Origins Matter

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

—Hebrews 11:3—

There’s been a lot of media attention given to recent announcements in the general scientific community over “proof” of the Big Bang Theory’s reality (i.e., that everything began from matter and not from God).

The Bible clearly claims God’s creative power over everything:

• “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
• “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth” (Psalm 33:6).
• “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:1–4).

Obviously the above three passages do not comprise all of what the Bible says in addressing the reality of God’s creative power in speaking everything into existence. Too often we overlook the foundational principle of origins is—Where did we come from? Why are we here?—are both questions which everyone at some point is going to seek to know the answers; and those answers shape our understanding of nearly everything else.

The creative power of God is exactly what the apostle Paul began with when preaching about Jesus and the resurrection to people who knew nothing about the Bible (see Acts 17:18–31, specifically v 24).

Actually, these people believed in gods—as evidenced by all the idols they made—but Paul begins with them at the beginning! Again, the questions concerning mankind’s existence, and the beginning of all things—whether from matter which has always existed or God who has always existed—is foundational to everything else.

When I was public education I remember the gradual shift of the unacceptability and eventual disregard for God in the lab. I remember arguing (as much as any high school student could with a high school evolutionary professor) about the beginning of all things. Usually, I would end what I was trying to say with what the Bible said. To some degree, that has always been a problem to some: because they don’t care what the Bible says about anything at all (unless, of course, they’re quoting Matthew 7:1). He would come back to me about what science says. The problem is that the facts of scientific discovery never contradict the word of God! Now theories (such as the so-called Big Bang) do contradict God’s word; but again, the facts never have, and I truly expect that they never will.

The issue is not as much about origins as it is about authority: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). But why does the fool say this? Is it because of facts presented? Or rather, because of an attitude that will not submit to God’s will and way? “The Atheist is the fool pre-eminently, and a fool universally. He would not deny God if he were not a fool by nature, and having denied God it is no marvel that he becomes a fool in practice” (Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David).

If there is no God, then there’s no Bible, and there’s no authority for anything about what we can and cannot be or do or think—in other words, there is no basis for any thought or act to be considered moral or immoral. Everything is morally neutral. And so you live and let live: tolerate everything. (Yes, this is ultimately all tied together.)

I realize some who call themselves Christians want to hold to God’s existence and simultaneously deny God’s creative power: which absolutely denies God’s full and real nature (Isaiah 45:5–12; Matthew 6:24). Remember, “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. … 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. … But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:1, 3, 6).

Faith begins with “In the beginning God …”

Keeping Our Lives Free From the Love of Money

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?” (Hebrews 13:5–6)

We live in a different time in which economic competition is no longer limited to our neighbors, but has expanded to the great unknown of those we watch on television. We no longer keep up with the proverbial Joneses; rather, we try to keep up with advertisers’ ideas of what will make us happy and fulfilled. And the key, of course, has to do with purchasing what they are selling!

But it’s not just advertising which may cause us to want more. Reality TV sometimes is all about more: I enjoy watching Velocity Channel, and they have different shows about rare and iconic cars. One show was about a gentleman who wanted to buy a vintage Aston Martin race car from the 1960s. The car was so rare that it had a purchase price over three million dollars! He bought the car, but not before dickering over $20,000. To settle it, the two men played a game of ping pong!

On DIY TV (Do-it-yourself) they have reality shows all about people upgrading their bathrooms or kitchens; and sometimes the prices for their upgrades go into the $100,000 range. It is stunning how much people are willing to spend to be happy and fulfilled … in a bathroom. Time to turn off the TV because the more we watch the more we are tempted to think their way.

It’s easier to be critical when we don’t have as much to spend on upgrading our homes, but we may very well be trapped by the same spirit of greed. The apostle Paul warns us, as he warned Timothy,

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness (1 Timothy 6:6–11).

Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money [So why do we sometimes try?]. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? … But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:24–25, 33–34).

In what we call the model prayer, Jesus taught us to have a “daily bread” attitude: “Give us each day our daily bread” (Luke 11:3). This is an easier attitude to adopt when we don’t have much and therefore depend more on God for necessities (Psalm 37:25); but when our attitude is tied to things, we won’t depend on God the way we should (Hebrews 13:5–6).

We all have wants: and to be clear wants are desires for different (i.e., new to us) or brand new things. The problem is not having wants, but having those wants become what we think about all the time. “For by what a man is overcome, by this he is enslaved” (2 Peter 2:19).

Contentment is the key. And contentment is learned—“Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity … I can do all things through Him who strengthens me (Philippians 4:11–13). The more we allow the Lord to be in our lives, the less we will depend on things to fulfill us. The opposite is also true: the less we allow the Lord to be in our lives, the more we will depend on things to make us happy (the void will be filled by something). We all have needs, but we shouldn’t allow wants to rule our thoughts and motivations.

The Ides of March

Today marks my paternal grandparents' wedding anniversary. If they were alive, they would be celebrating; but now the date serves to mark a clear memory for me: what marriage is supposed to be.

My grandparents were not perfect people, but they were sincerely trying to be good: to one another, and to everyone else -- they were very well known and recognized for the generous hospitality through the years.

I remember times here and there when my grandfather would kinda punch me in the arm and ask me to "Look at that: the most beautiful woman in the world!" Since my grandmother's hearing wasn't the best (she would never ever have acknowledged that) I am more certain he was trying to impress me more than her. As I married, I'd argue with him over that point of who was the most beautiful woman in the world.

I cherish the memory of my grandparents because that's all I have now (except when I'm around Dad: he seems to conjure them in things he says and does).

They loved each other dearly, and I truly hope to be married to Cindy as long as they were married … and just as in love.