Why is this Happening to Me? – Chapter 4

This next chapter explains the various attributes of God – God’s character.  But before that, it answers the questions: How do we know God exists and Can we really know God?  This post is just a portion of what I’m learning in Chapter 4.  I’m hoping it breaks up the main ideas for me for future reference.

Grudem explains to answer the first would require an in depth study of apologetics, but gives to primary reasons for knowing God exists.  First, as humans we have an inner sense of God’s existence.  The wonders of His creation around us make is plain to see (Roman 1:19).

Personal Reflection:  I struggled with this verse.  It seemed harsh.  How can someone who’s never heard of the one God be condemned?  As I’ve said, I might have a sense by what I can see that there is a god, but if I live among the tribal people in the Amazon I wouldn’t know of God – the one God.  But as I peered into these versus in the Bible study, I think I start to understand.  The sense we get from what we can see around us goes with the inner sense of moral standard we all have inherent within us – the inherent sense of right from wrong.  Even without being explained the Christian doctrine of God, this sense we have is God.  Having this sense, “they knew God.”  When I think of it this way, it makes sense for me for those who has literally never heard of God.  Paul says, “they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.”  In other words, they chose to ignore him – they chose to ignore their conscience.

The verse in Romans continues to explain what results from denying truth – “…they instead became utter fools” (1:22).  And Grudem references Psalm 14:1, 53:1, and 10:3-4 to explain how this foolishness leads them to irrational thinking.

Personal Reflection:  Wow… and that’s when it hit me!  I wondered how many of those who have said, “There is no god,” also said, “Why is this happening to me?”  You know?  When things aren’t going well – “Why is this happening to me?”  The question implies and acknowledges that there’s a reason.  Are they really needing someone to explain the events that led up to their situation when they ask that question?  I don’t think so.  The natural out burst may be a cliche, but I think there’s a reason why it’s become a cliche.  And it’s got to be this inherent, inner sense that there’s a Creator in control of things and has a plan and a reason for the things in our lives.

Secondly, Scripture tells us God exist.  In the previous chapter, Grudem makes it clear that the doctrine of the necessity of the Bible is not to prove God exists, but nonetheless, the Bible assumes God exists.  The very first passages of the Bible tells about what God created – heaven and the earth.  So without Scripture, you know God by your inner sense.  With Scripture, you have very clear evidence and explanation.  Paul and Barnabas explains God’s provisions in his nature to the people in Lystra in Act 14:17.  And again, with the evidence in creation, David claims the same thing in Psalm 19:1-2.  Grudem ends his point with this, “Their rejection of the evidence does not mean that the evidence is invalid in itself, only that those who reject the evidence are evaluating it wrongly.”  Better yet, Grudem explains that the characteristic of true faith is the confidence not only in God’s word, but also in God’s work.

Personal Reflection:  Again wow!  I’ve heard my wife say about me a long, long time ago when we first met that I have a child-like faith.  And I know exactly what she meant – “I believed in God because the Bible tells me so.”  Or more accurately, “I believe in the God because someone I trust and respect told me so.”  Isn’t that what I said before?  I suppose “true-faith” is this confidence in knowing, not just believing. Knowing because I have acknowledged the (per Grudem) “overwhelming amount of reliable evidence from God’s word and God’s works.”  Sometimes I wish I never learned science.  Science, in itself isn’t evil, but our sinful nature uses it.  What do I mean?  I mean it’s causes us to trivialize nature.  When someone asks, “How did those mountains come to be there?”  Another might explain how the tectonic plates on the earth shifted and crashed in one another and resulted in the up heaving of the earth forming the mountains.  And because my first love was science and not God, it’s easy for me to stop there.  Science is not evil.  The discoveries we have made is a blessing from God.  But the sinful nature in us makes us prideful.  Because of the advancement we’ve made sin has made think that we are somewhat all-knowing and wise ourselves.  We have uncovered some of natures mysteries and that somehow makes us think we are god in ourselves.  Society has questioned if science has gone beyond the realm of moral standards (God) and have caused us to think or try to act like God – stem cell research, designer babies, etc.  It’s amazing the things that science has shown us.  It’s explained how many things work in nature.  And when also asked, “why these natural things happen,” some also might resort to the reasoning of randomness - it just happens.  Just like the the Big-bang theory … it just happened.    Yet with that, how often have we asked ourselves, “Why is this happening to me??”  Are we or the unbelieving just being just rhetorical?  Again, I don’t think so.  I think there is a hopelessness in this reasoning – it just random.  And that truth we suppress about God is what’s trying to come out when we instinctive react with, “Why is this happening to me?”