Isaiah the prophet wrote:
Isaiah 29:14 “ For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Paul echoed this truth, some 700 years later:
1 Corinthians 1:18-19 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.”
In this world, there are many people who have spent countless years building their academic resume into a plethora of achievements. The higher the degree, the greater the belief that religion and spiritual matters are but myth and mysticism. As knowledge increases, so does pride. As men and women gain secular notoriety, so also does their cynicism and skepticism towards the Bible, Christianity, and the concept that all men are in great need of redemption.
The Bible describes the wisdom of this world as foolishness. The more people learn of the world’s wisdom, the farther they gravitate away from the awareness that God exists, and the closer they move towards secular humanism as an established bias for all their theories and premises.
The Bible is specific in that knowledge “puffs up.”
1 Corinthians 8:1-3 … knowledge puffs up… And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.
In other words: the more that some people learn, the greater their pride. Along with an inflated ego comes an apparent inability to discern spiritual and eternal matters which are of the greatest importance. The most notable gift which a person could acquire while gaining knowledge is to equally gain humility in their wisdom. I know myself that the more I study the scriptures, the greater I become aware of how much I still do not know. It seems that increasing in knowledge while decreasing in vanity is a true gift. So often in the world, we observe the highly educated who consider themselves superior to those who are less educated.
The Bible is replete with instruction on how to gain knowledge while at the same time obtaining the wisdom to know how to use that knowledge. True wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord. To honor and respect God first, is the correct place of beginning in becoming a wise person.
Psalms 111:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments….
To seek increased knowledge in Mathematics, Science, Astronomy, Biology, or any other educational endeavor, while denying the One true God who is the source of all wisdom and knowledge, is utter foolishness.
Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.”
Assuming God exists
Let us stretch our current thoughts concerning the existence of God for just a moment and postulate that the Cosmos was designed and engineered by a transcendent intelligence of immense power and wisdom. Certainly we can make a reasonable case for such a being given the complexity, beauty, order and design of all that exists. If such a being does exist and we ignore or deny Him throughout our short life, only to discover upon our death that He does exist, we would be the epitome of fools.
Science can tell us how the universe exists, but it cannot tell us why it exists. Science provides us with only two alternatives for the existence of the universe. One, it is eternal, or two, it began at some point in time.
Albert Einstein spent a great deal of effort in trying to prove by his general theory of relativity, an equation that would not require a beginning for the universe. Einstein’s static universe theory stated that the universe is infinite and had no beginning. This was the general consensus of the scientific community for many years. According to the theory, stars were drifting around the universe randomly, with no apparent direction—both towards earth and away from earth.
In 1927, Edwin Hubble, established that galaxies were moving away from earth at high velocity. This meant that the universe was expanding, which required that it had a beginning. Einstein renounced his former position of an eternal universe and later described his own curiosity in knowing how God created the universe.[1]
A universe with a beginning, after an eternity of nothing, requires an explanation. Science cannot help us beyond the moment of beginning for the Cosmos. For this, we need a source outside time. The first line of the first chapter of the Bible describes God as the source of the universe. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This statement is not in conflict with the evidence of science, in fact it confirms all that data that is available. The universe had a stunning and stellar beginning when all matter, even time and space themselves came into existence.
Since that moment, precise events have taken place, over the course of some 14 billion years, that required great engineering and intelligence to form the universe for human habitation on earth today. Without the fine tuning of the universe at virtually every crucial point of development—for billions of years, earth would never have been possible. This requires that God was actively involved in the entire preparation of the universe, for a very long time. God did not simply begin the universe and then allow it to evolve as it would. Had this been the case, the elements which were present at the initial moment the universe commenced, would have developed in a drastically different type of universe, unfit for life.
The universe could not have caused itself. All of the evidence which science presents us with—demands and explanation. This evidence is conclusive that an intelligence acted upon the universe to bring it into being. Before the universe began, there was no matter, energy, time, or space—nothing.
Hebrews 11:3 By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
Everything cannot come from nothing. The non-theists might argue that God also could not come from nothing. The Bible is unique in that it describes God with no beginning. There never was a moment when God has not existed. This would cause the non-theist to state that the universe has also—always existed. The problem with this assertion is that science has already proven that this is not true. The universe did begin, when for an eternity past, it had not existed.
Since God has always existed and the universe has not. When it came into being, it is logical that God, the superintelligence who has always existed, who is adequately capable of creation, is the obvious source of the universe.
Greater than the beginning of the universe, God was necessary to control the expansion of gases in such a precise manner that the formation of stars, galaxies, and planets was possible. Then He had to ensure that these precise elements came together at a singular location. Earth must be precisely where it is—in order to support intelligent human life. Our location in the universe, in our galaxy, and the specific place where we exist in our own solar system, were specifically determined by God. None of these important points can be explained adequately by science. For this—we need guidance from the Bible. The ancient Hebrew and Christian scriptures tell us that a super intelligent, all-powerful, and eternal Being has the capacity to make these things possible.
See: “40 Empirical Facts that Prove the Existence of God,” for a list of absolute requirements, necessary for life to exist.
It is incredible that many scientists today believe that given the age of the universe, that certain super intelligent beings must be present in many locations of the universe. These civilizations would be millions of years ahead of us here on earth and would have developed technology that is beyond our imagination. While maintaing this belief, these same scientists insist that a Being who has existed for eternity—possessing unlimited intelligence, is impossible.
It seems that only the Biblical God is impossible for many scientists. The difficulty appears to reside in His demand for repentance from sin, rather than His intellect or eternity.
Given the evidence which presents itself: The universe is not eternal, it had a beginning. It was controlled to exact a specific outcome that would allow human life on earth. This control was required during the entire process of the universe, not just the beginning, this requires God as the source.
Considering the options
If God exists and we pay attention to Him and do as He requires, then we will receive an eternal reward.
If God exists and we reject and deny Him and refuse to obey what He requires, then we will receive an eternal punishment.
If God does not exist at the end of our life, and yet we have lived as though He did exist, doing all that the Bible requires, at the end of our life if there is nothing but the end, then we have lost nothing.
Those who make a fourth choice to believe that God does not exist, and live their lives in the manner to which they chose, they never really lead satisfying or joyful lives in the end anyway. I have learned this after almost 40 years studying this phenomenon.
Those who profess the blissful delights of living a life without God, do so for a brief number of early years after they make the decision that God does not exist. In their later years, they are empty, bitter, unsatisfied and feel that life is pointless. Many take their lives early, choosing to end their suffering.
Those who sincerely chose to obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ and repent from their sins to turn and follow Christ with all their heart—lead satisfying, joyful, fulfilling, and fruitful lives. Although they all experience many trials, losses, hurts, disappointments and failures, they find that their relationship with the Living God through Jesus Christ, sustains and maintains their life to the very end.
How do we know which God is the real God?
This is the point of all the books I have written. To demonstrate that there is only one true God, and that He has revealed Himself through the person of Jesus Christ. It is by the testimony of His life, recorded by faithful men who saw, heard, and walked with Him, that we gain understanding and an ability to test whether Jesus is the true representation of who God is. It is my hope that as you read the many pages of this book, you will find sufficient evidence to place all your trust in Jesus as your own Lord and Savior. I believe that the evidence to do so is extraordinary and immense.
If we miss this opportunity
What if a person gained all of the knowledge in the known world but then went into eternal darkness because they missed the most important truth of life—our need for God?
The gospel of Jesus Christ is a simple principle to understand. Although the depths and mysteries of God’s Salvation is infinite and our knowledge of Him will continue to grow throughout eternity, any person can know God if they desire. All that anyone needs to know is that God loves us all and He has made a way possible to remove our sins by the sacrifice of His own dear Son. Those who believe this simple truth—have the forgiveness of their sins, the removal of all guilt and the guarantee of eternal life.
Dr. Karl Barth (May 10, 1886 – December 10, 1968) was one of the world’s greatest Theologians. During a visit to the University of Chicago in 1962, Dr. Barth was asked by a student immediately after an interview: “Of all the theological insights you have ever gained, which do you consider to be the greatest of all?” Expecting a profound theological answer, the class waited eagerly for his reply. He closed his eyes, bowed his head in thought, then slowly lifted his eyes and replied: “Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”[2]
If all the great men and women of the world would begin with just the following fundamental premise in all their acquisition of knowledge, they would excel far above the greatest of human achievement:
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Of course, for many, their education and ego will not allow for the acceptance of this statement. How could one man die for the sins of all men? How can the death of one man give eternal life to all who believe? Why would God, if there is a God, allow His only Son to die for wretched men? (See Prophecy 145)
The beauty of this simple message, found in the Bible, is that God deeply loves all people; He always has. Long before He created the first man, God knew that we would need a Savior. If we were to be saved at all, He would have to accomplish this salvation for us, for we could not save ourselves. Jesus offered His life in exchange for all of our lives because this was the only way that it was possible for us to be saved.
Unfortunately, the pride of man does not allow him to accept the fact that he is a sinner and in great need of a Savior. This principle is such a great barrier to faith, that many people spend their entire life suffering through trials, difficulties, and hurts—before they finally come to a place where they are willing to accept their own fallibility and need for a Savior. The Lord waits patiently for us to want Him. He exercises the greatest of endurance and long-suffering as He observes our falling, time and time again. Why He does this, I do not know. Why would such a great and mighty Creator strive with His creation in the manner which our God has struggled with us? It is difficult to comprehend why God bothers with us at all.
In spite of our stubborn opposition to all of His efforts, He continues patiently with us—bearing with our pride, always seeking to soften our hearts and show us His love. We learn from the words of the Bible that He does all of these things because He simply loves us and hopes for the day when we will turn to Him in sincere repentance for our sins. He does this so He might forgive all our transgressions, and grant us relief from all our guilt.
He wants all people to have the opportunity to live in a world of love where there is perfect peace and all death and suffering are eliminated forever. When this day arrives, we will all sit at His feet in eternal thankfulness and praise to Him for all the magnificent things He has done for us.
The Love of God
The example which Jesus gave in His Parable of the Prodigal Son, graphically illustrates the tender love that God has for us.
The wayward son has gone out into the world to spend his entire inheritance on riotous living. When his money is gone and he is living with the pigs with no way to support himself, he finally comes to his senses and determines that he will return home to his father. His mind is set upon offering himself to his father as a simple servant. He feels unworthy to be a son due to the way that he has ruined his life. In his estimation, he has disqualified himself as a son. As he nears home, we find the father standing at the window of the house, waiting for the sign of his son’s silhouette to appear at the top of the hill. As this day arrives, the father does not wait for his son to arrive back at the house. He leaves his home and runs to meet him. He does not condemn His son, He welcomes him and lavishes him with his love and many gifts.
In this story, described by Jesus, we learn of God’s long-suffering and sincere desire to bring us into a relationship with Himself. He will allow us an entire lifetime, if necessary, to make up our mind either for Him or against Him.
My own dear father rejected Jesus in his life for 74 years despite my frequent attempts at speaking to him about his need to be saved. After seven decades of saying no to Jesus, in the final year of his life, my dad called out to God for mercy. I believe that God heard him, though his call came at the end of his life. Though my dad waited until the very end, the Lord is always merciful and will hear us when we call upon Him in sincerity and humility.
I prayed the sinners’ prayer with my dad everyday of the final week of his life while he lay dying. It took a lifetime of saying no to God, before my father would call on the name of the Lord and be saved. Through these many years of obstinance, the Lord was faithfully and lovingly waiting for my dad. I am certain that in heaven, my dad wonders why he waited His entire life to find the most wonderful treasure that a man can acquire.
Some of us wait a very long time before we are willing to let God have a place of preeminence in our life. All of those who wait so long to turn their lives over to Jesus, wonder why they resisted so fervently. At the surrender of their lives to the Lord, those who come to Jesus find that He is everything they were searching for all of their lives.
Today, there are billions of once wretched sinners who are now in heaven simply because they believed-in and held-on-to this truth: that Jesus saves us from hell and grants us a full pardon for our sins when we call on Him in sincerity and repentance.
In the same way, those who steadfastly believe themselves so wise and talk themselves out of salvation by their supposed wisdom, they will miss out on the most wonderful blessing that mankind has ever been offered.
Antithetically, those who did not understand how salvation works but accepted it, nevertheless, are saved and will dwell in the love of God forever, simply because they believed the foolish message of the cross of Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 1:20-21 Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
The prophecy of Isaiah 29:14 in this 193rd prophecy, could only be fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah—whom most men find nearly impossible to comprehend or receive. For the few who will humble themselves and are teachable, the Lord will mercifully grant them the forgiveness of their sins and welcome them home—into eternal life. All this is possible—only by Jesus death and resurrection.
NOTES:
[1] Albert Einstein, “Quantum Reality, Beyond the New Physics,” Garden City, New York, by Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1985, page 177.
[2] Dr. Karl Barth, University of Chicago , 1962
Categories: Atheists, Agnostics and Skeptics, How Salvation Occurs, Jesus is the Messiah, One Way to Heaven, Origin of the Universe, Salvation through Jesus, Science and the Bible, The Compassion of Jesus, What is required for Heaven?
Robert Clifton Robinson 
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