Okay, we've covered A LOT of material. Here's my summary of why I believe
in God. Remember, we weren't trying to argue any other point other than that
there appears to be significant reason to believe that there is a God.
I have questions I need answers to:
How did we get here?
What is our purpose?
What happens when we die?
What about unexplainable supernatural rumors?
When I weigh how improbable, scientifically, evolution is... how that the
whole theory is incomplete and each step requires a belief in something that
has an infintesimal chance of happening, I just have to discard it. If it
were anything else like proof of Big Foot, I would have dismissed it earlier.
The Bible seems historically accurate.
The Bible predicts the future and does so accurately.
It continues to predict the future.
Predicting the future is even more improbable than the evolution theory,
yet the Bible does it with amazing accuracy. Therefore, I can only conclude
there is something supernatural out there, and we are told by that supernatural
being that it is God.
We've examined God's character and what happens when we die; we examined
the plan of salvation. It makes logical sense. If you thought of the
problem in terms of money and debts, it would make sense that someone could
pay off someone else's debt. Considering God is the one the debt is owed to,
whatever He deems as valid payment, I'm willing to trust... since He has
final authority to clear the debt.
We see what our purpose is, and why we are in the mess we are in.
We see a set of instructions that helps us get through these hard times
and prepares us for after the fact. Personally applying these guidelines
has worked for me and improved my life; I don't feel any restriction where
there's something I want to do, yet God won't let me do it. I can understand
the REASON behind the 'rules.' They make sense.
The universe as we know it, could support a God in the form as we've been
presented with. A God we've been presented with could create such a universe
as we are existing in.
The strange and unknown events of today (ghosts/spiritualism) have been
explained (as fallen angels).
The reason why certain beliefs are the way they are have been explained
to me. It was a good history lesson.
More importantly I can go back and check these things myself. I don't have
to take someone's word for it. It's something I can check and verify.
I learned a better understanding of who God is, and what He's like. I can
deal with an eternity where I have a productive, useful life where I am happy
and free to enjoy and express myself.
I'm freed of the fear of death. And I've learned there is someone I can
put my trust. I don't feel alone.
God's drawn an elaboate picture of Himself; yet He's managed to disguise it
in such a way that only those who want to look for it will see it. Kind of
like the hidden pictures in old Highlight magazines, on the surface it seems
like existance for existance or by chance, however a closer examination and
you see all the smaller components making up a larger picture.
If the Bible had to be summed up in a nutshell, it could be done as this:
o God created all men through one man, Adam
o Satan corrupted all men through one man, Adam
o God saved all men through one man, the second Adam ... Jesus Christ.
The problem wasn't bringing sinful man to God, but in bringing God
to sinful man without compromising justice; through Jesus both were
accomplished.
I don't want to force anyone to accept my beliefs, but when there's really
facisination and interesting news, one is certianly willing to share it.
I don't have a generic-distant-undefined 'God.' I have a very personal
God who I've learned to interact with. Yes, interact with.
I've had some pretty amazing things hapen in my life that would constitue
itself as a miracle. I have living witnesses and pictures to boot. However,
after careful consideration, I struck them from this document after about the
4th revision. I felt it more compeling to present the Biblical text compared
to fact and history, so that if you got something out of it, you'd start to
have the same kind of experiences on your own. You wouldn't be looking for
duplicates of mine. It seemed much more impressing than to show you before
and after composites of an important event unexplained by medical science.
Probability offered the first glimmer of proof to me. Then as I watched
things get backed up, I just felt as I understood a clearer picture, that I
had to believe. It ceased being a choice. Not only have I choosen to believe
in God, but have decided to follow His word. No regrets so far.