Answers to Qs & Concerns About God

Alexis Malek

January 31, 2014

Answers to Questions and Concerns About God's Existence

Are you a child of God who is trying to reach someone in your life to bring that person to the Lord to be saved? Are you having problems reaching anyone in your attempts? If you are there are different possible reasons as to why you are being met with opposition or reluctance, or with hesitance or flat our refusal. It could be that someone suffered the loss of a loved one or something else bad happened to them and they haven't fully recovered and are unwilling to believe that if God really does exist, that he would be so cruel as to take a loved one away or to let us go through horrible experiences. Other people may worship money or other things that takes away the right frame of mind to worship God because they have made something else their idol of worship (such as jewelry, clothes, shoes, cars, houses, etc). There are people who have wrong information about God based on how they were raised or on what they have been surrounded by religion-wise and they could simply be confused or loyal to their family members who practice a different kind of religion that either believes in many Gods or practice other false beliefs such as putting more emphasis on Mary than they should. Jesus should be our focus of worship, not Mary and not any other God. It seems that no matter the different reasons for not believing in God, one thing these people who are non-believers (or false worshipers) is that they have somewhere in their lives been given false information and do not know the one true God.

In order to find out origins of other religions, go online and type in the name of the religion (for example - Roman Catholic, or Mormon) and you will find articles or books (if you go to the library you may find books on the library database search engine) that will give you the origin of when these different non-Christian religions started and if they are good references, they will tell you what their proof is of the origins of these religions that do not follow Christ's way of living. After doing that, research where to find an older bible that has all Old Testament and New Testament books in it and then if it is harder to read because it is on old English, Hebrew, Greek, or any other language you do not understand, find a translation that you can understand like NIV or NLT and the text should be saying the same thing, but in a way that is easier to understand so that we can grasp the proper context of what is written in the Bible, which is God's written word. Any Bible that adds or takes away from what was originally written, or any Priest, Rabbi, Pastor, or Minister (or any spiritual teacher) who adds or subtracts from God's word or twists it around in any way is a false teacher and you must be careful to test everything you hear with the Bible (and a non-Catholic and Non-Mormon Bible that follows the original text and the only difference is the wording to make it easier to understand, but the message should be the same no matter if you are reading King James version or New King James, or New International Version, New Living Translation, The Message, Amplified Version). The message should be the same in all of these translations of the Bible which means they should all contain the content that was originally written in the Old Testament and in the New Testament for the Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). And when you find a church, they should teach from the Bible and follow the word completely and not add anything of their own or subtract anything that is written in the Bible.

God does exist and Paul tells us in Romans 1:18-20 the proof of it, saying, "But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God." This verse backs up the claim David made in Psalm 19:1-4, which says, "The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun." The reason we should know God exists is because who else could have created the sky, the sun, the moon, the stars, the mountains, the sand, the oceans, the trees and everything else including animals and humans? Yet people do not consider this and others who have considered it dismiss the possibility of God because it is too awesome an idea to fathom to them. They would rather go on doing whatever they please without having to worry about an invisible God punishing them for the sins they commit against him. There are other people who think that if God really existed, how he could let people die or let bad things happen to them when he is supposed to be a loving and caring God. What they don't understand is that God takes no pleasure in people dying or in bad things happening to them but sometimes it happens due to sins they committed and other times they are being tested by trials to test their faith and when the good people die - that is, good people by God's standards - he is saving them from pain or protecting them from the evil to come, which Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 57:2. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, "I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said. He was seen by Peter and then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all, as though I had been born at the wrong time, I also saw him." Since all parts of the Bible are God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16-17, which you will see quoted later when I get into proof about all Scripture being God-breathed), and Paul saw Jesus himself after persecuting him (Acts Chapter 9), then it must be true that Jesus does exist.

When people reject Jesus as the only way to get to heaven, they are fooling themselves when they believe they can get there in their own might by their own good deeds or by their own power. In the gospels, Jesus gave specific instructions on how to live and they are The Way, the only way to Heaven. You cannot get to Heaven except through Jesus and you must believe that Jesus exists, that he roamed earth as a human, believe he died to save us all from our sins and was raised 3 days later so we could have a right relationship with God based on faith. You must also believe that Jesus is coming back for the chosen ones that God has chosen to spend eternally in Heaven after Jesus' second coming and must believe that Jesus has not yet come back, since he hasn't yet come back and nobody, including Jesus, knows when Jesus is coming back again. The only thing we do know is that it has not happened yet.

Some people believe (and will argue the point with others) that the Second Coming has already come, but the Bible says that nobody knows when the second coming is but that there will be a series of events that happens before the end (before Jesus' Second Coming). These events can be found in Matthew 24 (and Luke 21). In Matthew 24:4-8, Jesus says, "Don't let anyone mislead you, for many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Messiah.' They will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come."

Jesus lists a whole bunch of other things that will come after, but pick up at Matthew 24:23-42, where he says, "Then if anyone tells you, 'Look, here is the Messiah,' or 'There he is,' don't believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. See, I have warned you about this ahead of time. "So if someone tells you, 'Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,' don't bother to go and look. Or, 'Look, he is hiding here,' don't believe it! For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes. Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. "Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world--from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear. "However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. People didn't realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes. "Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left. "So you, too, must keep watch! For you don't know what day your Lord is coming."

Jesus not only exists, but he is God. Philippians 2:5-8 says, "You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross."

Also, in John 17:5, Jesus said in a prayer to his Father, our God, "Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began." I also encourage doubters to read all of the Book of John (also known as the Gospel of John) chapter 1, and all of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and Revelations where Jesus makes several statements about who he is, and his apostle Peter confirms it in some of them, like in Matthew chapter 16 where Jesus asked his disciples who people said he is and then asked who they think he is and Peter said, "You are the Messiah." Jesus told Peter that he was blessed that his Father told him who he (Jesus) was, which was an affirmation to the statement that he is indeed the Messiah. The great prophets in Old Testament like Isaiah and Jeremiah predicted the first coming of Jesus (Isaiah 9:6 and Jeremiah 33:15-16) and the New Testament books after the gospels all talk about Jesus, how he died for our sins and was raised 3 days later so we could be made right with God through him and through faith, and how Jesus is coming back soon for the Chosen ones that will be brought up to Heaven after Judgment has been made to all on the second coming of Jesus, which has not occurred yet between then and in the present time of 2014.

Jesus is The Way (the only way) to Heaven and proof of this is also found in the gospels, with special attention paid to John chapter 6 where Jesus talks about being the Bread of Life. Jesus also makes the statement in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."

Peter, who spent time with Jesus, stated in 2 Peter 1:14-21, "For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy." We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place--until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God." This powerful statement from Peter in the above verses prove that not only did Jesus exist, but that he is God's Son, and that the Bible is not a work of fiction but God-inspired - which means that God helped the prophets and other original authors of the Bible to write it from beginning to end (and everything in-between). So this statement knocks out two or possibly three arguments or issues people have about believing in Jesus' existence, who Jesus was, and the authenticity of the Bible actually being God's written word. Another statement made in the Bible to support that it is God's written word comes in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which reads, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The translation I used for 2 Timothy was NIV for anyone interested in checking it to make sure it is true.

There is a verse that goes perfectly with the intention of this blog and it is found in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5, which reads, "We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ." The barriers people have put up to justify not acknowledging God's existence, that Jesus is the Only Way, that baptism is necessary to be saved (read Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:38-39), that Jesus is the Son of God and is also God, and that the Bible is real and not a work of fiction need to be removed. It is important that everyone see The Truth so they may be saved before it is too late. In order for the truth to be known, the truth has to be told to people who do not know it; for those who know the truth but deny it, they need a wake-up call and they need to read the truth in the bible and soften their hearts and open their minds to understand and accept the truth for what it is.

There is only One God and one true faith, and Paul mentions this in Ephesians 4:4:6 where he says, "For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all."

Paul goes on to tell us in Ephesians 4:11-16 that we are all given gifts that we must use to build one another up until we are mature in the faith. He says to us (everyone who will ever read the Bible and to all who already have), "Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

God makes it clear in that he is the only God in the Old Testament too, and tells us through the prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 45:5-12 (NIV), "I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me, so that from the rising of the sun to the place of it setting people may know there is none besides me. I am the Lord, and there is no other. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. "You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the Lord, have created it. "Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, 'What are you making?' Does your work say, 'The potter has no hands'? Woe to the one who says to a father, 'What have you begotten?' or to a mother, 'What have you brought to birth?' "This is what the Lord says-- the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands? It is I who made the earth and created mankind on it. My own hands stretched out the heavens; I marshaled their starry hosts." Anyone who believes there is more than one God, when it states clearly in the Bible (the original versions which have been translated into forms of English we can easily understand but still have the same meaning), is mistaken and misinformed. Drop down to verses 16-25 in Isaiah 45, where God once again makes a statement through Isaiah about what will happen to people who worship idols (other Gods, anything that people place more value and importance on than Him) and also what will happen to those who will enjoy everlasting salvation because they believe in Him and make Him their only God and honor Him: "All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced; they will go off into disgrace together. But Israel will be saved by the Lord with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting. For this is what the Lord says--he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-- he says: "I am the Lord, and there is no other. I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the Lord, speak the truth; I declare what is right. "Gather together and come; assemble, you fugitives from the nations. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. Declare what is to be, present it-- let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me. "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, 'In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.' " All who have raged against him will come to him and be put to shame. But all the descendants of Israel will find deliverance in the Lord and will make their boast in him." God is also telling us about his nature, how he does not lie and everything he says can be trusted in these verses above. Everything God predicted would happen happened already, except for parts of the book of Revelation and other parts of the Bible that have foretold what will happen right before Jesus' Second Coming and after judgment has been passed and the new heavens have been made. God will forgive you once you have willingly received and accepted the truth and worship only Him as your God.

Paul instructed Timothy to "Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people's hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants," in 2 Timothy 2:25-26. God directs us to do the same thing today. We who are children of God and have gained enough understanding of the Bible and fully understand the Good News should help instruct others who do not know God yet either because nobody has ever talked about God to them or due to misconceptions they were given growing up. People who are not members of the body of Christ need to be fully informed of The Truth and they need to know the Good News about salvation and eternal life. It is our job as Christians to make sure everybody knows The Truth so that they can make an informed decision whether or not to follow God and be saved or to continue on their current path. Once we have presented them with the information, all we can do is continue to be shining examples of the way Christians should act - which is like Christ in all we say, think, and do - and it will be up to the people we try to reach to decide whether or not they want to be saved.

God also gives us instructions on how to help those in the faith who are fading away or in danger of being lost or snatched by the devil. Jude, an apostle to Jesus, tells us in verses 22-23 of Jude that we must show mercy on those wavering in faith. His exact words are, "And you must show mercy to those whose faith is wavering. Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment. Show mercy to still others, but do so with great caution, hating the sins that contaminate their lives." (Jude 1:22 -23) God wants everyone to be saved so when we see a fellow believer struggling in their faith and deep in sin, we are to do our best to help bring them back to God and help strengthen their faith, and we must help in a way that we do not ourselves get caught up committing the sins that are ruining their lives and separating them from God.

For anyone struggling in their faith or who do not believe in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit or that the Bible is God's written word, study the verses and the full chapters and books they are written in and you will find answers to your questions, or you will gain understanding as to why God lets bad things happen to good people. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:45, "For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good and sends rain on the just and the unjust alike." What Jesus is saying is blessings come to both children of God and to people who are not. Everyone receives God's favor at some point in their life, so do not envy the evil ones who are prospering right now for God tells us through King David in Psalms 37:12, "Soon the wicked will disappear. Though you look for them, they will be gone." If you have suffered the loss of a loved one, read Isaiah 57:2 as to a possible reason why they were taken (it says that God takes some good people away to protect them from the evil to come), or in Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, David's son King Solomon tells us, "For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest," and he goes on with a list of things there is a time for, which you can find up until verse 8 in Ecclesiastes 3. God can break the stronghold of human reasoning for whatever reason you have come up with for not believing and when you turn your heart towards God and live for him, you will see your life improve. Remember, when you are suffering for any reason, that it is temporary and that all children of God (who have confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior publicly, repented their sins, and been baptized to be cleansed by Jesus' blood of all sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit) will enjoy eternity in heaven after Jesus' second coming and you will enjoy an eternity of peace, love, joy, and being in the presence of the Lord and your loved ones who will also make it to heaven. If you are unsure if someone you love will make it to heaven, then it is not too late to do something to help them. Enlighten them by talking about Jesus and the good news and about salvation and how to gain salvation. Tell them how they can be saved and then you have done your part and it is up to them to decide for themselves if they believe and follow God.

If you experience any difficulties in understanding anything mentioned in this blog, feel free to e-mail me and I will do my best to help clarify whatever is not currently clear to you. I tried putting things in some sort of order that could be understood and it looks okay and easy to understand but please let me know if you are confused in any area. Thanks and God bless all who read this! Hope you find this helpful either for yourself or for someone in your life.