There are three questions I often ask myself when I think about why I believe what I believe.
First, is there a God? Since 90 percent of Americans believe in God, I go along with the majority and answer, “Yes.” There are few true atheists.
Second question: Is God able to communicate with us? I reason that if God created us to be able to communicate with each other, then he certainly is able to communicate with us.
Third question: Has God communicated with human beings so that we can know him and know what he requires of us? This last question is huge.
Personally, I would have nothing to do with God or religion if God had not let us know who he is and what he requires. I certainly would not attend religious services, let alone show up at a church at Christmas or Easter or a synagogue on a High Holy Day, as millions do.
If God has not revealed himself to us, we are left to our own devices and imagination to try and figure out who God is and how it is possible for us to know him, which is what most people do. They come up with their own ideas about God, which means they have created their own gods.
But how can any thinking person do this? It is the same as fashioning an idol out of wood or stone and then worshipping it. It is sheer nonsense, but for some reason, when it comes to God and religion, people do not think logically or rationally.
I am a person of faith who believes that God has revealed himself to us in three main ways: First, through his creation. David, the great king of Israel, wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands” (Psalms 19:1).
God also has revealed himself to us through his word, the Bible. I firmly believe that God worked through the human authors of the Torah or the Old Testament, the book of Israel, which, if taken alone, leaves many unanswered questions. That is why God has also given us the New Testament, the book that completes the story.
Many have scoffed at the notion that the Bible is the word of God, as if God were unable to give us such a record. But those who truly believe in God should not find it difficult to believe that God is capable of working through human authors to give us the truth he wants us to know. What kind of a God would he be if he couldn’t pull this off?
The third way God revealed himself to us was by taking upon himself a human form and becoming a man. Isaiah, one of the great prophets of Israel, wrote, “For to us a child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God …” (Isaiah 9:6).
The child who was to be born refers to the humanity of the Messiah. The son that was to be given refers to the deity of the Messiah. Thus, this one would be “Mighty God” himself who had become human.
To think that God has made himself known to us so that we might know him and walk in his light … there is nothing greater.
This belief has changed my life.
The Rev. Dr. David Nichols is the senior pastor of Spanish River Church, 2400 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, 561-994-5000.
