Forming a Relationship with God
In the beginning...
Today, most scientists agree that our universe initially came into being by some cause. Because the universe hasn't always existed, some force caused it to exist, since every effect has a cause. Many people believe this cause to be intelligent, since scientists observe that the universe is intelligently designed. In other words, if the universe lacked an intelligent creator and was instead the byproduct of random chance, the likelihood of "everything working out" would be extremely unlikely. But when we observe the world, we recognize countless conditions seemingly pre-programmed to cooperate together in perfect unison like a symphony. Thousands of constants had to be calibrated to create the exact conditions we have to sustain life today (the likelihood of just gravity alone being precisely right to sustain the universe is like piling one billion North American-size continents with dimes to the moon and pulling out the exact right one). Another example: DNA is formed by matching bases with the right partner. Each base is pre-programmed to find and fit the right counterpart thousands of times. If all the DNA in a single human was stretched out, it would be twice the diameter of the solar system (BBC Science Focus Magazine). That’s a lot of times for your body to get it right—even scientists fail to deliver such precise matches in computer-simulated (not random) experiments.
The world functions by natural laws of science; this means that, for the most part, everything we see operates under physical laws (i.e., the law of gravity). But with laws in the real world, we know that every law arises from a lawmaker. Why does the world stick to following laws and where did these laws originate from? Why does it work perfectly when it could've just as easily not? It's actually much more likely for it not to work; ending up with a highly-tuned detailed universe by blind chance is as coincidental as a tornado ripping through a junkyard and creating a Boeing-777 plane. (Some argue that the universe existed because it needed to exist, but there is no practical, actual need for it to exist. Others argue that the universe "worked out" just because it did - but that doesn't really answer the question of why it's so highly ordered.) If there is an answer for the reason the universe exists and functions precisely, science may not be able to answer it, as science explains how the world works but not why it works so perfectly every day since its origin or why it came to be.
In sum, the universe has a cause, and many argue that it is intelligent. It is also timeless and matter-less since it created and existed prior to time and matte and powerful to have sparked the creation of the universe. Many believe this timeless, matter-less, powerful, intelligent force also designed ideals of justice and morality, which are reflected in human consciences and beyond scientific explanation. The Bible calls this force God and describes how, in the beginning, this force created the Earth in intricate design, pre-programming it to function effectively and be understood through science.
You can learn more about these arguments in the video here and videos on the same channel,"Reasonable Faith": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EE76nwimuT0&list=PL3gdeV4Rk9EfL-NyraEGXXwSjDNeMaRoX&index=5
God Creates Humans
Most worldwide religions believe that, after forming nature, God created humans to be good. The Bible claims that God created humans with honor and respect to reflect His image of love and justice, giving them authority to partner with Him in taking care of the world (see video below).
The Bible says that God is love and created humans to be unconditionally loved by Him - to have a fulfilling, personal relationship with their Creator. Pascal claimed that humans have a "God-shaped" hole in their hearts. We try to fill this void with various things, but nothing satisfies it sustainably. Regardless of good intentions, people let us down or won't always be there for us, and yet we still crave this unconditional, never-ending love. C.S. Lewis concluded that for every longing in this world, there is potential for satisfaction; we crave food, water, or sex because they exist and can satisfy our longings. Therefore, if we find ourselves with a longing that this world can't seem to satisfy (i.e., unconditional love), the logical explanation is that we were created for something beyond this world.
God offers us that love with no strings attached. He loves you just the way you are, as His love isn't based on what you do. He knows everything about you - messy pasts, doubts, and dark thoughts - and still chose you and wants to be your friend. He thinks you're amazing because He designed you, with all your strengths, quirks, features, and personality traits. He designed us with free will but wants us to do good, love others, and seek justice in our world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbipxLDtY8c
The Problem
However, if we're honest, we know the world isn't always like this. While it's easier to sugarcoat things, there are deep problems with the world that we need to address if we seek sustainable solutions. Injustice, heartbreak, oppression, and selfishness pervade our world, and while it's human tendency to shift the blame and point fingers, we've all contributed to the brokenness of this world in some way or another - no one is immune to lying, anger, hatred, gossip, judgment, lust, greed, prejudice, or jealousy. Jesus preached that we each have this thing within us called sin, which is the root of the wrong that we do. God created to be good, loving, and selfless, and many of us still have this inclination to do good - but sin is that rebellion against God and desire to define morality ourselves and do things our way. While we were designed to be pure and loving like God, far too often, we do what we know we shouldn't and neglect to do what we know we should.
Many religions claim that we can fix these issues by simply doing more good than bad, and when we die, God will weigh our good against bad. However, most of us don't think of sin is that big of a deal because we're surrounded by it and don't even notice we're doing it or justify ourselves by saying everyone else does it too. Martin Lloyd-Jones says, "You will never make yourself feel that you are a sinner, because there is a mechanism in you as a result of sin that will always be defending you against every accusation. We are all on very good terms with ourselves, and we can always put up a good case for ourselves...[the] way to know that we are sinners...is to have some dim, glimmering conception of God." God is pure justice, love, compassion, and healing. We reflect that some days, but our lives are also tainted by thoughts and actions that hurt ourselves and others. This isn't meant to make us feel bad, but to acknowledge a need for deeper healing, as we recognize that the problems aren't just caused by Republicans or Democrats or criminals or politicians and the solution isn't judgment but realizing our own biases and shortcomings and admitting our need for change too. It might be easier to see the world through rose-colored lenses and claim nothing's wrong but it doesn't describe the reality we live in. David Wood noted that, "Christianity teaches that sin is so destructive that it shatters souls and destroys worlds. It's like a cancer that slowly consumes everything," rippling out from the inward thoughts of people into actions. If sin is this serious, then simply trying to be a nicer person doesn't address the deeper heart issue - it's like trying to mop up dirty water when your kitchen sink explodes. Mopping with rags is helpful as a short term solution - but if you want sustainability, you must pull out the broken system and replace it with a new one; then clean water will flow steadily. Jesus said that humans are like trees; a tree doesn't just produce bad fruit spontaneously, there was something broken within the tree. Humans often judge solely by words and actions because that's all we witness, but Jesus said that the fact that we produce hurtful actions and words indicates something broken within us, since that is not how God designed us to be. Doing more good than bad is a beautiful thing - but it doesn't always fix the problem if it's deep rooted. We need deeper healing.
Additionally, weighing good actions against bad isn't how justice systems operate. If you break the law, a judge won't turn a blind eye to your violations because you obey the law on other occasions. In order for God to be a fully impartial, just judge, He doesn't let some people's wrongdoings "slide" just because He likes them more or thinks they're better people -- in fair justice, He gives every person their consequences. In describing the destructive nature of sin, David Wood asked, "Do you think God would allow any of that stuff in heaven? Of course He wouldn't. If heaven is going to be a perfect place, by definition there can be no sinners in it. None at all." The Bible says that the consequences for us damaging the world (whether we've hurt ourselves, others, or God and his creation) is separation from God.
But God isn't intimidated or turned away by our sin. Because He loves us, His natural reaction is to come towards us when we're struggling. He never designed us for Hell or separation from Him, and the Bible says that He would do anything, even sacrifice His own life, to save us.
Watch the video below to learn about humanity's wrongdoings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNOZ7ocLD74
Who is Jesus?
And that's what He did. God's love is like a good parent's - He doesn't love us because we're good but because we're His children. He doesn't sit back aloof when we face problems beyond our abilities, and His compassion compels Him to take action. However, our wrongdoings deserve justice, since He is totally holy, pure, and just. So in order to fulfill justice, the Bible says that God took our place and, in a sense, "punished Himself" instead of us. God didn't send someone else to do the dirty work - He would rescue humans Himself. And with sin infecting every human for centuries, we needed a God-sized solution.
For thousands of years, God sent prophets to the Jewish nation, foretelling that in the future, He would send them a Savior who would bring them perfect peace and healing and conquer sin. These prophets foretold where the Savior would be born and raised and detailed circumstances of his birth, death, and life. Simultaneously, they foretold that this Savior would be both sent by God and God, Himself, coming to help humans in close proximity. Somehow, this Savior would be God and human.
Two thousand years ago, God's Son, Jesus, who shares the nature of God,* came to Earth in human form and fulfilled every prophetic sign the Jews were waiting for. Throughout history, when God speaks to humans, He speaks through humans (prophets) with human language, so it makes sense that He would reveal Himself in a way that humans can touch, see, hear, and understand. The Bible says that God loves us and came to dwell among us - and though He is not human, He took on human form to absorb the full punishment that humanity deserves for sin. He lived the perfect, selfless life we should have lived and dove headfirst into our problems, healing the sick, caring for the poor, and welcoming in the marginalized, before willingly dying a brutal death on the cross to pay the justice we owe for sin.
Jesus said He didn't come to judge but save us. We can never "earn Heaven" by our good works anymore than a child could earn their parent's love by performance or a defendant could argue their innocence based on prior goodness. But Jesus paid our debts on the cross so that anyone who trusts in Him can be forgiven and saved. And God says anyone who wants access to Him can simply come. It doesn't matter what we've done or if we'll struggle again, and we don't need to burden or collect ourselves to come to Jesus anymore than a patient needs to cure themselves before going to the doctor. The whole passion and purpose of the doctor is to heal, and Jesus said that everyone who wants salvation and restoration with God simply must repent and trust in Him. He said that He is the "way (to God), truth, and life," and no one can come to God except through Him, as He is God's offer of free salvation made known to us. The necessity of trusting Jesus for salvation can be analogized to a person who cannot afford college tuition, and someone offers to pay this debt on their behalf. In response, the student must actually trust this person's offer to pay their debt and accept the gift. Likewise, the Bible says that salvation isn't automatically applied to everyone - we must accept the gift by turning to Him. The word "repent" means to change one's mind - to realize you want God and return.
So, in sum, to be saved, Jesus says we must turn to Him. The Bible speaks of how we've all sinned or turned away from God and walked our own ways, running our lives under our control. Salvation is turning back to Him, allowing Him to be God again. This is not a one-and-done thing, as we all stumble throughout our lives, and what matters isn't our perfection or religiosity but the willingness to return to God every time we fall. God promises that when we do this, He always forgives us freely and actually helps us to grow more loving and selfless over time. He does this by filling the lives of those who turn to Him with His Holy Spirit, His presence, which overtime heals areas of our lives infected by sin and transforms us to be more like Jesus. If sin is a cancer slowly destroying us and we need a "new pipe system" like that broken sink, the Holy Spirit is the new pipe system God places in us as a sustainable solution to defeat sin. God's plan isn't to just make us better people but new people, and Jesus does this in us as we turn to Him. As we grow in our relationship with God and His Holy Spirit works in us, Jesus restores us to be the loving, just, and peace-seeking beings He originally designed us to be.
*God's nature is mysterious and complex - if God was a 3D being, we could be likened to 2D. While we are each one person in one essence, God is three persons sharing one essence. The Bible describes this as the trinity, God the father/creator, God's Son, and God's Holy Spirit.
The video below explains who Jesus is and what He did: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dEh25pduQ8
What Now?
In many ways, I've experienced a relationship with God to satisfy that "God-shaped hole." It is deeply freeing and healing to know your Maker - to know that He loves you not based on your achievements or perfection but simply because you are His. That we are not defined by social media, jobs, relationships, or labels the world puts on us, but by our Creator who created each of us with beauty and honor and loves every human unconditionally, calling us to put others before ourselves with the love He gives us.
We don't have to go to a special place to access God - for those who follow Him, God lives within us and is always with us. We can talk to Him anytime, and He hears us and is the perfect best friend. A relationship with God takes time and effort to build, just as any human relationship does. However, once you are saved, you don't need to fear that God will leave you, as nothing -- not even your greatest sin - can separate you from His love. Even when we feel like letting go, He never does nor gives up on us. You can grow closer to God and do good not as an attempt to be saved but motivated by His love and the fact that He has already saved you.
You can grow closer to God by:
Praying/talking to God. Tell Him the things on your mind, ask Him for help, thank Him, and confess your sins.
Read the Bible (email us if you'd like one). The Bible is a book of love letters from God to you. The Message is a summary version that's easier to understand (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=MSG). You can start anywhere, but the Book of Luke is a great place to learn about Jesus (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201&version=NIRV).
Join a church (read the church's "Statement of Faith" on their website to make sure they are teaching the Bible).
You can share with others about your relationship with God. Many don't know that God loves them but you likely learned from someone telling you, and you can encourage others too.
Let me know if you've chosen to follow Jesus or would like to discuss this more! I would love to give you a Bible, connect you to a church, answer any questions, and pray for you.
You can email me at: cookie034@yahoo.com
Photo Credit:
<a href="https://www.freepik.com/photos/shore">Shore photo created by wirestock - www.freepik.com</a>
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