IS FAITH IN GOD REASONABLE?

by: John Bond

FAITH - FAITH – FAITH - You Preachers are all the Same.

Don’t you know this is a Scientific Age?
Give me proof and I’ll believe.

So says the sceptic.

But, God says: You believe and I will prove myself to you.
Because God is a spirit. It is absolutely impossible to prove or disprove “scientifically” that God is.

An Article in The Sunday Independent. April 10.1983 said :
“Scientists and Doctors are saying that we may be close to proving that there really is something at least immediately after we die”.
‘Growing knowledge’ they say ‘of the energy fields that hold our physical world together indicate that that something may be the Start of a New Life’.
Ironically says the article, Science which has traditionally offered “Evidence” so called, disproving life after death, is now offering more concrete signs of man’s immortality than the churches.

Belief in Immortality and Belief in God go hand in hand.

Dr Billy Graham says: “Faith stakes its claim on the possibility that God Exists. It comes to us not as “PROOF” but as a Revelation, God like a transmitter is sending out Signals, evidences of His Being – but only those who tune in on the Proper Wavelength of Faith can say : “I know that my Redeemer lives.”

Faith is not blind CREDULITY –
“Believing what you know ain't”…… as a small boy once said!

Faith is = “A MOST RATIONAL CONCLUSION TO CERTAIN FACTS”.

By Reason or Logical Argument it is possible to prove that the sum of the angles of a triangle are equal to 2 right angles. But only because we are allowed to assume certain truths.
These Axioms or Self Evident Truths upon which all scientific knowledge rests are Virtually Acts of Faith

Now get this –
Scientific Knowledge, like religious knowledge has its roots in a foundation of faith.

Logic - common sense demands of real thought “ A FAITH IN GOD “

This is why, philosophers, and thinkers who begin by denying God, are compelled to reintroduce Him under some other name such as :

The Absolute….The Ground of Existence….The Life Force ….and the Unconscious Will

Although we cannot have God scientifically, we would be blind and foolish if we did not realize that in this world there are many SIGNPOSTS along life’s way, which point in the direction of God.

No matter what our theory of the beginning may be, we are forced by reason to admit initially an: UNCAUSED 1ST CAUSE!

We are suggesting that along life’s way there are many SIGNPOSTS pointing toward that 1st Cause whom we call - GOD

One is : REASON

My Father as a young fellow in his late teens as a son of an atheistic father was grappling with faith in God. He said "I wanted to accept my fathers philosophy. It was easier on the conscience. But in those days of depression I used to sleep on the front verandah. I would come home late at night often full of guilt about the nights activities, and the stars and moon seemed to be laughing at me as I tried to say “No God”

The Psalmist 19:1- 4 -Living Bible says: "The heavens are telling the glory of God: they are a marvellous display of His craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. They are God’s travelling preachers - apostles of God’s Existence, the whole world over."

Their teaching is not addressed to the ear, not uttered in audible sound.

It is Pictorial, directed to the heart, eye, and mind.

The Heaven's Cry Out saying - God is in this direction

So we say: The Sun, the Moon and the Stars.
And all we call Nature show evidence of Design.

And design demands of “Reason” a designer and a purpose

Man divorced from God has lost his purpose for life
(Eat drink, be merry seems right for tomorrow we die)

But surely man is born for more than to live and to die?.
Otherwise life is purposeless and meaningless.

Gods plan and design for mankind was for him to be a

“Companion of God throughout Eternity “.

This companionship must begin in this life.
That is why Jesus said:
’We must be born again by the Spirit of God : John 3:5

Through the New Birth, we receive a from God a “New Nature”, which must supersede the old nature, which has been ruined by sin.

Scripture says...'the Soul which sins must die’: Romans 6:23

We must let God in Christ into our lives John 1:12 and be born of Gods Spirit. Having Then received a new nature through the Spirit, we will learn to enjoy today in this life the things God enjoys, such as :
Righteousness and Truth
That which is Highest and Best

To suggest that the beauty of nature - the orderliness of the Heavenly Bodies, the wonder of the human mind and body just happened by chance is to ask for far greater faith, then to believe in a God of Creation.

Reason demands a purpose for human life found only in living for God

THE SADNESS OF ATHEISM

All of human history shows that Atheism leads inevitably to SADNESS.
Bertrand Russell’s book “A Free Mans Worship” shows clearly why it leads to sadness.
Its Conclusions say...
“There is no power beyond man to whom to turn in our hour of need, no God who knows, cares or understands. If your heart is breaking the least anyone can say is ‘cheer up’ “.

The sadness is brought about by the aimlessness of existence.
To live it’s agreed, is to travel a rough road. How can a rough road that leads nowhere be worth travelling?
What is there to live for? or strive for?.

Atheism is purposeless wandering. Bankrupt of realism or reason!

Robert Blatchford : A genius in journalism, and the editor of a very influential atheistic magazine in the early part of the 20th century. Using the magazine he set out to destroy all religious belief. But when his wife died, the atheistic unbelieving editor said he found it harder to “Disbelieve in GOD than to BELIEVE.” He said he just could not bring himself to think of his wife as being completely gone. He found as so many others that unbelief and materialism are bankrupt in the hour of death.

ANOTHER SIGNPOST ALONG THE HIGHWAY OF LIFE IS:

INTUITION

Man made in the image of God can never be happy, satisfied or contented, apart from God. Something innate in mankind cries out for God.
Pascal, a French Physicist, philosopher spoke of a
“God shaped vacuum in every life that only God can fill”.

Something innate in man cries out for God
Down through the ages mankind of all races have turned to religion.
As the many world religions with their variety of beliefs will testify. Man must have God or an idol.

In deepest Africa or darkest New Guinea,
There is a universal hunger in man after God.

Is that not why during the Soviet era there was an underground Church in atheistic Russia and even in China today?
Is it not reasonable to suggest that this is the only hunger that cannot be satisfied?

The BIBLE

The Bible doesn’t argue God or set out to prove Him. It just assumes we accept the fact and then directs man to God and how to experience Him personally.

Pandite Ramabai of the Ramabai Mobile Mission was of another faith in India when she began to study English and to use the Bible as her textbook. As she read she soon began to accept God intellectually as revealed in the Bible. As she studied the Bible more, she came to the place in her thinking where she saw herself as a sinner before God and took her place at the foot of the cross of Christ . There flooded into her soul a glorious peace and the knowledge of sin forgiven as Jesus was received as the substitute for her sin, and also as her personal friend and Saviour.

Wherever the Bible has gone and been believed blessing has followed whether it be Africa - New Guinea - South America.

Wherever the Bible Message is received, believed and applied, man finds God and a better more peaceful way of life. The Bible says the steps of Faith and Obedience brings the Peace of God

Firstly Reason,

Secondly Intuition,

Thirdly the Bible:

All signposts pointing to God

One final SIGNPOST is: EXPERIENCE

Faith is the most reasonable thing in the world, why ? because it works. If you are prepared to start with the proposition that “God IS”, you will soon have the knowledge that “He is”.
Anyone who will take His Will, He will know of the doctrine whether it be of God
.
Man without faith is like a ship without a rudder.
Faith gives Purpose and Direction for life

.A Psychiatrist said to a troubled man in Perth some years ago.....
”You must have faith in something …..try God.”
That man was screwed up like a ball and hospitalised.
He was gloriously released and healed of his particular problem when he surrendered by faith to the Lord Jesus Christ

Faith is ESSENTIAL TO LIFE.

Essential in the home in the relationship between husband and wife
Essential to the farmer as he sows and trusts for a crop

All knowledge is dependent upon faith. Be it in a book, or teacher.
Be it to a label on a medicine bottle

We need Faith when we visit our Doctor,
We need Faith when we board a Bus,
We need Faith in the Pilot of the plane we fly in.
We need Faith in the Captain of the ship we sail in.

And without Faith, how would the banking system of cheques and
credit cards work ?.

“FAITH IS ESSENTIAL TO WHOLE OF LIFE”

Why complain when God asks for faith?
The Bible say’s “Without faith it is impossible to please God”.

The Scriptures say “The just shall live by faith.”
And again :“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Hebrews 11:1 - 3

God has decreed the Faith is required to secure: Life Eternal, and Peace and Hope.

One man used to say to me - "Show me and I’ll believe".
But, God says, “believe and I’ll show you”.

That man surrendered his unbelief in one of Billy Graham’s meetings and became a church leader in the State of W.A.

An atheist has a reason but no hope for his reason.
A Christian has a reason for his hope and a hope for his reason.
I call it “A Blessed Assurance”.

FAITH STAKES ITS claim on the possibility that God exists.
It comes to us not as “proof” but as a revelation.

God, like a transmitter, is sending out signals - evidences of His being - but only those who tune in on the proper wavelength of faith can say like the great Bible character Job “I know that my Redeemer Live’s.”

Dr. Billy Graham, in ‘Decision Magazine ’ asked… Would you know God my friend? Would you know the joy of sin forgiven? Would you know life more abundantly? Then you must be prepared to believe in a friend, the LORD Jesus Christ. To Believe he is God’s Son, to believe he was the bearer of your sin on the cross and is your Saviour.

Today receive Jesus into your life by faith.
Be ready to confess and repent of your sin and place your faith and trust in Jesus. Then go on to be obedient to Him in Christian Baptism.

Dear Friend you will then know “experientially” that God is!

By John Bond

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