"But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!" (Romans 1:19)
About thirty-five years ago, I was at a camp in the mountains. Alone in a room, I prayed, "God, if there is a God, I'm open. If You're real, I want to know You're real. And, Jesus Christ, if You can change my life, if there is a purpose for my life, I want to know it."
You know what happened? I didn't get goose bumps. I didn't cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that.
Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life—because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.
Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, "I want the truth more than anything else." once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?
First, through creation.
We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe.
For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.
The Bible says, "The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).
You know what happened? I didn't get goose bumps. I didn't cry. No bright lights shown down. Nothing like that.
Yet, still, it was the turning point in my life—because I was no longer biasing myself against God. I wanted to know the truth, even if it was inconvenient.
Truth can be discovered, but first we have to have an attitude of openness that says, "I want the truth more than anything else." once you choose that attitude, you can discover the truth. How?
First, through creation.
We learn a lot about God, a lot about truth, just by looking at nature. This is why science is so important. It helps us understand God and His universe.
For instance, by knowing that there are 60,000 varieties of beetles, we learn God likes variety. By seeing a volcano, a tidal wave, or an earthquake, we learn God is powerful. From the delicately balanced ecosystem, we can observe God is incredibly organized.
The Bible says, "The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of His divine being. So nobody has a good excuse" (Romans 1:19-20).
"Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it" (Romans 2:14).
God leads us to discover His truth, not only through creation, but also through our conscience.
Some things are hardwired in us by God; we know they are always right or always wrong, no matter what anybody else says. Our conscience tells us this. The Bible says, "Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (Romans 2:14-15, emphasis mine).
Say we take a random sample of one million people from around the planet and put them on a corner in New York City. We say, "Here's a ninety-two-year-old blind lady with a walker. She needs to cross the street. Tell me which of these three options is morally right. one, you can let her try to cross on her own. Two, you can help her cross the street. Three, you can push her into oncoming traffic."
You don't have to be a Christian or Jew or Muslim or even a spiritual person; inside you know the right thing to do.
"Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (Romans 2:14-15, emphasis mine).
Tomorrow we will look at how we are also led to the truth through careful consideration.
Some things are hardwired in us by God; we know they are always right or always wrong, no matter what anybody else says. Our conscience tells us this. The Bible says, "Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (Romans 2:14-15, emphasis mine).
Say we take a random sample of one million people from around the planet and put them on a corner in New York City. We say, "Here's a ninety-two-year-old blind lady with a walker. She needs to cross the street. Tell me which of these three options is morally right. one, you can let her try to cross on her own. Two, you can help her cross the street. Three, you can push her into oncoming traffic."
You don't have to be a Christian or Jew or Muslim or even a spiritual person; inside you know the right thing to do.
"Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" (Romans 2:14-15, emphasis mine).
Tomorrow we will look at how we are also led to the truth through careful consideration.
"Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established" (Proverbs 4:26).
When you tell God, "I want the truth more than anything else," He will reveal His truth to you in a variety of ways, such as through creation or your conscience, and also through careful consideration.
In other words, truth is knowable. You can test it; you can experiment with it; you can prove it.
If I want to go to San Francisco and I follow a map that takes me to San Francisco, and the next week I follow the same map to San Francisco again, eventually I figure out that the map is true.
The same is true of the Bible: If you follow its map again and again, you'll find it to be true. It always takes you where it says it's going to take you. You may not always like where it takes you, but it always takes you where it says it's going to take you.
Often people say, "Why won't God just write it in the sky?" Why would God do that? He gave you a brain. But most people never slow down long enough for such careful consideration. Most people just drift through life.
The Bible tells us, "Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established" (Proverbs 4:26).
Spend some time in careful consideration, in thoughtful observation, and ask yourself: "Am I on a true path?"
In other words, truth is knowable. You can test it; you can experiment with it; you can prove it.
If I want to go to San Francisco and I follow a map that takes me to San Francisco, and the next week I follow the same map to San Francisco again, eventually I figure out that the map is true.
The same is true of the Bible: If you follow its map again and again, you'll find it to be true. It always takes you where it says it's going to take you. You may not always like where it takes you, but it always takes you where it says it's going to take you.
Often people say, "Why won't God just write it in the sky?" Why would God do that? He gave you a brain. But most people never slow down long enough for such careful consideration. Most people just drift through life.
The Bible tells us, "Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established" (Proverbs 4:26).
Spend some time in careful consideration, in thoughtful observation, and ask yourself: "Am I on a true path?"
"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right" (2 Timothy 3:16).
If I discover truth from the Bible, how do I know the Bible is true? There's a world of objective evidence, both external and internal, that says the Bible is true.
External evidence proves the Bible is a historical book that you can rely on. There are 5,366 copies of the Bible dating from the time it was written to just seventy years afterwards. That fact dispels the urban legend that the Bible was changed as it passed through generations and languages.
External evidence also includes many archeological discoveries. For example, historians used to say that Solomon couldn't have had the horses the Bible says he had because no one had horses at that time. But then thousands of horse stables were found in an archeological dig.
There's also the internal evidence of the Bible itself. In a court of law, a prosecutor with two or three eyewitness accounts has a good chance of making his case. The Bible is filled with eyewitness accounts. Moses was there when the Red Sea split; Joshua was there to watch Jericho fall; the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.
The internal evidence of the Bible also includes the fact that it tells one story with consistency—though it was written over 1,500 years on three different continents by 40 different authors from every walk of life. No human being could account for that. It's an amazing example of God's abilities.
The Bible says, "There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
External evidence proves the Bible is a historical book that you can rely on. There are 5,366 copies of the Bible dating from the time it was written to just seventy years afterwards. That fact dispels the urban legend that the Bible was changed as it passed through generations and languages.
External evidence also includes many archeological discoveries. For example, historians used to say that Solomon couldn't have had the horses the Bible says he had because no one had horses at that time. But then thousands of horse stables were found in an archeological dig.
There's also the internal evidence of the Bible itself. In a court of law, a prosecutor with two or three eyewitness accounts has a good chance of making his case. The Bible is filled with eyewitness accounts. Moses was there when the Red Sea split; Joshua was there to watch Jericho fall; the disciples saw the resurrected Jesus.
The internal evidence of the Bible also includes the fact that it tells one story with consistency—though it was written over 1,500 years on three different continents by 40 different authors from every walk of life. No human being could account for that. It's an amazing example of God's abilities.
The Bible says, "There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us" (2 Timothy 3:15-17).
PurposeDriven.com by Rick Warren
'Spirit > e—The Purpose Driven Life' 카테고리의 다른 글
| Legacy to the Next Generation: Presence Acceptance Guidance (0) | 2009.08.16 |
|---|---|
| How God Builds Your Faith: Decision (0) | 2009.08.02 |
| When You Pray... (0) | 2009.07.05 |
| The Depth of God's Love for You (0) | 2009.06.28 |
| Fathers: Help Your Children Know God (0) | 2009.06.22 |
