This article summarises a comprehensive study around the world concerning our tendency to believe in the divine and/or supernatural. It concludes that humans are naturally predisposed to believe in some kind of God.
To myself and many other Christians this of course will not be a surprise.
"God has made us that way", we would say. Yet I think it would be a mistake to point to a study like this and suggest such evidence proves there is a God. The two are not necessarily the same, so lets not claim they are.
What it does do is give evidence from large scale research (presumably conducted on a secular basis, using rational methods) that coheres with the Christian worldview. In other words, it adds up.
An atheist would hold quite a different worldview, and would have to come up with other explanations of the human tendency to believe shown by this study. Of course such explanations are likely to be speculative at best, taking them beyond the 'rational position' that they like to claim underpins their atheism.
And so the atheist is no better off or no more clever than the Christian, having in the end to adopt and hold a position 'by faith'.
Conversely whilst a Christian has to live 'by faith' each day, there is a coherent logic to their position.
Sunday, 22 May 2011
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Righteousness and Law
People often talk of God's standards and 'doing what is right' in terms of immutable laws, i.e. things God has decreed or ordained since the dawn of time that we are all supposed to live by.
Curiously though, the understanding of OT Law to be told to Hebrew children doesn't quite match this. Deuteronomy 6:20 - 25 spells out that the law is more about maintaining the people's identity as God's saved & covenant people, the people He rescued out of Egyptian slavery.
The law of Moses in these terms therefore would seem to be a boundary marker for who they are as a people - keep within the Law and you will be able to go on prospering as a covenant people. Their sense of righteousness is therefore 'conferred' on them by staying within these bounds: v25 says 'keep the law and God will continue to see us as His righteous people'.
Now I do believe in immutable laws myself - I think there are certain aspects of how God has created us in the universe that requires certain behaviour, both to avoid it all going horribly wrong, and to live up to the expectations and plans God has for us. Yet seeing a 1:1 mapping between these and OT laws may well be a mistake.
Which of course is what Paul effectively spells out in Romans. The OT law, he writes, was not 'bad' as such, but as an identity marker it shrinks into insignificance when compared with the righteousness that can be conferred on anyone by faith in Christ.
And so it is that the records we have of Paul & Co witnessing to the non-Jewish people show them not pointing to chapter & verse of OT law, but focussing on what is possible in Jesus Christ.
Curiously though, the understanding of OT Law to be told to Hebrew children doesn't quite match this. Deuteronomy 6:20 - 25 spells out that the law is more about maintaining the people's identity as God's saved & covenant people, the people He rescued out of Egyptian slavery.
The law of Moses in these terms therefore would seem to be a boundary marker for who they are as a people - keep within the Law and you will be able to go on prospering as a covenant people. Their sense of righteousness is therefore 'conferred' on them by staying within these bounds: v25 says 'keep the law and God will continue to see us as His righteous people'.
Now I do believe in immutable laws myself - I think there are certain aspects of how God has created us in the universe that requires certain behaviour, both to avoid it all going horribly wrong, and to live up to the expectations and plans God has for us. Yet seeing a 1:1 mapping between these and OT laws may well be a mistake.
Which of course is what Paul effectively spells out in Romans. The OT law, he writes, was not 'bad' as such, but as an identity marker it shrinks into insignificance when compared with the righteousness that can be conferred on anyone by faith in Christ.
And so it is that the records we have of Paul & Co witnessing to the non-Jewish people show them not pointing to chapter & verse of OT law, but focussing on what is possible in Jesus Christ.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Just Say the Word
Deuteronomy 8:3 talks of learning to depend on God, looking for His every word just as physically we need daily food. We need God's word to direct us, to challenge us, as well as to nourish us.
What is interesting is that it might only take just one single word.
In Matthew 14:22f Jesus sends the disciples off in a boat, to join them later. That leads to the extraordinary episode where Jesus is walking on water. Peter seems to have some inspiration and faith that he too can defy the normal physical laws of gravity. He says, 'Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water'.
And Jesus just says one single word: "Come".
With that Peter is able to get out of the boat and do an incredible thing. It was a single word, for Peter, for that moment.
The Word of God is an extraordinary thing. It only takes one single word, but with a word directed at someone in the appropriate place at the appointed time, the normal physical laws, what we would expect to happen in the circumstances, become suspended.
Learn to depend on the Word of God. Be alert to those opportunities where faith can kick in. And when they come, look to God to just say the word.
What is interesting is that it might only take just one single word.
In Matthew 14:22f Jesus sends the disciples off in a boat, to join them later. That leads to the extraordinary episode where Jesus is walking on water. Peter seems to have some inspiration and faith that he too can defy the normal physical laws of gravity. He says, 'Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you on the water'.
And Jesus just says one single word: "Come".
With that Peter is able to get out of the boat and do an incredible thing. It was a single word, for Peter, for that moment.
The Word of God is an extraordinary thing. It only takes one single word, but with a word directed at someone in the appropriate place at the appointed time, the normal physical laws, what we would expect to happen in the circumstances, become suspended.
Learn to depend on the Word of God. Be alert to those opportunities where faith can kick in. And when they come, look to God to just say the word.
Tuesday, 10 May 2011
Decorating
After years of stalling, putting off, and not getting round to it, this year I have finally done some re-decorating.
Its mostly painting the walls and ceiling, but then there's the gloss on the (fortunately quite few) bits of woodwork. Now I'm not one to strip back to the bare wood - just a bit of sanding and then a new top coat of gloss will do me, thankyou very much.
The trouble is many seem to have that same attitude regarding their faith. They are quite happy to let their belief be something that glosses over certain areas of their life. Although something much more radical - stripping back and starting over - is called for they settle for what amounts to little more than a touch up here and there.
Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God cuts through to our innermost being. We would do well to let the Word do its work, rather than run the risk of simply becoming whitewashed on the outside, but in fact dead on the inside.
Its mostly painting the walls and ceiling, but then there's the gloss on the (fortunately quite few) bits of woodwork. Now I'm not one to strip back to the bare wood - just a bit of sanding and then a new top coat of gloss will do me, thankyou very much.
The trouble is many seem to have that same attitude regarding their faith. They are quite happy to let their belief be something that glosses over certain areas of their life. Although something much more radical - stripping back and starting over - is called for they settle for what amounts to little more than a touch up here and there.
Hebrews 4:12 says the Word of God cuts through to our innermost being. We would do well to let the Word do its work, rather than run the risk of simply becoming whitewashed on the outside, but in fact dead on the inside.
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