Is God Real to You?

"For he who comes to God must believe that He is..." (Hebrews 11:6)

by Larry W. Greider

More than 95 percent of Americans believe in God, or so the polls claim (Barna Online Research, www.barna.org). Whether this belief is something that crosses their minds very often is another issue. This same poll, taken in 1997, mentioned that 15 percent say God is no longer involved in their lives.

If you were in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11 and were running down the stairs to exit the building, the thought that God was alive and able to help you might have been very much on your mind. Does God help us when we cry out? Is there a powerful Being who offers us hope and life? What happens when we die? We need to find answers to these important questions.

You can prove that God is real

Did you know that you can prove whether there really is a God? If you say you believe in God, then think it through. Taking some quiet time to ponder this important question can help you have more peace and confidence about your future. No one has ever seen God in person, at least in our generation. Those in the first century not only witnessed the life and miracles of Jesus Christ, they were convinced He was the Son of God. Was He? Or was Jesus just the carpenter's son who started a social movement? Check out our booklet: "Who Is God?".

Much of the evidence that you might use to prove that there is an all-powerful Creator may be hard for others to understand. Hebrews 11:3 says, "By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible." In other words, God used His invisible, spiritual power to establish the physical creation.

The Word of God is amazing

Notice what some of the experts say about the Word of God called the Holy Bible. "Being written on material that perishes, having to be copied and recopied and recopied for hundreds of years before the invention of the printing press, did not diminish its style, correctness nor existence. The Bible, compared with other ancient writings, has more manuscript evidence than any 10 pieces of classical literature combined" (Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Josh McDowell, Vol. 1, p. 18).

John Lea, in his book, The Greatest Book in the World, states: "...with perhaps a dozen or twenty exceptions, the text of every verse in the New Testament may be said to be so far settled by general consent of scholars, that any dispute as to its reading must relate rather to the interpretation of the words than to any doubts respecting the words themselves. But in every one of Shakespeare's thirty-seven plays there are probably a hundred readings still in dispute, a large portion of which materially affects the meaning of the passages in which they occur" (p. 15).

Sir Fredrick Kenyon says in his book, Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts: "It cannot be too strongly asserted that in substance the text of the Bible is certain. Especially is this the case with the New Testament. The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of the early translations from it and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or the other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world" (p. 23).

There are many theories about the origin of the earth, other planets, man and life itself. However, one must ask the question, does order come out of disorder? Does life come from non-life? Does this amazing universe just run on sheer luck and chance? See the booklet, Does God Exist?.

God taunts man

A favorite scripture of mine states: "Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless" (Isaiah 40:21-23).

In ancient times, people were superstitious and worshiped all types of idols. They attributed qualities of protection and fertility to blocks of wood and stone. God taunted ancient Israel through the prophets saying, "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, 'My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure'" (Isaiah 46:9-10). Evidence of God's ability to do this was demonstrated when He foretold the birth of King Cyrus 137 years before he was born (Isaiah 44:27-45:2).

Man gets excited about his great technological innovations. There was an ancient man named Job who was very wise and respected and perhaps thought very highly of his accomplishments. He was also very rich. After some amazing trials involving Satan the devil, God chastened Job with these words: "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:4-7).

The truth is that God is very real and has a purpose in mind for each of us. He wants to have a relationship with us and offer us eternal life in His family. But we are now living in a world that is being controlled by the god of this world, Satan the devil (Revelation 12:9). This false god deceives and discourages humanity and would like to destroy those of us made in God's image (Genesis 1:26).

God answers prayers

The greatest proof of all is that God does answer our prayers and guides us to a way that really works. This right way is called "righteousness." Most of you reading this article have most of your life ahead of you. Why not take the time now to ask the hard questions and get some answers so you can move forward in the right direction?

God told ancient Israel many years ago, "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live" (Deuteronomy 30:19). God's desire is for us to choose life and live it to the full. This way is described in the pages of your Bible. Read it and God will become more real to you. YU