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Can you Prove?

13 Thursday Aug 2020

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Imagine a conversation like the following to occur:

Tom: “I don’t believe God exists!”
Mike: “The Bible says He does.”
Tom: “Well, am I expected to accept the Bible as God’s word, when I don’t believe he exists?”
Mike: “Yes.”
Tom: “Prove to me he does!”

How would you go about doing this? Here is a suggested starting place: Hebrews 3:4, For every house is builded by some one; but he that built all things is God (ASV).
As you consider the passage, think about what it is saying. First, physical things are made by one that is greater than the thing (or things) made. Second, the planet on which we live is a material thing (within a physical universe). Third, it was God who built all things. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1).
Here is a logical argument from the above paragraph, an argument that is very old, but still very relevant. It goes like this: 1) Whatever begins to exist, has a cause for its existence (i.e. something or someone brought it into existence), 2) The universe began to exist (i.e., the physical/material universe was brought into existence), 3) Therefore, the universe has a cause (God). In formal logic, this is known as a valid (properly structured) argument. The first premise has two components, the first is an antecedent (whatever begins to exist) followed by the consequent (has a cause for its existence). If the antecedent is true, the consequent follows.

From the argument we learn of that which begins to exist has a cause. We know from science the material universe had a beginning. Without regard to what the Bible says on the matter of creation, let us note this scientific opinion, “According to the standard Big Bang model, the universe was born during a period of inflation that began about 13.8 billion years ago.” Evolutionary scientists have a great problem with the word born because it means “began to exist.” Thus, this material/physical universe must have a cause for its existence. Evolutionary scientists go from measuring or testing in the material realm into a leap of faith realm of “anything-but-God” religious belief.
In other words, they can offer no substantive counter to theistic reply of “God” as the cause of the material universe. What is offered is subject to ridicule and mockery; their “anything-but-God” religious belief becomes obvious.

You may not feel like you can adequately give attention to proving God’s existence but remember the Holy Spirit did give attention to the topic. When you think about fear associated with making the case for God’s existence, let there be no fear or apprehension. Reflect on the Holy Spirit’s words in Hebrews 3:4; remember that every house has its builder. RT

Godless Agenda

06 Thursday Aug 2020

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In an evolutionary world, in the secular world in which we live – what roles do the males and females have? In such a world as this, the one who is stronger determines what roles each play. It can be no other way!

Survival of the fittest (or strongest).

Nature? What about nature? Nature allows certain things, but authorizes not a single thing. Nature is not authoritative in an evolutionary and secular world, except to say things left to themselves rundown, get old and rusty, decay. It’s neutral and has no stake in the game because, from the godless perspective, it cares not one single bit.

The strong eat (metaphorically or literal) all who get in the way.

There is no good reason for the female to be treated kindly, gently and with respect. What about children or the infirmed? If you say there is, what is that reason? Once you identify the reason or reasons, from what source of authority do they come? “It perpetuates life” you say. So? Does that or should that matter to a person in an evolutionary and secular world when might makes right?

Not even a little bit.

In an evolutionary and secular world might makes right; the only role that is king is the one who rules.

This is the world in which you live. It permeates Europe and the western world. It is beginning to get a hold in the United States. One political party is promoting it with their godless agenda.

“1” is a lonely number

24 Friday Jul 2020

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We live in a world where oppression seems to be a norm. The oppression comes in many different forms. There are those who oppress physically, there are those who oppress emotionally, there are those who oppress others mentally, even spiritually. The fact there are people guilty of oppression will not change. For some people, the experiences of life, well…it is just the way of life!

Those who oppress will met God one day.

Those guilty of oppressing others may be an ambitious person with the feeling of power and a recognition that there is not another person to come to the aid or relief of the oppressed. Ambition is that characteristic in life that can be both good and/or bad. It is good when a person is ambitious in trying to improve circumstances for himself and his family. It is bad when that same person does so and the expense of others. An ambitious person may not be oppressive, but if the goal is achieving the highest end without regard to an ethical standard greater than man, then the ambitious person is oppressive because those in the way must be thrust to the side.

If you played in any athletic sport, you know something about the competitive spirit. Perhaps you have not played in any sport, still the competitive spirit may reign in you also. I may be better than you or you me. If the one is better, is the better one a team player or an individual seeking his own glory and attention? On a team there are going to be players that are better at the activity than others; if the team, however, is not a unified whole, the better players will not overcome in all the contests in which the team is involved.

Some try to overcome a pain in life by working incessantly. Is this a team player? That person works and works, but at the end of the day, what did the workaholic gain for himself? He gained nothing but missed more than he can remember passing by him. As his life comes to an end, there are few who are near him because the workaholic gave little (or no) time to others, so they feel no compassion or empathy in giving any time to him, especially when he is in need of it. The strength in numbers is gone, because the only number he know is the number “1”, and “1” is such a lonely number.

FUTILITY IN LIFE

10 Friday Jul 2020

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The psalmist asked the same question that is asked by man in each generation. “For what futility have you created all the children of men?” (Psalm 89:47, NKJV). In different translations it reads: “Why do you make all people so mortal?” (New English Translation). “Remember how short my life is, how empty and futile this human existence!” (New Living Translation).

There are circumstances in life that drive people to express such sentiments, but in their expressive frustrations, many choose different answers. The psalmist never lost sight of rationality; he knew well the Lord God brought man into existence. He was not of the irrational mindset that said the material universe came into existence from nothing, absolutely nothing. Neither was he of the silly notion that the material universe has always existed.

He may not have known much, but he knew that he was brought into existence by a power, force, and mind greater than anything of human creation. No, the psalmist was clear thinking, but his frustrations on this occasion were great. “What is the point of life!” he yells out.

If he was so rational and concluded that God brought it into existence, why is it that others who are equally rational conclude that God does not exist? Two reasons, I suppose. First, there is a strong desire and inclination to reject anything that is religious. Is it a matter of evidence? Not really. Evidence abounds. It is a matter of one’s desire to not be constrained or required to think there is One to whom we all must give an account (Heb. 4:12-13). A second reason is related to morality. If there is no God, then there is no moral code higher or greater than the one who made up the code he lives by. Strangely, for some, this is a liberating way of thinking. It is liberating until the moral code of another directly and adversely affects the one who made up his own code, thereby rejecting the Lord’s standard of right conduct. To reject the Lord’s standard of right conduct is to reject the Lord’s standard of righteousness (cf. 1 John 5:10).

The psalmist understood all these things. Earlier in the Psalm, he wrote, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you” (89:14, ESV). What does man know about righteousness or justice? If he is wise, he knows that with the Lord both exist, but without the Lord he knows that both are arbitrary, based on the whim of man’s thinking. With the Lord there is no futility.

Ron Thomas (updated, 6.22.2020 from an earlier writing)

Point of being wise

03 Friday Jul 2020

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What is the point of being wise?

One looks about the natural world and wonders at the wondrous things he or she sees. The streams flow into a basin, but the basin never fills and overflows. The wind blows with wicked violence, but in the proximity to the wind, one structure is destroyed, while another stands undamaged. How does the rock balance on such a small precipice? When typhoons (hurricanes) rampage over the water, does anything in the water suffer because of it?

You can set your mind to gain wisdom, but the wisdom gained, while it answers some questions, generates different questions that seem to have no answer. Solomon was a wise man; none wiser before him or since him (the Lord excepted). He looked out over the natural world and wondered aloud (and in print) the point of it all. What gain did he have in the wisdom the Lord gave him long ago (cf. 1 Kings 3)? When one looks at life “under the sun” – is there any point to this gain or that loss?

He set himself to understand the value of wisdom is not in what a person enjoys or avoids; neither is it found in what he builds. That which is built gives satisfaction, but the satisfaction that came from building deteriorates as the building deteriorates when it is left untended. The structures built are left for others that come after; will there exist the same motivation and respect with the original intentions? Who knows whether it will be cared for or left abandoned? Even if that which is built is perpetuated for generations, with the satisfaction once gained, is it now lost with time and maturity? With the satisfaction gone, what then?

The value of wisdom is when the mind is directed toward Him who is the Author of life, not toward things that break down. Wisdom brings a person to a point when he sees life is more than the material realm in which one lives; it is more than building things and enjoying the pleasures of life. If all one did is evaluate life from strictly an “under the sun” perspective, then life is pointless. On the other hand, with the mind’s eye, one sees more; life is seen as a gift from God.

History is past

26 Friday Jun 2020

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History is past and whatever I learn from it I learn about it in books. History is past and whatever some might think I should learn from it, I won’t. I won’t because the past mistakes are not necessarily those of the future; in fact, they are NOT those of the future. We are in better position to know what to do, how to do it, and why. Science is king. Liberalism and a progressive spirit mean one is not tied down to yesteryear.

Why is it that so many think blindly in this direction? It is because those of today (generally speaking) don’t see themselves as inferior intellectually to those of yesterday. In fact, they see themselves as superior and “We know better now!”

After WW-1 the League of Nations was set up (1920); it did not prevent WW-2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, The Gulf War (1 and 2) and many other tragic occurrences in the life of nations. They saw themselves as in better position to prevent the mistakes of the past. Yet, they prevented nothing, but have given rise to rogue nations, muscle to thuggish nations, and, it seems, to hamstring the host nation.

People seeking understanding will not attain that mutual understanding when the moral and/or political philosophy is radically different. Perhaps there is some assuaging, but it is a matter of time before the bandage deteriorates.

Solomon set his mind to understand why things happen on earth as they do (or did). He was a man in the best position of any man before or after him to do such a thing. In an exclusively naturalistic world, a world wherein God plays no factor – there is no point to existence that is greater than the individual. Once a person dies, the point of that person’s existence is gone! Life for that person was, ultimately, meaningless.

Solomon, however, was not so short-sighted, not so unwise. He knew, was convinced and had experience with the fact of God’s existence. To live life without God is to live a life of vanity.

God’s Protective Hedge

20 Saturday Jun 2020

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Satan accused the Lord of putting a protective hedge around a man named Job. A protective hedge? Wouldn’t that be nice? It is easy to think that some might have a protective hedge about them; it appears they never fail or struggle with various issues in life. We even think to ourselves, occasionally, “I would like to have that ‘protective hedge’ so I would not have to look behind me to see all the debris of a wrecked life!”

What was this protective hedge?

The Lord said to man’s great adversary (Satan), “Have you considered my servant Job?” (Consider an imagined conversation below).

Satan: “Yes, I have considered him and have made many efforts to get to him, but You prevent me from getting to him because You protect him. I can’t penetrate Your protective wall.”

Lord: “Fine, for a little while I will let you afflict him, but I will only let you go so far.”

Satan: “Fine! I will take it. He should turn on you after my afflicting efforts.”

Satan goes after him with force, destroying all that he has in the way of possessions; he gets to the heart of that which is, generally, most precious to people, family. Satan fails, however, to get Job to turn against the Lord. Another effort is made by the great adversary, Satan fails in this effort also.

Job, by this time, has lost everything and is beaten down to a point of non-recognition. People look at him and turn away, interpreting his experiences as “God is against him; therefore, I don’t want any association, lest the Lord be against me also.”

As Satan tried to get Job to turn away from the Lord (but failed), he was successful in getting people to turn away from Job, making him the loneliest man among men in the midst of physical and emotional anguish.

What about this protective wall, what was (is) it? I have reflected on that many times. Does the Lord put a physical barrier around His saints? If so, why do so many of His saints seem to fail? What happened to their protective wall?

In my view, the New Testament gives an answer to the protective wall for those who belong to Him. Before that protective wall can be put in place, one must start with the proper response to the Lord. This starts with being a Christian (Acts 2:36-38; 16:31-33; Mark 16:15-16). At this point, the Lord’s protective barrier is in place; the protective wall is strengthened when one’s faith (trust, conviction and commitment) is tied directly to knowing the Lord’s way.

The words of God’s prophet, Hosea, rings loudly about now. “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee…” It was the Lord’s apostle who said we are to walk by faith and faith comes by hearing and obeying the will of God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7; Rom. 10:17).

With these thoughts in place, hear what Peter wrote to Christians: Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence, in your faith supply virtue; and in your virtue knowledge; and in your knowledge self-control; and in your self-control patience; and in your patience godliness; and in your godliness brotherly kindness; and in your brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having forgotten the cleansing from his old sins. Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never stumble: (2 Peter 1:5-10, ASV).

There are a number of words to be underscored in the above biblical reference. This is to emphasize the point of knowledge in association with the Lord’s protective barrier for the Christian. There is a correlation that one shouldn’t miss. Paul wrote, that if God is for us, who can be against us (cf. Romans 8:31ff)? One might reply, “Many are against us!” Yes, that is true, just as Satan was against Job and Satan was against the Lord. It was Jesus who said, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). In the end, who won those contests?

If you know the value of a food supply for your body, you also know the value of the Lord’s word for you soul, your spiritual health. Heartache, discouragement and confusion come because one takes the Lord’s barrier and sets it to the side, exposing weakness and vulnerabilities. Do yourself a favor and allow the Lord to take control and given you a protective hedge.

What is Justice?

14 Sunday Jun 2020

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Plato/Socrates asked: “What is justice?” For some, it appears to be an easy question to answer, but for others not so easy. Plato took the answers given him and dismantled the answers given in such a way that others wondered if they knew. In Acts 28, the question Plato/Socrates asked was not far removed from a primitive people living on the island of Malta.

Paul arrives on the island as the result of a shipwreck; by this time the people of Malta knew that many on board the ship the wrecked ship were prisoners (however many there might have been). As Paul was tending to a fire, a viper came and struck him in such a way the locals knew he was guilty of violence and concluded that “justice does not allow [him] to live” (28:4).

Justice is personified; it has a mind of its own, but how can a word that is a noun have a mind? The word conveys an idea, a concept that is greater than the individual. Justice is more than just an idea, it is a way of thinking and adjudication that is far greater than anything of man.

Justice resides with Him that is the Creator of man. Justice can only be understood in a limited way if it originates with man. With Him who is the creator of morality, the essence of perfection, justice is far more than what man can render in understanding.

With man, he renders a thoughtful guess, even perhaps by experience he is able to do this or that in a reasonable way. Still, on occasion, he gets it wrong. Not with God. Nothing He does is wrong, and for the arrogant person who thinks God is wrong, on what basis do they judge?

Impressions

01 Saturday Feb 2020

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IT HAS BEEN SAID that children will imitate their parents in their vices, perhaps in their virtues, but seldom in their repentance. This is certainly the case (though not absolutely so) because we see it often. Parents turns away from the Lord, come to their senses, turn back to the Lord for salvation, but the children are not that much interested. The children, already following the poor pattern of the parents, refused to do so because they think of themselves as wiser and sure of themselves. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, we are told. Because of this, the challenge each of us face is to be sure that which the children (our own, others looking) is that which we desire to present. To not do so is to leave a bad impression, one that is stamped on the brain. RT

MASQUERADE

27 Monday Jan 2020

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Some years ago, the singer George Benson had a hit song called “This Masquerade” (1976). I always thought the song was okay, but never smitten by it. The other day I heard it again for the first time. “Are we really happy here with this lonely game we play?” These are the words that open the song. It’s about a love-relationship empty of substance, but can’t it apply in other areas of life also? Surely it can. There are many Christians around you with a masquerade, presenting themselves in one way, but hoping even their best friends don’t see them as they truly are. Does this apply to you? Do you talk about the neatness of your home only to let no one in lest they see a messy place? If this apply to you, even if only a little bit, then you’re no different than others, and you can certainly relate with those who struggle with the same. The position in life one hold matters not. The weight that is carried, however, matters a whole lot.

Here is what you should do: (1) Be there to share the burden. It won’t be long before they want to help you carry your own burden, even if they can’t share it by personal experience. In helping them to carry their burden, don’t be judgmental, but understanding. You surely don’t want them to be judgmental of you, but you would like them to be charitable! (2) Remind them the Lord carried our “dirty rags” burden, calling on each of us to change our minds (repent) about the way we lives our lives. With time, patience, and learning from the Lord life-changes are made.

The masquerade then becomes transparent. RT