The Question of Ultimate Beauty
December 9, 2001 | 12:00am
"In the beginning god..."- Genesis 1:1
Ultimately, the question which confronts every person is a simple one: "Does God exist, or is there no God?" Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer argued that if there were no God, then obviously, our world would be merely a matter of chance, and my life the result of certain forces which are going to push me one way or the other, in which case I have to determine what is best for me. I become the measure of my life and the final arbiter of right and wrong.
If, on the other hand, there is a God who is behind our world and the forces in it, then I had better find out something about Him, and even more important, discover what my relationship to Him should be.
On which side of that tremendously important question do you find yourself? Everyone falls into one of three categories:
Category #1. Those who do not really believe in a personal God. Millions of people are in this category–the successful businessman and financier who worships money along with the pagan who lights incense and offers flowers to a god made with human hands. Their god is impersonal, not a spiritual being.
Category #2. People who believe in the existence of a personal God. They believe in the God of the Bible, but live as though there were no God at all. And,
Category #3. The individual who believes in the God who is there, the God of the Bible, and accepts what he says about our lives and lives accordingly.
If, of course, there is God who is there, a God who has told us about Himself and what He expects of us, to ignore this and live as though there were no revelation would be the greatest mistake a person could make. Some 1,900 years ago, these words were written, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
In one bold assertion, the writer of Hebrews tells us that in ancient days, God spoke through the prophets–men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah and Elisha, men who received supernatural guidance about their world and things to come. But then God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who is "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being" (Hebrews 1:3).
If the record which I have just shared with you is true, the question of final reality is a simple one: I can accept the fact that there is a God who has revealed Himself, a God of love and compassion, one who has given His Son as the sacrifice for my sins and shortcomings, and whose forgiveness I must receive and accept.
It is a powerful concept–that there is a loving Father, not an impersonal force somewhere–who cares about you, about us as individuals. That knowledge changes the entire focus of your existence and gives your life meaning in an otherwise meaningless world.
Resource Reading: Hebrews 1
Ultimately, the question which confronts every person is a simple one: "Does God exist, or is there no God?" Christian philosopher Francis Schaeffer argued that if there were no God, then obviously, our world would be merely a matter of chance, and my life the result of certain forces which are going to push me one way or the other, in which case I have to determine what is best for me. I become the measure of my life and the final arbiter of right and wrong.
If, on the other hand, there is a God who is behind our world and the forces in it, then I had better find out something about Him, and even more important, discover what my relationship to Him should be.
On which side of that tremendously important question do you find yourself? Everyone falls into one of three categories:
Category #1. Those who do not really believe in a personal God. Millions of people are in this category–the successful businessman and financier who worships money along with the pagan who lights incense and offers flowers to a god made with human hands. Their god is impersonal, not a spiritual being.
Category #2. People who believe in the existence of a personal God. They believe in the God of the Bible, but live as though there were no God at all. And,
Category #3. The individual who believes in the God who is there, the God of the Bible, and accepts what he says about our lives and lives accordingly.
If, of course, there is God who is there, a God who has told us about Himself and what He expects of us, to ignore this and live as though there were no revelation would be the greatest mistake a person could make. Some 1,900 years ago, these words were written, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son" (Hebrews 1:1-2).
In one bold assertion, the writer of Hebrews tells us that in ancient days, God spoke through the prophets–men such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Elijah and Elisha, men who received supernatural guidance about their world and things to come. But then God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who is "the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being" (Hebrews 1:3).
If the record which I have just shared with you is true, the question of final reality is a simple one: I can accept the fact that there is a God who has revealed Himself, a God of love and compassion, one who has given His Son as the sacrifice for my sins and shortcomings, and whose forgiveness I must receive and accept.
It is a powerful concept–that there is a loving Father, not an impersonal force somewhere–who cares about you, about us as individuals. That knowledge changes the entire focus of your existence and gives your life meaning in an otherwise meaningless world.
Resource Reading: Hebrews 1
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