Why Some Find it Hard to Believe in God

Often times, I have wondered why so many people dismiss God as a possibility in their life, and I can only think that part of this rejection is because of all the traits that people believe God possesses. They think of man's attributes, and then think of God and how He is eternal- with no beginning and no end. I also think that God's other attributes, such as omnipresence (present everywhere), omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), immutable (without change), transcendence (outside of space and time) make Him even harder to comprehend and believe in. For, how could any being be eternal and possess all of these other attributes?

I once heard a story (not sure, if real or how much I have created myself) that I would like to relate to you as best I can remember; which is probably not great. The story is about a doctor who was passing through a wooded area when he comes upon a bear who was caught in a trap and in pain. Being a doctor he felt that he could help. Living nearby, he goes home and retrieves his medical bag, and returns. Upon returning to the bear in need, he pulls out of his medical supply bag a needle with a drug meant to put the animal to sleep so that he could then free the bear from the trap. The bear though, could not comprehend that someone might want to help or how, and therefore would not let the doctor anywhere near him. The bear could only think that the man meant him harm and continually lashed out at him as it's defense. After some time, the doctor realized that he was never going to be able to achieve the goal he had wanted to achieve and decides to leave.

After reflection on this story (partially made up), I thought it showed the distinct difference between a bear and a man. The man, who had intelligence, knowledge and reasoning, etc, was at a much different level of understanding and abilities than the bear, and because of this the bear could not understand that the man's intent was only to help, and not to hurt. This is true to even a much greater extent between God and man. God is several levels higher than man, and possesses abilities and traits that we cannot understand or even fathom. This differential is far greater than the difference between the lower level of life and man. But this should not mean that we should rule out God as a possibility, just because we cannot understand or think that no one can possess these phenomenal characteristics. Many people rule out the possibility that any being could create the universe or all mankind, simply because they could not possibly possess these powers. The interesting thing is that God created man with many capabilities, but He also created man to not be able to fully understand Him; but rather to be in awe of Him.

So, it takes a bit of faith to believe that God is who He says He is. If you have ever read the Bible you know that many writings by different authors of Jesus' time on earth report Jesus' miracles with incredibly similar accounts. Jesus (the Son of God) is reported in the Bible as having recorded 40 different miracles, including the raising of the dead on three different occasions. Additionally, the Bible also has many different reports by many authors of the following: 1) Jesus' death on the cross for the forgiveness of our sins, 2) His resurrection from the dead on the third day (as previously predicted by Him), 3) His post resurrection appearances on 12 different occasions to 1-500 people each time, and 4) His ascension back to Heaven on the 40th day after His resurrection; as viewed by His disciples. As mentioned previously, all of these events were written by several people of His time, and have been validated as true by biblical scholars throughout the years.

Jesus always claimed to be the "Son of God," and also claimed that He was there with His Father at the time of the Creation of the Universe and all mankind. If Jesus could perform all of the miracles/deeds that He did (His 40 reported miracles, His resurrection from the dead after his crucifixion on the cross, His 12 post-resurrection appearances, and His ascension into heaven as viewed by others), why is it so hard to believe that God His Father has all of the attributes attributed to Him. It just takes some knowledge of the Bible and Jesus Christ to understand that God is who He says He is, and does truly have powers beyond our comprehension. But the beautiful part of this is that God the Father and His Son Jesus both claim that there will be an Eternal life for man after their death; either in Heaven or in the fires of Hell. Jesus said while on earth that, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” This means that eternal life in Heaven comes through a belief and faith in Jesus Christ. To believe in Jesus means that 1) You believe in who Jesus was, and is - the 'Son of God', 2) That you believe that Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of all of our past and future sins, 3) That He was resurrected from the dead by His Father on the 3rd day, and 4) That Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer.

To get an initial understanding of the value of both the Bible and life of Jesus Christ, please go the the website home page and read the article "Why Believe in the Bible and the Life of Jesus Christ." It is an investment of 10-15 minutes of your time that can possibly change your life. Use the GO TO HOMEPAGE link below.

References

Bible (New King James Version)

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