STUFF ABOUT GOD AND CHRISTIANITY | Dr. Ron Braley
Billions of people worldwide believe in a single God, an intelligent being who created everything and will one day reclaim his stuff after tolerating human self-centered, pleasureseeking nonsense long enough.
However, billions more don’t share the belief.
Some (atheists or nontheists) adamantly oppose the idea, believing themselves to be masters of their universe. Others (agnostics) have no idea one way or the other. Still others (pantheists) believe the universe with its gas, rocks and unknowns is synonymous with “god.” Pagans often worship nature as a god.
A core tenet of alternatives to a single creator can be the belief that everything came from a rock billions of years ago, as if anything’s possible given enough time.
Nonetheless, we who believe in a unique creator and master of everything have absolute reasons for our stance.
This column will focus on two: the uncaused first cause and nature.
The uncaused first cause
Everything and natural laws have been caused, spawned or created by something.
Nothing happens out of nothing; anything with a beginning is brought about because of an initial uncreated cause. A painting is made by a creator infinitely greater than the painting.
Its paint is born of pigments and human intervention. The pigments come from something other than themselves.
You get the idea: Work backward, and you’ll soon understand that the first thing created was caused by something that couldn’t have been created.
In short, this causal argument states, “Behind everything there is either an infinite and eternal chain of greater and greater causes, or there is ultimately a first great cause. And the first great cause must itself be infinite and eternally uncaused.”
Even the “small hot spot” some claim contained what became the universe after blowing up in the Big Bang couldn’t create itself. But the wisdom of “uncaused first cause” isn’t the only witness to the creator/ God: so is nature.
Nature
Look up: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1) Now, look around: “For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20).
Consider the human brain, the most complicated biological system with its intricacies and neural interdependencies. Think about animals, insects and plants—some with symbiotic relationships, which require precise order and timing in creation. And what about the laws of nature that govern all of this?
Without them and their uncaused first cause, nothing else works.
Summary
Were you created, and are you managed, by an intelligent designer?
Or are gas, rocks and other stuff your ancestor and god? Let me know if you’d like help deciding. What’s next? Let’s find out what it means to be humble, Jesus-style.
In the meantime, quit making excuses for not acknowledging the creator and aligning with him.
God’s blessings and peace.
Braley, a Taylorbased minister, Air Force veteran, husband and father, earned a Master of Divinity degree from Regent University in 2018 and a Doctor of Ministry from the same school in 2021. Email your questions and comments to stuffaboutgod@ronbraley. com
