Eternity in Our Hearts --Teacher s Guide--

Transcription

1 Eternity in Our Hearts --Teacher s Guide-- Dean C. Halverson International Students, Inc. dhalverson@isionline.org Phone: Colorado Springs, CO

2 Introduction Solomon wrote that God has set eternity in the hearts of men (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The following studies are written with that truth in mind. Even though people might reject God s existence, they still have a residual longing for eternity in their hearts. What I have tried to do is to awaken the international to their longing for eternity, and then to show that only the infinite and personal God of the Bible is able to meet that longing. In Lesson 1 (The Context of Our Lives), we learn about the importance of context and about how God is the ultimate context in which we should live our lives. We learn about how fearing God in fact means trusting the God, and we saw how Jesus could have peace in the face the storm because he had complete faith and trust in the God who is above the storm. The aim of this lesson is to give us a desire to live in the context of the God who is to be feared so we may experience us peace in the midst of our storms. In Lesson 2 (Our Longing for Eternity), we think about what the verse means that said God has set eternity in the hearts of men [and women]. Then we look at where God told Moses, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." Even though these words sound like a moth being drawn toward its annihilation, in fact they refer to a God who would fulfill us. The aim of this lesson is to draw us toward wanting a relationship with this eternal, infinite God who alone would fulfill our longing for eternity. In Lesson 3 (God Longs to be in a Relationship with Us), we consider the truth that this God who says, you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live, wants to be in a relationship with us. We look at the story in Luke 15 where the father longs for the relationship with his rebellious son to be restored. The aim of this lesson is to help us see that we were made to be in a relationship with God and that we will be most fulfilled being in such a relationship. In Lesson 4 (The Dilemma), we see that we have broken God s law and have decided to go our own way. God s justice demands that we be punished with death, which is separation from him. At the same time, God loves us and wants us to be in a relationship with him. How do you reconcile God s justice with his love? That s the dilemma. In the appendices that appear at the end of these studies I give some approaches for how to address those who deny God s existence. I also provide a lengthier approach that addresses what it means to say we have sinned and to help bring the international to the conviction that sin is a problem for them. Thank you for being willing to go through these studies with your international friends. As you do so, I would appreciate your feedback both positive and constructive. If you appreciate the approach I have developed here, please let me know. An encouraging word is always welcome. If you see some way in which I could improve this approach, I would appreciate you ing me your suggestions to dhalverson@isionline.org I pray that God will richly bless both you and your international friends as you go through these studies together! 1

3 Key: The green type indicates what appears in the Student s Guide. The black type indicates what appears only in the Teacher s Guide. The Teacher s Guide also includes the Student s Guide. 2

4 Lesson 1: The Context of Our Lives Read Appendix A: The Importance of Context. After having read The Importance of Context, please answer this question: What is the ultimate context in which you live your life? Read Mark 4:35-41: 35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." 36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. 38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" 39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. 40 He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" 41 They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!" The disciples decided to follow Jesus for at least two reasons: 1. Through his miracles, they sensed there was something very special about him. 2. Through his teachings, he gave meaning to their lives. The situation in this passage, though, is that everyone in the boat is about to die what seems to be a meaningless death. They re in the middle of a large body of water, it s night time, and they re about to die. To the disciples, dying such a death didn t make sense. Have you ever had something happen to you that just didn t make sense? Tell me about it. How did the disciples react? They asked Jesus, Teacher, don t you care if we drown? (v. 38). Can you relate to their reaction? When something bad happens to you, what are your thoughts about God? Are they positive or negative? Do you blame God? Do you feel God is distant and doesn t care? Are they similar to the way in which the disciples spoke to Jesus? Jesus got up from His sleep, rebuked the wind and calmed the waves. And then He turned to His disciples and asked these two questions: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Jesus words to his disciples seem to indicate that he was upset with, or at least disappointed in, them even to the point of being exasperated: Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? But why? The storm was swamping their boat! Was Jesus not able to empathize with how the disciples were afraid they were going to die? Did He really expect them to think He would have the kind of power needed to calm the storm? Was Jesus being unreasonable? 3

5 To us, the disciples reaction to the storm was completely understandable. Any one of us would have reacted in the same way. Why do you think Jesus was upset with or disappointed in them? Answer: Jesus was upset with his disciples because they had forgotten what the true context of their lives was. They had made the storm their ultimate context. To the disciples, the storm was in control. They had forgotten that God is the true ultimate context and that God is above the storm. God is the One in control. Remember the story of the Challenger tragedy and the words of Jay Green: "When you have that much power you have to respect it. If you get complacent about the launch phase, you don't understand what's going on. The disciples had forgotten about the almighty God being above the storm. They had forgotten about God being the ultimate context. As a result, they didn t understand what was going on. We all face various storms in our lives. What are some storms you are facing right now? Jesus asked the disciples the following two questions: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? What do you think is the relationship between being afraid and having faith? Why did Jesus experience peace in the face of the storm when the disciples didn t? Answer: Because Jesus had faith in the God above the storm, he could have peace in the face of the storm. How can we apply the way in which Jesus faced the storm to our lives? Fearing God is a concept taught in the Bible. When I mention the idea of fearing God, what comes to your mind? What do you think of when you hear that phrase? The idea of fearing God is easily misunderstood. Most people think fearing God means we should be afraid of God. But fearing God and being afraid of God are very different from each other. In fact, they re opposites. Fearing God is a matter of trusting God, and being afraid of God is a matter of distrusting Him. When we are afraid of something, including God, we don t trust it because we are afraid it will harm us. Fearing God, though, means an intense form of faith or trust in God. It means we can have complete trust in the God who is sovereign over all things. The reason Jesus could experience such peace of mind in the midst of the storm was because He trusted in the God who was above the storm. To experience such peace is the result of an extreme form of faith or trust. Such an extreme form of faith in God is what the Bible means by fearing God. Notice how the following verse takes an unexpected turn toward the end: Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary (Isaiah 8:12-14, NASB). What is a sanctuary? 4

6 Answer: A sanctuary is a place of safety, a place where one can find peace and rest. The very reasons we are to fear God that He has unlimited power, that He has existence within Himself, that He is sovereign over all are also the very same reasons we can find our ultimate safety and refuge in him. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 9:10). What does this verse indicate is the relationship between wisdom and the fear of the Lord? Since wisdom is a good thing and something to be desired, what does that say about the fear of the Lord? One way to define wisdom is as having a correct view of reality, which means understanding who God is in all his fullness and how He is related to the rest of reality. Jesus certainly had a correct view of God and of his relationship to the rest of reality. That s why he could experience such peace in the face of the storm. Perhaps this God who is to be feared would be worth getting to know. 5

7 Lesson 2: Our Longing for Eternity What is your deepest longing? What do you yearn for more than anything else? When you answered those two previous questions, did you limit your answer to this lifetime? If so, why? Consider this verse: [God] has set eternity in the hearts of men" (Ecclesiastes 3:11). What do you think that verse means? Do you yourself sense a desire for eternity in your heart? If so, tell me about it? If not, why not? The following quote comes from the novel Contact by astronomer Carl Sagan, who was an outspoken atheist. The words themselves were put in the mouth of Ellie, Sagan s main character, who, like Sagan, is portrayed as an astronomer and an atheist: The theologians seemed to have recognized a special non-rational I wouldn t call it irrational aspect of the feeling of sacred or holy. They call it numinous. The term was first used by let s see somebody named Rudolph Otto in a 1923 book, The Idea of the Holy. He believed that humans were predisposed to detect and revere the numinous. He called it misterium tremendum. In the presence of the misterium tremendum, people feel utterly insignificant but, if I read this right, not personally alienated. He thought of the numinous as a thing wholly other, and the human response to it as absolute astonishment. Now, if that s what religious people talk about when they used words like sacred or holy, I m with them. 1 Why would Ellie an atheist who had rejected God be attracted to an experience of the sacred and the holy that is wholly other and that evokes an experience of utter astonishment? Answer: Even though someone has rejected God, there is still a longing for eternity in his or her heart. We are attracted to drawn to that which is larger than us, and there is nothing larger than the infinite God. See Appendix B: The Ontological Argument for a logical argument for God s existence based on the idea that there is no greater Being than God. Would you be attracted to an experience with that which is wholly other who evokes absolute astonishment? Why or why not? Consider the words of Dr. Corliss Lamont, Humanist of the Year in Here is a man who was a staunch atheist. Lamont firmly believed that, because we consist of matter alone, there s no question that, at death, we cease to exist as conscious human beings. Once we die, that s all there is; there s nothing more except the lifeless matter that made up our physical bodies. And yet Lamont wrote, Even I, disbeliever that I am, would frankly be more than glad to wake some day to a worthwhile eternal life. 2 1 Carl Sagan, Contact (New York: Pocket Books, 1985), Corliss Lamont, The Philosophy of Humanism (New York: Continuum, 1988), 98. 6

8 But why? Where did Lamont s desire for a worthwhile eternal life come from? If we are indeed only matter and if we truly cease to exist after death, then what is the source of that desire? Some might say such a desire comes from our survival instinct. This longing for eternity was placed in our hearts by our need to survive. Do you agree or disagree? Why? The question is, Survival in what sense? If we re talking about survival as individual persons, no one doubts we as individuals die, which means we as persons do not survive. If the meaning to our lives is limited to this single lifetime, then our meaning can survive only to the extent that we influence others for the good. But how long does that influence last? After all, how many of us remember the name or know of the influence of our great-great grandfather? If we re talking about survival as a blood line or even as a species, then the question is, Survive for what purpose? The universe is finite, which means it will eventually grow cold and die, and our species will die along with it. So, what was it all for? Is survival really all there is to life? If the international doubts God s existence, you might go over the following appendices with him or her: Appendix B: The Ontological Argument, Appendix C: Evidence for an Unseen, Immaterial Reality, Appendix D: The Cosmological Argument, and Appendix E: Evidence that a personal God exists. Even though Lamont denied life after death, he could not fully suppress the desire for eternity. Theologian C. S. Lewis explains the existence of that desire in this way: Now, if we are made for heaven, the desire for our proper place will be already in us. 3 So, according to Lewis, where did that desire for a worthwhile eternal life come from? It came from the One who made us for heaven. Now look at a biblical passage where Moses encounters the God who is truly wholly other : 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen (Exodus 33:18-23) In the next lesson we will briefly discuss verses where God makes himself known to Moses, but, for now, I want us to focus on these words: You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. What are your first thoughts about God s words? What does it mean to see God s face? 3 C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1949), 3. 7

9 To see God s face means to see him for all of who he is with nothing being held back. It would be like look at the sun without any eye protection. Why are we not able to see God s face? One reason we are not able to see God s face is because God is the Creator and not a part of creation. As such, God is Spirit, and our eyes are not attuned to the spirit realm. Another reason we cannot see God s face, and the primary one I want to focus on here, is because God s unlimited power is too much for us who are finite to withstand. We whose existence is contingent (we did not have to exist) and dependent are not able to stand in the presence of the God whose existence is necessary (has always existed and will always exist) and not-dependent. Our seeing God would be similar to our standing unprotected before a large amount of radioactive nuclear material. Because we are not able to withstand the power of such nuclear material, we must approach it in restricted ways for our protection. The same is true with God. We can approach him only on his terms, not ours. One might think that getting to know such a dangerous God would lead to one s annihilation like a moth being attracted to a flame. What, though, does our attraction to God lead to? Answer: It leads to our fulfillment. How can knowing such a dangerous God lead to our fulfillment? Answer: Since God is the One who has set eternity in our hearts, then only he can fulfill our longing for eternity, and he indeed desires to do so. Notice how in the rest of this passage in Exodus God tells Moses how he will be able to see a portion of God s glory. The beauty of this passage is that it conveys both how dangerous God is by virtue of the fact that his nature and power are infinite, while at the same time conveying that God wants to be in a relationship with us. The passage conveys both the danger and the love of God. What do you think of this statement? For us to be fulfilled in an eternal, ultimate sense, we need a God who would be worthy of our exploring him, relating to Him, being filled with thoughts of Him, and being inspired by Him on every level of our being our intellect, our emotions, our creativity, and our will for all eternity. On an infinite, personal God could fulfill us in this way. Now, what do you think of these statements? We can never rise above our idea of that which is ultimate. When we make less of God or of ultimate reality, we make less of ourselves as well. Here s an example: Atheism says that 1. God does not exist. 2. Matter is all that exists. 3. We as humans do not possess spirits 4. At death we cease to exist as persons While we are persons during our lifetimes, if ultimate reality is only matter and if we cease to exist as persons at death, then we as persons are not able to rise the view of ultimate reality that says only matter is real. Consider, again, the example of Corliss Lamont, who we looked at earlier. His atheistic worldview, which says that ultimate reality is nothing more than matter, does not allow him as a 8

10 person to rise above that matter. When he dies, his worldview says that he ceases to exist as a person, even though he had a desire for eternity. If, on the other hand, ultimate reality is an infinite, eternal, personal God, then there can be no greater idea of ultimate reality. Living with the idea that God is infinite, eternal, and personal is completely fulfilling to us as persons. The Bible says, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27) What does it mean to be made in God s image? In what ways are we made in God s image? It can mean many things, but one of the most basic ideas of what it means is that we have personal attributes like God. Personal attributes such as an intellect, emotions, will, and the ability to create. The idea that God is by nature personal is a profound thought. We take so many things for granted that are true only because God is personal and that would not be true if God were not personal. What things are true only if God is personal? Answers: 1. Love between us and God is possible. Why? Because love is inherently something that happens between persons. 2. God is able to forgive us. Why? Because again, forgiveness, like love, is something that happens between persons. 3. Communication between God and us is possible. We can be in a personal relationship with God. Prayer is possible. 4. God can care for us. 5. God can empathize with our suffering. 6. God can make himself known to us. 7. Because God is personal and we are made in His image, we have a foundation for our value as persons. 8. Because God is personal and because God is the transcendent standard of moral goodness, we have a foundation for what is right and wrong. 9. Because God is personal and wants to be in a relationship with us, we can have hope that we will continue as persons after death. If God is personal, and if we are made in his image as personal beings, then the longing for eternity that God has set in our hearts will be ultimately fulfilled through a relationship with him. Moreover, the desire for eternity in our hearts, would be fulfilled not only through a personal God but also through an eternal God. Why? Because only a God who is 1. beyond our understanding, 2. who cannot be manipulated by us, 3. whose power is unlimited, 4. whose beauty is beyond our imagination, 5. who has existence within himself, 6. who is sovereign over all things, 7. who knows the beginning from the end, 8. who is absolutely holy is worthy of our knowing for an eternity. Such a God is One who could say, No one can see my face, for no one may see me and live. 9

11 Conclusion: If we settle for less than a God who is eternal and who is personal, then we are settling for less in ourselves as well. But there can be no greater concept of ultimate reality than an infinite, personal God, and we will be most affirmed and fulfilled being in relationship with such a God. 10

12 Lesson 3: God Longs to be in a Relationship with Us In the previous lesson we looked at one line in this passage: 18 Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory." 19 And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 20 But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live." 21 Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. 22 When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. 23 Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not be seen (Exodus 33:18-23) In the next lesson we will briefly discuss verses where God makes himself known to Moses, but, for now, I want us to focus on these words: You cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live. What most fulfills you now in your life? What is the one thing that, if it were taken away, would leave life truly empty? Answer: Are we not most fulfilled in our loving relationships with friends and loved ones? We can experience all the success, riches, pleasure, and adventure we can imagine, but, if we have no one to share those things with, life would still be empty. How do you define eternal life? The Bible says, Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God (John 17:3). How does that verse define eternal life? Answer: It s interesting that it defines eternal life not in terms of time that stretches into eternity, but it defines it in relational terms with an eternal Being. To have eternal life is to be in a relationship with the eternal God. If we are most fulfilled in loving relationships now, imagine what it would be like being in a loving relationship with the personal, infinite God for an eternity. We saw in the previous lesson that, even though God says, no one can see my face, for no one may see me and live, he still showed himself to Moses. What that means is that, even though God is wholly other, he still wants to make himself known to us and to be in a relationship of love with us. Appendix E: Evidence that a Personal God Exists addresses the question as to whether or not God has personal attributes. The extent to which God wants to be in a relationship with us is especially clear in the story of a son who rejected his father: 11

13 11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. 13 Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate (Luke 15:11-24). The father in this story stands for God. One of the reasons Jesus told this story was to illustrate the desire God has to be in a relationship of love with us. Look at the passage again and list the ways in which the father demonstrated how he longed for the relationship with his son to be restored. Answer: 1. while he was still a long way off, his father saw him. This indicates that his father was constantly looking for him. He longed for his son. 2. The father was filled with compassion for him. 3. The father ran to his son. In those days, for a father to run meant he had to tuck up his robe around his belt. This was not becoming. But the father didn t care what other people thought. He loved his son so much. Also, the son should have run to the father, not vice versa. 4. The father threw his arms around him and kissed him. 5. The father interrupted the son s prepared speech and welcomed him back home. 6. The father put on a great party in celebration of the return of his son. Do you see God in this way? Do you believe God longs to be in a relationship with you, like the father in this story longed to be in a relationship with his son? In the previous two lessons, we saw God in all his greatness. We talked about a God who is to be feared. We also talked about a God who says, No one may see my face, for no one may see me and live. In this lesson, though, we see a God who is personal and who wants to be in 12

14 a relationship with us. The Bible says, God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27) Why did God create us in his image? Answer: So, he could be in a relationship with us and we with him. Remember the words that define eternal life: Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God (John 17:3). The Bible repeatedly declares God s love for us: 1. "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). 2. "For God so loved the world." (John 3:16). 3. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this." (Romans 5:8). 4. "God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us. " (1 John 4:8,10). What does reading about God s love do in regard to your understanding of God? Would you like to know this God? 13

15 Lesson 4: The Dilemma In the previous lesson we looked at the heart-warming story of how a loving father longed for the relationship with his rebellious son to be restored. In our present lesson, though, we will focus on the son. The son rejected his father by asking for his inheritance early (inheritances are usually given when the father dies) and taking off for a distant land, thereby rejecting even the presence of the father. The son was, in essence, saying that he, not the father, knew best how to live his own life. After living it up for a while in that distant land, a famine hit, and the son found himself close to starvation, longing for the food he was feeding the pigs. Why did Jesus tell that story? How is Jesus story about the son relevant to us and our spiritual situation? Here s another verse that gives a picture of our spiritual situation:: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). What is the picture that verse is giving us? Answer: The picture is of a single sheep taking off on his own. He s rejecting the wisdom of the shepherd. What is the inevitable result of the sheep who decides to leave the safety of the flock and the care of the shepherd and to instead go his own way? Answer: The result is death. Wolves might attack him, or he will starve to death or die of thirst because he doesn t know where the green pastures and the streams are. For a more complete approach toward convincing someone that they are sinners, see Appendix F: What is Sin? Am I a Sinner?. The Bible says, The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). What does wages mean in this verse? Answer: Wages are what we deserve, what we have earned, the inevitable results of our actions. What does death mean in this verse? Answer: It means separation from God. Just as physical death means the separation of the spirit from the body, so spiritual death means separation of us from God. So, here s the situation: our sin causes us to be separated from God, but God wants to be in a relationship with us. God is faced with a dilemma. Let me present the issues of that dilemma through a series of propositions. THE DILEMMA Proposition 1: God is absolutely holy. There is nothing about God that is not holy. 1. "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he (Deuteronomy 32:4) 2. "There is no one holy like the Lord" (1 Samuel 2:2; see also Job 34:10, 12) 14

16 3. This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5). Proposition 2: God s holiness will not allow sin into His presence. 1. "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell (Psalm 5:4). 2. "But your iniquities (sins) have separated you from your God (Isaiah 59:2). 3. "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong (Habakkuk 1:12). 4. "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior (Colossians 1:21). Proposition 3: Part of what it means for God to be holy is that He is just, and His justice demands that our sin be punished. The punishment we deserve is death, which means being separated from God. 1. Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book (Exodus 32:33). 2. The soul who sins is the one who will die (Ezekiel 18:4). 3. "For the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). 4. "You were dead in your transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1). Proposition 4: We have all sinned. 1. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way (Isaiah 53:6). 2. There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). 3. [F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Proposition 5: But God loves us and wants to be in a relationship with us. 5. "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness (Jeremiah 31:3). 6. "For God so loved the world." (John 3:16). 7. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God (John 17:3). 8. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this." (Romans 5:8). 9. "God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us. " (1 John 4:8,10). Here s the dilemma: How can God s justice (which demands that our sin be punished and that we be separated from him) be reconciled (or brought together) with his great love for us (which means that he wants us to be close to him in a relationship of love)? Give the international time to think seriously about and to wrestle with this question. The amount of time is up to you. It could be five minutes, or it could be until you meet again in a week or so. Just be sure he or she understands the dilemma. The answer to this dilemma is given below. If possible, look up each verse in a Bible. We have looked at each of these verses before, but only partially. Read the entire verse now and highlight how these verses answer the dilemma of reconciling God s justice with his love through Jesus Christ. Often the international will answer that God can just forgive, just as a parent can forgive his or her child when they disobey. You can respond with the following two answers. First, depending on the seriousness of the disobedience, there is still a price that is paid by the one who forgives. If the child says words that are hurtful to the parent, when the parent forgives, 15

17 he or she pays the price of forgiveness by taking that hurt on himself or herself. When a child wrecks a car after having been told not to drive the car, by forgiving the child, the parent absorbs the cost of the wrecked car. No forgiveness is entirely free; there is always a price to be paid. Second, what would you think of a judge who just forgives a person who murdered someone? Is there not a sense of moral outrage that rises up within you and says that such a verdict is not just? But why? Because to just forgive goes against what we know is right. In the same way, God can t just forgive because the moral law reflects his moral character. To ask God to just forgive is to ask him to go against his own character. The answer to the dilemma: The answer is found in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ the sinless One who bore the penalty for our sins, which is physical and spiritual death, on our behalf. 1. "God is love. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:8,10). 2. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). 3. "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6). 4. "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8). 5. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). The dilemma we have just talked about is called the gospel. It comes from the Greek word euangelion, which means good news. But good news implies bad news. So, the gospel is a message that begins with bad news but ends with good news. The bad news could not be worse. It s the fact that we are sinful, and that our sin has separated us from God, which is spiritual death. The good news could not be better. It is the fact that Jesus paid the price we deserved to pay, which was physical and spiritual death, on our behalf, and that he now offers us the gift of being in a right relationship with God for an eternity. We can receive that gift merely by faith or trusting in his completed work on our behalf. Faith is trusting entirely on what God has done for us. Faith receives God s grace. There is a wonderful verse that makes the ideas of faith and grace abundantly clear: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). See the Assurance Graph on the next page. Would you like to receive this gift of eternal life with God? At this point, give your international friend ISI s tract Knowing God Personally, and either go through it with them now, or let them take it with them so they can read through, and you can discuss it with them later. 16

18 ASSURANCE GRAPH Complete Assurance Level of Assurance No Assurance My own merit God s work based entirely on the price of death Jesus paid on my behalf What I m trusting in to be made right with God 17

19 Appendix A: The Importance of Context The space shuttle was an amazing machine in that it had an unbelievable amount of power packed into it. The Shuttle consisted of three main components: the orbiter (the winged structure in which the astronauts ride), the external tank (the orange, silo-like structure), and the two solid rocket boosters (the two, rocket-like cylinders attached to the external tank). The fuel used to propel the Shuttle away from the pull of the earth s gravity was contained in the external tank and the solid rocket boosters. Combined, they held 3,405,640 pounds of fuel. Once the solid fuel in the rocket boosters was ignited, the engines went from producing zero to 3.3 million pounds of thrust in less than a second. It took the boosters only two minutes to expend their entire load of fuel. The engines on the shuttle were so powerful that the noise alone from the blast could reverberate back from the platform and damage the superstructure of the shuttle. To prevent that from happening, 300,000 gallons of water were poured in only 30 seconds through 7-ft. diameter pipes onto the platform as soon as the engines were ignited. The water served to soften the damaging noise of the engines. On January 28, 1986, tragedy struck the shuttle program. As the Challenger lifted off, everything appeared to be normal. But then, 73 seconds into its flight, the Challenger exploded into a fireball, killing all seven crew members on board. Concerning the Challenger tragedy, Jay Green, one of NASA's controllers at Houston, said, "When you have that much power you have to respect it. If you get complacent about the launch phase, you don't understand what's going on. 4 Mr. Green's comment had to do with context. He was saying that, when the kind of power contained in the shuttle's rockets was being harnessed, one should always be mindful of it; it should be a part of one's thinking constantly, and it should never be taken lightly. When one loses the context of the power contained in the 3.5 million pounds of fuel, then, as Mr. Green says, "you don't understand what's going on." 4 Ed Magnuson, They slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God, Time, February 10, 1986,

20 Two versions of the Ontological Argument: Appendix B The Ontological Argument Anselm s Argument 1. God is, by definition, a Being greater than which nothing can be conceived. 2. It is greater to exist in reality than to exist only in the mind. 3. Therefore, God must exist in reality. If he didn t, he would not be the greatest being possible. 5 Evans and Manis 1. God is the greatest possible being. 2. God exists at least in the mind. 3. A being who exists only in the mind is not as great as a being who exists in reality as well as in the mind. 4. If God exists only in the mind, he would not be the greatest possible being. 5. Therefore, God must exist in reality as well as in the mind. 6 5 Norman Geisler, Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), C. Stephan Evans and R. Zachary Manis, Philosophy of Religion: Thinking about Faith (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2009),

21 Appendix C: Evidence for an Unseen, Immaterial Reality Is there evidence that an unseen, immaterial reality exists? Consider the differences between the following two statements: 1. This rose is red. 2. It is wrong to rape young girls. What makes the first statement a true statement? It s when the rose is in fact red. The truth-maker of the first statement is the observable, empirical fact that the rose is red. The statement is true because it corresponds to an external, objective reality. What is a truth-maker? Something that makes a statement true. Is the second sentence a true statement? What makes the second statement true? What is the truth-maker of that statement? It s not the observable act itself that makes the second statement true. Why not? Because the rightness or the wrongness of an act is not something that can be observed. So, again, what makes the second statement true? What is its truth-maker? It s an objective, moral truth. A moral proposition that is objectively true. If the truth-maker does not reside in an observable reality, then in what kind of reality does it reside? In an unseen and immaterial moral reality. This idea is called moral realism. Where would such an unseen moral reality reside? In the Mind of God. 20

22 Appendix D: The Cosmological Argument Basic question: Why is there something rather than nothing? Evidence that the universe had a beginning (came into existence): 1. The universe is expanding (Hubble s red shift) The fact that the universe is expanding points back to a singularity (an infinitely small point) 2. The Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR): this is the thermal radiation that was left over from the Big Bang. It was discovered in 1964 by Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson. 3. The Second Law of Thermodynamics The first law of thermodynamics states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. The second law of thermodynamics states that energy is subject to entropy, which means it inevitably goes from order to disorder, from accessible to inaccessible, from hot to cold. If the energy in the universe is finite, but the universe has always existed (infinite with respect to time), then the universe would be cold and dead because all the available energy would have been used up by now. That obviously has not happened. Therefore, the universe had a beginning in time (or along with time, since time and space were created at the same time ). ARGUMENT FOR GOD BASED ON THE UNIVERSE HAVING A BEGINNING The Argument 1. Whatever comes into existence is caused to exist by something else. 2. If the series of past causes is not infinite, then the series of past causes came into existence. 3. There cannot be an infinite series of past causes. 4. Therefore, the series of past causes came into existence. 5. Therefore, there exists a cause for the series of past causes, and this cause did not itself come into existence 7 The Kalam Argument 1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. 2. The universe began to exist. 3. Therefore, the universe has a cause. 8 ARGUMENT FOR GOD BASED ON NECESSITY AND CONTINGENCY The difference between necessary and contingent: Things that exist necessarily exist by a necessity of their own nature. It belongs to their very nature to exist. Things that exist contingently can fail to exist and so need an external cause to explain why they do in fact exist. 9 7 Gregory Ganssle, Thinking about God (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2004), William Lane Craig, On Guard: Defending Your Faith with Reason and Precision (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2010), Craig,

23 The Argument: 1. Some contingent beings exist. 2. If any contingent beings exist, then a necessary being must exist (because contingent beings require a necessary being as their ultimate cause). 3. Therefore, there exists a necessary being (which is the ultimate cause of the existence of contingent beings). 10 Think of what the universe is: it s all space-time reality, which includes all matter, energy, and time. If the universe has a cause for its existence, then that cause must be something nonphysical and immaterial that is beyond space and time. What are the two possibilities that fit that description? o Abstract ideas. But such things do not have causal power o The Mind of God. God does have causal power The problem of the infinite regression The way I illustrate the argument based on necessity and contingency is to say it is like wanting to borrow a soccer ball because you don t own one. If I want to play soccer but I don t own a soccer ball, I can go to my neighbor and ask to borrow his. If he doesn t have one, he can go to his neighbor to borrow one. If he doesn t have one, he can go to his neighbor and ask to borrow his. If no one has a soccer ball, though, then I never receive a soccer ball. This is the problem of the infinite regression. If the infinite regression does not stop somewhere, then I never receive the soccer ball. My existence is the same way. My existence is not necessary, but contingent. It is very possible that I might not have existed. If the infinite regression does not end in someone having existence within himself, which is God, then I never receive existence. 10 Evans and Manis, Philosophy of Religion,

24 Appendix E: Evidence that a Personal God exists Imagine walking on a beach and encountering these words written in the sand: Bob loves Mary. What would you think caused those words? Answer: Probably a person with intelligence. Why? 1) Because the letters are not just regular patterns, which is something the forces of nature would produce. Instead, the letters are irregular in shape, which is something an intelligent mind would produce. 2) The letters are codes that contain information. Again, the information in the message conveyed by the letters is something produced by a mind, not by matter. Now consider the fact that each strand of DNA contains an immense amount of information. If the code contained in the DNA were typed on 8 ½ x 11 sheets of paper and stacked one on top of the other, the stack would reach 555 feet high, which is as tall at the Washington Monument. 11 If it s true that a person with intelligence is the best explanation for what caused the three words Bob loves Mary to be written on the beach, what then is the best explanation for what produced the immense amount of information contained in the DNA? 11 Francis C. Collins, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief (New York: Free Press, 2006),

25 Appendix F What is sin? Am I a sinner? The need for an absolutely good God. 1. We need an absolutely good God so we can have a sufficient a foundation for our sense of what is right and wrong. 2. Goodness and evil are not on equal levels morally or ontologically (in regard to their being). 3. Goodness is primary, necessary, and foundational. 4. Evil is not primary, necessary, and foundational. It is, instead, a corruption of the Good. You can have the good without the evil, but you cannot have the evil without the good. Goodness is, so to speak, itself: badness is only spoiled goodness. And there must be something good first before it can be spoiled (C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity, page 44) What is sin, and am I a sinner? BLINDED BY OUR GOODNESS 1. Our goodness can blind us to the fact that we are sinful. We think that, because we haven t done anything really bad (such as murder someone) that we are good enough. The Bible, though, says, for all have sinned (Romans 3:23). 2. Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? HOW WELL DO YOU MEASURE UP? 1. The Bible says, Do not steal (Exodus 20:15) and Do not give false testimony against your neighbor (Exodus 20:16). Have you ever said something negative about a person behind their back that was not entirely true? Did you bend the truth to your benefit? If so, then you have not only lied about them, but you have also stolen their good reputation. You are a liar and a thief. 2. The Bible says, Do not murder (Exodus 20:13). Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not murder.' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment (Matthew 5:21-22). Jesus thereby makes murder an attitude issue, an issue of the heart. Have you ever been angry with someone in an unjust manner that devalues them as a person? Then you are a murderer. WHICH MORAL STANDARD? 1. Jesus said, You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven (Matthew 5:43-44). 2. Jesus presents two moral standards here. One is much higher than the other. What if God s moral standard is much higher than the standard you thought you needed to live up to? 3. Another way to approach this is by asking, Have you ever disappointed yourself when it comes to how you have treated someone? Have you ever treated someone in a way you knew was not right? Usually, they will acknowledge that they have. Then pose this question, If we know we are unable to live up to our own moral standard, then how can we say we have lived up to God s moral standard, which is much higher than ours? WHO IS THE KING? 1. What is sin? Is it breaking the moral law of God? Yes, but it also goes deeper than that. 2. Consider this story from the book of Genesis: And the LORD God commanded the man, You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. When the woman 24

26 saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6). 3. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, what was their attitude toward God and his commandment not to eat of the tree? [They were saying that they would be the ones to declare what is right and wrong, not God.] 4. When we sin, how do we reflect the attitude of Adam and Eve? 5. Why is sin serious? [Because, when we sin, we are putting ourselves in the place of God. We are then worshipping the creature rather than the Creator.] HOW MUCH SIN DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE US GUILTY? 1. Imagine that you had served your government in an exemplary way for 25 years. But then, in a moment of greed, you sold top-secret information to an enemy government. And you were caught. How would the court declare you in regard to the law? That you are mostly innocent or guilty? 2. The Bible says, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he [God] who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker (James 2:10-11). 3. How much sin does it take to make us guilty before God and deserving of punishment? 25