Two Fishermen Discuss What God Might Be Like

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John was ecstatic to show his friend Sam his new rod and reel. They fish at Little River in the woods back of his house—no telling what they might catch.

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With their rods and a pail of wiggly crawly worms the boys sat down on the big grey, hard rock jutting out from the riverbank, bated their hooks and caste their lines.

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“I bet I get a big one before you do” John said, casting his line way out to bang the water creating wider and wider circles floating downstream.

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“Don’t be too sure,” Sam, replied, “I know where the fish are. The boys sat there thinking.

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Sam spoke first. “I wonder how fish came to be in this river in the first place. They came from the ocean, but how did they get there? How did anything, fish, worms, bushes, animals, people originate? Things didn’t magically appear from nothing. Nothing means no-thing exists, not even space and time.”

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“You’re right Sam. Nature itself has no conscious mind and will to plan and create anything. Living things are super complex. People, for example, have complex organs, bodily systems, and a thousand parts that must function together at the beginning. This world couldn’t happen by chance. Atoms didn’t arrange themselves into Adam.”

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“Ops! I feel something. I think I’ve got one.” John pulled up on his rod, started rapidly winding and winding and winding his reel, until the fish appeared. “Oh man, it’s a nice one. It’s a flounder off the bottom. It’s got both eyes on one side and maybe weighs five pounds. I’ll eat well tonight. I hope I can catch a couple more.”

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“That’s a beauty,” Sam confirmed. “I hope to catch a few too.”

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John, looking serious, “You’re right Sam. Things can’t come from nothing. Force and chance can’t explain how the world started. They’re unconscious, mindless. A conscious mind far, far above human genius is required to create the enormously complex plants and animals we see everywhere. Nothing can live with a half way developed digestive system, or partly produced reproductive system, or legs or eyes. It’s all got to be intact and functional at the outset.”

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“That’s right John, what practical good are unconscious, mindless forces? Nature can’t hear our cries, can’t answer our prayers, can’t tell us what’s good or bad, and can’t even know about us. It’s not God, it’s nothing.”  

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“Oh, oh, I think I’ve got something.” Sam pulled on his rod that went one direction then another. Wow, it must be a big one. It’s got a lot of fight.” He pulled and wound excitedly. His rod moved all around the water. Finally, the fish appeared. “It’s over a foot long black bass maybe eight pounds. Ha! Ha!” jumping up and down. I got one too, a big one.”  

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“Getting back to what you said that something can’t come from nothing. My college science professor said the universe is running down like a wound up clock so it can’t be eternal. The second law of physics called entropy or heat dispersion shows its beginning. So Sam everything that came to exist depends on something eternal. Entropy suggests one eternal God as the Source of all existence.”

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“Right John and that Source of everything must be one God, not many limited Gods as ancient Greeks and Romans imagined--there can be only one absolute Source, not many conflicting limited ones.”

“And Sam, if God’s eternal, he can’t change or cease to exist. His power and all that he is would be ever the same and everywhere upholding his universe. And a Creator of this material universe would have to be a mind and not a physical giant like Zeus.”

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“John, this God is no uncaring ‘Thing.’ To create us, he must be a living person, only infinitely greater who can hear our prayers, know our needs, guide our lives, and being eternal give us eternal life. It seems science and logic points to the God of the Bible.”

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“Yes, it’s what my Sunday school teacher said was taught in Romans 1:20.”  

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Bamm! Something hit John’s hook hard and is running away with his bait. It must be a big one. John pulled and winded, pulled and winded until a large bass appeared above the water.

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“Wow! That looks to be maybe a seven or eight pound bass. It will be good eating tonight,” John said with a big smile and nod.

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 John, why don’t we invite both our families for a fish fry in my back yard tonight? Doesn’t that sound like fun?”     

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“Yes, that’s a good idea. Let’s do it. But Sam, one thing bothers me about God.”

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“What’s that”, Sam?

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“It seems a real God exists in logic and theory. But unlike a magician, we can’t pull him out of a hat for display like magicians pull rabbits. How do we know God is more than theory, even if good scientific theory?”

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“Good question, John. My pastor answered that one for me in last Sunday’s sermon. God put skin on when He came into our world as Jesus Christ, sacrificed himself on that painful bloody cross for us hell-deserving sinners, and arose from the dead. That proved both life after death and his promise of eternal life to all who trust him as their Savior and Lord.”

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“Oh, yes, I’ve trusted him too, head nodding. And I feel even more convinced from our fishing discussion today. Catching fish is fun. But sharing the good news of Christ is so much better. I want to be a fisher of men as our Lord commanded. It’s our highest honor and humanities only hope of cleansing from sin, peace with God, loving service and assurance of eternal life.”
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"Jesus said, follow me and I will make you a fisher of men" John 14:6. Other than a life glorifying God there can be no greater activity than telling others Jesus is the Savior of us sinners. Won't you vow in utter sincerity to try each week to tell someone that you know you're going to be with Jesus in eternity and they can to if they will admit their sin and truth Jesus to be their Savior. Just share a few Bible verses such as John 3:16; 36; 5:24; 14:6 and have them bow and pray Lord save me a sinner. Amen. So be it.

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