Three Challenging Ideas

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Chris Theon sought to share the good news of God’s forgiveness, love and promise of eternal life in Christ everywhere he went. After all, wasn’t that exactly what the Lord Jesus told Christians to do? And isn’t that the greatest thing one human being can do for another? Even greater than buying them a winning lottery ticket?

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 Some persons showed understanding, appreciation and acceptance for what Chris said. Others frowned, turned away, or even ridiculed his efforts calling him a narrow-minded religious fool. Chris prayed these persons would come to know the joy and love he came to know in Christ. Why can’t they understand and accept Christ’s claims?

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Thinking about his encounters with these persons, Chris realized it’s because many have one-legged Gods. They try so hard to avoid the ditch on one side of the road that they fall into the ditch on the other side. It’s like a cake burnt on one side but raw on the other. Some persons believe exaggerated half-truths about God. It affects their personality, attitudes, and responses to life and people in negative ways. No wonder some persons say, “I can’t believe in a God like that” and become atheists. Chris pondered these persons with their attitudes and actions.

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He recalled Diana Deist. She learned in physics’ class that the universe was running down like a wound up clock. So it must have had a Winder to begin. And if we could count back unending moments of time, we could never have reached today, so the universe had a beginning. Her biology teacher taught that Louis Pasteur and other scientists showed life doesn’t spontaneous appear from non-living matter.

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Furthermore, the DNA molecule even in simple organisms contains more information than an encyclopedia and its genes limit what it can become. Mind then preceded and produced matter. So it’s absurd to think unconscious, mindless molecules magically arranged themselves into man with multiple interdependent organs and systems no matter how much time. She concluded there must be an immensely great, eternal, intelligent power source worthy of being called God our Creator.

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But Diana couldn’t bring herself to believe God has much to do with our world and everyday lives. Her father left home when she was just six, never returned and her mother wasn’t always attentive to her needs. She had prayed earnestly for a boyfriend. But for whatever reason she couldn’t attract guys’ interest though she felt she was intelligent and attractive. Chris’s heart and prayers went out to all such persons.

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Chris remembered Pan Everything believed God is nature, impersonal energy, always changing forms as animals, trees, flowers, waterfalls, springs, the wind, rain, snow. God is everything, the whole universe and there’s no need for a Creator beyond nature. Things just move along the way they always have. She felt it odd of Christians to say Jesus is our Creator who dwelt among us. Jesus may never have existed, and if he did, he certainly wasn’t God come to us from the sky. Pan just laughed it off when Chris tried to tell her she needed the Savior.

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Chris knew Justin Trueman understood. Justin warned that God judges indifferent wayward people. Persons who say God is just love should read the Bible. He pointed out that God destroyed the violent wicked world of Noah’s day and burned the wicked city of Sodom. Many persons today aren’t concerned about idolatry, drunkenness, abortion, fornication, adultery, incest, homosexuality, same-sex marriage. They give these destructive practices less offensive misleading names to excuse and justify them. They reason anything is okay as long as it doesn’t hurt others, but overlook that such practices pervert persons, fracture families, demoralize governments and shame nations. The Bible proverb explains that those who hate God love death.         

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Deny God’s revealed truth and there’s no place to draw the line. Final steps of moral collapse are homosexuality, arbitrary murder, human sacrifice, sex with animals and with corps. Our merciful God warned the Canaanites to repent 400 years before sending Israel to destroy them. Later corrupt Israel too was devastated and exiled. History confirms nations began on a moral plane become corrupt and easy prey for invaders. Charity Lovemore strongly affirmed God‘s love. The Bible says God so loved the world and God is love. Jesus is God and showed compassion for all persons. He’s our example as a kind loving man who went about doing good. And didn’t he tell us not to judge others and persons without sin to cast the first stone? Persons who talk of judgment, punishment and Hell annoyed her. Yes, we make mistakes but we’re not bad. So to her an eternal Hell is a horrible torture chamber unthinkable of a loving God.

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Chris reflected on the persons who had one side of the truth but often denied the other, which was just as true and crucial. Diana Deist had good reasons to believe in a Creator but not his providence. Her upbringing seemed to hinder such faith. She needs to work out her feelings with a Christian pastor or counselor encouraging her self-esteem, to listen to testimonies of how God works in Christian’s lives and to read apologetics books showing evidences of fulfilled prophecies, miracles and Christ’s claims. 

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Pan Everything believed only in God’s immanence. She needs to exchange views with Diana Deist who believed only in God’s transcendence. Both should read Bible events showing how God works providentially in people’s lives. In our sinful fallen world, not everything can be pleasant. But God works evils out for good. Christ’s cross was the worst evil that worked the most good—eternal life for believers.

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Chris agreed Justin Trueman’s warning need serious thoughtful consideration.

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Charity Lovemore is right that God is love. Nevertheless, she needs to understand that justice and love go hand in hand. Since God doesn’t annihilate persons in His image, they will abide eternally either in Heaven or Hell. So love without justice excuses every evil; justice without love is torture and tyranny. It’s impossible to have one without the other: Hell allows Heaven; Heaven necessitates Hell. God’s displays grace in both in that it all depends upon each persons choice.

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Chris put these friends on his prayer list. He prayed that God would open their hearts and minds to full spiritual understanding and that they would come to trust the Lord and Savior of sinners.

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