When we gaze upon creation, we are all confronted with the reality (ironically) that what is beheld is not an illusion.
Think about it with me…
Design Demonstrates a Designer
The earth spinning away from the sun at the perfect tilt, as to display a glorious sunset— this is an objective reality. It’s knowable truth.
What is subjective is our opinion of the sunset.
The trees are real. Our DNA is real. The stars are real. That truck approaching as you cross the street is real. And the pain one experiences at the loss of a child is very real. We might not understand why these things exist, but the fact of the matter is that they do… and they have not always been here.
Mathematics, gravity, DNA, trees, and oceans are realities which came to be from a starting point.
And the fact that each had a beginning implies a Designer outside of themselves — One who is personal, rational, and intelligent. For design needs to have a transcendent designer! Someone who chooses to create… Who has a purpose for creating! And from what we can all see (through sunrises, flowers, cardinals, and babies), this design is so good. Therefore, our designer is good.
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Paul (Romans 1:20; ~AD 56)
Goodness, Love, and Justice
You see — this world is most certainly not an illusion. But it’s not random, either. This is all here, on purpose! It was planned! Why? Because love begets more love.
One notable example of God’s goodness (showing His good character) is the good design of creation. Every human born experiences a real world intentionally designed for him or her to not only breathe air, feel love, and observe the beauty of a sunrise, but he or she can flourish here. Like a parent who prepares a room in his or her home for a baby yet to be born, God has given us a world in which we can grow, move, create, steward, and enjoy. Through what we all can see, we all know that this goodness implies love, because love is good.
The love and community we desire and enjoy existed before it was created. Per Christian Apologist Francis Schaeffer, “The universe had a personal beginning — a personal beginning on the high order of the Trinity. That is, before ‘in the beginning’ the personal was already there. Love and thought and communication existed prior to the creation of the heavens and the earth. Modern man is deeply plagued by the question ‘Where do love and communication come from?’” (Genesis in Space and Time, p.21).
Schaeffer continues, ‘In the beginning’ is a technical term stating the fact that at this particular point of sequence there is a creation ex nihilo — a creation out of nothing. All that is, except for God himself who already has been, now comes into existence. Before this, there was a personal existence — love and communication. Prior to the material universe (whether we think of it as mass or energy), before the creation of all else, there is love and communication. This means that love and communication are intrinsic. And hence, when modern man screams for love and communication (as he so frequently does), Christians have an answer: There is value to love and value to communication because it is rooted into what intrinsically always has been” (p.24).
Both Love and Community were enjoyed by God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit is evident in how God made us. Love needed to have existed outside of us, prior to us, in order for it to be a part of our purpose. Purpose implies that a design exists. And design shows that a transcendent designer exists. To add to this — a personal creation demonstrates a personal designer is necessary.
As Schaeffer so eloquently demonstrates, God needs to be both personal to create, and has to be three persons in order to BE love. Throughout Scripture, both the Old and New Testaments, God is shown to be one Being (or Essence = God) and multi-personal (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). You see, God by definition is perfect, holy, and necessary. God should not need anything (aseity). However, a God who needs something is lacking something and therefore is not perfect. Therefore, any God who needs to create something to love is lacking love. This type of God consists of 1 Person, which shows us the necessity of why God needs to be Triune — The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been loving one another from eternity past. There is no lack in God. Instead, they created out of love, to share their love, for the purpose of love.
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” Genesis 1:26
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
Because our designer IS love, we are all created with love in mind. It’s a common attribute we all share. Humanity can communicate through smiles, hugs, handshakes, and poetry, and we all witness a deep need within us all to love and to be loved.
And yet, you might be asking the very logical question: Then why do we hurt one another? Why do we need the justice system (police, courts, jails, etc.)?
Humanity was gifted free will…but because of our choice to follow our own hearts instead of God’s ways, we are steadfastly prone to want justice handed out as we want it to be. We arrogantly think everything revolves around us!
I guess you can say that instead of wanting what is best for us, we want to “do it [our] way.” 🎶 And when we don’t get what we want— we blame God for our choices.
God being Love (love isn’t God, btw) logically points to His goodness. And His goodness coincides with His justice.
For a good God needs to be a just God (impartial, holy, and perfect). A God who is partial and needy is not good and cannot be trusted.
But God can be trusted because He is Good = Love = Just.
What is Real?
What is real is that you are loved and are created with a very important purpose. You are created to be loved and to love. You and I were created to know God. When we allow ourselves to think deeply and logically (in times of boredom and retreat away from our phones, tv’s, and computers), we can know that we really do have this need for love and that only God can meet that real need.
God has demonstrated His character to us through both His good design and His faithfulness to keep His promise to save us. In His wisdom, God knew we would need His words written down for future generations so that they and we could learn more about His character (and our need for salvation), through what has happened in History.
But God, because of His faithful and charitable love, didn’t leave us in the mess WE created.
It was Jesus’ mission to be the “second Adam” (1 Cor 15) — tempted as Adam was (and as we are) but without sin. Jesus lived a sinless life on behalf of all of humanity. Friends, Jesus didn’t come to abolish the Law, he came to “fulfill” it! (Matt 5). Something only God could do!
The Judge of every soul was judged on our behalf (Isaiah 53:5-6; Jn 5). The good Shepherd willingly laid his life down for his sheep (Jn 10; Matt 26:24). The Author of life defeated death (Acts 3:15; 1 Cor 15). His righteous work — as a substitute for our sin-stained works (2 Cor 5:21). All of this was planned! It was Jesus’ mission!
Friends, this good news God has given humanity is not a myth… It took place in real time and space (AD 33). It can be examined historically. And it has tremendous purpose — our Salvation! What God has done for us is the greatest act of love humanity has ever witnessed! It was not deserved. Nor can it be earned. It is a free gift of God to us (Eph 2:1-9).
“He suffered as God because only God had the power to save; He suffered as Man because only man owed the debt.” – Michael Horton
To summarize why this world is not an illusion (nor left to the survival of the fittest):
- Something cannot come from nothing.
- Impersonal cannot design personal.
- Unconsciousness cannot produce consciousness.
- Chaos cannot create order.
- Goodness is demonstrated through design.
- Goodness implies a loving designer.
- Love implies a just, fair, and faithful creator.
- And creator implies owner, King, and judge.
Friends, think upon these things. This world is not an illusion, and neither is the good news God has given us! The Creator of the universe, photosynthesis, the honeybee’s waggle dance, and our DNA, is our very present help in need (Ps 46). The King of Kings is our hope and our salvation. By trusting in the historical reality of what He has done for you and me, we are freely able to know God and His goodness, freely. Why choose any other way? It’s available to ALL who call upon Him (Romans 10).
“In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” John (1 John 4:10)
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” Paul (Philippians 4:4-9).
Recommended resources:
Amazon:
In this book, you’ll:
- Understand like never before how Jesus—the most significant person in history—changed the world and why he still matters today.
- Learn how to think like a cold-case detective by using an innovative and unique “fuse and fallout” investigative strategy, which you can also use to examine other claims of history.
- Explore and learn how to respond to common objections to Christianity.
Creative, compelling, and fully illustrated, Person of Interest will strengthen the faith of believers while engaging those who are skeptical and distrusting of the New Testament gospel accounts.
Amazon:
Biblical Christianity is more than just another private religious view. It’s more than just a personal relationship with God or a source of moral teaching.
Christianity is a picture of reality.
It explains why the world is the way it is. When the pieces of this puzzle are properly assembled, we see the big picture clearly. Christianity is a true story of how the world began, why the world is the way it is, what role humans play in the drama, and how all the plotlines of the story are resolved in the end.
In The Story of Reality, bestselling author and host of Stand to Reason, Gregory Koukl, explains the five words that form the narrative backbone of the Christian story. He identifies the most important things that happen in the story in the order they take place:
- God
- Man
- Jesus
- Cross
- Resurrection
If you are already a Christian, do you know and understand the biblical story? And for those still seeking answers to the questions of life, this is an invitation to hear a story that explains the world in a way nothing else will. This story can change your life forever.
Hold Fast Apologetics 