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A: A number
of skeptics ask this question. But God by definition is the uncreated Creator
of the universe, so the question "Who created God?" is illogical, just like "To
whom is the bachelor married?" So a more sophisticated questioner might ask: "If the universe needs a
cause, then why doesn't God need a cause? And if God doesn't need a cause,
why should the universe need a cause?" In reply, Christians should use the
following reasoning:
1.
Everything
which has a beginning has a cause.
2.
The
universe has a beginning.
3.
Therefore
the universe has a cause.
Its important to stress the words in bold type. The universe
requires a cause because it
had a beginning, as will be shown below.
God, unlike the universe, had no beginning, so doesn't need a cause.
In addition, Einstein's general relativity, which has much experimental
support, shows that time is linked to matter and space. So time itself
would have begun along with matter and space.
Since God, by definition, is the Creator of the whole universe, he is
the Creator of time. Therefore He is not limited by the time dimension He
created, so has no beginning in time God is the high and lofty One
that lives forever (Isaiah
57:15). Therefore He doesn't have a
cause.
In contrast, there is good evidence that the universe had a beginning. One way this can be shown from the Laws of Thermodynamics, the most
fundamental laws of the physical sciences.
▪ 1st Law: The total amount of
mass-energy in the universe is constant.
▪ 2nd Law: The amount of energy available
for work is running out, or entropy is increasing to a maximum.
If the total amount of mass-energy is limited, and the amount of usable
energy is decreasing, then the universe cannot have existed forever,
otherwise it would already have exhausted all usable energy of the universe. For example, all radioactive atoms would have decayed,
every part of the universe would be the same temperature, and no further work
would be possible.
So the obvious corollary is that the universe began a finite time ago
with a lot of usable energy, and is now running down.
Now, what if the questioner accepts that the universe had a beginning,
but not that it needs a cause? But it is self-evident that things that begin
have a cause no-one really denies it in his heart. All science and history
would collapse if this law of cause and effect were denied. So would all law
enforcement, if the police didn't think they needed to find a cause for a
stabbed body or a burgled house. Also, the universe cannot be self-caused nothing can create itself,
because that would mean that it existed before it came into existence, which
is a logical absurdity.
Q: Will people who never
had an opportunity to hear about Jesus be sent to hell? If so, how do we
explain the "unfairness" of this judgment by a God who loves the
world and wants all to be saved?
A:
You are expressing the same kind of thoughts that probably come to the
mind of most Christians. We rejoice at every mention of people hearing the
gospel, being brought to trust Jesus, and becoming citizens of heaven. We also
grieve because so many in this world do not enjoy these blessings, and we feel
particularly bad when their religious environment fosters and perpetuates
ignorance and unbelief. This brings us no joy but rather highlights the
importance of mission work and evangelism by all Christians.
Regarding the
"unevangelized" or those who never heard of Christ, we must affirm
that they, like everyone else, were born in an inherited sinful condition and
live their lives as sinners who need
forgiveness to be saved. We also affirm
that Christ is the only revealed Savior for all mankind. There are no
exceptions to this. On the basis of clear Scripture, then, we understand that
all people need faith in Christ, and that faith in Christ is given by God
through the gospel. In saying this we acknowledge that, if he saw fit to do so,
God could create faith in people's hearts without using the gospel, or he could
devise other ways and means for saving them if that were his will. We merely
report that God throughout Scripture reveals that he works through the gospel
to create faith and that this faith is necessary for personal salvation.
It would be presumptuous for us to
assume that the unevangelized are nevertheless headed for heaven. This idea is
not based on Scripture. It is quite popular and emotionally pleasing, of
course, and we fully understand the motives in adopting such a position.
However, we bind ourselves to Scripture alone for doctrine and simply say that
there are things we do not fully understand and cannot fully explain—this
subject is one of those. To say it bluntly, here we are in the realm of the
unsearchable judgments of God. That is where we should leave this kind of
speculation.
We are given the assurance that God is
a compassionate God, whose judgments are fair (Psalm 103:8-11). We make this
the basis of our convictions about what is fair or not fair; whatever God does
is fair and right, and good. What "seems fair" to our limited minds
and emotions is not to be made the standard of truth.
The way a person seeks to respond to a
question like, "What about people who are never exposed to the gospel of
Jesus Christ?" tells us a lot about how that person does theology. If we
limit ourselves to Scripture alone, we do not have a lot to say about this. We
will stress what God has graciously revealed to us and admit our limitations.
And we will recommit ourselves to witnessing and the support of mission work.
But if we are willing to manufacture other answers that strike us as reasonable
or emotionally satisfying, lots of ideas are possible. I sincerely pray that we
never take that route, but entrust these issues to the gracious Lord who will
answer our questions when we get to glory. "For we know in part and we
prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears . . .
" (1 Corinthians 13:9-12). (WELS.net)
The Next Sermon Series
Tough Questions Christians Hope No One Asks Them
May 11, 2014 Why
should I believe God sends people to hell?
ACTS: Be Part
of the Movement
May 18, 2014 Confirmation Weekend
May 25, 2014 ACTS – Acts 5:12-16 Supernatural
Attraction
June 1, 2014 ACTS – Acts 5:17-42 No
Lock Strong Enough
June 8, 2014 ACTS – 6:1-7 Time To Grow
June 15, 2014 ACTS – 6:8-15 Stephen’s Stand
I look forward to seeing you this weekend!
Pastor John Parlow
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