The Way to Eternity
What Must I Know?
1. The Need
Do you believe in God? Do you know that he exists, not just in the imagination as a fairytale character, but in reality? When we speak of God we mean a supernatural being, one who transcends the natural world, who is good, who influences people and events, and has ultimate control. If your answer is yes, then you have taken an important step, but is this the God of the Bible or of your own designing? Do please read on and discover. If you are not sure whether you believe or not, you will need to have an open mind and be prepared to consider this as a possibility. So, although doubtful, if you are willing to try, do continue. If the answer is no, then again an open mind is essential. God cannot be proved by human argument. He reveals himself to us as individuals in his own way. You have nothing to lose, so please explore further.
How does the idea of God first come to us? For some, we are told by others, and we believe them. Parents and teachers who themselves believe share their understanding with children. This is faith received at second hand and may not survive our need for self-determination or rebellion. For some we ask our own questions, about ourselves and why we are here, about our relationships with others, about the world around us; and through faith in a transcendent God we find an explanation for all that is. For others it is a gut feeling, a kind of instinct, something that is not questioned.
There are two reasons why people want to believe in God. Firstly, for who he is and what he symbolises. God personifies all our noblest ideals and hopes. His character is one of goodness, love, compassion, truth, beauty, justice, mercy and grace. Secondly, for what he can do for them. God is creator, provider and protector, and people look to him for provision, help and blessing. For many of us it is the second motive that predominates. We want God to be there to help us, and make us successful in all the things we desire. Our prayers are simply lists of requests. If our requests are not answered favourably, seeds of doubt may be sown.
Some people or things encourage us to believe in God. Others may do the opposite. Some quote scientific knowledge to try to explain God away. Others ask why, if God is good, is there so much human suffering in all its forms. Our own instinct for survival leads us to stand up for our own selfish interests against the world. We strive to be in control, to be, do and have what we want. We become self-centred and without regard for the interests of others. Because of our selfishness others are deprived and suffer. Conversely, the greed and grasping of other people mean that we are the losers and are made to suffer. Sin produces suffering, and they go hand in hand.
The promotion of self-interest as opposed to the good of all, and how this is manifested in greed for possessions, and lust for power and pleasure, means that God ceases to have as much relevance. Some people abandon thoughts of God altogether, whilst others continue to pay lip-service to the concept, but do not let it have any effect on their lives. Some who feel the need for supernatural support find this in a variety of ways such as spirit guidance, idols, nature gods, fortune telling and other forms of the occult. We may say that we believe, but God has become irrelevant. Even the best of us in our own strength, fall short of his perfection. We turn away from God, and what we may have had is lost.
Perhaps now, for some reason, we have come to accept the need to find or return to God. The need may be prompted when our life becomes too stormy or too difficult to handle. Life has its stormy times and we can be overwhelmed. When we are at the end of our own resources, and with no one else to turn to, God is the only answer. The need may be prompted by disillusionment with life and the feeling that there must be something better. It may be prompted by a recognition of our sinfulness, of God's coming judgement and his righteous anger which condemns the wicked to eternal separation from himslf in hell. It may be an awareness of other people whom we sense have something we lack, or by a return of the gut feeling we had before our selfish instincts took control. Our situations are all different, and God reaches out to each of us in an appropriate way. Whatever the call we need to respond and overcome any resistance of pride.
Another change of attitude is necessary. We said that there were two reasons for people wanting to believe in God, and it is the first reason that we must return to. We must want God for who he is and for the character of his being. God is perfect in goodness. He is absolutely pure and wholesome. He is righteous in all his ways and in all his actions. He is the source of love, truth and beauty. Our desire for God should be because we desire his goodness, and to have a close relationship with him. We want our lives to have purpose and direction, to be a walk with God, and so receive and reveal his goodness. Even now it is still possible to go wrong. We have to come to God in his way not ours. We may think that to come back to God we have to put ourselves right and make ourselves acceptable by a life of rigorous self-discipline, constant ritual observances and good works. This is a mistake.
What we need to understand is that God wants us back so much that he is willing to forgive us and do the cleansing process for us. Initially we can call out to God just as we are, in all our guilt and shame. It is true that before we can stand in the presence of God we have to be made right. However that righteousness springs not from ourselves but from God, and is a free gift made available to us. How does the cleansing process take place, and if we cannot do it ourselves what is required so that God's process can happen?