There is a Creator God
Two thousand years ago, the apostle Paul lived in a culture which was utterly opposed to the truth claims of Christ. But he was confident that there is a truth that every human being knows:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what is made, so that men are without excuse. (Romans 1:20, emphasis mine)
The glory of creation, from the vast scale of the universe to the complexity of every cell, proclaims that there is a Creator God. One pinhead of DNA could hold enough information to fill a stack of books stretching from the earth to the moon 500 times. God has left His signature in every cell.
We’re not just products of chance and matter, we’re not just on a continuum with other parts of nature. Human beings, created in the image of God, have unique dignity. Those who wrongly take innocent human life will have to give account to the Giver of Life (Genesis 9:6).
There is Absolute Morality
God’s moral law reflects His perfect and righteous character, it is engraved on every human conscience:
“… justice is the cornerstone, the foundation of the universe! … We are born with a sense of justice in our souls; we can’t and don’t want to live without it!”
To deny the existence of the Creator God leads to moral relativism, which collapses all too quickly into nihilism. To believe that everything is really only matter or energy offers no firm foundation for meaning, morality, love or hope. In a culture without God and without hope, we see an epidemic of mental illness, self–harm, and suicide attempts.
To deny the existence of the Creator God leads to moral relativism, which collapses all too quickly into nihilism. To believe that everything is really only matter or energy offers no firm foundation for meaning, morality, love or hope. In a culture without God and without hope, we see an epidemic of mental illness, self–harm, and suicide attempts.
In practise, even if we claim that morality is relative, we’re outraged if our bank account is hacked, our car is stolen, we are mugged, or our child is bullied. God’s righteous character is unchanging. The moral law, based on His character, is true for all peoples, at all times, and in all places.
There is Ultimate Truth
Today we have seen the dangerous erosion of the concept of universal truth. But our Creator God is the God of reason and truth. His creation reveals His power, glory and infinite wisdom. The extraordinary complexity of the design of every part of our universe reveals rational design. Logic, mathematics, and musical principles are not invented by humans. They are hardwired into the way things are. They are there to be discovered. Western civilisation was built on the Christian foundation: the belief that God’s creation is an objective reality that can be studied. Humans created in God’s image have the capacity to investigate and reason. The first universities were all Christian foundations.
Speaking of ‘my truth’ or ‘your truth’ undermines confidence in universal truth. Yes, we each have our own unique experiences and stories. But we need to be able to test truth claims on the basis of evidence.
There is a basis for human dignity, freedom and flourishing
The biblical worldview is the only firm basis for human dignity. Every person has value, because each one has been created in the image of God. The Bible teaches the unity of the human race: we all come from the same first parents. Racism is always to be opposed. To view people primarily according to the group to which they belong reduces the likelihood of respecting them for who they are. The universal respect due to all humans is lost. The particular respect due to individuals due to their own character, virtue, or achievement is lost as well.
The biblical worldview is the only solid foundation for real freedom. No government, academic institution, or employer, has the authority to tell us what to think. We will each answer to God.
And the biblical worldview provides the structures for societal flourishing. In a sinful world, God still provides blessing to all. He ordained the institutions which bring stability and help restrain evil. Family, work, civil authorities; each have been impacted by sin, but they are God’s provision for our good. Overthrowing them only leads to social disintegration and greater unhappiness.
There is hope for the future!
Without God, hope is eclipsed. Today many are gripped with fear of environmental damage, civil unrest, escalating terrorism, correspondingly authoritarian governments, and deadlier pandemics. Some resolve never to bring children into this world.
But Christ is King! His victory over Satan at the Cross is being worked out in the present age as His enemies are brought into submission. As history progresses we see the spread of the gospel and the hostility of Satan advancing together (Revelation 12:17). But Jesus Christ is Lord of history, He is King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19:16; 1:5). The defiance of earthly rulers is futile (Psalms 2; 110; 1 Corinthians 15:25).
That confidence has inspired those Christians who have fought most energetically against abuses in society. During the nineteenth century, Josephine Butler (1828–1906) campaigned fearlessly against sexual exploitation of women and children, and secured the protection for girls of the raising of the age of consent to the age of sixteen. She was confident that:
There is no evil in the world so great that God cannot raise up to meet it a corresponding glory that will blaze it out of countenance.
Our Triune God will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:6). His purposes cannot be thwarted. When Christ returns He will bring about complete justice and the restoration of the whole creation. Until that time, the free offer of the Gospel is open to all.
Without God, we can have no hope in the face of death. But Christians have everything to look forward to! No wonder the great missionary Adoniram Judson said near the end of his life:
When Christ calls me home, I shall go with the gladness of a boy bounding away from his school.
