Genesis 1-11: Existence & Presence of God, Pt 2 :: By Dr. Donald Whitchard

Genesis 1:1, Exodus 20:11, Job 26:7, Psalm 33:6, Isaiah 40:28, Acts 17:24

Summary: God’s existence is obvious (Romans 1:18-20) through creation and our conscience. The evidence is there for anyone willing to take their blinders off, swallow their pride, and humble themselves.

The world cannot comprehend the idea of a precise, preconceived, set, rational, and personal creation of a God who is outside of space, time, and matter and able to put everything into existence for a reason. They wish to stay blind to the obvious and shut their ears to the truth that we are not the product of randomness, purposelessness, and chance development. They will not use critical thinking nor open their minds to the existence of God. They are satisfied with their unbelief and will not conceive of any other alternative that would challenge their theories and knock themselves off the altar of what they define as “wisdom.” Atheism is the foe of objective, critical thinking and cannot rely on anything save one’s limited intellect.

The weapon some atheists use to champion their cause is not grounded on personal research but instead upon the sound foundation of ridicule toward anyone daring to disagree with their skepticism. Atheists like Richard Dawkins encourage his fellow “Freethinkers” to use weapons of mockery, shaming, and name-calling to try and turn people away from the idea of God’s existence. These foolish people use the tactics of grade schoolers to attempt to silence not only those of us who believe in the existence and work of God but to quiet their own souls. They clearly know He is there yet refuse to open the door and let Him into their lives (Psalm 14:1, 53:1; Romans 1:18-20, 3:10-18; 1 Corinthians 1:18).

If someone does not want to believe in God after being presented with the evidence, that’s their problem for which they will give an accounting (Luke 12:13-21; John 5:28-29; Hebrews 9:27). The Bible says that God, not randomness, is the Author and Sustainer of this world and the universe which surrounds it (Genesis 1:1; 2:3; Exodus 20;11; Nehemiah 9:6; Job 12:9, 26:7,13, 40:15; Psalm 33:6, 95:5, 102:25, 104:5; Isaiah 40:12, 28, 45;12, 48:13; Acts 4:24, 7:50, 14:15, 17:24; Hebrews 1:10, 11:3).

Christian apologists, or defenders of the faith (1 Peter 3:15), will, aside from Scripture, show other ways to prove God’s existence, using arguments such as cause and effect, design, and moral standards. There is the cosmological argument based on the idea that nothing in and of itself exists on its own. There had to be a first cause or initiator of what we see around us and brought about the original idea, concept, or design of everything. An object cannot create itself nor give the reason for why it came into existence. Someone or something had to perform the work to put all these things into place. This Someone also has to be outside the confines of space, time, and matter (Immaterial) and possesses Immense Intelligence to know and determine the outcome of what will happen to this present system. This Being is personal, having involved Himself with the details of everything that exists and holds it all together.

This Being, Initiator, or First Cause is whom we know as God.

The other proofs of God’s existence are that of the evidence of design and of specific moral standards that are applicable to everyone and every civilization that has existed in history. The proof of intelligent design is known as the teleological argument, which includes the idea of purpose and meaning. Intelligent Design leaves no room for randomness as one of the ways the universe came into being. The teleological argument examines the structure of the universe. Everything gives the appearance of having been purposefully arranged. This is so strong a trait that even hardened atheists have difficulty trying to explain the apparent evidence of design. There is an obvious pattern of “fine-tuning,” where everything is in a specific order, precise location, and with a reason for being there.

Many scientists now conclude that there is unmistakable and sufficient evidence for the existence of what they refer to as an “Intelligent Designer” (Genesis 1:1). Something cannot possibly originate from nothing, no matter how skeptics would try to argue otherwise. It is illogical and irrational to place random chance and an indifferent “Big Bang” as the originators of something so profound, orderly, and with a purpose for even existing in the first place as the universe and our privileged planet.

We also have to consider a concept known as “irreducible complexity” as it pertains to design. Complex systems need all of their individual characteristics to already be in place in order to function. In other words, any “evolving specimen” must have all of the necessary components in their right place to be able to move to the next level of development. Muscular and mental functions, for example, cannot “evolve” separately; otherwise, the life form in question will die.

Let us “cut to the chase” and refer to the Designer as none other than the God of the Bible. He is the originator of the concept of design. He is a logical, rational Person who is of superior and unmeasurable intelligence since He brought everything into existence and gave each created item a goal-oriented specific purpose and reason for being. As the Designer, God has no “leftovers,” excesses, unfinished projects, or anything needing revision or updates over time. Once God created everything, He said it was “very good” and needed no further improvement. His creation was not left to “fend on its own” nor left to design a means of operating within the parameters of what is right and wrong, good and evil, sacred and secular apart from His set standards. God is not just the designer of the universe but the Originator of morality, ethics, and laws that govern us.

The “Moral Argument” for God’s existence will be presented in the next message.

donaldwhitchard@outlook.com

www.realitycityreverend.com

www.youtube.com/@realitycityreview

 

Hebrews Lesson 43: By Faith Pt. 4 :: By Sean Gooding

Abraham to Moses

Chapter 11: 17-29

“By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, 18 of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ 19 concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. 21 By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff. 22 By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones.

23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command. 24 By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, 25 choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, 26 esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward. 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible. 28 By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them. 29 By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.”

By now, hopefully, you are getting more and more secure in your faith. Even if you already had very strong faith, there may still be room to grow. I remind you of the definition of faith that we encountered a few weeks ago:

This definition of faith contains two aspects: intellectual assent and trust. Intellectual assent is believing something to be true. Trust is actually relying on the fact that ‘the something’ is true. A chair is often used to help illustrate this. Intellectual assent is recognizing that a chair is a chair and agreeing that it is designed to support a person who sits on it. Trust is actually sitting in the chair.

These men and their families lived by this kind of faith, the faith that drove them to do extraordinary things. The kind of faith that made them do things that, to us, look like they were crazy, but nothing could stop them from obeying God, not even their own family. These godly men and women are just like us, normal, flesh and blood, and our God is the same God. He is the Supernatural power that gave these men and women the ability to obey God.

  • Abraham trusted God for His Son Twice, verses 17-19

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born; he had waited 25 years for him, for the promise. He was way beyond the childbearing age. His wife Sarah was 90 years old when they had Isaac. She was way past the normal times that women give birth. God did it this way so that there was no doubt that Isaac was a gift from God. But then, in Genesis 22: 1-2 (NIV), God comes to ask Abraham to sacrifice his son to Him.

“Sometime later, God tested Abraham. He said to him, ‘Abraham!’ “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, ‘Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.'”

Isaac was a grown young man by this time, able to ‘take’ the old man if necessary. But Abraham had instilled in this young man such an example of faith that he went with his father, helped him build the altar, and then laid on it to be killed. Abraham, we are told, believed that God could and would raise Isaac from the dead; in practical application, God had already done that. Sarah had become pregnant in a dead womb, so to speak, and since God had promised to use Isaac to grow Abraham’s seed, then God would have to raise Isaac from the dead. We know the story; God provided a ram, a substitute to die in Isaac’s place, and in it, we see the picture of Jesus dying in our place. Isaac taught this faith to his sons Esau and Jacob, and of course, we know that Jacob is the chosen line of Israel.

  • Jacob and the Departure from Egypt, verses 21-22

God had promised Abraham the land of Canaan; he told it to Isaac, and he, in turn, told it to Jacob. While living in Egypt, Jacob reminded his sons that Egypt was not their home. God would come one day and take them out to the Promised Land. Egypt was just a temporary stop; there, they would grow and have kids in a safe environment. But one day soon, we know it to be about 400 years, God would send and take them out of Egypt. Joseph made the people promise to take his bones out with them to the Promised Land. For the next 290 years, until they left, they passed on this promise to Joseph, reminding the next generation that they would be leaving Egypt one day and to be sure to carry his bones. Thus, when Moses showed up, they were looking for a deliverer. By faith, they had passed on the promises of God from one generation to the next, and as usual, God made good on His promises.

  • Moses the Deliverer, verses 23-29

Moses would rather be identified as a Jew with the powerless people than be numbered with Pharoah’s hoards. He understood that identifying with God’s people was true riches, the kind of riches that last an eternity, not just for a few dynasties. Moses observed the very first Passover; we still sing about his acts of faith: ‘When I see the Blood, I will pass over you.’ We still sing about the ‘horse and rider’ falling into the Sea. The Ten Commandments is still one of the most-watched movies. This man’s faith still lives on as an example to us today. God called on him to do extraordinary things, experience extraordinary things, and often take the road and the way less traveled. He is described by God, in Numbers 12:3, this way:

“Now the man Moses was very humble, more than all men who were on the face of the earth.”

What a tribute from God! Because he was humble, God used him in mighty ways, as he simply allowed God to do with him as He pleased. We serve the same God. What if you and I set a goal to be even more humble or to be as humble as Moses? Imagine what God would do with us and how He would “increase our faith,” a cry often heard in the New Testament, Luke 17:5.

God bless you,

Dr. Sean Gooding
Pastor of Mississauga Missionary Baptist Church

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