-4), & knew that Lazarus had died (John 11:14). He possessed an inner knowledge of the Godhead showing the closest possible communion with God as well as perfect knowledge. He knows the Father as the Father knows Him (Matt.11:27; John 7:29; 8:55; 10:15; 17:25). Christ knows all things (John 16:30; 21:17), (c) Omnipotent: Sometimes it takes the form of physical power, but more often it refers to authority over creation. Christ has the power to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6), all power in heaven & earth (Matt. 28.18), power over nature (Lk.8:25), power over His own life (John 10:18), power to give eternal life (John 17.2), power to heal, as witnessed by His many miracles, & power to cast out demons (Mark 1:29-34).
* Jesus received worship as God. When the Apostles Paul & Barnabas performed miracles and the pagans tried to worship them, they were dismayed and counted this blasphemy (Acts 14:8-18). Yet, when Jesus was worshipped He accepted it (Matt.28:17) & blessed Thomas for His confession (John 20:28-29).
Surah 4:171 says “O people of the book, commit no excess of your religion: nor say of Allah aught but truth, Christ Isa the son of Mary was an apostle of Allah.” So, you would based on the Qur’an say that He was a very honorable man.
That cannot be. It is not an option. For Jesus to make the claims He made means one of three things:
1)He was a liar. He knew that He was not God and yet claimed to be, deliberately deceiving the people—not to mention all those who have followed Him through the millennia. 2)He was a lunatic. Jesus really thought He was God, even though He was not. This would mean He was insane—like a man who thinks he is a bird and can fly. 3)He is the Lord! Jesus is who He claimed to be. But, you cannot simply say He was an apostle of Allah. He was a devil or deranged or Jesus is Deity. Which one?
If you wish to discuss this further, all your other points can be answered also. You will notice that I answered you without attacking your faith. My hope is that you genuinely want to understand my messages which you describe as “interesting.” I await your response my new-found friend.
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