Discovering Who God is
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
(Romans 1:20 NIV)
A basic way to define God is the Creator of the universe. The complexity and order of the universe, and especially that of living things proves the universe exist by design not random chance. There must be a Creator. Evolution as an explanation of how everything came to be is extremely unscientific and demands more faith than believing in Santa Clause. There are very good websites by scientists who give massive evidence that the universe is created by design. There is no reason for us to have a discussion about that here. See related article at Who is God and Who Am I – Your Conscience Knows
If you are honest with yourself and believe that there is a Creator God the next question is who is God? There are things that we can learn about the Creator from the creation. The Creator must have a purpose for the creation. There is one Creation that stands out above all others, people. God must have a purpose for designing and creating you. Deep inside you have a desire to know the purpose for your life.
Another thing that is interesting about people is that each person has a need to develop a “life-philosophy”, what some people call a “religion”. A life-philosophy begins with a belief or a disbelief in God. Your life-philosophy is shaped by what you believe about God. Your life-philosophy guides you in making decisions. You use your life-philosophy to determine what you believe is right and wrong, good and bad. The need to have a life-philosophy seems to be a part of our design.
Humans are communicating beings. Communication is an important part of every person’s life. Think about how communication technology affects the world. If the Creator created people to be communicators, it is logical that the Creator is a communicator. If the Creator designed people for a purpose then it is reasonable to assume that He would communicate that purpose to people. It seems likely that the Creator has made Himself known and continues to make Himself known so that people could know their purpose.
There are many religions in the world because religion is man’s attempt to explain God and connect to God. Some religions (life-philosophies) even teach that you are god. However, there is one religion that is unique from all other religions, Christianity. All other religions say that you must do or become something to be accepted by God. You must work to become good like God. The Christian God is different. He is a God of love who reaches out to people and provided a way for people to be united to Him through Jesus Christ. The Christian God offers salvation as a free gift, to anyone who will believe Him and accept His gift. The Christian God is a Father and He says come to me and I will change you, you cannot be good without My help. Then Jesus said, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)
Jesus Christ walked on earth about 2000 years ago. His ministry only lasted for about three years however; He continues to make a far bigger impact upon history than any other person who has ever lived. Jesus Christ is the most influential person in history. About one-third of the people on earth claim to be Christians, far more than any other religion. Christianity is the main religion in 164 countries. Islam is the next largest religion and is the main religion of 50 countries. In Christian countries, Muslims are free to practice their religion but in Islamic countries, Christians risk death and persecution for being followers of Jesus Christ.
The most influential book in history is the Holy Bible. Since the invention of the printing press the Holy Bible has been, and continues to be, the most published book in the world. It is the most popular book in all of history. The Holy Bible claims to reveal God to people and to reveal each person’s purpose for existing. The Holy Bible tells of our past, present, and future. It has proven to be historically accurate. It has predicted many events in history that have happened, and many that are happening before our eyes today. The Holy Bible claims to be communication from God and many people from every nation and every culture believe it.
God’s communication to man is clear through Jesus Christ. God’s communication is clear through what has always been and continues to be the most popular and best selling book in the world, the Holy Bible. God’s communication is clear through billions of people who are witnesses to how God has changed their lives through Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the good news about Jesus Christ will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. That has been happening and increasing for two thousand years.
Christianity is also the most persecuted religion in the world. It is illegal in some countries to be a Christian. Christians are at risk of beatings, prison, and death in many places. However, in spite of the persecutions and threats of death Christianity continues to spread everywhere and in every country although sometimes secretly. Those who know Jesus Christ personally know that He is worth living for and worth dying for.
For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in His sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” But God shows His anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because He has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship Him as God or even give Him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. (Romans 1:16-22 NLT)
See related article at Who is God and Who Am I – Your Conscience Knows