Contents
Introduction
1. God created everything
2. God gave mankind an opportunity to avoid suffering
3. God has tremendous wisdom and knowledge
4. God sustains everything
5. God gave us the Bible
6. God gave us His Son
7. God cares about and helps each person
8. God does miracles
9. God keeps His promises
10. God has promised us a great future with Him in heaven
11. Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Introduction
Ever since we were young, most of us have heard talk about God. Some of us were taught that God definitely exists. Some of us were taught that God might exist. And some of us were taught that God doesn’t exist. Some of us were taught that God, if He exists, is a personal God with thoughts and feelings, while others of us were taught that God is more of a force or energy that permeates the universe. Some of us may have been taught one thing at home or in church or synagogue or mosque, and something else in school. There are many different views about God out there, and not all of them are correct.
As it turns out, however, God is who He is, no matter what anyone thinks about Him, and there are some things that we can know for sure about Him in this life. In addition, we can have a personal relationship with Him, and proceed through life with Him at our side. The person who knows God and endeavors to walk with God through life, will have a very different perspective on life than the person who doesn’t believe in His existence. The person who knows God and walks with God will come to understand not only that God certainly exists, but also that He is truly great.
The purpose of this book is to help you develop a clear picture of God. On the pages of this book, I will explain how we can know for certain that God exists, and that He is truly great. You will see that God is someone that you will want to know in this life, and someone that you will want to spend eternity with in the next life. My hope is that you will see that the Bible is trustworthy from beginning to end, and that God is trustworthy through all of life, death and beyond. His greatness is demonstrated in manifold ways, and each chapter in the book focuses on one or more aspects of His greatness.
While I have tried to include everything significant that came to mind on this subject, there may be aspects of God’s greatness that are not covered in this book—it is impossible to think of everything. At the least, I think you will find the book to be interesting reading, and, at the best, eye-opening, encouraging and uplifting. Hopefully after finishing the book, you will have a deeper appreciation and understanding for the God who presides over all of creation, and you will want to hook up with Him and enjoy Him in this life and the next.
Chapter 1: God created everything
One of the more controversial topics of our day is the issue of creation versus evolution. A great many of the creation scientists are certain that they are correct, and a great many of the evolutionists are certain that they are correct. From time to time, debates are held on college campuses and in other forums between a creationist and an evolutionist, and many of the debates are well attended. But because educated scientists strongly disagree on this subject, a great many people are uncertain what to believe about the origin of the universe, the world and mankind. Some people have tried combining the two theories, thinking that the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Others have come up with alternative explanations that make sense to them. Nonetheless, a great many people would like to understand the truth in this matter, if it could be explained to them in a clear and straightforward way. I will attempt to do just that in this chapter.
When we look at the natural world around us, we see a tremendous amount of complexity. The plants and the animals are highly complex biochemical machines, all of which are far more complex than the most sophisticated manmade machines that we have on earth today. Every species of plant and animal has all of the design features it needs to thrive and survive as a species. Every species of plant and animal has the ability to reproduce itself, producing offspring of the very same species. The information that was required to produce each plant or animal is coded in its DNA molecules found in the nucleus of each cell of the plant or animal. The information coded in the DNA molecules in plants and animals is more complex than the most sophisticated computer programs that are written today. If you think that all of this complexity in nature evolved by chance, I urge you to think again.
Let us begin by examining the theory of evolution. Most evolutionists say that life on earth began when chemicals came together to form a living cell. They claim that this first living cell then evolved into all of the plants and animals that exist on earth today. To some in the scientific community, these are outrageous claims; but to others, they make complete sense. First we will take a look at the first claim—the idea that chemicals came together to form a living cell. But before we do, here is some background information about one-celled organisms.
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