We Need to Know Who God Is

ARE you not thrilled to see a star-studded sky on a cloudless night? Is not the fragrance of colorful flowers delightful? Do you not enjoy listening to the songs of birds and the sound of rustling leaves in a gentle breeze? And how fascinating are powerful whales and other creatures that inhabit the sea! Then there are humans with their faculty of conscience and an amazingly complex brain. How do you account for the existence of all the wonderful things that surround us?

Some believe that all of this is a product of blind chance. But if this is so, why are humans conscious of God? Why would an accidental combination of various chemicals produce creatures with a spiritual need?

“Religion is deeply rooted in human nature and experienced at every level of economic status and educational background.” This statement summed up the research that Professor Alister Hardy presented in his book The Spiritual Nature of Man. Recent experiments on the brain have led certain neuroscientists to suggest that humans may have been “hardwired” with the capacity for religion. The book entitled Is God the Only Reality? observes: “The religious quest for meaning . . . is the common experience in every culture and every age since the emergence of humankind.”

Consider what a learned man concluded some 2,000 years ago. He wrote: “Every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God.” (Hebrews 3:4) In fact, the very first verse of the Bible states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”​—Genesis 1:1.

Who, though, is God? Mankind is divided on this question. When asked who God is, a Japanese teenager named Yoshi replied: “I am not sure. I am a Buddhist, and it has not been important for me to know who God is.” Yoshi, though, admitted that Buddha himself is deified by many. Nick, a businessman in his 60’s, believes in God and thinks of him as an all-powerful force. When asked to explain what he knows about God, Nick replied after a long pause: “That is a very difficult question, my friend. All I can say is that God is there. He exists.”

 Some people “worship and serve what God has created instead of the Creator himself.” (Romans 1:25, Today’s English Version) Millions worship dead ancestors, believing that God is too remote to be approached. In the Hindu religion, there are many gods and goddesses. Various deities, such as Zeus and Hermes, were worshiped in the days of Jesus Christ’s apostles. (Acts 14:11, 12) Many churches of Christendom teach that God is a Trinity, consisting of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, “there are many ‘gods’ and many ‘lords,’” states the Bible. However, it adds: “There is actually to us one God the Father, out of whom all things are.” (1 Corinthians 8:5, 6) Yes, there is only one true God. But who is he? What is he like? It is important for us to know the answers to these questions. Jesus himself said in prayer to this One: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” (John 17:3) There is reason to believe that our eternal welfare depends on knowing the truth about God.

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What accounts for their existence?

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Whale: Courtesy of Tourism Queensland

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COVER: Index Stock Photography © 2002