Signatures, Semiconductors, Jedi & So Forth

A while back I received an email that the head of the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at my university, Wits, needed to have a meeting with me urgently. My first reaction was that I felt quite important, the HOS wanted to see me! I even had the pride to think he would be congratulating me for something or needed to my help to deal with a class problem.

When I arrived at the boardroom where I was to meet him I discovered that I was quite off the mark. There was quite convincing evidence that I had faked someone’s signature on an attendance register for one of my tutorials. My heart sank; it hit an ice berg and sank. I was innocent! But I realized that I had no way of proving my innocence. This reality hit me and it did something to me.  I felt hopeless, anxious and angry. It changed me for a few hours. The fact that I couldn’t prove the truth hit me hard. Eventually, however, the matter was resolved and the truth came out (a few hours later actually).

I was changed for those few hours because I grasped something true. A most unpleasant truth, but a truth nonetheless: I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t perform a Jedi mind trick and cause the HOS’s brain to be convinced I was innocent. I couldn’t magically find out what actually happened and conjure up the necessary evidence. I was stuck in an inability to change my circumstance and it felt horrible.

Reality tends to change people. The reality that green lights mean go and red lights mean stop has had a drastic impact on drivers and even more of an impact on those who ignore that reality (pun intended). The reality that people need food to survive has certainly made a difference to the world. Also, the fact that semiconductors have a non-linear current-voltage relationship has revolutionized the planet (Google it). What about the undeniable fact that every man should have some form of facial hair (wink wink)? No doubt, true factual reality orders all of life, from technology to beards!

Whether God exists or not should be of much more concern, therefore, than many people make it out to be. If His existence is factual and real then those who know it will change as a result and those who ignore it will once again be impacted one day. These are the two options, the Christian God exists or He doesn’t. I recommend that everyone who reads this does some serious thinking because His existence or lack of existence has serious implications. Say He does exist, what He has to say and who He is becomes quite important because if the Bible is actually His words then there’s some serious stuff in there! Say He doesn’t exist, what the Bible says is totally irrelevant and we must figure out the actual truth.

If God exists, then we are helpless outside of God. God says that all people are sinners and need to be saved. Much like my situation in the HOS’s boardroom, I could not save myself from whatever punishment it might have incurred.

If God exists, however, then the Bible is true which would mean that this is true:

“…all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation of blood, to be received by faith.” (Romans 3:23-25).

The gift of salvation must be received by faith in God’s existence and who He is and what He has done in His Son Jesus Christ. This is important!

In thinking this through I have realized the great importance of knowing what God has to say in the Bible. Because if I truly believe He exists then those words and teachings must have a massive effect on my life because they are a reality and I must live according to that reality.

So Christians let’s take this more seriously, there is much more joy to be found in the scriptures than we have already, we can never have our fill of who God is. Non-Christians, read the Bible a bit (maybe start with the book of John), and take the question of whether what you’re reading or not is true seriously.

God exists.

Be Hated Boldly

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." John 15:18-19

I am glad that Phil Robertson is not afraid of being hated by the world. His recent quotations of God's Word in an interview with GQ magazine have rocked the USA. He is being hated on an extremely public stage. All over every news station in America all day the last two days his communication of the truth of the scriptures has been debated and discussed. He has been suspended from his TV show for standing on the scriptures. The article about the interview can be found here (be warned, it contains strong language from the author of the article, if you do not mind this then I recommend you read it).

This is what is supposed to happen to Christians in a sinful world. It happened to Phil's master, Jesus Christ. He was hated for who He is and eventually died for the very people who hated him. And He did it willingly. He confronted the world with their sin and offered salvation for those sins.

Christians, may we who have been saved by Christ act like our master. Let us stand firm on God's Word and continue to bring it to those who hate us.

Friends, be hated and be hated boldly for the Gospel of Christ that the kingdom of our savior might advance through us.

I pray that all those Christians who are hated for standing firm in Christ, including Phil Robertson, would be encouraged by the fact that "these things are being done to you on account of Christ" (John 9:21). So do not fall away, for Christ "has overcome the world" (John 16:33). Our treasure is in heaven and our favor in God's eyes rather than the eyes of men.

A Little Bit of History

When I finished high school in 2010 I knew I had to take a gap year in order to earn some money for my studies. I also needed a car and some time to sort out my matric paperwork from overseas. I found a job I really liked even before I was finished with high school. I applied for the post I wanted and got the job on a two year agreement.

The name of the company where I worked is Camp Discovery. It is a leadership and adventure centre for school, team building and other similar groups located 60km north of Pretoria, just into the bush of Limpopo. I became a facilitator there, my responsibilities among other things included writing programs for groups, basic maintenance on activity equipment and taking groups for activities such as game drives, obstacle courses, archery and air rifles. It is a really well managed place with incredibly high standards in service and product delivery.

I was forced to adapt to living away from home and my family for these two years (I had around eight off days a month). I also had to conform to the high standards and uphold them and improve upon them to the best of my ability. I had up to that point had hardly any responsibility compared to what I had there. I managed, by God’s grace, to excel there and I became the head training facilitator and for the last four months of my career there I was the assistant manager. Through all of this I learned and grew more than ever before in my life. Added to that I met literally thousands of people and was able to share God’s Word to many of them. Camp Discovery will always have a special place in my heart because of my experiences there.

But there was one thing I left behind for those two years which was difficult for me. I left my church family behind. I was hardly able to attend one Sunday service a month with my off day situation and I also missed out on many young adults meetings, bible studies and other church events. Whenever I did visit my church I just felt as if it was the best place to be.

I have been attending Free Grace Baptist Church since 2000 and although it has never really been a large church in numbers or one about which you always hear amazing stories, I still love my family there. Every week I have my ‘spiritual batteries’ recharged and I am always blessed by the meetings and ministries.

Having missed out on all of that for two years I was incredibly excited to return at the end of my Camp Discovery career. I have been back since February this year and I have never been more excited about it. I feel like I missed out on a lot during my two years at Camp Discovery so now I attend eagerly as many meetings as I can. Added to that, I have my fellow members of the body of Christ around me all the time to pray with me, to share burdens with and to fellowship with in Christ.

The local church is the centre of my life as it is the core of my service to and relationship with God. I am truly blessed to be a part of the loving family of the body of Christ which will one day worship Him forever  and always in heaven.

The Myth of Self Belief

"Just believe in yourself and you can do anything you set your mind to." That common line has quite a nice ring to it. This sentiment is fed to dreamers, people who are struggling at something, people who are going through troubles in their lives and just about every school kid in western civilization. Celebrities use this as a piece of advice to succeed in life.

Though it sounds pretty, the saying is terribly misguided. It stems from man's sinful nature. At the fall of man we see him trying to elevate himself to God's level by eating the fruit which makes them"...like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:5) It is seen again in the Tower of Babel when man attempts to make a name for himself (Genesis 11:4). And on through the Old Testament there are many examples of man making himself his own god.

To believe in yourself and your own abilities is to make yourself your own god. "I can do anything I want if I believe in myself, I can achieve anything, get anywhere!" Why? Because you're the god of your life, you're in control, you're able to do anything! Sounds glorious doesn't it? But that glory does not belong to man!

Though many Christians for some inexplicable reason speak like this as well, the God they claim to worship has a different opinion:

"I am the vine and; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide me in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." (John 15:6-7)

Apart from Christ man can do nothing. He has no ability apart from Christ, he has no power apart from Christ. God is greater than man (Job 33:12). All one needs to do to see this is read Job 38-41 where God compares Himself to man and demonstrates His power and control over them. Man is powerless apart from God because God has all the power in the universe! "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalm 8:4) Man is but dust to God, he has no ability to do anything!

Man cannot accomplish his dreams or succeed in life or end sufferings or any of these things no matter how much self belief he has! No matter how confident he is he cannot pass that test, he cannot resist that temptation, he cannot overcome that adversary! He can do nothing on his own. There is no benefit in believing in yourself! In fact it is a great sin, a blasphemy against God's sovereign might!

But, one might say, what of the fact that God never sends any suffering on man that is beyond his ability. Man does have some strength! What does the passage this comes from say?

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." (1 Corinthians 10:13)

 

But at a closer glance we see that God provides the escape! Not to mention that the verse before it says,"Therefore, let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall." Man can't overcome temptation on his own. He cannot stand on his own.

 

In fact, there was a situation I which the apostle Paul found himself where he could not handle it:

 

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.  Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)

 

They were burdened beyond their strength! How cruel would it have been to tell them to just believe in themselves and they will get through? That would have set them up for failure! They would have been crushed when they realized it is beyond their strength!

I, myself, sit and type this post with trials in my own life. It is too much for me to handle on my own. I am burdened and full of grief for much of the time, but I have found joy in believing in something other than my own strength! Paul explains:
 

"But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.  He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again." (2 Corinthians 1:9-10)

 

"Rely on God Who raises the dead." That's power, set your hope on Him and He will deliver you!

 

So stop telling people to believe in themselves. Stop believing in yourself, you can do nothing. Stop giving false hope to yourself and others because you will end up crushed and forsaken. Do not believe in yourself, believe wholly and exclusively in God Who raises the dead and He will deliver you! You cannot deliver yourself.

 

And of course God delivered man from his biggest problem - his sin. Jesus Christ paid the price we could not pay on the cross and if we do believe in Him rather than ourselves we will be saved from an eternity of suffering to an eternity of endless, righteous joy!

 

 

Behold God's Glory

God's glory has recently penetrated my mind a lot! It has boggled my thoughts and shattered my universe! His awesomeness has made me fist punch while uttering an obnoxiously pronounced positive, unclassifiable part of speech ("Yes!"). Ponder and wander upon His glory with me!

God created everything! He spoke a few words over the course of 7 days and wouldn't ya know it - there's the universe! Even His words carry power beyond measure. His imagination is limitless. Just take a look around you. From the clouds with which He paints the sky at dusk to the pouring rain and lightning He sketches into the night. Consider the billions of species of creatures which dwell on earth, each with it's own unique costume, cry and habits. Cast your eyes upon the clear night sky, see the moon, the stars and everything in between. Marvel at creation's beauty, complexity, variety and grandeur. What you are marveling at is God's (Psalm 24:1)! Fashioned by His words (Psalm 148:5)!

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork"(Psalm 19:1).

Let us sing with the angels:"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory"(Isaiah 6:3).

Let us praise Him along with the rest of His creation (Psalm 148). "...for His name alone is exalted; His majesty is above earth and heaven" (Psalm 148:13).

But the most amazing thing about all of this work of creation is that God decided to create mankind in His own image (Genesis 1:27)! He thought it good to bestow that amazing gift on us. That we might have a relationship with Him which no other part of creation could. We, the creation, are able to commune with God!

God's glory doesn't stop there though! This God who created the world is also perfect in wisdom, goodness, power, love, justice and knowledge to name but a few. He never makes mistakes, He always does what is right, nothing can even come close to surmounting His power, He knows everything, the list goes on and on. His greatness lasts forever, it is too much for us to fathom or even scratch the surface of! We cannot even begin to understand the depths of His glory.

But man sinned. The glorious Lord's "special creation" turned it's back on Him. Those God had bestowed with His very image destroyed it by being that which God is not - evil. Had the glorious God's perfection been tarnished forever? Now we ponder on how man could do this to his Creator Who loves him. How could beings so blessed and loved by the greatest of all beings simply eat a piece of fruit that God had forbidden them to eat? For goodness sake, it was the only thing God withheld from them!

The world slouched into evil and God cursed His own creation because of man's evil (Genesis 3:14-19). Death entered God's creation. After Adam and Eve ate of that fruit, there was death - the shedding of blood. The greatest evil of all entered God's glorious world through His most glorious creation. And no longer can it be said of man that they are glorious.

But this is not where the story ends. For it is not a story of God's glory being trampled on by His own creation, that would make for a rather weak and inglorious God. No, this is the beginning of the story.

After the fall, man spread throughout the world, bringing their sinfulness with them. Every man, woman and child sinned. For thousands of years man continued sinning, some repented and turned back to God but that never lasted, soon they went back to the evil desires of their heart. Few followed God and none perfectly. Would the glorious God stand for this any longer? Would He destroy His now blemished creation?

No, God promised a saviour through His prophets. One who would lead His people back to Him forever. A better than Adam would come.

This saviour was there at the beginning, before the world fell. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without Him was not any thing made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it"
(John 1:1-5). There is hope! The very Word which created the glorious world contains life! The life is light that darkness has not overcome. The darkness of sin and death has not won!

And then God did something amazing:"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." (John 1:14). My typing has quickened at the excitement! God takes on the flesh of His creation and walks the earth! The light of life walks among the world darkened by sin and death! A light that is not overcome!

The Word is Jesus Christ! He led the first sinless life, having perfect communion with God the Father. He restored the image of God in man by bearing it perfectly! He performed wanders and miracles showing His glory to the world! He healed and taught! He brought hope to a hopeless earth.

But the people of earth reverted back to their sinful ways again. They turned their back on Christ and murdered Him. We killed the only Person Who didn't deserve it! We tortured Him and heaped insults upon His bleeding body. Had God failed to reach His creation again? Had the world put out God's glory once and for all? Again we ponder the depths of man's sin. We grieve for our own race's evil, an evil from which we all partake and for which we are all responsible.

So Jesus is dead, brutally murdered. What hope is there for man? The darkness has overcome the light it would seem. Perhaps John meant "...the darkness has not overcome it yet." Could this be the end of the story?

No, for Christ Jesus, the perfect Lord of all, the Word which created the glorious universe could not be held by the tight grip of death! He rose again, destroying sin and it's penalty! His light shone across the world as he defeated the darkness once and for all! Through this He saved the creation!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already..." (John 3:16-18).

All we must do to be saved and escape the condemnation of sin and death is believe in Jesus Christ.

Peter's sermon in Acts 2 reveals the twist in the story:

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it." (Acts 2:22-24)

Look at the underlined text. It was God's plan all along! From the fall of man to Christ's death and resurrection. God not only saw it coming, but He planned it! The Gospel story of Christ coming to save the world is mentioned as a story of God's glory by Paul (1 Timothy 1:11). Truly, this is a glorious God Who not only creates galaxies, but also plans all of time and loves the unlovely so much that He would send His Son to die for them.

Let this story of God's glory make us respond with all we've got so that we can say with the psalmist:

"Praise the LORD!
Praise God in his sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens!
Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness!
Praise Him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp!
Praise Him with tambourine and dance;  praise Him with strings and pipe!
Praise Him with sounding cymbals;  praise Him with loud clashing cymbals!
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!" (Psalm 150)

Love on the Dance Floor

I had a discussion with someone earlier tonight in which he said,"The world needs Christ, not Christianity." I immediately thought to myself that it is a shame that we feel like we have to make a distinction between being a Christian and having a relationship with Christ. The reason that we feel this way is because there are so many things labelled as Christian or "Christianly" or "forms of Christianity" that are not Christian! I could go and ask many people I know if they have faith in Christ or if they are a Christian and they will say immediately, confidently and without hesitation,"YES!" Then I observe the way in which they live their lives and they answer me through their actions with the same conviction,"NO!" You see, today people call anything or anyone Christian even if they have nothing to do with Christ whatsoever.

I have seen "Christians" use extremely foul language even in the presence of their "Christian" friends without any shock or shame on either party's part. I have seen them tell foul and dirty jokes. I have seen them discuss their sexual exploits proudly and with no remorse. I have seen them tell and encourage the telling of lies. I have seen them French kiss people who they have just met on a dance floor and have hardly spoken with; I've heard them call it love.

One may say,"yes, but God still forgives them no matter how much they sin because of their professed faith in Christ." The problem with this, however, is that they are not sorry for these sins! They do it in front of each other! They encourage it. They scorn those who rebuke them! This is textbook dead faith as described in James 2:14-26. God does not forgive them because they do not have faith in Him to begin with! Their professed faith is just another lie! In one breath these people will call themselves Christians and in the next they will spit in Christ's face by their actions. At least atheists are honest about why they live the way they do.

Christ knew of these people and dealt harshly with them. In Matthew 23, Christ speaks to the scribes and pharisees who had done something very similar to the people spoken about above. They were not only claiming faith in God and not living accordingly, but they were preaching on how to live a godly life. Christ calls them, amongst other things, blind guides (v.16,24), a brood of vipers(v.33), whitewashed tombs(v.27) and even children of hell(v.15)!

Paul tells us that we are to have nothing to do with such people in 1 Corinthians 5:11:

"But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or swindler-not even to eat with such a one."

So if someone claims to have faith in Christ but has not repented of his sin, then he must be avoided. I have seen the necessity of this in my own life. I have spent time with many people who claim to be Christians but live unrepentant lives and it had such a huge effect on me. They were called brothers in Christ and so I felt safe associating with them but they ended up having a terrible influence on me. I had found myself joining in with dirty jokes and other sinful conversations. I had found myself doing things which are clearly wrong but I didn't even notice at the time. Of all of these things I have had to repent and I have started seeking to spend my time with true members of the body of Christ!

Society doesn't realize that having faith in Christ is a lifestyle and relationship and not merely a confession. They claim faith in the Lord but have no desire to please Him.

The gospel story is the story of a man who did have faith in His Father and who lived a life which willingly and happily strived to please the Father. Christ not only showed us how to live faith out, but He provided the means and object of our faith as well.

The Guy-Girl Game (Alliterations Are Awesome)

Ya know what's scary? The way high school and college kids are going at the opposite sexes. They date, they hold hands, they hug, they cuddle, they kiss and some go even farther. This trend is generally accepted by western society as healthy adolescent behaviour! I am frightened because I am plop in the middle of this age group and I'm surrounded by the above activities because of my work with high school kids.

Before I give my beef let me explain what I have no problem with. Hugging is wonderful! I hug to greet girls and guys for that matter. Though a high five or a hand shake is more appropriate for some of the circles I travel in. I do not believe dating is inherently evil either and I do not frown on people who do date.

My problem with this whole "game" as I call it is that these ignorant kids go way too far! They do stuff with and to each other that my parents don't even do in public and they have a pretty healthy marriage. The snogging and hand holding and groping and such! It ain't right! They are in these "relationships" for fun or to find that "special someone", that "soul mate". To this I raise my eyebrows! You're telling me that you french someone and pat some body's hind quarters in order to have fun and to find your "soul mate". This is dangerous!

I once heard a wonderful summary of why this foreplay is extremely unwise. "Foreplay is the on-ramp for the highway of sex. So if you're not getting on the highway then what are doing on the on-ramp?" So either these kids are dallying on the on-ramp or they actually intend to have sex (which is clearly sinful, see 1 Corinthians 7:2 and Hebrews 13:4).

1 Corinthians has a very interesting passage on this matter:


"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:18-20)

Our bodies belong to God! This sexually immoral foreplay is sin against our own bodies and against God. But now Paul goes on to clarify it all:


"Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: 'It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.' But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does." (1 Corinthians 7:1-4)

It all becomes clear! Foreplay and sex are reserved for marriage! Our bodies belong to God and, when we are married, to our spouse. So dating is great as long as there is no sexual immorality!

Daters and BF's and GF's should also be careful of what they talk about and rely on each other for. Before we are married, big issues in our lives should be discussed with parents or pastors or some authority in our life long before our potential spouses. Becoming emotionally dependent on someone who is not wise and experienced is another form of foreplay. Or at least it could certainly lead to some cuddling which leads to some other stuff (haven't you ever watched a movie)!

Many of these high school kids and university students ask me in shock, when they find out I've never dated or even kissed a girl,"Why not!?" My answer is this,"Because I would only date to look for a wife and since I am far from being ready to get married I shall not date, yet. Until then I shall gather candidates from amongst my female friends." For me, it is not about fun or a soul mate, it's about finding a suitable partner with whom I can best picture Christ's relationship with the church. For that is marriage! (Ephesians 5:22-27)

If you are a non-Christian reading this then it will probably not make sense to you and everything I've said really won't apply to you since your goal is not to honour God. But please feel free to contact me through Facebook or on my e-mail to inquire about anything you want to know concerning Christianity.

Modern society is wrong! So ladies and gents, stop looking for handsome guys or pretty girls to mess around with. Gents, look for a young lady who loves God more than she loves you. Ladies, look for a young man who loves God more than he loves you. Because if God is the main focus of their love, then they'll have more love for you than you can find in any other girl!

Changing the World

Everyone wants to change the world!

People today tend to get very inspired and mushy about how they could change the world. I've seen it so many times, someone gets inspired and sets himself the goal of changing the world for better and then continues on living the same way he did before the butterfly experience he had. Perhaps his inspired inertia takes him somewhere for a few days, a week or even a month, but it never lasts.

People want to change the world but at no cost to themselves. They are not willing to change their own ways of living, but they want to take on the world. The minute someone has to sacrifice something to change something, they seem to back off. If the going gets tough, the goers give up.

For such individuals changing the world is a mere sentiment - a passing whim. It lasts only as long as it makes them feel good. And they like to feel good, so they'll try many times but always lose their fire when a challenge comes round. My Chemical Romance, in their song "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)", say "Everybody wants to change the world, but no one wants to die." This sums it up beautifully! People don't want to make sacrifices.

Well...what of the story of a man called Jesus Christ who did die (and willingly I might add) in order to change the world? This is the example to follow! And many have followed His example. The martyrs of the faith died for Christ's kingdom, that it might reach the ends of the earth - to change the world. Many soldiers have fallen in battle for the cause of routing out evil from the world. These are the sort of people the world needs in order to change!

You see, changing the world can't just be an idea, a sentiment or a passing whim. It takes a life that you live out to change! This world (not only Christians) has so much to owe to Christ's life and death. He showed them what a true hero looks like. People who live a similarly patterned life to that of Christ are people that are revered and looked up to by modern society. Just about every movie (the good ones that is) one sees these days has a sacrificial hero in it, from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings to Ben 10! Where did the idea for these stories come from? Christ's life. Not only did Jesus Christ change the world, but He also showed others how!

(A small not must be added at this point, I believe that only God can ultimately change anything in the world, but God uses His people following Christ's example [amongst other things] to do it.)

This world needs true heroes who live their lives for others in order for this world to change!

Happy 2012!

Worldview

I am very into analyzing worldviews. Books, movies and even the way people act have a worldview behind them whether they realize it or not. So to see where I'm coming from in all my posts it is important to know my worldview. My last big project in grade 12 was to write a paper on my worldview. It's a beastly thing, but maybe just skim through if you don't want to read the whole thing. Enjoy!

I. Introduction

This essay will strive to demonstrate my worldview. My worldview is extremely important to me. I believe everyone’s worldview should be important to their respective owners. However, I do not believe that all worldviews are correct. In fact I believe only one worldview is able to adequately answer every reasonable question about the universe and beyond. This is the worldview to which I hold and will put forth in the following paper. But first one must understand what a worldview is.

One dictionary definition of worldview is “a particular way of viewing and interpreting the world; a philosophy of life.”[1] Another says a worldview is “a comprehensive view of the world and human life.”[2] James W. Sire says a worldview is “a set of presuppositions (assumptions which may be true, partially true or entirely false) which we hold (consciously or subconsciously, consistently or inconsistently) about the basic makeup of our world.”[3] These definitions are all correct, but a little is lacking in them. I believe worldviews go a little farther. I believe that a worldview is a set of preconceived ideas about the world we live in and about how we should live. A worldview also includes ideals for the world based on the holder’s preconceived ideas. These ideas or presuppositions pertain to five spheres of thought, life and belief: theology, metaphysics, anthropology, epistemology and ethics. Each of these will be discussed at length in the essay.

One further note concerning worldviews which is important is that everybody has one. Whoever exists right now has a worldview. Everyone has an idea of what the world should be like. All people will live consistently with how they view the world. Some people claim to hold a worldview of randomness and yet they stop at red traffic lights and look both ways before crossing. These people, therefore, do not actually hold to a world view of randomness whether they are willing to admit it or not. Every person’s worldview has a direct impact on how that person lives their life. And so some worldviews are false simply because it is impossible to live consistently with them.

II. Theology

My worldview is based on one main presupposition: God exists. I start with God because to start with anything else would make no sense. I believe that God caused everything and that He is not caused by anything. Someone may say to me that, “everything has a cause, don’t you know that law of cause and effect?” I know and embrace the law of cause and effect. I believe that every effect must have a cause, but not that everything must have a cause. If everything needed a cause then God would need a cause. But God is uncaused and therefore God cannot be an effect. God, rather, causes all other effects. He is the uncaused Cause. So if I started with something that is an effect, I would have to show what affected it, next I would have to give that cause its effect ad infinitum. Or maybe not, eventually I would end the search by finding some ultimate (that is an uncaused) cause. That ultimate cause would be God and therefore I must start with Him.

Now to answer the obvious, but difficult question: Who is God? This question will be answered throughout the essay, but to begin with I will attempt to give a brief, yet complete view of God’s essence and attributes.

Firstly, I must deal with God’s essence. One of the key aspects of God is that He is triune. This means that God is three persons and is yet one God. Each person has a different role. All three persons have the same goals and work in harmony to achieve them. The three persons love each other perfectly and have loved each other for all eternity. Yet there are not three gods but one God in three persons. This doesn’t mean that God is schizophrenic. Also, these persons are absolutely real. They are not just a clever way of describing all the different roles God has. These three persons are God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Yet there are not three Fathers or three Sons or three Holy Spirits. Each person is equally and wholly God. The Trinity is a great mystery which our finite human minds can never fully understand. The Athanasian Creed refers to the Trinity like this: “Now this is the Catholic faith, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance. For the Father’s person is one, the Son’s another, the Holy Spirit’s another; but the Godhead of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is one, their glory is equal, their majesty co-eternal.”[4]

Secondly, concerning God’s essence, God is spirit. God has no material body. He does not take up space (Isaiah 57:15), though no space can contain Him (I Kings 8:27). He cannot be seen by anything without causing some sort of harm for He is too magnificent for earthly eyes (Exodus 33:20; Acts 9:3-9). Because God is a spirit He can be everywhere all the time. He is not, as pantheists believe, part of everything. God is everywhere, but He is not everything.

Thirdly, and finally concerning God’s essence – God is perfect in every way (2 Samuel 22:31). God is perfectly glorious and perfectly beautiful. He is the definition of perfection. Each one of the following attributes describes God’s perfection.

A brief list of God’s attributes is: God is omniscient, (1 John 3:20), truthful (John 17:17), all wise, good (Psalm 119:68), lovely (John 3:16; Romans 5:8), merciful (Ephesians 2:4), holy (Leviticus 11:44; Revelation 15:4), immutable (Job 23:13), eternal (Hebrews 1:12), righteous (Psalm 11:7; Romans 3:21-26), jealous (Exodus 20:5; Deuteronomy 4:24), wrathful (Romans 1:18), omnipotent (Job 40:2; Revelation 21:22), just (Isaiah 30:18), and sovereign (1 Timothy 6:15). In order to know who God is, we must know each of these things.

God, being perfect, must be perfect in knowledge. He is omniscient and all wise. God knows everything, this includes the minds of men, how science works, the future, the past, the number of the stars, etc.. Nothing happens without God having known eternally that it would happen before it happens. Also, God is all wise. This means that no matter what difficult situation occurs God knows how to deal with it perfectly for His perfect purposes.

Next, God is good. God is nothing but goodness. He never sins. He absolutely always has and always will do what is right. In this way God defines goodness – everything God does is good.

Third, God is love. Love is always doing what is best for those around you. In some cases love is giving blessing, in others it is seemingly harsh discipline. To God, love is an action, not just a feeling. Again, God demonstrates what true love is by His own love.

Fourthly, God is immutable. God never changes. His attributes, commandments and perfection always have and always will remain the same. If God were to change to become something less perfect, then He couldn’t be God since God is wholly perfect. And if God turned into something more perfect than before, then he couldn’t be God because He was less than perfect before and needed to improve. God’s purposes never change. If they did, there would be chaos in the world and in heaven. God’s immutability is an amazing thing which no other being in all of creation can boast of.

Fifthly, God is eternal. God has always existed and always will exist. He has no beginning and will have no end. He was there before time and before all others things. This follows from the fact that God is uncaused. The ultimate cause must be eternal otherwise it cannot be the ultimate cause, but an offspring of the ultimate cause.

Sixthly, God is wrathful towards sin. Sin disgusts God. Sin is what God hates more than anything else. God couldn’t even look on His own Son because He was so disgusted with the sin Christ bore. Christ goes so far as to ask God, “Why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34). One of the ways that God’s wrath towards sin manifests itself is in hell.

Seventh, God is omnipotent. He is all powerful and has control over all the authority (Matthew 28:18) and power of men. Nothing is too hard for God. There is nothing and no one who can rival God’s strength, power and authority.

Eighth, God is sovereign. This means that God has planned everything that has ever happened, everything that is happening right now and everything that will happen. From the smallest, most, microscopic details to massive natural disasters and wars. No matter what happens, God is in control over it, working everything for His good purpose (Job 42:2). God even uses sin, that which He hates the most, to accomplish His goals. Only the perfect God could be capable of such brilliance.

Ninth and finally, God, because of all these things, is holy. To be holy means to be set apart. God, on account of His perfect essence and attributes is truly holy. He is the Holy of holies, the most holy being ever to exist. Who can compare with this omniscient, omnipotent, sovereign, eternal, loving, merciful, just, righteous, immutable and holy God?

III. Metaphysics

It follows that since I believe in God I believe something supernatural exists. God, based upon my description of Him above, is far from being natural. I believe that the supernatural (God) interacts in some way with that which is natural. Before I discuss that however, I will present my view on the natures of nature and super-nature. Nature is what all human beings are accustomed to. The way the physical world works is built into human brains from a very young age. The laws of nature, that which is studied by the sciences, are all the human race has ever known. Others have claimed to experience so called paranormal or unnatural events, but these are few and far between. But for the vast majority of humans the natural is all that they know. It is extremely difficult to describe the nature of the supernatural. Nature is what all humans know, it seems simple, but that which is supernatural brings a whole different set of laws. Man cannot understand it and since I’m a man who has had no “out-of-body” experiences or encounters with ghosts I cannot efficiently describe the supernatural. All I can say is that God is the supernatural. He and His heavenly host and what He does and the places called heaven and hell are supernatural. But can that which is supernatural interact with that which is natural? Do paranormal events like miracles ever occur? I must answer in the affirmative to both questions. I wholeheartedly believe that God interacts with nature. How is this possible? Well, it all started with Creation.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God designed and made nature. So it took someone supernatural to create the natural. This makes sense because the supernatural is far greater than the natural. Some people believe that God created nature and gave it its laws, but now He has nothing to do with it. They say that the world is running like a clock with no interference from God. I must disagree with these deists. I believe that God creating the world gives Him the basis to interact with it.

So how, then, does God interact with His Creation? The most familiar way is through miracles. But there are many other ways. For example, God sent the global flood in Genesis 7. He mixed up people’s languages in Genesis 11. He has spoken directly to many of His people and even to his enemies. Prophets of God have brought His oracle and pronouncement of judgment to the people of the earth (Isaiah; Jeremiah; Ezekiel, etc.). To come to miracles then God has split the Red Sea (Exodus 14:15), made the sun stand still in the sky (Joshua 10:12-13), turned water to wine (John 2:9) and the list goes on and on. Clearly, God is in control of nature. He can make global floods come and rain manna from the sky (Exodus 16:4). The supernatural Creator of the whole universe has absolute and complete control over everything that He has created.

Finally, concerning God and nature, why did God create nature? Why does God interact with it? God’s purpose for nature is His own glory (Romans 8:21). Everything that happens on earth is for God’s glory (1 Peter 4:11). The world was made to show God’s greatness in all things.

IV. Anthropology

The key way that God interacts with the earth is His interaction with Man. Man is God’s greatest creation. I must, therefore, discuss God’s interaction with Man and also the things that make Man God’s most wonderful creation.

“So God created Man in His own image, in the image of God He created him” (Genesis 1:27a). What does this mean? What is the image of God? Wayne Grudem gives a good definition: “The fact that man is in the image of God means that man is like God and represents God.”[5] Man is not like God in His attributes. It has already been demonstrated that only God has the perfection of His attributes. No one is like God in His greatness and glory. How, then is Man like God? Man has some of the attributes that God has. Some of these attributes are intellectual ability, morals, spiritual nature, creativity and a free will. It is not possible to give a complete list here, the Bible simply says that Man is made after God’s likeness (Genesis 1:26). The several things listed above are just some of the things included in God’s likeness that Man clearly has. Though Man has these attributes, he is not like God in God’s perfection of them. He is only like God in that Man actually has them.

One part of God’s image that is specified in Genesis 1, though, is dominion. In fact, the first command that God gives to Man is to take dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:28). God subdues all things and so in His likeness Man must take dominion over his small realm of earth. Man is to rule over vegetation and animals. This means that Man not only uses them to his benefit, but also that he takes care of them and preserves them. It also means that nothing on earth should be given a higher place than Man. In fact, only God is above Man in the hierarchy of authority.

Also, as a result of being created in the image of God, Man has an intellectual ability and creativity similar to those of God’s. This has resulted in civilization and technological advancements. The image of God also gives people imagination and ideas. It gives Man an urge for order and progress. God’s image extends to all areas of life.

Man bearing the image of God also manifests itself in conscience. Man has a natural sense of right and wrong. God has instilled morals into all human beings. Their consciences make them feel guilty when they do something wrong. This is the image of God in Man.

Man has a free will. He can make any choice he desires in any situation. Though he may seem to be forced at times he still chooses what to do. No man can control the will of another man. The difference between God and Man’s will is that God’s will is sovereign. God has planned everything Man does, including his choices. But because Man doesn’t know God’s mind, he is still responsible for his actions (1 Corinthians 2:6-8). They still have freedom of choice because they do not know what they were predestined by God to choose. God’s will, being sovereign, is far superior to that of His creation.

At first man was sinless, everything he did pleased God. But then Man broke God’s commandment to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:6). This distorted the image of God in Man. God’s image is still there giving Man the several things enumerated above, but Man has become less like God as a result of his disobedience. The reason that all of mankind sins today is this fall of Man. All the evil that is in the world is a result of the original sin committed by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. God made them our representatives and they failed. As a result we fail as well. And since Man represents God badly by sinning, they are cursed in their lives which will end in death. Sin then is a misrepresentation of God. Everything has become distorted by evil as a result of the fall, as Rushdoony puts it: “the Bible is clear that all things are created by God and created good; all things in their fallen estate are evil, not by nature, but as a consequence of a fall on Man’s part.”[6]

Even though Man and his world have become evil, God still communicates with him. God goes so far as to allow men who are in Christ to speak directly to Him through prayer. God has communicated to men through prophets, preachers, teachers, dreams, signs, wanders and His Word. It is the image of God in Man, though corrupted by sin that makes the communication between the supernatural and the natural possible.

Another way in which man is like God is in Man’s spirit/soul. Though Man has a body, it is his soul which is his essence, which will never die. Man’s body is a temporary capsule for Man’s soul on earth. When the imperfect, disease-prone, deformed body dies, the sinful soul lives on. Because Man sinned, his soul - his essence - became evil. As a result his body also became imperfect. However, a man will be given a new body if his soul goes to heaven. This body will be glorified because his soul has been justified (Romans 8:30). Or a man’s old body will be given back to him to suffer in hell, this results from a still sinful soul (2 Peter 2:4-7). So what “cleans” or rejects a soul? To answer this, a discussion of one particular man is required.

This man is called Jesus Christ. But He is not only a man. He was born of a woman, with God as His Father (Matthew 1:18). Christ is the God-man. He is not a “demi-god” from Greek mythology. Jesus is fully God and is fully Man. He is not a mix of the two. His divine nature is completely distinct from His human nature. Yet both natures exist in one person: one of the three persons of the Trinity – the Son. Christ led a perfect life on earth, though He was subjected to temptations and bodily harm. He faced everything other men face and yet He did not ever sin once. The reason He came to earth was to save His people – the elect (1 Timothy 1:15). The elect were predestined before time by God to be saved from their sin (Romans 8:30; Ephesians 1:5, 11). This was and is the will of God. So Christ came to willingly die (Matthew 26:39) for the sake of the elect. But why die? Because sinners deserve death (Romans 6:23). When Christ went to the cross He took all the sins of His elect on to Himself. Because He bore sin Christ had to be punished. He took Man’s punishment. When Christ died so too did the rule of sin over the elect. And since Christ didn’t commit any sin, when He rose from the dead on the third day sin’s rule stays dead. It is conquered. And now all the elect become Christians (those saved by God) not by anything that they do, but because God calls them and brings them to Himself (Romans 9:11). And now Jesus has ascended into heaven where He will punish those He did not elect. The sin that Jesus did not die for must now be dealt with in hell. It was not because Christ could not die for anymore sins, but it was God’s sovereign choice in order to bring the most glory to Himself. That is His “purpose for election.” And so all elected souls go to heaven to eternally worship God and all reprobated (those judged) souls go to hell to be eternally punished. This is not unfair. It is God’s grace that saved those He did. He gave them a free gift. Though all deserved eternal damnation on account of sin, God chose to save some by His sovereign choice (Matthew 20:1-16). This is the Gospel story and I believe that anyone can become a part of it by coming to trust that Christ removed their sin. No one knows who all the elect are, so no one can sit back and hope He’s elect without acting on the grace of God that has been so freely given.

V. Ethics

As I begin my discussion of ethics, I must first explain another attribute of God. God is just. This means that everything He does is in accordance with His character, goodness and laws. It is perfectly just for God to save some sinful people even though they at first deserved eternal punishment in hell. Christ was a substitute for these elect people, He paid their “fine” for sin which is death. And since He was sinless on earth, Christ was fully capable of and indeed did wipe the sin of His people away with full justice. Romans 8:30 says,”…and those whom he called, He also justified…”

So what is ethics? Ronald H. Nash says it is a study of why things are morally wrong.[7] Ethics is not simply a list of what is right and wrong. It is concerned with the basis for calling something right or wrong. My view of ethics, like everything else, is centred in God. Therefore, I believe God is the reason things are right or wrong. Anything done contrary to the nature of God is wrong. God has given us a law and morals that demonstrate His nature by their commands. Morality is based on God’s perfect character.

God is the One and only authority on ethics. He and He alone is perfect so only He could possibly give us a morality that contains no flaws. Today and throughout history mankind has attempted to create their own morality and erect their own law. Every country that has done this before has been judged by God. Babylon, Assyria, Ancient Egypt, the Ancient Roman Empire and even Ancient Israel are perfect examples. There is no reason to believe that every country with ethics foreign from God today will not be judged. God has set forth His law in the Bible. The principles needed to judge in any possible case that which is right or wrong are given throughout the Bible. Man has no excuse for not knowing right from wrong. To set forth God’s law here is beyond the scope of this essay. For this paper it is enough to say that God has a law written in the Bible based on His own perfect character and nature.

Finally, concerning ethics, godly ethics is absolute and objective. As I said before it is the only proper morality. Every man, because he bears God’s image, is subject to God’s law. Whether he admits that God exists or not, whether he worships God or not, whether he believes in ethics or not, men are accountable to God’s law. Ethics is not subject to cultures or periods of history. Since God is immutable, His law is too. It has always been the same throughout history and it always will be. The breaking of God’s law, then, by any person is a sin.

VI. Epistemology

Clearly, from what I have said up to this point, I believe in absolutes and that, therefore, certain knowledge is possible. I believe knowledge is made possible by God. If something is true, it is true to everyone. It is not false to John, but true to Jacob. I do not mean that if it is true that John is sad that Jacob must also be sad. I am speaking about objective truth. If it is raining in England where John lives it is true to him that it is raining in England. And if it is not raining in China where Jacob lives it is still true to him that it is raining in England. So the fact that it is raining in England is an objective truth, something true to everyone in the world. The existence of God and His law is objectively true.

How do I know what I have claimed to know? Can I even claim to know anything? I will not now go off into a huge philosophical discussion. These questions have already been discussed and debated in depth by men much more qualified than myself. Therefore, my own discussion of these issues would be a waste of paper and ink. I simply say this: God has revealed Himself to man through primarily His Word, the Bible, and secondarily in His Creation. “But,” you say, “How do you know God exists in the first place?” I am presupposing that God exists just like evolutionists presuppose that at one stage there was no life, only a pool of random chemicals. Every worldview is based on one or several presuppositions. Mine is clearly based on the one that God exists. I know things then because God has revealed them to me in His infallible Word – the Bible. Knowledge that the perfect God gives us must also be perfect.

Another thing I have used throughout this paper is reason. I believe that we can gain more knowledge by reasoning from the truths that God has revealed to us. I have faith in God and the knowledge He has revealed because I believe the existence of God and the truths He has revealed are reasonable. God is reasonable. Everything God does makes sense, each thing follows from another going all the way back to His essence and character. God uses reason. This does not mean that God is predictable. All we can know is that God is reasonable. If anyone has faith in something unreasonable, then he has a false faith.

So why, then, have I chosen to have faith in God rather than in evolution or in Man or in Buddha or in Allah, etc.? Because I was saved through faith in Christ. Not because reason told me to, God is the ultimate authority, not reason. This faith is of course the Christian faith. I am a Christian and I have presented the Christian worldview. Christianity has the most satisfying answers to all the questions dealt with in this paper without exception.


VII. Conclusion

The last thing to talk about then is how someone is to live with this worldview. “God exists, so how does that affect me? I’m in His image, so what? He has this law…what’s it got to do with me?”

The first step to take is to believe the worldview by having faith in God. Someone must, therefore, believe everything that has been written in this paper. After belief, step two is to obey the commands of this worldview by following the ethical code and laws of God. Finally, everything a person sees happening in the world he will look at through this worldview.

I honestly believe that if everyone held to the Christian worldview presented in this paper the world would be a much better place. There are so many irrational faiths out there these days. They poison society. It is not possible that this worldview wouldn’t change the world for better. And since it is the only wholly true and rational worldview there is, it is the only one that can cure this poisoned world.

[1] Reader’s Digest Great Illustrated Dictionary, 1984 ed., p. 1893.
[2] Dictonary.com: www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/world+view.
[3] James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door, 3rd ed. (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 16.
[4] John H. Leith, ed., Creeds of the Churches, 3rd ed. (Louisville: John Knox Press, 1982), p. 705.
[5] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), p. 442.
[6] Rousas John Rushdoony, The Institutes of Biblical Law. vol. 2: Law and Society (Vallecito: Ross House Books, 1982; reprint ed., 1986), p.550.
[7] Ronald H. Nash, Faith and Reason (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1988), p. 31.