I remember lying in bed, terrified. A noise had woken me. I lay breathless, trying to hear if there was any further movement. Eventually I tiptoed down the hallway, only to find… nothing. What a relief! Yet at another level, I was frustrated. Something must have caused that noise!
We recognise that our universe operates on a principle of cause and effect and if something goes bump in the night, something must have caused it. Yet some people look at our marvellous universe and when asked what caused it, say, “Nothing.” Isn’t that frustrating?
So how do we explain the origin of everything? An adequate explanation of origins must explain not only matter and energy, the basic building blocks of the physical world, but also life, information, intelligence, morality, personality, and meaning.
Logic demands that the cause of matter must be immaterial since matter is not eternal. Since our universe is composed of such incredible energy, the cause of our universe must be exceedingly powerful. The cause of life must be a living being; the cause of information must be incredibly knowledgeable; the cause of personality must be personal; the cause of morality must be moral. And this is the way the Bible describes God.
If we are simply the by-product of a cosmic accident and unguided random chance, then any appearance of meaning or morality are just an illusion. But if, as the Bible says, we have been purposefully created by a loving, personal God, life can, and indeed does, have objective value and meaning.
The Biblical explanation of origins is remarkable in its simplicity: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” Genesis 1:1. Some think this is too simplistic. But when we speak of God as a “simple” answer to the origin of all matter, information and morality, we mean that this is an explanation that does not require multiple causes to explain both the physical and nonphysical realities we observe but rather for a singular, sufficient source.
The living God presented in the pages of Scripture is able to satisfy the demands of both the logic of our minds for meaning and the longing of our hearts for relationship. This Creator of the universe wants to enter into a loving relationship with you but will not force you to accept Him. We see this manifest in the words of Jesus shortly before He went to the cross, as He looked out over the city of Jerusalem and mournfully cried, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing!” (Matthew 23:37).
It is our sin that has caused this alienation from God and so for our relationship with God to be restored, sin needs to be dealt with. This is why it was absolutely necessary for Jesus to die on the cross. Through the shedding of His blood, He has made peace with God possible (Ephesians 2:13). Now, those who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ enjoy the benefits of His provision and have “redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sin” (Ephesians 1:7). As a result, they have entered into a dynamic relationship with the God of creation. As Jesus put it, “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).
Such a relationship must be nurtured through communication. God speaks to us primarily through His Word (the Bible) and we must be careful to actively respond to all He says. We speak to Him through prayer: confessing our sins, expressing our thanks, sharing our burdens and asking for help with our needs.
If you will receive the Lord Jesus through faith, you too can become a part of the family of God (John 1:11-13) and enjoy all the blessings that come from a relationship with the God of heaven and earth.
DNW