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BIBLE
AND SCIENCE - Henson Rodrigo
Professing
atheism has become a fashion these days. Many
illiterate people also proudly identify themselves
with these beliefs. In addition, some political
parties adopt this theme as their party principle.
Against this background, those who believe in God
appear foolish to the people who deny the existence
of God. But the Bible calls those who deny the
existence of God, fools (Psalm 14:1).
Science
is not superior to the Bible. There are many who
consider science as their God. What is even worse is
that they believe in the theory of evolution.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) theorized that earth was
round, without support and revolves around its own
axis. The Roman church branded him a heretic and
ostracized him. The Bible knowledge of the Roman
church was grossly inadequate. It is because of a
few of their mistakes that the Bible is thought by
some to be incompatible with science. The Bible is
superior to science. Centuries before Galileo's
discovery, Isaiah wrote of God as "He that
sitteth upon the circle of the earth" (Isaiah
40:22). In Job 26:7, we read, " He hangeth the
earth upon nothing". All these truths have been
foretold in the Bible long before man discovered
them. A few shortsighted Christians with little
knowledge of the Bible may have contrary opinions.
Nicolaus
Copernicus (1473-1543) put forward the heliocentric
theory of planetary movement wherein, in contrast to
the views held earlier, the sun and not the earth is
at the center of the universe and other planets
including the earth revolve around the sun. In light
of the above, what is mentioned in Psalm 19:6 about
the sun rising at one end of the heavens and making
its circuit to the other might have appeared
senseless. However we know today that although the
sun, does not revolve around the earth, it does move
on its predestined path.
As
we read the Bible we are struck by the fact that
although it is not a book of science, it enumerates
numerous scientific facts that were included there
long before their discovery. All these were written
in the Bible many centuries ago. They reveal the
nature of God and His creations. Charles Darwin (
1809-1882) and his colleagues Thomas Henry Huxley
and Ernst Haeckel propounded the theory of evolution
wherein they claimed that humans share many
anatomical features with chimpanzees, gorillas and
orangutans and they argued Homosapiens probably
evolved from a primitive species that resembled
these apes in many respects.
Is
evolution correct? No.
Firstly,
it is nothing but a hypothesis. It is not a
postulate proved beyond doubt by rigorous
experimental verification. When even the facts so
proved are being revised or set aside in the light
of emerging new facts, how long can these guesses
stand? To mention a few parallels, all the
following phrases can pass for amusing old fables
but are not worthy of serious consideration:
Because
a cat resembles a tiger, proposing that a cat as it
grows up turns into a tiger;
Because
a bandicoot resembles a rat, proposing that a rat is
the offspring of a bandicoot, and;
Because
a lizard looks like a crocodile, proposing that a
lizard when it enters the water, slowly evolves into
a crocodile.
Secondly,
since evolution does not appear to happen today, We
deny this proposition. It could be true perhaps that
man has turned into an ape in his thoughts and deeds
but certainly nowhere can we see an ape turning into
a man physically and none has seen this happening
either. Even if none had seen it, is it a workable
proposition? If evolutionary theory were to be true,
there ought to have existed millions of intermediate
forms between humans and apes. There are none
forming the link. The evolutionists have no answer
for this and so the search for the 'missing link'
continues.
The
differences between man and ape are so vast that a
person of the meanest intelligence will know that
man could not have evolved from an ape. Realizing
this slip, evolutionists have now modified this
theory. Citing fossil evidence, they now claim that
both pongid (ape) and hominid (human) originated
from a more primitive ancestral group of small
ratlike animals. When an ape is several steps lower
than humans, and the ancestral primates of apes are
still several steps lower, the suggestion that man
originated from these early primates appears more
ridiculous than ever. Evolutionists project the
similarity in skeletal structures and muscular
anatomies as evidence in support of their theory. If
it were so, can we presume that similar looking
wooden articles came from one another ? Can we
further presume that two houses of similar
construction evolved from each other ? When the
similarity existing among various articles point to
a common human knowledge, do not these observed
similarities among the various living beings reveal
the hand of a creator ? Evolutionists have
conveniently forgotten the differences in skeletal
structures between the birds flying high and the
animals on the ground. Most amazing is the origin of
life in all living creatures. It has been claimed
that a part of the sun separated out to form the
earth and when the earth cooled down, chemical
transformation took place at specific climatic
conditions following scientific principles and life
originated. One fails to understand how from a sun,
a gaseous sphere, earth could have separated out. A
burnt seed does not germinate. Similarly it is very
improbable that life could have originated on an
earth that was separated out of the burning gaseous
sphere.
Thus
we find the very first step of this theory appears
to be grossly illogical. But these eminent men do
not acknowledge their error. They continue to write
and speak to fool others. Let us see further.
Is
evolution correct?
These
days as rapid advances are being made in the fields
of science and education, a section of people hold
the view that this world and everything in it came
into being on their own thus rejecting the role of
God. We are not great scientists to refute the
theory of evolution which proposes that man
originated as the result of gradual evolution of
living organisms from one another. However we shall
explain a few more incongruities in this theory that
makes it unacceptable to intelligent people. In the
first place, it is not possible for us who believe
in the existence of God to accept the theory of
evolution. When there is a Supreme Being , it is far
easier to believe that all these things were created
by Him rather than presuming that, all these came
into being accidentally, which anyway is plain
foolishness.
Let
us examine this further.
Assuming
that somehow life originated on earth and taking the
case of a single celled organism which is at the
lowest level of evolutionary scale, these organisms
are said to have evolved into a different but more
adaptable state over a period of time. However we
find such organisms existing even today. Which
scientific principle could then have operated on
these organisms that made a selected few pass
through the evolutionary process while leaving the
rest at their original state? If all the forms of
living organisms are continuously evolving, none of
the organisms that preceded the human evolution
could be found today. From these one celled
organisms, upto frogs, evolution occurs within
water. However after a certain stage, worms, insects
etc. come out of water and begin to live on land.
When the organisms before and after them on the
evolutionary scale live on water, the reason for
them alone choosing to live on land is known to
none. Did evolution occur after these came to land?
Not at all.
Therefore
asserting that nature operates on the basis of these
contradictory principles is nothing but insult to
nature itself. The final stage of evolution within
water is said to be the frog. Because their earlier
forms viz. tadpoles, has tails and as they grow up
the tails become shorter and shorter, it is argued
that the predecessors of frogs had tails. If that is
so, how did some of their successors on the
evolutionary scale come to possess tails? And how,
for the man who is said to have evolved still later,
tails are absent? What is that magic displayed by
nature in creating some beings with legs and some
others without legs at different stages of
evolutionary process? The theory of evolution claims
that after frogs had come to live on land, from them
birds and beasts evolved.
Among
the reptilian species, some have legs and some do
not. The birds that are supposed to have come from
them have two legs and beasts have four. What is the
uniqueness of these creatures that they could bring
forth, from time to time, some creatures with legs
and some without legs and numerous other creatures
with different number of legs? What is that
principle that directs some frogs to progress on the
evolutionary scale and some other frogs to remain as
frogs? When some animals and birds with more
advanced features than frogs continue to live in
water, does not some creatures with less advanced
features than frogs and at the evolutionary level of
fish, live on land? How is it possible? Whether such
phenomena goes against the evolutionary theory or
just exceptions ? How can they explain these
improbabilities?
Seeing
the birds flying in the air, man too aspired to fly
and he does fly today. But we do not know what made
some of the reptilian species wish to fly. Even if
these reptilian species wanted to fly, how did their
scales turned into feathers, their forelegs became
wings and how did their hard and weighty bones
became so light? What is the mystery that nature
favoured a section of reptiles alone? Why did the
same nature decline to help man who wishes to fly,
by growing wings on him? He has to make airplanes
and travel in them.
According
to the evolutionists, for some of the birds, the
life of their ancestors was sufficient. Therefore
some birds wanted to live on land and some others in
water. Nature came to the help of those which chose
to live on land by giving them hard bones and
weighty body. Likewise those birds which wanted to
live in water tried out by descending on watery
regions though some could have died in the process;
the rest slowly acquired adaptive features for their
successive generations and at last they became fully
adaptable to water. These are the details of the
evolutionary theory.
Why
these birds alone aspired to live in water? Whether
they acquired the necessary adaptive features to
live in water as a result of their aspirations or
whether they live in water because they were created
with the necessary features to live there , let the
intelligent people answer. What are the reasons for
crocodiles and whales which belong to different
species, to aspire for living in water ? Did the
nature, on knowing the aspirations of these
creatures, readily oblige them by giving the
necessary adaptive organs?
Therefore
those eminent men who go astray by believing that
the nature, changing its rules with the changing
circumstances creates so many different creatures
will do well to realize that it is far easier to
believe that God created all these creatures capable
of living in different environments.
During
the time when various living creatures were
gradually evolving, the amazing way in which
different specialized organs appeared in them, is
beyond the reach of human comprehension.
For
instance, let us take the case of the proboscis of a
butterfly. At what point of time it evolved to this
level? Initially the butterfly could not have had
the proboscis and therefore nectar could not have
been its food.
What
made that insect desire for honey whose food was
till then confined to worms? Perhaps it desired for
honey because the food it was taking then was not
sufficient to cater to the needs of all butterflies.
But what to do! Honey is only available deep inside
the flower. Suddenly it started to think in the
following manner. It thought, 'Mother nature! If
only you could help me by giving a lengthy organ, I
can have this honey and eat. But now I am almost
starved.' The sympathetic nature, though could not
help it readily, caused the growth of proboscis to
its descendants gradually. When the proboscis grew
just long enough to reach the nectar, its growth
stopped! Such tales are fit for children though
surprisingly, some intelligent people too subscribe
to this view. What a pity! How easy and worthy of
belief it is to trust that by giving such an organ
to that insect, God made suitable arrangement to
help the butterfly drink the nectar and satiate it's
hunger and also to cause the reproduction of plants.
What
is the principle of nature that caused horns to grow
on goats and cows and not on dogs and horses? When
all the other teeth of elephant are arranged in a
line, what caused two of the teeth of male elephant
to protrude forming beautiful tusks? Besides showing
partiality from one species against another, is it
not an unpardonable error of nature that it chose to
differentiate between male and female of the same
species? Giraffe's neck grew lengthy because it
yearned to pluck and eat the leaves of trees! In the
same way could not have the elephant's neck also
grown lengthy? Why nature chose to give the trunk as
a separate organ for that purpose but made it's neck
shorter. What principle of nature is it that helped
a camel to have a bag (hump) to store water and a
kangaroo to have a bag for carrying its babies? What
is the reason that for a snake, eyes are to be used
both to hear and see? How marvelous are the
creations of feathers of a peacock and the quills of
a porcupine! Why did nature gift the snake with
fangs, scorpion and honeybee with stings?
Thus
we see special organs that are specific to each
species. To propose that all these appeared in
answer to different circumstances is untenable. It
is foolish to believe that nature sensed the needs
of different organisms and gave them suitable
organs. Those organs that are not grown fully can
not be put to use. And such unused imperfect organs
must have ceased to exist and natural laws are not
favorable to help them reach perfection. How easy it
is to believe that God created different specialized
organs for various species at the beginning itself
in order to help them seek food and escape from
various dangers! This alone is truth.
Similarly,
let us take the case of the strong beak of a parrot
which cracks hard nuts and the beak of a woodpecker
which cracks the barks of the tree to feed on the
worms inside. Were they created so strong or they
became so as a result of circumstantial necessities?
Certainly
it is more plausible to believe that depending on
the purposes, each of these creatures were created
with appropriate organs to suit the circumstances in
which they live. Therefore it becomes
clear that there is no place for evolution here.
Starting
from small creatures, all are created in one state
and they live and die in the same state. They don't
become different creatures. Some more organisms
depend for their lives on other organisms.
Parasite
is an example. They always live depending on other
organisms at a higher level than themselves. Let us
consider the ring worm and tape worm which are found
in the stomach. These worms live on the food that we
eat. According to the evolutionary postulate, these
must have appeared on earth millions of years ago.
Where
could they have lived till the appearance of man?
What did they have for food till then? What
made them desire for entering into man soon as he
appeared?
We
can go on adding more and more such examples.
Therefore it appears that certainly these kind of
organisms could not have appeared earlier. If they
had appeared later, then the evolutionary theory
becomes wrong. What explanations do the scientists
offer for these? Hence we understand that these
creatures did not evolve into what they are in tune
with the changing circumstances and opportunities
but were created with specific purposes and
capabilities.
Having
created all types of creatures, God has not only
provided for their suitable livelihood but also made
appropriate organs to lead their lives. Each
creature follows a different method in seeking its
food. Each has been provided with a body structure
appropriate for its food and the necessary abilities
to flee from enemies.
Some
attack their enemies and some swiftly run away. Each
creature is given suitably strong body and sound
organs. God has given the necessary wisdom for some
creatures to escape skillfully.
Some
kinds of fish possess electricity in their bodies
and they seek protection from their enemies by
releasing them. Some creatures create nauseous
environment around them as a technique of avoiding
the approach of their enemies. Apart from creating
them all with suitable faculties for survival, God
has made some of them submissive and some others not
so submissive to man. God has created man to rule
over them all. But man has failed to give glory to
God but equated himself with animals. There can not
be a more foolish act than this.
Brother,
will you not know your creator at least on seeing
the creation around you? We read in Genesis 1:25
that "God made the beast of the earth according
to its kind and everything that creeps on the earth
according to its kind". As we see other verses
in the chapter, we are convinced that there are
differences among every class of creatures which is
prevalent even today. Though some changes take place
within the same class of creatures, there are no
instance of one class of creature becoming another.
For example, in the case of dogs, we find hundreds
of kinds of dogs but there are no instance of a dog
changing into or giving birth to a horse. In the
same way, we can segregate horses into various
categories by virtue of their color, height,
strength and breed but they all belong to the same
class. But has a horse ever given birth to a donkey?
Therefore evolutionary theory is not a plausible
proposition.
Accrual
of qualities in progress with the generation can not
be taken to be supportive of the evolutionary
hypothesis. Because among the honey bees only the
queen bee lays eggs. When the eggs hatch, out of
them emerge, queen bee, worker bees and drone bees.
Why did nature form a separate rule for this species
alone? Therefore don't we see the hand of a creator
here? In the same way, some instances of deviation
from hereditary practices go against the
evolutionary theory. For example, in hatching eggs,
only the female members display concern. But among
sea horses, when the female conceives and as the
time approaches for laying eggs, it chases the male
and lays its eggs in a pouch underneath its stomach.
When the eggs hatch, the male ejects the young ones
with great pain. Then is it a trick of nature that
made even the male of the species to share in the
birth pain?
Also,
the male of another type of fish swims about with
eggs laid by the female in its mouth and it even
protects the young from enemies for a few days even
after they are hatched. Till the time the eggs
are hatched, the male can not take food. Why did
nature make the male fish alone to take part in the
process of procreation even under the condition of
starvation?
Let
us see some more of such amazing facts. If we watch
the ants, it is only at the time of mating that
wings grow on the male ants and queen ants. Soon
after mating the male ants die and the wings of
queen ants fall. Thus defying all natural laws,
wings grow on them only for a specific
purpose. In the same way, soon after procreation,
female scorpion kills the male scorpion. How can
nature be justified in doing this? In this way,
nature and all the various creatures existing in it
bear witness to the work of creation. Besides, man
who is the crown of nature, too declares the
work of creation through his life. In Job 35:10, we
read that man is wiser than the beasts and birds. We
know very well how true it is.
Man
is many times nobler than other creatures. He has a
language, the ability to think and determine, has
wisdom to know the truth and sharp intelligence to
invent novel things. All these are not
possessed by monkeys which are thought by some
scientists to be the basis of man's origin. Man's
body and it's organs, the manner and the order with
which these organs function, all bear testimony to
the work of creation.
Body
is a machine that is capable of correcting itself.
When the body is wounded and the skin is destroyed,
the surrounding skin grows up and covers the gap. If
a finger is cut, the skin grows up and covers the
wound. Also when the body temperature rises above
98.4 degree Fahrenheit, sweating takes place. The
evaporation of sweat results in cooling of the body
and this way the temperature of the whole body is
controlled.
Does
nature have the ability to regulate the bodily
conditions so well? Moreover, the definition of
'will' is not easilily comprehensible. It is not
made up of any solid matter. Likewise it is
impossible to determine the nature of 'mind' by
scientific means. But we see the working of 'mind'
and 'will' through our experience.
Similarly,
it is impossible for anyone to point out clearly the
nature and origin of 'conscience' inspite of our
awareness of wrongdoing when an evil act is done. If
man had originated from monkeys how can we
reasonably expect such things from him?
If
we carefully consider our organs, we can understand
the magnificence of creation. The pupil of the eye
is a wonderful organ. Depending on the level of
illumination, the pupil dilates or constricts to
regulate the amount of light passing through it. The
lens then focuses the light on the retina. Also the
eye displays size constancy, in that, even as an
object is moved farther away, we see it as more or
less invariant in size. Moreover, though we have two
eyes, both eyes look at the same object. Also both
the eyes are situated on the same side of the face .
If one eye were to be at the back, we know very well
that we can not hold our attention to any single
thing. Thus, as we analyze our organs one by one, we
come across numerous marvels. Then how can we remain
unbelieving that all these things have been created
by God with great wisdom? We shall consider yet
another organ. What is that? Brain is the most
important of all. It is the seat of thought. But no
one knows how it performs that function. In the same
way, what we see, hear and learn are registered in
the brain. The brain can forget or retain some of
them. We have no right to ask why some things are
forgotten and why even the things that we want to
forget are retained. This is also a wonder.
Brain
is the centre of mental processes where sensations
are registered and actions are initiated.
Information from sense organs reach the brain and in
turn the brain sends out instructions and warnings
to various organs. Is it not the grace of God that
the brain can automatically operate like an
electronic switchboard in a telephonic exchange,
handling incoming and outgoing messages so well! The
lens of the eye focuses the light passing through
the eye in the retina where the images of what we
see are registered. However the brain and nervous
system help in giving colors, features and
dimensions to those images. Thus considering the
brain alone, can any right thinking person fail to
conclude that these are marvelous works of God who
is infinite in wisdom and a wonderful creator? Let
us now analyze the creation as accounted in the book
of Genesis. How eautifully and orderly have each
step been given!
There
is room to suspect that our evolutionist friends
might have derived the basis of their theory from
the above account of creation! In second verse of
the first chapter of Genesis, it is mentioned that
the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the
waters. The evolutionists have given a twist to the
above verse and claim that in the beginning, a life
giving matter called protoplasm was floating on
waters. Moreover in the 20th verse we read that God
said, "Let the waters abound with an abundance
of living creatures and let birds fly above the
earth across the face of the firmament of the
heavens". Based on this evolutionists claim
that evolution began in water from where the birds
emerged!
Nevertheless,
they reject the Creator of whom the scriptures speak
with great clarity. The scriptures say that it was
God who created man. We read that God formed man out
of the dust of the ground and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life. Man remains powerless
to know his future despite inventing so many
powerful things. Men ruling over vast lands are not
able to exercise control over their own bodily
desires. Man could halt huge ships on seas by
dropping anchor but finds himself unable to have
control over his mind. The man who manages to
control his vehicle at his will even at tremendous
speeds, is baffled to find himself unable to bring
his mind under control when it crosses its
boundaries. What is the cause? Isn't it because man
has two characteristics coexisting, one of which is
noble and the other of low nature! In the same way
man realizes that within himself both good and bad
are struggling for supremacy.
All
this explains quite clearly the existence of God's
breath within man who was made from the dust of the
ground. Finally without creation our gospel will be
in vain. If we believe in evolution, there is no
place for sin, satan, heaven and hell and therefore
there is no need for the Saviour to come! How can
there be soul for the descendants of animal?
Therefore only those who aspire for animal-life
think of themselves to have originated from animals.
Brother, with all this we know for certain that
there is a God who is the Creator of all that we
see.
The
author of the epistle to the Hebrews concludes
categorically in 11th chapter 3rd verse that the
evolutionary postulate is wrong by saying, "The
things which are seen were not made of things which
are visible". Further, as we read from
Job 12:7 onwards, "Now ask the beasts, and they
will teach you; and the birds of the air, and they
will tell you; Or speak to the earth and it will
teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to
you. Who among all these does not know that the hand
of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is the life
of every living thing, and the breath of all
mankind?"
Will
not this challenge penetrate your heart? Ask God.
Is
the bible true? Why would a Christian like me
believe in my religious book called the bible, when
many try to turn the mind of man away from religious
faith reasoning that religion is an intoxicating
drink and vehemently oppose religious books which
explain the basic principles and beliefs of
religion? It appears important to me to explain why
I like to read it. It is my desire to explain the
reasons for my belief and the beliefs of godly
people like me, with the help of science such as
Philosophy, Mathematics, Science etc. Although it is
our wish to explain all details, we try to give some
important reasons alone in a lucid and simple manner
as it would be difficult for many readers to
understand complex scientific principles.
First
of all, in the Bible, there is nothing contrary to
science. Therefore I believe the Bible. Some people
who don't know the Bible argue that some of the
events mentioned in the Bible are not in agreement
with scientific knowledge in any way. Let us analyze
some of them.
You
would have already known from earlier articles that
the details regarding creation as written in the
first book, Genesis, are not in any way contrary to
our belief or general knowledge. Therefore it is
meaningless to argue that it is against scientific
proposition.
Secondly,
an event which is greatly debated is the great
deluge recorded to have occurred in Noah's time. Did
it really happen? We give below the summary of an
article which appeared in an Indian weekly named,
"Sunday Standard" on this topic: On 5th of
July 1955, Fernand Navarra, a French man and his son
Raphael went to explore the mount Ararat. In the
end, about 3000 feet from its peak they located
Noah's ark. In their assessment, the remains of the
ark was about 500 feet length and was seen damaged
by the weight of the iceberg. They cut out and
brought three pieces of wood weighing about 50
pounds from the ark.
After
analyzing the samples in many reputed chemical
laboratories, they came to the conclusion that these
wooden pieces were part of a type of oak tree found
in the Mediterranean region almost 5000 years ago.
When scientists had clarified this so clearly, why
should we continue to harbor doubts about this?
Still,
let us also consider the opinions of geologists on
destruction caused by this great flood: According to
the theory of evolution, during any specific period
only one kind of organism could live. However in the
rocks underneath the earth several layers and piles
upon piles of fossilized skeletons of organisms were
found, which should have lived at different points
of time according to the evolutionary theory.
Moreover fossilized remains of different sea
creatures were found buried in high places. Also
skeletons of various types of organisms are found
strewn across a vast area covering hundreds of acres
in separate collections. Therefore it could
reasonably be assumed that an unexpected deluge
caused widespread destruction among various
creatures living in groups and buried the carcasses
here and there. Besides in various parts of the
world there were signs of water having reached great
heights. Moreover after careful analysis of deposits
found at the top of some very tall mountains,
scientists admit that those mountains were once
submerged in water. Therefore the deluge of Noah's
time, as mentioned in the Bible, is not contrary to
science.
Brother,
why should you head towards destruction, ignoring
the warning sound of God and refuse the salvation
kept ready for you like the people who refused to
heed the crying appeal of good old grandpa Noah and
perished ignoring the ark prepared for them?
Thirdly,
the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is an event
which deserves to be investigated. We read in the
Bible that these cities were destroyed by fire and
brimstone falling from heaven. How could this be
true? What do geologists have to say on this? The
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were located in the
valley of river Jordan. Beneath the landscape of
these cities, a very wide oil well was found. Due to
some incident such as an earthquake, this part of
the earth sank and strained the soft rock
underneath. Because of the pressure exerted by the
sunken earth, from there, salt, sulfur and oil could
have come out through some weak faults. These
elements which gushed out with immense force rose to
great heights and fell over a wide area of land
which turned Lot's wife into a pillar of salt. As
oil rubbed with air, it caught fire and there was a
rain of fire from above. In this way the destruction
of Sodom and Gomorrah also had been explained beyond
doubt.
My
friend, the earth where you live will also be
consumed by fire. Do you want to live? Find shelter
in the rock of Christ.
Fourthly,
in the 12th and 13th verses of the tenth chapter of
the book of Joshua, we read that Joshua halted the
movement of the sun and the moon. Is this feasible?
We also see that nothing like that had ever happened
either before or after that incident. Therefore we
should investigate the natural law by which this
kind of unparalleled incident could have taken
place. No one can tell with certainty why the earth
rotates around its axis. The gravitational force of
earth also is an enigma. There is a possibility of
lengthening of day like this because of the
obstruction to the speed of the earth. The hailstorm
which occurred that day was the consequence of
changes on the earth caused by the obstruction to
it's movement. Isn't it possible that God could have
employed some foreign space object as a tool to
bring about such condition? Also, is it impossible
for God who formed the ordinances of nature to
perform an act overriding them?
Long
before the discovery of many of the scientific
principles in the present times, they were mentioned
in the Bible. This is another reason why I believe
the Bible. When Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) pointed
to people that earth was round, without support and
revolved around its own axis, the then leaders of
the Roman church, branded him a heretic and
ostracized him. Romans are not the only Christians
and it can not be claimed that they know the Bible.
But what does our scripture say?
Isaiah
wrote "He that sitteth upon the circle of the
earth" (Isa. 40:22) and in Job 26:7, we read,
"He hangeth the earth upon nothing".
Weren't these books written many years before
Galileo? An astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus
(1473-1543) clarified that it was not the sun which
revolved around the earth but the earth which
revolves around the stationary sun.
For
the people living at that time, what was told by
David to his people as mentioned in Psalms 19, that
the sun rising at one end of the heavens and making
its circuit to the other end, might have appeared
senseless. However we know today that although
the sun does not revolve around the earth, it does
move on its predestined path patiently. Medical
scientists tried very hard to find answer to the
question, "What is life and on what does it
depend?" Their final conclusion is that life is
in the blood. But we read the same truth in the book
of Leviticus again and again. The Bible points out
in Lev. 17:11 that "the life of the flesh is in
the blood".
Moreover
scientists have discovered an upper atmospheric
layer called Kennelly-Heaviside layer (ionosphere)
over the earth which looks like glass and protects
the humans from harmful rays emanating from the sun,
which also reflects electromagnetic waves (radio
waves) back to the earth. What does the Bible have
to say on this? Many centuries before this was
discovered, it was written in Job 37:18 that
"He spread out the skies strong as a cast metal
mirror".
These
days, man has discovered that apart from stars like
sun, there are planets other than the earth. Since
these planets look like the world where we live,
scientists even venture to say that they can be
inhabited by human beings. It has been discovered
that there are many such worlds. What does the Bible
have to say on this? In Heb. 1:2, we read,
"through whom also He made the worlds" and
in Heb.11:3, we read, "By faith we understand
that the worlds were framed by the word of
God".
The
most surprising thing of all is the mention of the
land of India in Esther 1:1, many years before it
was discovered by westerners. Since so many things
have been written in the Bible, long before they
were discovered by scientists and intellectuals, can
we not believe that this was written by God Himself
through His Spirit?. Know Your God.
Various
kinds of animals and creations living in water, air
and the creeping creatures and the birds of the air,
do only two things:
1.
They reproduce
2.
They search for food
All
their actions are centered around the above two
objectives. Soon after drinking milk a young calf
jumps around and plays. It's aim is to digest its
food. Also, till the calf grows up, the cow gives
its protection but forgets it thereafter. As we look
at these, we find that they behave like activated
machines. The behavior of a creature which we see
today, remained the same earlier and it will remain
so in future. There is no change whatsoever. This is
accepted by everybody. We can understand one thing
from this. They are not created to think and act.
However,
man is totally different. His behavior undergoes
change everyday. Yesterday he built house in one
manner. Today he builds house in another manner and
tomorrow he will build it in yet another manner.
Through this we can understand that man is capable
of rational behavior differentiating between good
and evil. In the beginning God made various
creatures to pass before this kind of man. However
for man, none of them could be a suitable helper.
Therefore God made Eve with capacity to think and
act like Adam. God made her from one of his ribs and
gave her to him. She was found a suitable helper to
him. See, we take our friend to a garment shop.
Together, we select a garment and buy it. We find
this friend to be like-minded and comparable growth.
There is yet another kind of friend. If you tell him
to come, he comes. If you tell him to stand at the
bus stop, he stands there. If you tell him to get
into the bus, he obeys. If you tell him to sit in a
particular seat, he sits there. He speaks if you
tell him to speak and gets down if you say so. He is
incapable of doing anything on his own. If we take
such a friend along with us, will he make a suitable
companion to us? To take him along is no better than
taking a stone along with us for company.
God
too did not make men like the latter. Had he made
like that, man would be like a machine incapable of
sinning. However, He can not have fellowship with
such a man. Therefore leave out the foolishness of
counseling God that He could have created man
incapable of sinning. God created man in His own
image and likeness having similar characteristics. O
man, you are distinguished among all creatures! A
small boy can rule over an elephant. But no animal,
however big is capable of ruling over a child. The
man who is created in the image of God possesses the
capacity to think and act independently and acquire
knowledge of good things that are liked by his
Creator. For example, a man who stands at the
terrace of his house has a ladder to come down to
the ground. Again he knows that he can reach the
ground also by jumping down from there. But he is
aware that, if he jumps he will break his bones. Now
this man is free to reach the ground by climbing
down the ladder or by jumping down from the terrace.
Whom can he blame if he chooses to jump down and
thereby breaks his legs? similarly the early man
chose what was evil, did what was disliked by God
and came under His curse.
Man,
could you blame God? Many ask that having known
beforehand that man would sin like this, why did God
create satan? The distance between our wisdom and
His wisdom is greater than the distance between the
heaven and the earth. Who can understand His wisdom?
As we pass by electrical installations, we notice
warning signs painted in red. The warning sign may
display a symbol of a skull with two bones placed
across accompanied by a message, "11 K.V.
Danger" written over the symbol. The meaning of
the warning sign is that one should not touch it,
lest he turns into one as depicted in the symbol!
Some man touched it ignoring the warning and died.
His friend was pained at his death and asked a
question. "Knowing well that someone will die
like this, why do they keep these electrical
installations?"
There
is no difference between this question and the
question that why God created satan. To know why God
created satan, first one must know God. If one knows
Him, it is possible to know His creations. God did
not create satan. God created him as an angel. This
angel spoiled himself and turned into satan. Till
one gains the knowledge of God, he can not
understand why God did like this even if it is
explained to him in detail. The bible says that he
who is in the image of His Creator has perfect
knowledge (Col. 3:10). Man sinned and lost the
knowledge to know God. Therefore he does not
understand anything.
However
there is a way to understand! Jesus says, "No
one knows the Father (Almighty) except the Son, and
he to whom the Son wills to reveal Him (Matt.
11:27). Jesus calls, "Come to Me, all you who
truly labor and are heavy laden for not knowing God.
You will get rest by being relieved of your burden.
Learn and obey my commandments which are light and
easy to follow. Then you shall know God and find
rest" (Matt. 11:28-30). Rather than considering
yourself wise and confusing yourself with all sorts
of questions, strive to know God. Come to Jesus for
that purpose. We who are His servants, declare Him
to you. "Let us know, let us pursue the
knowledge of the Lord" (Hos. 6:3).
Know
your God, the Almighty God who is the supreme being
with the natural attributes of omnipresence,
omniscience, omnipotence, eternity, constancy,
self-existence, perfection, infinite holiness,
truth, love, holy scriptures (Bible) and mercy, with
the functions of creation, preservation and
destruction. God is invisible, incomparable and
indivisible.
That
there is a God who is the cause of creation and
preservation of all things is generally acknowledged
by everyone except a few fools who are not amenable
to reason and they deny the very existence of God.
It is with the intention to erase such wrong notions
that we present below the following reasoning.
1.
Without cause there is no effect. It is clear that
there ought to be some cause for the several things
and happenings that we see in this world. That cause
is God. Just as two and two do not add up to
three, just as nothing can come out of nothing, and
just as it can be inferred that there cannot be
smoke without fire, it is logical that since there
are innumerable creations, there ought to be a
creator. For, every house is built by someone; but
he who built all things is God (Rom 1:20; Heb 3:4).
2.
The perfect harmony one sees in this vast universe,
for example, the various creations depending on each
other and complementing one another, all
indisputably point to the existence of God. The idea
that, this universe came into being accidentally
appears foolish. If we pick out all the leaves of a
book, shuffle and throw them on the ground, will
they all align themselves automatically to make a
coherent reading? Never. Is there ever a house that
came into being accidentally? That being the case,
can this wonderful and orderly universe arrange
itself so well without the touch of a creator? The
remarkable degree of orderliness one could easily
perceive among the moon, the sun, the earth and the
stars could not be the outcome of a freak accident
but the work of a being with supreme wisdom. That
supreme being is God.
3.
The very fact that the things that we find on earth
have been formed for a definite purpose and with a
certain objective does point to the presence of God.
Nothing
has been created in vain and without purpose. Some
beings display wisdom and some do not. Even in those
beings that possess wisdom, we find certain
functions being performed by a few organs without
any external inducement. For instance, while eating,
man does not direct his intelligence in planning for
digestion of food and distributing the nutrients
among the various organs of the body. These are all
marvelous involuntary actions and there should be a
cause to this effect and that cause is God. To the
question whether these things cannot happen
naturally, the answer is 'No'. The process of
autonomy exhibited by a creature is not an external
but an inherent function of that creature which
could have been conceived and incorporated only by
somebody with great wisdom and that somebody is God.
4.
When we analyze the human body which is a world by
itself, we find the intricate movements of various
organs within, which unfailingly remind us of God.
It can be said that either the body is eternal and
self-existing or it should have been made by someone
else. The body considered separately, does not have
the ability to move on its own nor it is capable of
sensation or thinking. Therefore assigning the lofty
attributes of eternity and self-existence to it
appears foolish. On the other hand if the body had
been created in the beginning by 'somebody' else,
then that 'some body' is God. Besides, the marvelous
movements noticed within the human body, by virtue
of being such a wonder , can not lead one to assume
that it could have come into existence of its own
accord. The logical inference shall be someone
should have created it and that someone is God.
Besides body does not possess the ability to move on
its own much less to move an external object.
Therefore doubtless it has to be activated into
motion by an external force. That force is God
having boundless wisdom and power.
5.
As one reflects on the qualities of the amazing soul
within the body, one would readily admit the
existence of God. It can be said that either the
soul has been existing forever or it is something
created by the body or made by somebody else.
Obviously intelligent people would not subscribe to
the view that the soul has no beginning. It is
certain that the soul has a beginning. The idea that
soul is the product of the body also is foolish,
since body is not nobler than soul. Can an inferior
object be the cause of creation of a noble object?
How can the body which does not have life and
knowledge bring forth the soul possessing both? The
soul can think, reason and ponder about the whole
universe. Further the soul can discriminate between
the past, present and future, can conceive and
implement many marvelous things, and above all can
probe and explore not only the earth but also the
heaven and the God. How can the soul so powerful be
created by the body which is much inferior to it?
Therefore, it can be concluded that the soul should
have been created by some far superior force. That
supreme force is God.
6.
Our own conscience bears witness to the existence of
God. Whenever we think of committing some offense, a
fear grips our mind and the conscience which is our
being's internal speaker, declares us an offender
and hence liable for punishment. Thesayings that
'there can be no unconscious lie' and 'one will
invariably be trapped by his own sin' are true and
our conscience is a standing testimony to the
existence of God. Where is the need of fear for
sins, if there is no God?
7.
God's existence is further proved by the fact that
people all over the world do worship God. Though
there are differences in their methods and
principles, nearly all accept that there is a God.
There are people who do not have education or
knowledge of scriptures. But even among them there
is seldom anyone who denies the existence of God.
Though they have no knowledge of the true God,
realizing that there ought to be a God, they make
things out of stone, soil, trees, clouds, etc. and
worship them as God. What is believed by nearly all
to be existing should really be existing. Therefore,
there need be no doubt about the existence of God.
God
is in the form of spirit and therefore He does not
appear to our senses. We can never comprehend His
divinity with the limited knowledge we possess. By
His marvelous works, we understand some of His
attributes. However, we can gain knowledge of His
flawless attributes with the help of the Bible, the
wonderful book given by God. The Holy Bible declares
emphatically that God is one because it is clear to
everybody that God exists. The blessings enjoyed by
the Israelites, the miracles seen and heard by them
and the unfailing prophesies uttered by their great
prophets offer conclusive proof that He alone is the
true Supreme Being.
The
Holy scriptures explains God in three different
perspectives namely His names, His works and His
attributes.
1)
Because God is one and is peerless, with no
variation whatever in His nature, there are no names
referring to His nature. However since He is in no
way void of qualities, there are some derivative
names attributed to Him to signify His
characteristics, for the sake of human
understanding. In the Old Testament, Jews gave a
wonderful name in Hebrew, Jehovah (Lord) to God
which means Self-existent or Eternal one (Isa.42:8).
As Jews were afraid to pronounce this name they
referred the eternal God by various appropriate
names such as Elohim (Gods) (Gen 1:1) meaning Triune
God , Adonai (Gen 15:2) meaning Lord, El (Gen 17:1)
meaning Almighty, Elyon (Gen 14:18) meaning most
high God., Shaddai (Gen 17:1) meaning the supplier
of all needs of His people, Eheyeh (Ex 3:14) meaning
'I am' or the 'Self-existent one' ( Ex 34:6-7). In
the New Testament God has been referred in Greek as
'Theos' meaning the Supreme God and 'Kurios' meaning
Lord. In English Bible, the word 'God' is used with
a connotation of goodness.
2)
Bible reveals God to us through His works. It
teaches us that God created the heavens and the
earth out of nothing by the power of His word and
made all those things in them. It also teaches us
that the God who could create all things must be
eternal; He who could infuse life into other things
must be Self-existent; He who created numerous
amazing planets must be Almighty; and He who created
the whole universe in perfect order must be
Omniscient and because all His works are beneficial,
He is All-beneficent. Besides, when men became
sinners, God's love and compassion were revealed in
an amazing manner. The Bible proclaims God's works
through many verses in a way comprehensible to our
small intellect, in languages understood by us, that
God created man with His hand; He breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life and that He was grieved
in His heart. Because God is in the form of spirit,
these verses must be appropriately interpreted.
3)
His attributes become evident through His works
which can be illustrated. Bible declares that God is
one (Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6; I Cor 8:4,6); God is
Spirit (John 4:24); God is Light (I John 1:5); God
is Love (I John 4:8); He is the King eternal,
immortal and invisible and that He is the wise God
(I Tim 1:17). The Bible declares that the divine
being is only one and there are many proofs for that
in the world.
Among
the creatures, the characteristics and features
exhibited by members of the same species are alike.
In this world wherever we go and whatever object we
see, the commonality and relation one perceives
among these various objects indicates a single prime
cause. This being is referred in the Bible as Divine
Trinity consisting of three separate and distinct
persons in the Godhead. Because they perform the
works of creation , preservation and destruction,
with one accord, all the objects in the world
exhibit the same characteristics.
One
man's wisdom is sufficient to make a watch. But the
same watch can also be made by three persons working
with one accord. The Bible tells that, the Triune
God performs the acts of creation and preservation
in a similar manner. We will explain Trinity in
another place.
There
are some vain people who oppose the above facts
about God. Of these vain people, atheist ranks
first. He stubbornly denies the existence of God.
When we say that without cause there is no effect
and the cause of all things is God, he will object
it saying 'Doesn't a child come into being because
of a father and a clay pot because of the potter?'.
True, nevertheless, if we ask him again, 'How does a
tree come up in a jungle not trodden by man?', he
will reply that just as worm comes up from dung,
trees also come up in a jungle through natural
process. If we ask him further 'How can they
multiply without seed? And can a child be born
without a father?', the atheist can not give proper
reply but will say that 'Everything occurs
naturally'. If so, what is 'nature'? Is it an
external or internal matter of a thing? Which is
that nature? If it is an internal matter of things,
will it not appear that these things can breed by
themselves? We don't see such an ordinance. On the
other hand if we take that 'nature' to be an
external matter of things, then certainly it is the
omniscient God who can create such a matter. Even
then, there are differences between those who
believe 'nature' to be the cause of all creatures
and those who believe God to be the cause of all
creatures. Since each creature exhibits a different
nature, those who believe that nature is the prime
cause suggest multiple creators corresponding to the
different nature of the creatures; the one who
proposes that God is the prime cause of all
creation, establishes with certainty that there is a
single Creator who is the maker of all creatures and
their different natures.
Atheists
deny the existence of God since He is invisible.
Aren't such remarks amount to plain foolishness?.
Man has not seen man. For what we see as the man's
body is not the matter that identifies itself as 'I'
and guides that body. Nevertheless we claim to have
seen that matter called 'I' because it is the inner
self of the man residing in his body and guiding
him. Likewise the truths about the invisible God is
known through the visible world. If we believe only
what can be seen, then, many facts of the world may
have to be concluded as false.
The
believers of 'Advaita' (a form of Hindu philosophy)
admit the existence of supreme God. However they say
that He is everything in the universe and all that
we see is an illusion and that everything in this
world will appear and disappear like bubbles in the
ocean and like a dream that we see. If everything we
see is illusory, can the truth which is God be
proved on the basis of falsehood which is an
illusion? Can falsehood result in truth ? It is not
possible. One who maintains that everything is false
will try to establish his own word as truth. If
everything is false, then what one tries to
establish firmly as truth also must be false. In
attempting to elevate the Supreme Being, such people
foolishly deny what is existing and end up showing
that the omnipresent God is nowhere present.
This
belief creates great arrogance in the mind of man
and encourages him to say that man is God and soul
is part of God. Can the indivisible Supreme Being be
divided? Can souls of little intellect and full of
sin become part of God? Where is the proof for that?
If soul is a part of God, does it possess divinity
in any measure? Can it create grass or sand? Can the
soul atleast know how it is bound with the body? In
the beginning it was made in the image of God and
not with the attributes of God. It lost the perfect
image it had on account of the arrogance of sin.
Besides, if soul is God by itself, why should there
be another God to be worshipped by it? This
principle is the result of the inability to know
oneself because of lack of wisdom. It is true that
one who knows himself shall know the Chief. When a
man clearly understands himself to be an object not
having the power to create himself, he is certain
that there should be a person other than him, who is
God, the First Cause. Because he finds various
proofs, internal and external to himself, to
strengthen this conviction, he believes it without
any doubt. 'Knowing oneself is the true knowledge
and the converse is the devilish knowledge'.
With
this conviction, when man sees power and wisdom in
himself in some measure, he realizes that the one
who created him should possess infinite power and
unlimited wisdom; When he sees himself having love
and compassion in a little measure, he realizes that
his creator must have immeasurable love and
immeasurable compassion. Knowing this , he
understands the purpose of his creation and is
determined to praise in his heart, the God who is
discernible to his mind. There is a reason for the
people to have such different views of God.That
reason is the absurdity arising out of arrogance
resulting from sin. In the beginning, when man had
good knowledge of God, Satan told him that if he ate
the forbidden fruit, he would be like Gods (Gen
3:5). Man believed that lie and was ruined. Since
then, man goes on blabbering about God's divinity
such as he himself is God or there is no God or God
is evil and so on under the assumption that God is
one like him. Besides thinking of God in various
ways like this, when the most high God who is the
prime cause being visible to nobody and is without
form, they went against His commandments as given in
Ex 20:4 and Deut. 4:15. They exchanged the truth of
God for the lie and worshipped and served the
creature rather than the creator, who is forever
praised (Rom. 1:25). This is the devilish knowledge.
The
knowledge of God is acquired through the word of God
just as sun is seen by its own brightness. Because
the word of God is truth, all that it speaks of God
deserves acceptance.
There
is an eye by which one can view the invisible God.
That eye is faith. The umbilical cord of that faith
is the scriptures. Without faith, it is impossible
to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must
believe that He exists and that He rewards those who
earnestly seek Him (Heb 11:6). All the good deeds of
man results from the truth of this faith and all his
evil deeds are the consequence of lack of this
faith. Understanding God is wisdom; To worship Him
is righteousness and loving Him is the blessing. The
knowledge of God:
Apart
from the saying, 'One who knows himself knows his
Leader', it is also true that one who knows God
knows himself. There is a close relationship between
these two kinds of knowledge. The knowledge of
knowing self and God is the true knowledge. But man
should necessarily know himself in order to know God
well. Also he should necessarily know God in order
to know himself well.
When
we contemplate deeply about ourselves, we can't help
thinking of God who created us. We should
necessarily think about Him who provides for us
continually. Could we create our five senses by
ourselves or could we infuse life into ourselves? It
is absolutely impossible. Therefore we can not help
thinking about God who has granted us so many good
things essential for our living. The evil inherent
in our characteristics and attributes itself induces
us to seek God. Abhorring evil, we long to obtain
the good things from God. We seek God this way
through our faith that He will remove our poverty,
weakness and defect and grant us the true knowledge,
wealth, strength and righteousness.
Knowing
oneself:
To
know oneself, first one ought to know God. We should
know how we look in the sight of God. By virtue of
his pride, man usually evaluates himself to be wise
and pure. But when we measure ourselves against
God's flawless purity, it will be evident that our
knowledge is foolishness and our purity is soiled.
When we compare ourselves with God who is acclaimed
as the holy holy holy Lord, it will be clear that we
are just pretenders. The evil that surrounds us
stains our mind. Therefore even some appallingly
evil acts also appear good to us. We must realize
that in God's pure sight, even our righteous acts
appear like filthy rags, our strength appears like
weakness and our knowledge appears like foolishness.
Even
the saints who stood in the holy presence of God
were filled with fear and awe and trembled. Manoah,
the father of Samson said to his wife, "We have
seen God. We shall surely die" (Judges 14:22.).
Likewise Isaiah on seeing the Holy Lord cried
"Woe to me! I am ruined! For I am a man of
unclean lips" -Isa. 6:5. Similarly see Ezek.
1:28 and Dan. 8:18, 10:16-17. The people who saw the
majesty of God invariably felt their insignificance.
What
is meant by the knowledge of God?
It
is not sufficient to be aware of the existence of
God. Many ungodly people too admit the existence of
God though they had not known God rightly. Even
being aware that the omnipotent God created
everything and preserves all, is not sufficient. The
understanding that God is a loving, wise and
righteous ruler is admittedly better knowledge but
even that is not sufficient.
We
can only understand God as He is when we realize
that we don't possess wisdom, understanding,
righteousness, power and holiness unless granted by
God. Realizing that all good gifts come from Him,
let us thank Him. As He has created us and looks
after us continually, let us realize that we belong
not to ourselves but to Him. If we were His true
children, we will act according to His will. We will
abhor sin and keep away from it. Not out of fear or
punishment but out of love for God, we shall refrain
from evil and do only what is good. We will not then
want to wound the Lord of boundless love.
All
sections of people realize the existence of God.
That is why religions came into being. Even idol
worship offers proof of the existence of God. The
idol worshippers admit that there is someone greater
than themselves, who deserves to be worshipped.
Therefore they make idol and worship it.
A
few may say that some masters have fabricated myths
of various religions with the intention of
defrauding the people. It is true that in some
countries, a few have used religion for erroneous
purposes. However the priests could not have cheated
them this way unless the people possess by nature
some inherent realization of God. Even the atheists
who deny the existence of God cry out to Him fearing
hell. This natural awareness of God is not something
that was taught but something that was born with us.
Therefore
this awareness can not be removed from one's mind
even if he tries to remove it. This instinct is
blunted and spoiled by foolishness and wickedness.
It is undeniable that all people possess knowledge
of God naturally. However only a few people take God
as their sole wealth and yearn for Him. Many worship
God blindly. A few others deliberately deny the
existence of God with evil intention. This is not
mere foolishness, but a deliberate and arrogant
rebellion against God. Also holding wrong opinions
about God, they do not honour Him though they are
aware of His existence.
"Although
they claimed to be wise, they became fools"
(Rom. 1:22)(NIV).
Wherever
the term 'God' is mentioned in the Bible, it refers
to God, who isthe Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.
It always stresses the fact that there is only God.
The Bible was written when polytheism was prevalent
with the intention of emphasizing and pointing to
the Jews who were then living in the midst of aliens
that there is only one God. At the same time it was
occasionally explained that the God exists in three
different persons.
Trinity:
Though
it is discernible through common knowledge that God
exists and that He possesses various attributes,
common knowledge alone is not sufficient to
comprehend His essential Being or Nature. Although
the existence of God is not a doubtful matter,
understanding the nature of that unity is difficult.
Understanding the being of God and His essence will
be beyond the reach of common knowledge. "Who
has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has
gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the
waters in a garment? Who has established all the
ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His
son's name, If you know?" (Prov. 30:4)(NKJV).
It
is very difficult to comprehend by our small
intellect the nature of God. But we should
acknowledge faithfully and judiciously what God
discloses about Himself through the scriptures. Of
His nature, He declares thus: "Can you search
out the deep things of God? Can you find out the
limits of the Almighty?" (Job 11:7).
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is
one!" (Deut. 6:4). "God is Spirit, and
those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth" (John 4:24). "To the King eternal,
immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be
honor and glory forever and ever. Amen" (I Tim.
1:17).
God
said, "I AM WHO I AM" (Ex. 3:14). Since
the same God who has declared concerning His Unity
and also has revealed His existence as Tri-unity,
then it is our duty to accept this heavenly mystery
with great humility, faith and love. Otherwise who
can understand the Nature of God, the great light
passing the awareness of this universe? The common
faith is to worship the Unity in Trinity and the
Trinity in Unity. The persons in the Godhead should
not be mixed or separated. God the Father is one,
God the Son is one, God the Holy Spirit is one. But
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have the
same divinity, are equal in glory and eternal honor.
Referring
the Athanasian creed: The early Christians explained
the Trinity through various examples. They explained
it in a way comprehensible to our small intellect
like, just as three persons with similar
characteristics and qualities may be found among
human beings, Trinity also exist in three persons
with different natures but with same essence. They
allegorized further that just as the three
attributes namely person, knowledge and will
originate from the same mind and just as the sun
possesses the characteristics of motion, light and
heat, the Trinity also exist in three different
persons.
Some
others said that by virtue of His works of creation,
salvation and sanctification, God exists in three
persons. However these are just examples and not
illustrations of His Nature. The Lord says, "To
whom then will you liken God? Or what likeness will
you compare to Him?" (Isa. 40:18, 46:5). As
many fail to understand that the Trinity consists of
three persons, some give absurd explanations. The
term 'person' bears the attributes of first person,
second person and third person. Though there can be
differences in the works of the Trinity, there is no
such differences in the divinity, because such
difference would negate the doctrine of Trinity. And
this view would not be in accordance with the
scriptures that God is one and also that He exists
in the form of Trinity. Trinity does not mean that
there are three Gods. On the other hand we
understand through numerous passages in the bible
that God is one.
1.
Before ascending to heaven, Jesus commanded
His disciples to baptize the believers in the name
of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit
(Matt. 28:19). Through baptism we consecrate
ourselves to be servants of God. This verse mentions
that we should consecrate ourselves to the Father,
Son and Holy Spirit. Therefore God should be three
persons of same essence. If it were not so, we might
be called upon to consecrate ourselves not only to
God but to others as well, which we can not do.
2.
St.Paul wrote, "the grace of the Lord
Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Cor.
13:14). This verse also mentions that God exists in
three persons. Otherwise it would mean that someone
other than god is conferring grace and further it
would mean that we can be in fellowship with someone
other than God. Such thought is improper.
3.
In 2 Thes. 3:5, St.Paul wrote, "May the
Holy Spirit (Lord becoming Father in your hearts),
direct you into the love of God and into the
patience of Christ", shows that God exists in
three persons.
4.
Lord Jesus Christ has told, "I am One who
bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me
bears witness of Me. When the Holy Spirit comes, He
will testify of Me" (John 8:17-18, 15:26; I
John 5:6). Through these verses also we come to know
that God exists in three persons.
5.
We read in Isaiah 34:16 that, "Search
from the book of the Lord, and read: For My mouth
has commanded it, and His Spirit has gathered
them". Through this verse weunderstand that one
among the three had spoken concerning the Father and
His Spirit. Thus we understand that God exists in
three persons.
6.
The Lord says, " the Lord God and His
Spirit have sent Me" ( Isaiah 48:16). Here,
Christ the Word has spoken. Through this also we
understand that God exists in three persons.
7.
David said, "By the word of the Lord the
heavens were made, and all the host of them by the
breath of His mouth" (Psal. 33:6). In this
passage, 'the word' refers to Christ and 'the breath
of His mouth' refers to the Holy Spirit. Further it
is written that both belong to God.
Therefore
we understand that God exists in three persons.
8.
Apart from the above verses, the Hebrew word
"Elohim" which refers to the attributes of
God, is a plural term. In some places, this plural
name appears combined with plural verb. Example,
Gen. 35:7. In some other places this word appears
combined with a singular verb. Example Gen. 1:1,
15:6. In the beginning, God had often spoken of
Himself in plural terms.
Examples
are: "Let Us make man in Our image, according
to Our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). Since in other
places, He has spoken of Himself in singular terms,
we can not think that God spoke of Himself in plural
terms like some haughty people in this world who
refer to themselves in plural terms.
God
is not haughty. There is no doubt that God spoke of
Himself to refer to His natural state. Besides when
man sinned and acquired the knowledge of good and
evil, God said, "the man has become like one of
Us" (Gen. 3:22).
Moreover
in the early days, when mankind were using in one
language and were of the mind to transgress against
God, He said, "let Us go down and confuse their
language"(Gen. 11:6-7).
In
numerous other places, God had spoken of Himself in
singular term. Since God had spoken of Himself
in plural terms in the above mentioned verses,
doubtless God also reveals Himself that He exists in
three persons.
This
heavenly mystery is a boundless and immeasurable
ocean of blessing and this has to be acknowledged as
something of matchless glory and beyond human
comprehension. Jesus said, "He who has My
commandments and keeps them, I will love him and
manifest Myself to him" (John 14:21). Therefore
we understand that God is Triune and let us worship
Him the same way.
Man
should find God. He should come to Jesus.
Jesus calls him. He will not have true peace
and happiness until he comes to God ; What little
good life that he has at present also will pass off
from him. Man should leave ungodly life, a
life of his own liking. He should come to God.
He should live in fellowship with God. He
should do the will of God. That is the life made out
for man. That alone will bring him real peace
and form a solution for all his problems.
In
this world, we can see everywhere, wicked men who
earn their wealth by unfair means capitalizing on
their lie and deceit. One of their tricks is, they
note the commodity that is most sought after in the
market. At once they make a duplicate of that
commodity, make it resemble the original by giving
it the same coat of paint, dump it in the market at
a lower price than the original. People are deceived
by the appearance and end up purchasing it. In a few
days, its true color appears. Thereafter the people
so cheated hesitate to buy even the original goods.
Knowing that God (the Messiah) would come from the
Jewish community, satan had raised Theudas, before
Jesus Christ came. Theudas claimed himself to be
great and about four hundred men followed him. He
was slain and all his followers dispersed.
Afterwards satan raised Judas the Galilean. Many
followed him but he perished and all his followers
were scattered (Act 5:36,37). The purpose of satan's
act was to make the people reject Jesus
also,mistaking Him to be a fake. Moreover knowing
that Jesus Christ will be known as Savior and God
throughout the world, he raised many religious
leaders all over the world and caused numerous
religions to come up. The reason was to persuade the
people not to give importance to Christianity, but
treat it as just another religion. Today some in
this world regard Jesus as only a religious leader,
some as a prophet and some others as an ordinary
man. Let us see some proofs that He is God:
Among
all the creations of God, man possesses the noblest
characteristics. Man alone is distinguished. He
alone is capable of controlling all animals, birds,
rivers and the wind. If there is someone greater
than the personality and power of man, it is none
other than God. Look at Lord Jesus Christ.
-
For
a child to be born in this world, male and
female are necessary. As a result of their
union, a child is conceived and born. This is
the nature of human birth. However the birth of
Jesus was beyond the nature of human birth. As
prophesied many centuries earlier that a virgin
would be with child and bear a son, a virgin
named Mary who was pledged to be married to
Joseph, conceived before they came together, as
the Holy Spirit overshadowed her and gave birth
to a son. He was Jesus (Mat.1:18-23).
-
As
we look at the life histories of other religious
leaders, we read that having been ordinary men
in the beginning, gained knowledge, received
divine benediction or attained enlightenment or
learned from some other person afterwards.
However, before He was born, the angel foretold
of Jesus Christ, "You shall call His name
Jesus, for He will save His people from their
sins" (Mat.1:21). Thus He was born with a
specific purpose. From His early age, He knew
who He was (Luke 2:49; John 13:1). He fulfilled
His mission and went back to the place He came
from.
-
As
a proof that He is the Lord of the whole world,
the calendar has His birth as the beginning of
an era and the chronology of this world is
referred as BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno
Domini or After Christ). Though many emperors
had ruled in this world, none had this unique
distinction.
-
Many
might have performed breathtaking wonders
claiming to be the angel of God or calling
himself Brahma. But they never qualified to lay
claim to holiness. Having done wrong things,
people blame the supreme God that all actions
are His. Jesus challenged, "Which of you
convicts Me of sin? And if I tell the truth, why
do you not believe Me?" (John 8:46). None
could find fault with Him on any count. He was
absolutely Holy, in whom there was no sin (John
8:46; I John 3:5).
-
During
the time Jesus was in this world, He went around
everywhere doing good to mankind. Blind were
healed and received eyesight. At His word, the
lame from birth, rose up and walked, lepers were
healed, demons left the possessed and the wind
and the sea calmed down. There was nothing that
he could not do. He was Almighty. Even in these
days, magicians and those who call themselves
incarnates of God perform some wonders; though
they too are powerless to do everything that
Jesus has done. No magician or religious leader
can subdue a true Christian. Jesus, the God is
Almighty.
-
Joseph
and Mary who were known as His parents were
extremely poor. They were too poor to afford
lamb for the sacrifice at the tabernacle. They
could bring only two young pigeons for the
sacrifice (Lev.12:8; Luke 2:21-24). He was not a
literate (Mark 6:1-3). He did not have anyone's
support to the extent that even His own brothers
did not accept Him (John 7:3-5). He preached His
doctrines under these circumstances. He foretold
that His works would spread all over the world
and as said, Jesus Christ is being preached
throughout the world. His path could not be
blocked by anybody. It keeps growing. No other
religion or doctrines have kept growing all the
time and it can not happen. Only truth will
prevail. Only that which has life can grow.
-
Above
all things, Jesus rose from the dead. No other
man has resurrected after his death. Jesus alone
conquered death and still lives which is above
human nature. We are witnesses that He lives.
Jesus Christ is God. He came as a man. His birth
is being celebrated as the festival of
Christmas. Believe in God. His name is Jesus.
"He
is the true God and eternal life" (I John
5:20). "God has raised this Jesus to
life, and we are all witnesses of the fact"
(Acts 2:32). Christianity stands on the resurrection
of Jesus Christ. The founders and leaders of other
religions are dead. Their bodies have perished and
gone. However Jesus Christ died for the sins of
mankind, was buried and rose up on the third day.
This is a historical fact. This was recorded by
those who directly witnessed His death, burial and
resurrection.
The
Holy Bible was not a record of events said to have
happened long ago based on hearsay events. On the
other hand, the New Testament was written by direct
eyewitnesses of His resurrection and by hearing
firsthand from Him. The early apostles were
witnesses of His resurrection in a special way. They
declared, "Jesus Christ rose from the dead. We
saw that and we are witnesses" (Acts 2:24, 32;
3:15; 4:20; Luke 1:1-4; I Cor. 15:1-8). "With
great power the apostles continued to testify to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 4:33) (NIV).
The main duty of the apostles was to testify to the
resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:8,22). Jesus Christ
was raised from the dead. Whereas the graves of
founders and leaders of other religions are here and
whereas they are bound by death, Jesus Christ was
raised from the dead (Acts 3:15; 4:10). It was only
with the proclamation of the risen Christ, that
Christianity made its beginning. All those who
believed the resurrection were saved and delivered
from their sins. They received the Holy Spirit.
Though religious councils and governments restricted
them from giving testimony to this effect, the
apostles said, "We can not but speak about what
we have seen and heard" (Acts 4:20)(NIV). In
these days, some might lie, "Jesus Christ did
not die on the cross but after regaining
consciousness, traveled to Kashmir, died there, and
there remains His grave".
"He
was delivered over to death for our sins and was
raised to life for our justification" (Rom.
4:25)(NIV). If my Lord Jesus Christ were not dead,
my sins would not have been forgiven. If Lord Jesus
Christ were not risen from the dead, I would not
have had victory over sin. I am a testimony to the
fact that He died, was buried and rose again from
the dead. And every Christian is a testimony too.
The
power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a very
great power in the world, like the power of prayer.
In Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism, the people once
fallen are fallen for ever. But in Christianity, the
power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ makes them
stand again and the same power upholds those in
Christ from falling. Jesus Christ rose from the
dead. The God who raised Him from the dead, fills
you and me with the power of His resurrection. We
shall be victorious over sin, world, flesh, devil
and death (I Pet. 1:3,21). We are witnesses to this
(Acts 5:30-32).
With
His power of resurrection, He will raise to life of
glory those who believed in Him and passed away
(dead and buried). They will raise to life and will
rule this world for thousand years along with the
living saints who will be transfigured (Rev. 20:4-6;
5:10; II Tim. 2:11; Rm. 8:17). Let us receive the
power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let us
lead a victorious life (Rm.6:4,5). It was only by
seeing the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ that an
enemy to Christianity named Saul believed in Jesus
Christ and turned a Christian (Acts 9:1-22). He was
apostle Paul. We are worshipping not a dead spirit
but a living God.
Therefore
Christianity is a true divine path of life and
power. Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He will
subdue His enemies. It is possible for the
resurrected Lord to change even enemies of
Christianity into His followers. Behold, Jesus
Christ lives! Amen.
"Then
Jesus came and spoke to them saying, "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on
earth. Go therefore.... Lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" Amen (Mat.
28:18-20).
God
is the life-force of man. Abandoning this life-force
is the root cause of all his mental disturbances,
confusions and hopelessness. You should
look for God. Search and diligently inquire of Him (Zep.
1:6). If you search for Him with your whole
heart, you will find Him (Jer. 29:13-14). You
will find peace. Blessed is the man who finds
God. Farewell.
Source:
https://www.manavai.com/n_articles_p8.htm
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