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Answers for the Honest Skeptic: Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity: Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator
Answers for the Honest Skeptic: Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity: Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator
Answers for the Honest Skeptic: Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity: Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator
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Answers for the Honest Skeptic: Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity: Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator

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It is true that mankind himself has probably always been characterized with the main desire to determine just what spiritual truth really is. For centuries and centuries, highly educated philosophers and religious men alike have always stood toe to toe, disagreeing on spiritual truth. Since they cannot all be right, this would strongly indicate that education, religious persuasion, or even intelligence has little to do with our discovery of the real spiritual truth. For if these things were truly critical, then obviously the spiritual/intellectual giants of history would have agreed on spiritual truth long ago.

In this work, author Ted Even endeavors to show that the disagreeing intellectuals/skeptics of the past only serve to reinforce Christ's radical statement about our need to just become like little children in order to discover the spiritual truth, and that literally everyone has the same opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven on that basis. However, while super intelligence or big degrees may not be necessary, the discovery of spiritual truth does require just one very reasonable quality of heart, which little children have always possessed. Find out just what this basic quality of heart is, as you continue your search for spiritual truth within this simple-to-understand work which only leaves the real spiritual truth left standing.

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Release dateJul 1, 2021
ISBN9781098079482
Answers for the Honest Skeptic: Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity: Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator

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    Answers for the Honest Skeptic - Ted Even

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    Answers for the

    Honest Skeptic

    Answering Skeptic Objections to Biblical Christianity

    Part 2:

    Christ Is Our Creator

    Ted Even

    ISBN 978-1-0980-7947-5 (paperback)

    ISBN 978-1-0980-7948-2 (digital)

    Copyright © 2021 by Ted Even

    All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

    Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

    832 Park Avenue

    Meadville, PA 16335

    www.christianfaithpublishing.com

    Printed in the United States of America

    To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—to him

    who has created all,

    be all glory forever and ever!

    As it concerns those whom he created, this book is dedicated to Nancy:

    My sweetheart, my best friend, and my wife.

    Without her love, patience, and encouragement,

    this large endeavor would have been much more difficult.

    Preface

    Please note that many of the objections within this work are so involved that they could well be a whole book all on their own. So while this author has certainly purposed to make each objection thorough enough to do justice to the subject, at the same time, I have also endeavored to make the answer to each one as short as possible. Perhaps all objections which have been covered do not necessarily either apply to you or spark your interest. That’s perfectly okay. We’ll just say they were written for some other reader than yourself, shall we? Ultimately I have tried to answer most all of the common objections which the honest skeptic may wrestle with. But please feel free to read and contemplate the answers to just those objections which may spark your personal interest.

    However, if you wish to just start at the beginning and read all of them, that would be my first recommendation simply because there is new information within each objection, which is vital in one’s search for the overall truth. Admittedly there is also some overlap of information with some of the objections just because repetition can be a good teacher concerning those things which are of more importance. However, no matter whether the whole book is read, or just parts, it is my sincere desire that you would not only meet the real Jesus but also understand that he is all about perfect love toward you and all men. And as your Creator, he only wants the best for you—which not only includes a right and loving relationship with him but also his awesome eternal life, which is truly beyond our comprehension.

    In part three of our series, we'll also be discussing many different conflicting religions in our world, which all not only claim to have the truth but also the only way of eternal salvation. And by way of simple and reasonable testing, we’ll be exposing whether or not they be true or false as a belief system. However, it must be stated up front that it is certainly not the adherents of any false religion (or belief system), which this author is against but only those false teachings within that religion or belief system which deceive men away from the one and only true God and his eternal salvation. And in part 3 of our series, which discusses false religions, I will be, of course, reminding the reader of this good motive just so my sincere and loving intentions may not be misunderstood.

    As the Bible clearly teaches that God himself does not wish that any should perish, neither should any who follow him (2 Peter 3:9). In verses like Jude verse 3, God’s Word also clearly teaches all Christians to earnestly contend for the faith which was delivered to the saints, as the eternal life of men is literally at stake. For those of you who may already know Christ and have always just wondered about many of the topics covered in this work, it is sincerely my hope that your faith in Christ will be truly strengthened, and you will be able to honestly defend it to a greater capacity in these last days we are living in before the return of Christ. All scriptures are in bold, and the Bible versions being quoted from are the King James Version, Amplified Version, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New King James Version, and the New Living Translation.

    Introduction

    During the Middle Ages, knights were the most courageous warriors in this world. Knights were gallant, strong, and kept their honor by defending the honor of their king. Dressed in their suits of armor, they were unafraid to face the mightiest of opponents in defense of their kingdom. Since any lasting kingdom must be established in truth if it is to endure, it was indeed even a spiritual battle between truth and deception which also raged in the hearts of those knights which did do mortal combat for their king.

    You may well be thinking, yes, that was then, but now the world has changed, and the days of such chivalry are long gone and over. But are they? Is the battle between good and evil really over? Is the battle between truth and deception over? I think not. Are even real kings and kingdoms upon this earth just faded memories of the past? I think not. For in truth, my friend, it has long been predicted within the Holy Scriptures of that ancient book we call the Bible that there is a real physical, but eternal, kingdom of God which will soon be established upon the whole earth! And even now Christ, the King of kings, continues to send out his knights into that same battle between truth and deception that men may know him and dwell in his eternal kingdom to come.

    Many have held belief that it is heaven itself which will be the main eternal dwelling for all men of sound faith and character. But what are such misguided notions founded upon? For the Holy Scriptures themselves have always taught that the earth we dwell on will endure forever and that the "meek shall inherit" it (Psalm 78:69; Revelation 11:15; Matthew 5:5). Surprised? In fact, the Bible teaches us that this soon-coming kingdom on earth will not only be eternally inhabited by all those who have believed in Christ but will also be the awesome and beautiful likes of which this world has never seen! Indeed as it is written,

    Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

    If you do not yet believe in the Bible, perhaps you just haven’t encountered the basic honest evidence which soundly validates it. For example, did you know this remarkable book has already foretold, in their exact order, the last three world-dominating kingdoms on earth within only a few of its great prophecies? Hundreds and hundreds of years before their fulfillment, these major world empire predictions were given to the Jewish prophet Daniel during the Babylonian kingdom (about 606 BC). They explicitly foretold that the next world-dominating kingdoms following Babylon would be none other than the Medo-Persian Kingdom, then the Greek Kingdom, and then the Roman Kingdom—in that exact order (Daniel 2:38–45, 7:3–9, 8:1–21). And just as history cannot lie, those prophecies through Daniel, which spanned roughly two thousand years after his time, proved 100 percent accurate, without flaw!

    But let us not stop there, for these were not the only world-dominating kingdoms which were foretold to come within those awesome prophecies. Following the Roman Empire, which we already know to be history by at least five hundred years, the prophet Daniel also foretold that an eventual short kingdom will be ruled by that man known as the Antichrist with the ten nations, which will give him their aid (Daniel 8:23–25; Revelation 17:10–13). While this most wicked kingdom is by far the shortest of all (only three and one half years long), unlike all kingdoms before it, it is foretold to literally dominate all peoples, tongues, and nations on earth with its one-world government and nearly cause the extinction of the human race (Revelation 13:7; Isaiah 24:6; Matthew 24:22)! But before the world will be destroyed by the Antichrist, many prophecies within the Bible also foretell that Christ himself, the King of kings, will once again step back into human history and throw down the Antichrist from his wicked throne to finally establish his everlasting realm on earth, which has no end (Daniel 2:34–35, 44–45; Revelation 19:11–21).

    Nearly three thousand years of human history has transpired since those amazing prophecies were given to the prophet Daniel, and three of the five predicted world-dominating kingdoms have proven 100 percent accurate in their exact succession. And now the world races toward a one world government which the Bible tells us is a prerequisite to the rule of the Antichrist. Coincidence? I think not. My friend, no other so-called holy book in the world has even dared to lay out three thousand years of human history in advance to prove its divine authorship through such large prophecies. And what of these next two world-dominating kingdoms to come? Was it just the prophet Daniel who specifically foretold of them? Nay, my friend, for it was at least twenty-some other prophets and apostles of the Holy Bible who also foretold of these very same two coming kingdoms!

    And considering these major prophecies are accompanied by many smaller detailed prophecies attached to them, which have also proved accurate so far, it is quite amazing to say the least. The mathematical probabilities of these small and large predictions all coming true together in their exact foretold sequence, by mere random reckless chance, could hardly account for all their accurate fulfillments so far! After all, thousands of human free will decisions were also involved in these major prophecies all coming true, and only someone who is all-knowing could have known which world-dominating empires would commence in the exact order they did. However, if, in fact, our eternal God and Creator, who is all-knowing, desired to clearly reveal himself to his own creation by foretelling the detailed future far in advance, then such astounding prophecies (along with hundreds of others within the Holy Bible) begin to make some real sense.

    Depending upon one’s source and how that source chooses to divide up Bible prophecy, the exact number of predictive prophecies contained within the Bible can vary. Nevertheless, did you know that the Bible itself contains roughly 2,500 predictions of the future, and all but about 500 of them have already been fulfilled with undeniable historical accuracy? Would it not then be rather heedless and hasty to just throw such power of prediction aside? For why would the Bible’s potential to accurately predict our future be any less than its potential to have already predicted the past with accuracy? Indeed, my friend, if one was to bring such powerful evidence of these many fulfilled prophecies into any earthly civil court for examination, would not the burden of proof that this great book is false be upon the unbeliever? And so, with at least the fair trial it deserves in any civil court, shall we not bring this uncommon book under our honest examination together?

    Of course, if you have already predetermined that any honest evidence presented would matter not and sway you not, then shall we not fairly conclude that your present stance is just one of mere emotion? However, if honest evidence does indeed hold sway in your good heart, then, my friend, you would quickly prove your good worth in any lasting kingdom. Nevertheless, at this present time, it might just be you who is the honest skeptic, saying within yourself, I cannot yet believe in your Christ, his coming kingdom, nor the Holy Bible which tells of them, for as of yet, I’ve not encountered the sound evidence required for them. Well, my friend, it has long been said that a skeptic retains his honor as long as he remains an honest skeptic—for the honest heart will always find the truth no matter how long the journey to get there.

    A skeptic retains his honor as long as he remains an honest skeptic—for the honest heart will always find the truth no matter how long the journey to get there.

    Let us then fairly face the facts. Honest evidence for the truth will only guarantee one’s belief in the truth if they themselves are honest with that evidence. But all the honest evidence in the world presented to those dishonest would accomplish about as much as putting a good coin in a bag with holes. However, since honesty is a personal choice of the human free will, then all men can be basically honest enough to arrive at the truth, if they should so choose. And if you be that honest skeptic, undoubtedly your sincere objections to the Bible could well vary. Therefore, it is precisely for those valid objections which this extensive work was penned to address. What, therefore, is your weapon of choice, my friend? Shall we not ride out together with a sincere heart to do battle against the very lies and deceptions which do hinder the truth of reality? Let us then, once and for all, place the claims of this ancient book on fair trial, and address with honesty those objections of the unbelieving skeptic which have been so prevalent among men. What say you?

    Foretold by the one who is Ancient of Days almost twenty centuries ago, the basic account within the Holy Scriptures which predict God’s coming kingdom on earth has echoed down through the long deplorable corridors of humanity, still awaiting its awesome fulfillment in an exact time undisclosed to man. However, as time continues to elude those who would restrain it, the irreversible signs of our present day, which continue to just confirm Bible prophecy, have plainly mounted up to confuse scoffers and skeptics alike, reminding even an unsuspecting generation such as ours of those awesome words which rumble down out of eternity.

    Surely I come quickly.

    —Revelation 22:20

    Part 2: Christ Is Our Creator

    Objection 23

    If the God of the Bible Is a Loving God, Then Why Does He Allow All the Evil and Suffering in the World?

    As we’ve already mentioned in the beginning of this book, most of these objections could be a whole book all in themselves. And this is partly because there are even many smaller objections within an objection, like this one, which also must be addressed. But like all other objections, we will also humanly attempt to keep this one as short as possible. As we’ve already clarified in objection 19, whether you call it sin, transgression, iniquity, evil, or moral imperfection, according to the Bible, it’s all the same thing. And all the pain and suffering in the world is a result of that sin which entered God’s perfect creation, totally against his will. As already established in objection 18, if all sin, evil, or moral imperfection is simply the lack of spiritual good in the free will heart choices of men and angels, then it only follows that all the pain and suffering in the world ultimately comes from the lack of spiritual good in the free will heart choices of men and angels as well. While this objection is similar to objection 18, objection 18 addresses more of just how evil and suffering came into our world, whereas this objection addresses just why God even allows the evil and suffering, which mankind brought into his perfect creation. Even though all the world’s pain and suffering may well be the moral fault of mankind (and fallen angels), many people have still blamed the God of the Bible for it. And why not, for isn’t he all-powerful and able to stop all evil and suffering in the world? Is God some kind of a masochist that he lets it all just continue?

    However, first of all, according to the Bible, God’s only allowing sin and suffering to invade his perfect creation for a short season within his overall prophetic plans for man just so the human race can finally learn that the breaking of his moral standards will never give us the life and fulfillment we need—only suffering and death. Second, it really isn’t so much about God’s all-sovereign power to stop sin and suffering, as it is about his own perfect character which he himself simply cannot go against. Let’s expound on that a bit. It is important to understand that even though God is indeed all powerful, he is also meek, which means his power is subject to the control of his own perfect character. As we’ve already stated, the Bible has always plainly taught that all pain and suffering is only a result of man’s sin which entered God’s perfect creation totally against God’s will (Genesis 3:11). So just how does it make any sense to blame the God of the Bible for something that has never been his will in the first place? The simple truth, my friend, is that it really doesn’t!

    Not only has the Bible always taught that sin and suffering entered God’s perfect creation totally against his original will for man, but that God was certainly playing fair because he clearly warned man ahead of time of the severe consequences which would have to follow his disobedience or sin (see Genesis 2:16–17 and 3:3). Though sin and its suffering consequences entered God’s perfect creation totally against God’s perfect original will, according to the Bible, God had to allow it all to happen in his permissive will just for a season (within his prophetic program for man) for many good reasons. Here are several of those reasons:

    God is perfectly loving. Completely contrary to what those who blame God may think, God had to allow sin and suffering to enter his perfect creation once we chose it, simply because he is perfectly loving. This means according to his own perfect character, God had to give all mankind the freedom of free will choice which his perfect love absolutely requires. God could have simply forced his creation (against their free will) to do his will and not sin, but would that have been real love on the part of God? What groom would force his bride to marry him or even have a healthy relationship with him at gunpoint? Where’s the love in that? The truth is that love itself is only meaningful and true when there remains a choice not to love.

    Or God could have just programmed all of us like robots to do his will perfectly and not even have given us a free will. However, that too could not have been a truly loving relationship between us and God either. The only way God could have a true loving relationship with his own creation was to give us the freedom that true love simply demands. Thus, he gave us all a free will—to obey for a healthy relationship with him or disobey for an unhealthy relationship with him. This did indeed leave God vulnerable and open to constant hurt (simply because all disobedience or sin hurts God as well as man), but God, in his perfect love, knew there was simply no other way, and that we were worth the hurt we would cause him!

    So just how does it make any sense to blame God of the Bible for the suffering from sin if it was never his will for us in the first place?

    God is perfectly just. When man first disobeyed God, and sin invaded his perfect creation, we are told that God had to (according to his own perfectly just character) punish that sin in a variety of ways. And one of those ways was that God had to put a curse upon his own perfect creation because that was the just results of our disobedience (Genesis 3:17). Scientifically we might know it as the second law of thermodynamics, a law which states that left to itself, everything in nature tends toward ruin or disorder. But spiritually, we know it to be the curse of our own sin which God will someday lift so his creation can be restored back to the perfection he originally intended for us. The curse (of our sin) is why things rust, rot, mold, and get old. The curse is why we must endure destructive weather patterns, vicious animals, and humans that commit violence against each other. The curse is why there are diseases. The curse is why there is old age and death (Genesis 2:17; Romans 5:12).

    But no matter what pain and suffering we are talking about, it is important to, once and for all, understand that it all came into God’s perfect creation, totally against his will only through the sin of mankind! And perhaps those who blame God for all the pain and suffering in the world simply do not understand that if God did not justly punish all sin by allowing man to experience the consequences of his own moral failures, he would actually have to compromise his own perfect character in the process! And because he is absolutely perfect, it is actually impossible for him to compromise his own perfect justice in any way. In other words, he simply cannot do anything immoral—it’s not even an option because it is impossible for him to do so (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). And because many skeptics simply fail to understand God’s absolute moral perfection, they end up believing he has a choice whether or not he will justly punish all sin which has broken his own perfect moral standards. We must understand that God is not some morally soft bearded grandfather figure in heaven who just winks at sin! No, he is not at all like us in that regard, and according to the Bible, he is absolutely morally perfect in his holiness, justice, and love.

    Love itself is only meaningful and true when there remains a choice not to love.

    Would we even respect any imperfect earthly judge in our own civil courts who constantly let the guilty go free? I don’t think so! If someone murdered your family member, would you not desire perfect civil justice? Most people would. So, too, God, in his perfect love and justice, must allow all mankind to reap what we’ve sown to a large degree, that we might know just how serious sin is and where it leads. Sin is very serious not only because it hurts God himself but because it always hurts all mankind whom he created as well, and this again goes against God’s perfect love and character. Therefore, the following was God’s just punishment for man’s sin as outlined in Genesis 3:16–24:

    Eve’s punishment (and all women after her)

    Women must undergo much pain in childbearing (Genesis 3:16).

    Because Eve acted independently from Adam and was deceived by the serpent, men were actually given spiritual authority over women to guard against that deception in future generations (Genesis 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:11–12; 1 Corinthians 14:34.

    Adam’s punishment (and all men after him)

    Because Adam listened to his wife instead of God, the very ground (that he was to make a living from) was cursed by God so that it would not yield the healthy produce it originally did, and it would be much more work to get food from it (Genesis 3:17–19). And this is exactly why we have weeds today which constantly steal the nutrients from good plant life. And all this, in turn, even affects the health of mankind.

    Both Adam and Eve’s punishment (and all men and women after them)

    God drove them both out of the Garden of Eden which contained the tree of life that allowed them to live indefinitely in their natural state. From then on, mankind had to endure the sufferings of physical sickness and, eventually, physical death (Genesis 3:23–24).

    And last but certainly not least, because both Adam and Eve sinned, they both died spiritually as well. This means that their healthy spiritual relationship with God was broken because of that sin, and they were now eternally separated from God as a result, simply because God cannot live in the presence of any sin (Psalm 5:4; Isaiah 59:2). And unless man chose to be right with God again, through God’s only plan of salvation possible, the wrath of God must justly remain on him in his place of separation—namely eternal punishment in hell (John 3:36; Matthew 25:46; Revelation 20:10–15).

    We must understand that God is not some morally soft grandfather figure in heaven who just winks at sin. No, he is not like us…he is absolutely morally perfect in his holiness, justice, and love!

    It is important to understand that once Adam and Eve sinned, everything very good that God created by the end of creation week was literally ruined by that sin. And this, of course, included Adam and Eve themselves, who were henceforth corrupted both spiritually and physically. And because they were corrupted both spiritually and physically, that same spiritual corruption genetically passed on to all men born thereafter. As Romans 5:12 states,

    Therefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for all men have sinned.

    But one might ask, That’s not exactly fair or just because it was only Adam and Eve who fell into original disobedience, not the rest of mankind. Why should we inherit their sin nature and suffer for their disobedience if God was just?

    However, the built-in assumption within such a question is that none of us would have fallen into disobedience had we been in Adam and Eve’s place. But obviously, all biblical evidence would favor the fact that our all-knowing Creator knew we would have also fallen into the same disobedience had each and every one of us been in Adam and Eve’s place. In fact, both Adam and Eve proved this basic truth because even though technically Eve sinned before Adam did, Adam still fell into sin even though Satan did not even tempt him—and of course, he did not yet have a sin nature before he sinned! And really, what does it matter who disobeys first? So the point is that none of us would have done any better than Adam and Eve had we been in their place. So in his foreknowledge that all men would have sinned like Adam and Eve did, God had to allow sin to genetically spread to all men through birth.

    It is important to understand that once Adam and Eve sinned, everything very good which God created was literally ruined by that sin.

    Yes, even though the rest of the human race (after Adam and Eve) was born into sin without a choice, and has a sin nature to contend with, we still have a choice whether or not to break God’s moral standards once we understand right from wrong. And we still have a basic choice whether or not we will be restored back into a right relationship with our Creator. And just as sin was brought into God’s perfect creation through one man (Adam), which eternally separated all men from God, so, too, the power of sin (to separate us from God) was destroyed through Christ when he graciously paid for our sins on the cross, giving us back the choice to be reconciled with God and obtain his eternal life just as God originally intended.

    And through Christ, salvation (or right standing with God) is a free gift offered to all men who can easily receive it if they choose. All men of the Old Testament era even had a choice whether or not to be reconciled with God and obtain his eternal life, just as God originally intended. And because God knew that we truly would have sinned had we been in Adam and Eve’s place, it really was not at all unfair for God to allow all men to be born into sin without a choice. But it certainly was unfair for Christ, our perfect Creator, to take the punishment for all our sins on the cross! For even though he himself was morally perfect, he took our punishment upon himself just so we could spend all eternity with him pain-free! So if some skeptics are going to open the unfairness closet, God is really the one who got the short end of the stick with our sin, not man mankind, because so far, we’ve just experienced the just results of our own disobedience. Even though in his perfect foreknowledge, God always knew every man would fail his perfect moral standards and that Jesus would have to take our punishment for us, he just chose to use Christ’s punishment for our sins on the cross to further demonstrate his awesome love for us! As 1 Corinthians 15:22 states:

    For as in Adam all die (spiritually through a broken relationship with God), even so in Christ shall all be made alive (spiritually through a right relationship with God).

    Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:16)

    God Has Thoroughly Demonstrated His Awesome Love for Us Many Times Over

    Yes, many may ignorantly blame God for all the pain and suffering they see in the world. But we’ve already pointed out that all the pain and suffering in the world was only caused by man’s sin and entered God’s perfect creation totally against his will. So to help us once and for all get a fair and decent revelation of our own Creator’s love for us, let’s just briefly list several of the awesome demonstrations of the great love he has shown mankind so far. Please consider the following:

    Just the reality that we were even physically born into existence should show us the very first display of God’s awesome grace and love toward us. And when we just look at all the combined marvels of the human body, mind, will, emotions, and spirit, it is all quite awesome indeed! The scientific and medical world still cannot begin to grasp the human being. And to think that all the different systems of the human body must all work together in their special relationships in order to sustain human life is really rather mind blowing to say the least. To put it plainly, our Creator went to incredible lengths to show us his love in just how he created us! And just think, God did not have to even create you at all. The truth is, he did not have to even create mankind. And even though he did create mankind, he still could have created anyone else in your place! But in fact, he decided to create you in all your uniqueness, and there has been no one else just like you ever created! If we just think about such wonders for a moment, it is quite awesome indeed, especially considering he created each of us to be an eternal being which is sustained by his own eternal power.

    And just as sin was brought into God’s perfect creation through one man (Adam) which eternally separated all men from God—so too the power of sin (to separate us from God) was destroyed through Christ.

    Then when you take in consideration all that he created in nature for all mankind, this too should also speak continuous volumes of his incredible love for us (Genesis 1:26–30)! Not only did God create the planet Earth for mankind with all that’s on it, but it would even seem he created the entire universe for us as well! For example, Earth would have no life if the other surrounding planets were not in their exact orbits. There are, in fact, many earthly and universal parameters which all must be constantly just right in order to sustain all delicate life on Earth! My friend, these truly amazing expressions of God’s love for us should leave us in awe. All the work and detail he went to in order to create us is quite amazing indeed. And if we were to expound on all the awesome delicate and detailed aspects of his creation, which have to be just right in order for mankind to live, we would fill far more than an entire library full of books!

    Then on top of all that, after we destroyed God’s perfect creation with our sin, God, through Christ, humbly chose to actually become a human being himself just so he could die a horrible death on the cross and take the punishment for all our sins upon himself! Talk about going to our level and sharing our pain! Yes, our awesome Creator loves us that much!

    In addition, the Bible is clear on the fact that God himself actually comes and lives inside of all those who believe in what his Son, Jesus, did for them (Colossians 1:27). Wow, this, too, should show us that God certainly loves us and wants to be intimately close to us in every way he can. According to the Bible, our Creator is the direct opposite of being some distant transcendent God who hardly pays attention to us. He is an intimate God who cares about everything which could concern us. For example, the scriptures of God’s Word tells us that he even knows just how many hairs are on your head at all times!

    Additionally there are many more things which our awesome Creator has done for us to plainly demonstrate his love for us. These include his life-giving miracles of all kinds (especially his miracles of healing which have just undone the effects of our sin), his sure predictions of the future, all kinds of constant protection from the demonic realm, which is constantly bent on destroying us, his many faithful provisions for us, and the list goes on and on! Why, according to scripture, God even created all the angels just to minister to us (Hebrews 1:14).

    Just the reality that we were even physically born into existence should show us the very first display of God’s awesome grace and love toward us.

    Then last, but certainly not least, God blows us all away with his awesome love by offering to share his eternal life with us through what his Son did on the cross! But God himself, who is eternal, certainly doesn’t need us (because he is self-sustaining [Colossians 1:16–17]) and didn’t even have to do that—especially after we ruined his perfect creation! Therefore, Christ’s death on the cross should also demonstrate another great wave of his grace and love for all mankind. And not only should all these things very reasonably demonstrate his awesome grace and love to us, but also his great mercy because none of us come close to actually deserving any of it! And this is exactly why the Bible teaches us that God’s mercy triumphs over his judgments (James 2:13). In other words, my friend, God loves us, not because of who we are (which would be conditional love) but because of who he is! For those who ignorantly want to earn heaven, this may be a hard reality to accept. But that’s just because we are all morally flawed, and we all wrestle with that nasty thing we call pride. And it was this sin of pride which was really the first sin of Satan which invaded God’s perfect creation (Ezekiel 28:17).

    But then, one might ask, How could a perfect God have ever created us if he knew in his foreknowledge we would all choose disobedience or moral imperfection? Wouldn’t that ultimately make him the Creator of evil or moral imperfection? Again it is important to remember that God, in his perfect love, had to give

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