The following is a series of arguments meant to address the frequent questions that arise as to the nature and

character of the God of the Bible, and the trustworthiness of the Bible itself. No argument, however, is ever
meant to definitively and conclusively convince someone of the things expressed in the contents here, but
rather to help aid one's reasoning as to the sureness and validity of what is here being argued for.

The common questions addressed include the following:

* If God is good, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?
* If God is good, why doesn't he interfere openly in human affairs?
* Can God be known?
* What proof is there of God caring for his creatures?
* Does the naturalistic view of life and reality dismiss or discredit the need for God?
* Is God evident?
* Does the Bible use circular reasoning?

The series of arguments that the following will present will also appeal to a particular niche audience, that
being one familiar with the video game world, and the world of super heroes in action comics, so some of the
terms and references used in here are particularly for that audience to be able to relate to and for them to
better see the similarities in light of their understanding and familiarity with these two genres.

However, the arguments can also be understood and interpreted to any other audience. The 4 arguments
presented may also use recurring themes, and have similar points one to another, and although all four
arguments can be taken as a collective piece, they can also stand alone on their own.

The Argument From Chaos

________________________

The naturalistic world view starts out by attributing a set starting point from which the known forces of
nature, with its somewhat understood laws, arose from. Common knowledge today has understood it to be
four known forces, namely: the gravitational force, the electromagnetic force, the strong nuclear force, and
the weak nuclear force.

Laws denote order, over time these four forces of nature interacted, so it is believed in the naturalistic world
view, to form structures and to create the stellar bodies with their unique properties, eventually (so it is also
believed), to give the Earth itself its unique properties among the cosmos.

The naturalistic world view then dismisses God as being needed to be the Creator at all, because, it is argued,
the laws of nature have done and can already do what God is not needed for. Energy itself is subjected to
specific certainty throughout time, it is expected to behave and carry out its properties in a certain way. The
laws of nature rely on symmetry and conservation to be in effect, so that the structured universe can continue
to be discerned and properly understood, not only for the past, and in the present, but for the future.

This view, in short, ascribes to nature, which is not an entity in itself, to be in place of God as the only needed
creative force behind everything that is known or seen. With this view, however, one must take for granted
precisely the nature of what is seen and observed in reality, which is contrary to the naturalistic world view.

Structure, balance, harmony, and symmetry cannot be present in pure chaos. Continuity itself, which is an
expectation within the natural laws, cannot be present within true chaos.
Chaos itself, as to what it is often described as being, or theorized about, is not true chaos to begin with
because even in the accepted models of a chaos theory, there are patterns that emerge, there is some
semblance of structure, there is some symmetry that arises.

All these are due to it being taken for granted once again that models of chaos are expected to work and be
made sense of within a framework of a structured and ordered universe.

When thinking about what things in the natural world may reflect chaos, some things may come to mind such
as the erratic display of lightning, or the flames of a fire. These two things, however, even among their
irregularity still show some form and consistency, there is still a pattern that may be discerned, and for this
reason both lightning and a raging fire can be mimicked in art.

There is a recognizability to lightning and an unstable fire, both can be simulated, and despite some elements
in them that would otherwise seem chaotic, they still can have a notable form and behavior.

However, in a purely chaotic universe, where reality is not synched in to any expectations from natural laws,
neither lightning nor fire would have any semblance of form or of behavior.

There are four things in which the visible elements in nature that make up our reality work within. They work
within the three dimensions of space - height, width, and length, as well as within time.

In a purely chaotic universe, the familiar shape, from which the branches of an electric charge stem out into,
would not retain their shape and familiar structure, nor would lightning itself be expected to be immediate. In
reality, lightning is as quick as the blink of an eye, it does not slowly prod down into the ground for lengthy
periods, nor does it stay in a fixed place from which it can be observed.

Lightning itself, therefore, in a chaotic universe, may linger for longer periods of time, and then retain its
quickness, or it may go up at one time, or sideways without any attraction whatsoever, as lightning is known
to behave in reality.

Flames, likewise, may hold no semblance of anything that even an artist would know to then simulate. In a
universe of chaos, what one day may be called lightning, may the next day be referred to as flames of fire.
There is absolutely no expectation of consistency in height, width, length, or amount of time. It would be
purely chaotic in its truest form.

Perhaps, once again, the very nature of absolute chaos is taken for granted, because using examples found in
reality to describe a non-existing one, is harder to grasp and conceive in one's mind. However, we can make
an appeal to the virtual world to pick up resemblances of chaos, due to the term found in the video game and
software world known as glitches.

Video games try to simulate virtual, non-existing worlds, some of them are so creative, that the laws of nature
are non-existent, yet even among those which are supposed to be fantastic and other worldly within its game,
they still have principles and properties that do not solely rely on chaos.

For the games that are specifically meant to be a pseudo-simulation of the real world, the laws of nature are
mimicked and the proportions and distances that exist in the real world are also simulated as best they can.
Yet glitches occur which show what chaos would be like also in the real world, if such a thing as chaos were
to be dominant at all.

These glitches can include a character in motion suddenly getting stuck before they open a door, or a
character appearing and disappearing somewhere else other than where they were meant to be. Particle
effects that linger, or show up unexpectedly, and extreme distortions of proportion and size.
In addition, glitches may produce jumps or skips in time, or indeed, the opposite, they might regress a game
to a previous point. Colors might be off, and random ones appear in their place, as well as a speed up or slow
down in the expected action.

In reality, if there was no order or structure set to the universe, glitches would not only be expected, but
would be the norm. Imagine the absurdity of everyday life if nothing in nature, or even time, could be relied
upon or expected.

Rivers might flow northward one day, and west the next. The Sun may head west one day, but south the next.
One day in the Summer might be 90 degrees, the next it might be 90 below zero. Such extremes in
temperature would surely be noticed and put to question as to why they fluctuated so greatly.

One day we may be seeing in front of us, the next, we might be seeing from ground level looking up. We
may aim to head one way out the door, but appear right back where we started without any input of our will.
Indeed, in a universe of chaos, there would be no will. Nothing would be sure or secure, everything would be
unexpected, and there would be no consistency in anything in nature.

Yet, this is not what we see and experience. The laws of nature are in place - we observe and experience
every day, to suit us, and to favor our reality. We live and exist within an order, not chaos.

Order has maximums, there are limitations, barriers. Motion within the natural world has a recognizable
distance that it travels through over time, so therefore we can know how much distance something in motion
has travelled through. It is considered to travel fast, or slow, depending on how much distance, or lack of
distance, was covered within a given time. This is not possible to detect or know within a universe where
pure chaos exists.

If chaos were dominant, there would be no up or down, no left or right, no height, nor width from which to
ascertain if any object has altered its course or its point in space. In chaos, if the destination itself changed,
there would be no sense of coming or going. There would be no such thing as stationary points, there would
be no way at all to judge a point of reference.

If one heads from New York to Miami in the real world, one expects the destination point to be fixed and
stationary, but this would not be true in a world of chaos, Miami might change its point to meet up closer to
New York, or, as one is travelling to Miami, the destination might randomly extend itself by a thousand
miles. The points would alter at unpredictable levels.

When we consider shapes, or symmetry - which in certain models of chaos some symmetry is discerned - this
would not be in effect, however, in true chaos, because what may resemble a circular pattern one moment,
may the next become a square pattern, or a triangle, next a line, and followed by a rectangle.

There would be no symmetry in pure chaos, since once again, height, length, and width are only to be
expected within an ordered universe. Squares, triangles, circles, lines, and rectangles all have a known
structure and form within the ordered universe. In pure chaos, the four lines that combine to form the shape
of a square would not be present at all.

Order would absolutely break down, and would not last for even a second. The things we see and observe in
reality, are ordered and structured, they have fixed points, and they have set barriers from which we can
discern reality itself.

The temperatures we experience have barriers, they might be below zero in the most extreme temperatures,
and above 140 F in the opposite extreme. The Earth has many volcanoes, but it is taken for granted that the
surging temperatures present in a volcano do not threaten us over our atmosphere. There is an order, a barrier
that heat itself is subject to within our present lives.
The colors our eyes detect are themselves ordered and have set barriers. The visible spectrum does not stretch
out infinitely; for us, the barrier is from red to where violet again shifts into red, along the way there is
yellow, and orange, and green, and blue, and purple. Light itself would not form any semblance of a rainbow
in a chaotic universe.

Musical notes themselves have a fixed pattern, and once again are able to repeat, just as color does, from one
note to the next. They change in pitch, from a low sound to a high sound. Music rests on a firm structure, it
relies on order.

What again, would even have a resemblance of true chaos within our created instruments? In the now old
black and white television sets, if left on a channel with no signal, all that would remain is static, the image
on the screen would be a random noise and have no semblance of structure or order.

Yet within those black and white pixels, it is essentially possible for any type of image to be made in black
and white, but no matter how long one would stare at a screen full of static, it would never resemble anything
of complexity, as a detailed image that a black and white television would be able to transmit had it been on
an actual channel.

That would be from just static, but in reality, in a universe of pure chaos, not even static would be as
consistent as in a black and white TV. The noise itself that the TV would put out would never simulate any
actual voice, speech, or music. Pure chaos cannot create any order, or any structure.

When one looks at the stars, they are in order, though they have their peculiar courses throughout the time of
the year, yet they are within the bounds of their barriers. We can rely on the fixed place of the stars
constantly, which is another thing taken for granted with the vast number of stars that exist. Imagine trying to
make order or structure out of that static on the TV again, it wouldn't be possible, but for all the stars, despite
their immense number, symmetry can be found, and consistency, there is a known structure to what is seen
and observed.

Do all these things, then, point to, or away from a creator? Do these things indicate that nature, with its
randomness, and chaos, dominate by themselves? Or, rather, that there is an overseer to all of this, and there
is one who has set all things in order, and in motion, and has given structure to all things and gave them
consistency in order to be relied upon?

It is the God of the Bible who openly declares to be that One Creator of all things. The One who has given
structure, order, and consistency to our universe.

This God, is the very God of order and reality. Without him nothing can consist, not any structure, not any
form, not any semblance of any thing.

In the Bible, we read -

Colossians 1:16-17

"For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

2Esdras 6:45-46
"Upon the fourth day thou commandedst that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars
should be in order: And gavest them a charge to do service unto man, that was to be made."

The way any thing can consist, is only within the barriers of space and time, the barriers set and determined
by almighty God himself, and none other.

Job 26:10

"He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end."

All of our lives have bounds themselves within space and time, according to what the most High has
determined beforehand.

Isaiah 44:7

"And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people?
and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them."

Acts 17:26

"And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined
the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;"

Job 14:5

"Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that
he cannot pass;"

Under chaos there is no purpose, life has no determined end, but the God of order has, instead, determined a
purpose for all men, there is nothing chaotic about their formation, nor anything random about the intent to
which God has set men to be before him.

Revelation 21:6-7

"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that
is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be
his God, and he shall be my son."

A wonderful purpose, it is, then, and a wonderful destiny, to be made a son of God.

These things are only possible through the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was destined to be
the savior of all men, everywhere, by his blood, through his death and resurrection. No other god would so be
in awareness of the need of his creature, nor any other god compassionate of his offspring. Rather, the only
Father of all things, has, with his love towards all flesh, given a reconcilement for the world by faith in Jesus
Christ.

Acts 17:29-31

"Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or
silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he
hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Philippians 3:20-21

"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:

Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the
working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

1John 4:14-16

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.

And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love
dwelleth in God, and God in him."

Hebrews 13:20-21

"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep,
through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

The God of order, the God who has determined the purpose and intent in all things, by which all things
consist, has not allowed chaos to rule over all, but rather he has formed his creature, in man, to be an inheritor
of all things through his Son Jesus Christ.

The Argument From Logic

______________________________

Many people when discussing whether the God of the Bible exists or not, often invoke the term Logic to
somehow dismiss and dispel any further attempt at the conversation. Logic is relied on as this all-
encompassing term that somehow has been made to be its stand-alone descriptor, sometimes almost referred
to in a way as to make it its own entity.

Much is ascribed to it, and reputation placed on it, many times without the invoker of such a term being
themselves sure of what it means and what it constitutes.

What makes this invocation and appeal even more notorious, is the inability for someone to properly describe
or explain what logic is to begin with. There are many different answers, and many different theories itself of
just what exactly logic is or means, even though when the term is invoked it is supposed to automatically
register inside one's head as to what exactly it stands for or signifies.

Whether or not logic is agreed to on by various people who invoke it, or whether its definitions are concrete
and absolute, as opposed to abstract and subjective, the purpose of this piece here is to take the bold
assumption that, despite all these variations of the term, the term might yet be approached from a significant,
generally understood consensus, as to what it ultimately means.

To start out, let's first explore a little just what logic implies, and how we can prove and deduce that logic
cannot be fathomed properly without understanding its most basic of premises and assumptions.

Everything and anything that logic is based on is due to what can be known and certain in reality. Logic is
not held to functioning and existing within a paradigm where certain laws of nature, and certain expectations
within nature are not in place.

Logic demands a reasonable expectation, one cannot have any form of logic without first determining
whether or not there is a reasonable expectation to something. A cause and effect is postulated. If something
is this way, it is said, then it follows that something must then be that way, this is what logic must entail. If
something precedes, then something else must proceed. A starting point due to certain circumstances,
elements, or factors, must lead to an outcome of determinate, possible, and certain results.

Such a concept can be tried to be applied towards something mathematical and abstract, or something
physical and concrete.

The laws of nature are precisely called laws because they tend to be certain and concrete, they have a
reasonable expectation, and an expected outcome.

Within the laws of physics and motion there is an expected behavior towards objects as they interact between
themselves, and in how they behave within space and time. The causes and effects that arise, which are met
with certainty, are determined by what is already known and expected. Logic, therefore, is a principle which
always suggests that if something takes place, there is a result that can occur which may be determined.

Absurdity may be the antithesis of logic. It is interesting to note that while some often take liberties, if not a
jealous pleasure, in invoking logic, that these same individuals tend to shy away from, and refrain from using
its counterpart - in absurdity - as a means from which to determine how logic is valid in itself.

Absurdity then is avoided and shunned from being discussed in the same light; when logic is invoked it is not
met with its very contrast, which again, is absurdity.

The person who detests and rejects the God of the Bible often relies on stating that believing in the God of
the Bible is against all logic, and therefore nothing that is read in the Bible can be taken seriously. This is
done, in the pure ignorance that upon invoking logic, they are unaware that by doing so, they are setting up to
themselves standards which they admit to be adhering to, without ultimately being challenged to be
consistent in the very standards they have just set up.

So why would this be pure ignorance, and why is it an oxymoron to state that believing in the God of the
Bible is against all logic?

In order to understand the absurdity, let's appeal to the very laws of nature from which logic derives certainty,
and upon which it tries to have a foundation of credibility.

The Law of Gravity is one of the most basic known laws, in order to teach it to a child at its most
fundamental level it is usually explained with the simple saying, that "what goes up, must come down".
Sticking to the simplistic child's explanation, it is essentially stating that a certain action results in a certain
effect or outcome. There is an expectation there that a determined action will have an expected result that can
be relied on with certainty, if it so should be carried out again.
For the Law of Inertia, which is also one of the more popular known laws often learned as a child, it states
that an object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same
direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.

For any outcome there is first an expected starting point from which that ultimate outcome is deduced. Logic,
for the laws of nature, cannot work outside of time. Time is a key element, and crucial component, in order to
determine the validity of logic.

You cannot have expectation without time, expectation is dependent on time in order to have its premises
proven.

Without any expectations, there can be no logic, there has to be a reasonable expectation for what outcome
something will lead to.

When logic is applied, it ultimately tries to say something about the future, or of something that will follow
that is not yet known, but which may be discerned by what has already preceded. Logic relies on a reasonable
certainty of the past, and within the present, in order to possibly know what to expect in the future.

According to the Bible, there was an absolute beginning of all things, and along with that beginning God set
up an expected pattern to follow for all time. It was by God's deliberate creation that logic was first
established and authored. God first created light to be a separation from darkness, the first cycle of evening
and morning were the first day.

Genesis 1:1-5

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and
darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God
divided the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the
first day."

Time itself was something established by God right at the beginning, from which logic cannot operate or be
of any use if it cannot first rely on what has been; in the past, what is known - in the present, and what will
come and follow in the future. Time itself is ever on course, and what can be judged by it is itself taken for
granted when appealing to logic.

If time had no clear distinction of contrast, from evening and morning, from which God separated light from
darkness, there would be no system in place from which logic could make its appeal. We do not experience
two days of light, and then three days of night, nor do we experience four hours of daylight one day, and then
the next seventy two hours of darkness. In order to know how logic functions in the real world, one must first
appeal to absurdity.

The next separation and contrast God created was the division of waters from those above, to those below,
and he called this Heaven, what we know as the sky. The sky is our own point of reference, once again taken
for granted - that always points upwards. To appeal to absurdity again, we do not look down to see the sky,
nor is the sky in one place one day, and then the next day tilted at an extreme angle. Such things may sound
absurd, but without any reasonable expectation from what God has already established, logic cannot exist.

Genesis 1:6-8
"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the
waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters
which were above the firmament: and it was so.

And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."

Next, in God's creation, we read in Genesis, how God went about to separate the Heaven above, from the
Earth beneath, and he also separated the Earth from the waters, which he called Seas. Once again, Heaven,
Earth, and Seas were given a specific domain; which in the world of absurdity is taken for granted. In order
for logic to be relied upon, we have to have clear distinctions and separations between Heaven, Earth, and the
Seas. Without them, there would be no semblance of location, order, or stability.

Genesis 1:9-10

"And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land
appear: and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that
it was good."

A constantly wet Earth, exposed repeatedly to water, is no longer the dry land, and if the seas were ever being
filled with land, they would no longer be seas, and if the sky above failed in its heights due to ever bigger
mountains, and ever bigger seas, there would be no sense of the sky itself. All of these things are taken for
granted, but the very world in which we expect logic to function properly, is not a chaotic, unstable, unsure
mess, but rather a sure, and stable, and reasonably expected order.

This reasonably expected order was put in place by the most High, and he did so according to every thing's
unique separation, and within their workings in time, everything being contrasted against each other.

God also set lights to be indicators for the passages of time, he made them for signs, seasons, days, and years.
The stars in the sky are in harmony with the Earth, and in their cycles, we can establish the length of
centuries if need be, seasons on the Earth, our days, and years. We have a reasonable expectation in the
ordered mechanism that the most High established, in which we can discern the past, the present, and the
future, the very things which logic relies on.

Genesis 1:14-19

"And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let
them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made
the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it
was good.

And the evening and the morning were the fourth day."
Life itself, was given specific domains and had unique separations in their dwellings.

Genesis 1:20-23

"And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may
fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth
abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply
in the earth.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day."

God has also set the properties and boundaries of the elements and forces of nature to have a reasonable
expectation.

In Genesis 8:22, we read -

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night shall not cease."

Going into the world of absurdity, however, neither the cold of winter, nor the heat in summer, nor the day
and night that are ever present with us, can be relied upon. Yet in the ordered created world by the God of the
Bible, we see that logic itself is established by God himself. This God of the Bible, is that one and only
Creator of logic.

So to deny the God of the Bible, is to deny logic.

God has not only made sure that he ordered all things, from which can be taken comfort, and hope, and from
which we can have a reasonable expectation in our lives, but he has also given us a reasonable expectation
concerning life and death itself.

It is a grievance to man, that the poor on the Earth are often subject to the whims and power of the rich who
lack compassion on them. If, however, the God of the Bible was not the Creator of logic himself, then the
misery of the poor during their lives, and the painful existence to which they are submitted, will have no
consequence towards their oppressors, nor no reward for their burdens.

Yet, God has given a reasonable expectation to the poor of the Earth, and has set their hope to be one of
peace and joy for those who trust in him. Men also hope for their ill dealing at the hand of their oppressors,
who treated them without mercy, to be remembered, and for those who pressed them under their heel to be
one day pressed themselves by righteous justice.

Psalms 9:18

"For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever."

Psalms 62:5

"My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him."
Proverbs 10:28

"The hope of the righteous shall be gladness: but the expectation of the wicked shall perish."

Proverbs 23:17-18

"Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an
end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off."

God has given an assurance to all men, by his Son Jesus Christ, that all who believe in the gospel of Jesus
Christ that he died for their sins on the cross, so that they may be forgiven, and was raised to life on the third
day, will have everlasting life.

This eternal life, which is the reasonable expectation to all who place their hope and trust in Jesus Christ, is
the sureness which the God of the Bible, who is that one and true Creator of logic, has given.

Jeremiah 29:11-12

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give
you an expected end.

Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you."

Romans 8:18-21

"For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall
be revealed in us.

For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same
in hope,

Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of
the children of God."

It is to this wonderful and expected end, that the faith in Jesus Christ leads to, and of such great power, that
God has also assured that no man can take it away from them.

Romans 6:22-23

"But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the
end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord."

John 17:2-3

"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given
him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast
sent."

John 10:27-29
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's
hand."

Man appeals to logic in order to dismiss the God of the Bible, but as has been expressed here, to do so is
absurd, since it is the very God of the Bible who has given a reasonable expectation to all things that we can
experience. This is including man's actions, whether they are good, or whether they are evil. All men have
sinned, but the same God who has ordered and structured the universe to be a sure and reliable reality from
day to day, has sent his Son Jesus Christ to be the savior of the world.

Romans 3:23-26

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus."

From the beginning of all things, God has set man to have an eternal hope in his Son, that all who believe on
him have the right to access the glory and promises of eternal life that are kept up and reserved for the
faithful.

1John 5:11

"And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

1John 5:20

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

Revelation 3:5

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the
book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."

Revelation 21:6

"And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that
is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely."

God, who is the author of logic, has set in his Son the reasonable expectation, and the proper end, to which all
men who seek life in his Creation can hope to and see their peaceful rest.

The Argument From Authority

_________________________________
When discussing the Bible, and the God to which it testifies, there is often an immediate dismissal and
refusal to give the Bible any further consideration as to being valid, by objecting that using the Bible to prove
the Bible, and using God's own words to believe his own words, is circular reasoning.

Therefore, supposedly being circular reasoning, it is argued, neither the Bible, nor the words claimed to be by
the God of the Bible, can be taken seriously or believed in any capacity.

Is this the case? And if not, how can one show that this is not only faulty reasoning, but a denial of reality
itself?

This piece aims to address why the accusation of the Bible being used to prove the Bible as being circular
reasoning, is invalid. This piece will also aim to prove, that authority itself, upon which man relies on in
various aspects of life and in his world, is circular.

Immediately upon birth, an individual is named by their parents. At birth, we all first confront our most
immediate and present authority - our parents themselves, who usually have the task of naming us.

At birth, it is evident, that none of us name ourselves, indeed, we are most incapable of doing so.

So from the start of life, we immediately rely on someone else to have authority over us, from which our
name first derives.

The parents who name us are themselves not without names, they were given a name, and by who?
Themselves? Usually, it is by their own parents. Now, if we follow a line of their ancestry, how far in history
can we go, or do we have to go, in order to first know and establish where the parents of them all got their
own names from?

How does one know their name? Because their parents, or person in charge of them from birth named them.
Well, who named the parents' parents? From whom, or where, did they get their authority to name any
person? Did any of those children name themselves from birth?

Before we answer that, let's first step aside to raise an obvious possible objection one might have. What about
those individuals who at some point in their lives changed their given birth name, or for a legal, or artistic
reason went with a surname? What about those individuals who took it upon themselves to rename their
given birth name, or known name, to something they themselves have chosen?

Question: from whom do those individuals get their authority to do so? If it is for a legal reason, they have to
rely on a certain authorized body within the state or government they may be a part of. If so, from who then
do the state and government get their authority to establish someone's name? Who gave them such authority,
and why is it valid? Who has agreed or consented to their decree being authoritative?

In just a simple thing as a name, why should anyone else in the world recognize or consent to what someone
is either called or chooses to call themselves? On whose authority did the state or government, who lent
credence to a certain given name, get their validation from? Someone, had to establish and consent to their
authority, but who established it or consented to it?

Let's go back now, to assuming that an individual has named himself. From whom does he get his authority if
not himself? And if he does get his authority from himself, why should anyone else in the world consent or
agree to it? What validates his own naming via his own authority?

Now, let's go further back to the parents who named their children, and their parents' parents. Who was the
first ever named child, and who named them?
According to the Bible, the name of the first person was given to them, they did not name themselves, or do
so out of their own authority. That first person, that first parent, along with the first mother, was Adam.

Genesis 5:1-2

"This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made
he him;

Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were
created."

So now, since we can establish that the first parents were named, and that they did not name themselves, but
yet we also know that at some point a person may name themselves, such as in the very common form today
with online handles, where people may choose an identity or moniker for themselves, this leads to the
obvious question - who named God? Or did he name himself?

If God named himself, why is his authority valid? Is it circular reasoning? God has his name, because he
named himself that way, but his name is what it is because he is God?

If any such person would find an objection to that, in saying that God has no authority to name himself, and
that that is circular reasoning, one should then ask why anyone else on Earth who has ever used a surname be
called by that name, and be recognized under that name by anyone else, since they chose to name themselves.

The same works beyond that, if it was their parents, why should anyone accept or hold as valid what their
parents named them?

One would see, that in arguing about the origin and authority in a person's name, that the chain of authority is
eventually a circular one, whether it be via the parents' parents, or the individual himself.

So we can also see from that, that applying the argument about why someone's name and their origin are
invalid because they all lead to a loop of circular reasoning, is a contradiction and a dishonest argument from
what we daily accept and establish in the world from a person's name and their identity.

Question: does an individual have the authority to act as his own witness in regards to what his name actually
is?

Does an individual have the authority within himself to validate his identity?

Why are IDs required? Why are any legal documents needed in order to establish and confirm someone's
identity, from their birth, to their name, to their location, and to their possible spouse or property?

If one has to rely on an authoritative body, whether it be state, or government, to confirm their own identity,
why should such a means of check be required to begin with? Why isn't a person's own witness enough via
their own authority when it comes to legal documents?

When an individual does present their identity alone, such as when they are a passenger on an airport, why
should his word alone be good enough that he is who he claims to be?

How do we know that he is who he claims? Can a person know certain things about themselves that no one
else, not even their parents, or siblings, or friends know?
How can one know one's personal and private thoughts, except the individual himself, and anyone to whom
he chooses to reveal them to?

A person who writes an autobiography can never rely on another person to tell them what they were
personally thinking, feeling, experiencing, or going through. Such things can only be reserved to an
individual. Only a person, individually, can know their own emotions, and pain, and joys, and worries, and
fears, and happiness, and frustrations, as well as their hopes, goals, aspirations, and their interests.

There are private things that only an individual can speak to, and talk about, and no one else.

So we can see clearly, that there are two forms of authority that are ever present within our world. One, is the
authority that comes from the individual, and for these things, only one can know what they are experiencing
and feeling; and second, the authority that comes from someone besides the individual, whether it be their
parents, the state, or the government, or an institution.

Our entire society, or whole world, relies on authorized bodies to give confirmation to our own identity. In
certain areas of life, our own word is not enough. We can say who we are, and our name, and our place of
origin, but unless there is a valid record, that is pre-established or later confirmed by some authority besides
ourselves, it is not accepted as valid.

Whether it be banks, or permission to enter sporting facilities, or licenses for driving a vehicle, or to board a
plane, or hospitals, or the military, our own testimony itself as to who we are concerning our identity, may
not be enough. There is a second, or third, or fourth authority we must appeal to in order to validate our own
identity.

There are areas in our lives, however, which only we, the individual, can be privy to. If we eat alone, only we
know what we have eaten, if we sing alone, only we know what we have sung, if we love someone, only we
know who we love, if we feel sentiment, or compassion, or care for another person, only we can know to
whom we do so.

We rely on our own authority for some things which are private and personal, but yet in a functioning society
we have to rely on others' authority to either validate or invalidate something.

Why is that the case, however? Why is neither our word good enough sometimes to establish who we are, nor
why can't a separate
person speak for us on certain private matters which only we may have known and experienced?

It is then evident, that all authority is circular, it either relies on the testimony of the individual himself, or on
the witness of others.

So then, once knowing and establishing that, we again approach the accusation of whether believing in the
Bible because the Bible confirms something, or whether God's authority is enough to be trustworthy and
conclusive, is circular reasoning.

From whom then would God get his authority, if not from himself, just as we, take it upon ourselves, to
establish what we have experienced, what we have felt, and what we have planned?

The Bible is a collection of books regarding God's own thoughts, God's own actions, and God's own
determination and purposes.
Only God can know his own thoughts, only God can know his intended actions, and only God can speak as to
what he has and will determine, and his reasons for doing so and his purposes.

This is exactly what we can read throughout the Bible, a record of the things that only God can speak about
himself, and the things that only God has felt, and what he alone has experienced.

Genesis 6:7

"And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and
beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them."

Psalms 89:34-36

"My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips.

Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.

His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me."

Isaiah 65:17-18

"For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into
mind.

But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her
people a joy."

Jeremiah 23:5

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth."

Ezekiel 12:25

"For I am the LORD: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more
prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord
GOD."

Hosea 8:12

"I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing."

Hosea 12:10

"I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of
the prophets."

So these are things that only God can speak of, for the private and personal things that belong only to God,
but just as in other areas of our daily lives, for other things, we must rely on the authority, confirmation, and
witness of someone else besides us.
The Bible, in addition to being the thoughts and words of God, is also an eyewitness testimony to God's
actions which he has carried out throughout time, and his interaction with man. The Bible itself gives a
standard for being able to discern truth, and to know whether the testimony of witnesses is true.

This was so important, that in the Law of Moses, in cases and trials where one was accused of being a
murderer, one witness was never counted as enough to put them to death.

So we read that standard in the Bible -

Numbers 35:30

"Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness
shall not testify against any person to cause him to die."

Deuteronomy 17:6

"At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the
mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death."

This standard was not only in the case of murder, but for any fault that a person may have been accused of.

Deuteronomy 19:15

"One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the
mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."

Matthew 18:15-16

"Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if
he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses
every word may be established."

So when the accusation is raised that to believe the Bible is circular reasoning, one has to be in ignorance of
the method by which the record given in the Bible was written.

For the testimony of Jesus Christ, it was not, in this case, Jesus Christ who wrote about himself, and
therefore, that was what was meant to be believed. Instead, he entrusted his testimony to faithful witnesses.
Those faithful witnesses were the Apostles which were eyewitnesses to the things he did and spoke.

Luke 1:2-3

"Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us,

Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the
word;"

We do not have only one account, or two accounts of what Jesus Christ did or said, but rather, according to
the standard set in the Bible, we have the gospel accounts by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. So that the New
Testament itself meets its own standard of having at least two or three eyewitness accounts, but that is not all,
we have a surplus in a fourth eyewitness account, via the gospel of John.
Further, we have Luke, who was eyewitness to the Apostles' actions, and words during those first years of the
Christian faith. Later on in the New Testament, Paul the Apostle gives his own witness to the other Apostles,
and Paul himself writes the things that only he was able to know, feel, and experience.

The New Testament was not the authorship of one man - only one witness, but several.

In addition to the four gospel writers and Paul, we also have the letters from Peter, James, and Jude, which
were all eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ, and who all knew each other personally.

Likewise, in the Old Testament, we have not only the words of God himself, but the prophets who gave
witness to God's words and actions. The Old Testament, just like the New Testament, was not via just one
author, but many - several witnesses, via the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Amos,
Zechariah, and others.

Also, just like in the New Testament, some of these prophets coincided in the same period of time.

2Kings 20:4-5

"And it came to pass, afore Isaiah was gone out into the middle court, that the word of the LORD came to
him, saying,

Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the LORD, the God of David thy father, I
have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto
the house of the LORD."

1Kings 18:3-4

"And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and
hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)"

1Kings 18:7-8

"And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art
thou that my lord Elijah?

And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here."

Jeremiah 26:18

"Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and spake to all the people of
Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Zion shall be plowed like a field, and Jerusalem shall become
heaps, and the mountains of the house as the high places of a forest."

Micah 1:1

"The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings
of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem."
So we can read from the very Bible, how the Second book of Kings is witness to the prophet Isaiah, while the
First book of Kings is witness to the prophet Obadiah; further, we have Elijah the prophet who knew
Obadiah, and Jeremiah the prophet himself gives witness to the prophet Micah.

This is how reliable the Bible is, the word of God has made sure that everything is established via the mouth
of two or three witnesses, and the record of their testimony is preserved to all men within the Bible.

The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther were themselves the records of man's personal experience with
God. Unlike other books in the Bible, we do not directly see God speaking, rather, according to the Bible's
standard, the individuals give testimony and witness to their experience with God, and what only they could
know, via their own personal and private accounts.

So once again, we can know with certainty, that the false and foolish accusation of circular reasoning does
not match up with the uniqueness of the Bible's method of the preserved record.

If the Bible were only written by one author, one might well have good reason to dismiss it, or, if it were
perhaps written by two individuals, it still would not be certain as to its claims. However, this is not what we
find in the Scriptures, there are multiple testimonies, and multiple eyewitness accounts. Further, if it was only
via God's own testimony and witness, one might find fault in there being no other way to validate either what
he said or claimed, but, we instead see, that the Bible has multiple authors and multiple testimonies that give
assurance to God's own words.

It was in this fashion, that God chose to reveal the Gospel, that the words and works of his Son Jesus Christ
might be known by those who directly experienced and were eyewitnesses to his glory and salvation.

One cannot have a double standard when it comes to who they accept or reject as an authority in their daily
lives. Everyone agrees to being under some type of authority in a functioning society, whether it be the
police, a school teacher, one's boss, one's parents, or a governor in authority.

Without a person's consent as to who they allow to have authority over them, and without their approval,
nothing in society would function. The monetary system itself is via consent, and the taxes that are paid are to
ones that are given authority.

The Bible confirms this same establishing of authority that all men consent to.

Matthew 8:8-9

"The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak
the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to
another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."

Galatians 4:1-2

"Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all;

But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father."

Ephesians 6:5

"Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in
singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;"
Luke 20:24-25

"Shew me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's.

And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things
which be God's."

Romans 13:7

"Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom
fear; honour to whom honour."

It was Jesus Christ who gave authority to his Apostles to go and preach the Gospel in his name, and to work
miracles among the people, and these men were not only eyewitnesses to both Jesus' own works and
miracles, but to his ministry, his death, burial, and resurrection.

Luke 9:1-2

"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure
diseases.

And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick."

Acts 1:8

"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Christ himself was given his authority by his Father -

Matthew 28:18-20

"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even
unto the end of the world. Amen."

So it is established that authority is circular, it has to have a place of origin, the first in authority is God
himself, the Father of all things. God also did not choose unreliable, unsure, or uncertain men to be witness to
his works and miracles, but rather he chose particular men that were faithful and reliable, just as we expect
positions of power and authority to be held by trustworthy and reputable men.

Acts 10:38-43

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and
healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they
slew and hanged on a tree:

Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly;

Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him
after he rose from the dead.

And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be
the Judge of quick and dead.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins."

1Corinthians 4:1-2

"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.

Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful."

2Timothy 2:1-2

"Thou therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who
shall be able to teach others also."

Hebrews 3:1-2

"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our
profession, Christ Jesus;

Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house."

The Bible, then, was not written by a third-party, with individuals who had no direct contact with the events
and persons during the ministry of Christ, nor were they outsiders or strangers foreign to Israel who would
only have heard tell of the things that Jesus had done, and not be sure of it themselves as to whether or not
such things took place.

Instead, the Apostles witnessed the glory of Jesus Christ directly.

Luke 9:28-32

"And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up
into a mountain to pray.

And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.
But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory,
and the two men that stood with him."

John 1:11-14

"He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on
his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

So the very men to whom the books of the New Testament are attributed, including Peter, John, and James,
were direct eyewitnesses to Jesus Christ's glory. So the Bible was not written by those who lacked authority
to testify of things they had neither seen nor experienced, nor by people uncertain of what took place or what
was said via a foreign land, but rather by men who accompanied Jesus directly.

2Peter 1:16-18

"For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount."

These men, to whom Christ gave authority, were the ones given the task to proclaim the Gospel to all nations
after his death and resurrection.

What Jesus did, taught, and said, were written down by the men who were a part of his ministry.

They witnessed his glory, saw his grief on the mount of Olives right before he was crucified, and saw him
alive after his resurrection.

They were the faithful men, and the eyewitnesses, by whom the Gospel of salvation to all men by Christ's
death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, was preached.

Acts 5:29-32

"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.

Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and
forgiveness of sins.

And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that
obey him."
Acts 10:42-43

"And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be
the Judge of quick and dead.

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive
remission of sins."

When dealing with men, all authority is eventually circular, it all leads back to one person or recognized body
that has confirmed the validity of someone's identity, claims, or history. However, when we trace one's
authority beyond men, we see that all authority does indeed have a definitive origin, and that origin is God
himself, the author of all authority.

Likewise, concerning the validity of any matter, credit must be given by someone who is a reliable witness to
the spoken words and events that make up any historical record.

In the Bible we have the witnesses to God's own words and miraculous events via the prophets and Apostles,
but also we have God's witness himself to the actions and historical events men were a part of. Further, we
have God's own testimony to the thoughts and purposes only he is privy to, and he revealed them to us by his
Son Jesus Christ.

1John 5:9-11

"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath
testified of his Son.

He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a
liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son.

And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

So the very record and testimony of the Bible given by God himself, is for the assurance of salvation to all
men who believe in Jesus Christ by his shed blood on the cross, so that by him all men can receive the
forgiveness of sins and inherit eternal life.

This is the most faithful and true witness of all, and under the highest authority of all which comes from God
himself.

The Argument From Good and Evil

_____________________________________

When presented with the testimony about God in the Bible, many people tend to reject believing in God, or
following him, or worshiping him, because they say that the world is full of evil, and even if God existed,
that there is too much pain and suffering in the world that prevents them from believing that God is good and
caring.

They further reject worshiping the God of the Bible because they claim that he does not show himself openly
to them. They say that God is an imaginary sky deity, and that there is no evidence to his presence.

They add also, that God cannot exist, because whenever they have prayed to him for any specific thing, their
prayers were not answered, so therefore they feel that there is no proof of his existence.
In order to see if any of these things are true, we first have to acknowledge if people, when asked, would
want God in their lives and his presence with them at all times.

What answer would they give? And how does sin impact their answer? According to the Bible, sin is the
transgression of the law. God gave 10 commandments to Moses, and the entirety of anything that
encompasses any man's sins, are based on these 10 commandments not being followed.

They were handed down to the Jews then living, to be a form of life in which one could walk in God's
presence.

Exodus 33:13-14

"Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee,
that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people.

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

Exodus 29:45

"And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God."

The 10 commandments, as originally given to Moses directly from God are -

1) To not have any other Gods before the LORD God

2) To not make a graven image to worship of anything that is in heaven, on earth, or in the waters beneath the
earth
3) To not take the name of the LORD God in vain
4) To keep the Sabbath as a day of rest
5) To honor your father and your mother
6) To not kill
7) To not commit adultery
8) To not steal
9) To not bear false witness against your neighbor
10) To not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor

So then, in keeping the original question in mind, about someone willing to have God's presence in their life
or not, in view of the 10 commandments an individual would have to acknowledge if they would be
comfortable in living in God's presence according to these terms.

We will immediately find with the first commandment, that man chooses and prefers to have things above
God, including one's own desires and passions, to the point that they claim themselves to be gods. So despite
man objecting to not seeing God's presence, when really pressed, however, man will instead seek and desire
liberty away from God, and have his own authority beyond God.

In the second commandment, likewise, we see that man repeatedly tries to conform an image of what they
think is God, to their own inventions and imaginations.

So once again, though a person complains about not seeing God's presence, the second commandment
exposes that man routinely rejects his presence by wanting other gods beside him.

In the third commandment we see that man gives little consideration to taking God's name in vain in various
ways. They have no problem with cursing him, mocking him, insulting him, or speaking in a hostile manner
to him. Yet, once again, these same people who do so, complain that they do not see God's presence in their
lives.

Fourth, we see that God has set aside a day for rest, but man will often complain that this is a forceful
imposing of God's will, they will say that it is a burden to deal with, and that it iself intrudes upon their
liberty.

In the fifth commandment, we again see a clash of wills. From early on, children refuse to obey or listen to
their parents. Children easily take a stance against their parents from a young age, and they are in opposition
to their own parents' will.

In the sixth commandment we see that man has a habit of taking justice and vengeance into his own hands
against the people he hates, by murdering their enemies.

In the seventh commandment, we come across one of the most common sins of all men, adultery. Adultery
has various forms, but they're all of a sexual nature, and sexual passions are one of the most common desires
from one's self that is in opposition to God's will.

In the eighth commandment, we run into theft and robbery. One of the most common problems found in
governments all across the world is bribery and corruption. Man will try to find easy ways to acquire goods
and property, which often in itself leads to war among nations.

In the ninth commandment, we run into the common habit of man, which is to lie against their neighbor.

In the tenth commandment, coveting, the desire to take someone else's things, is presented. These things
include someone's spouse, their property, or their position and place of power within society.

So with all these things in mind, how does man really feel about wanting God's presence in their lives, which
they complain about not having?

Man, seeks instead, to have his own will apart from God, and if given the choice refuses to be in his presence.

Yet people still ask, why doesn't God show himself openly to the world? Once again, the answer is because
people do not really want him to be in their lives because their desire to sin is more important to them than
having God's presence in their lives.

God first created Man to live in his presence directly. They could both hear God directly, and be taken care of
by God directly.

This was the condition that God first created man under in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 1:27-29

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he
them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat."
Did man first want to remain in God's presence, however? No, he chose to be apart from God's will.

Genesis 3:9-13

"And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that
thou shouldest not eat?

And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent
beguiled me, and I did eat."

Man was originally in God's presence, but due to sin, he chose to be away from God.

Since Adam's fall at the Garden of Eden, man has been on his own course, willingly, away from God, and
since the Garden of Eden God has not allowed man, under man's sinful condition, to be in his presence.

Instead, what we see today in our lives, is a separation from God's presence. Man was cast out of the Garden,
and God has made it so that a remedy to sin must first be met in order for God to once again have his
presence dwell with man.

Genesis 3:22-24

"And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he
put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was
taken.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword
which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

We therefore live our lives between these two decisions: whether we want to be in God's presence, or
whether to live according to our own will away from God's presence by sinning in our lusts and desires.

The Bible affirms that these two wills are always opposed to each other and cannot be harmonized. Further,
that man is conscious that his sin is not compatible with being in God's presence, and that everyone is aware
of their own sinful desires.

John 3:20-21

"For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in
God."

John 7:7

"The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil."
Romans 8:7-8

"Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God."

Yet the refusal to believe in God is often also based on man trying to justify his own goodness against God's,
so that God is accused of being an unfair judge, and that what he deems as sin and evil is either an
exaggeration, unfair, not equal, or antiquated from standards that no longer apply in the modern world.

Further, it is said, that God's moral character is flawed, that he judges people for things that man does not
consider to be evil.

God's standard, some claim, is below their personal moral standard, so they equate God's own laws and what
he has stated as being sin, as being arbitrary, subjective, and no longer applicable.

In addition to this, however, one of the strongest criticisms against the consideration of even worshiping the
God of the Bible, is that there is too much evil in the world, too much pain and suffering.

Yet this criticism is usually expressed in conjunction with the belief that there is a naturalistic explanation to
everything in the world, so that ultimately God does not need to exist anyway, because nature is self-existing
and everything that exists has come into being by itself without an overseer or guide.

Whether people are aware of it or not, these two criticisms are contradictory one to the other. One cannot say
that God is evil, and then at the same time say that the reason why one can know that God does not exist is
because nature itself has been the origin of all that there is, including the evil that is seen in it.

Why is this so? Why are people unaware of this error?

Let's consider, then, that the universe is self-sufficient, and that naturalistic means have produced our reality.

If all that man can experience is due to naturalistic means, why is anything considered evil within that
reality?

What is evil? And why is it evil?

In order to examine this question, we will appeal to the imaginary and non-realistic world of superhero comic
books, in which reality does not exist as we know it, and where nature itself is not subject to the same
principles within our own reality.

In the naturalistic world view, it is still understood and known that man is neither immortal, nor invulnerable,
nor stronger than the forces of nature. When we look at the world of comic book hero fantasy, however, we
begin to see a pattern in what constitutes as being a super hero.

We will often find, that super heroes are not subject to the laws of nature, instead, they are beyond the laws
of nature.

In the real world, man's tissue, their skin, their organic fibers, are vulnerable. They can easily be cut by a
mere thin razor blade, a pinprick, a small shard of glass, or anything as simple as a paper cut.

In the world of super heroes, however, there is no such limitation. A super hero, since he is not subject or
bound to the laws of nature as we are in the real world, can withstand tremendous damage to their skin,
organs, bones, and whole being.
In the real world, man has only a limited scale from which he can endure heat and cold. Our skins may only
withstand hot water up to a certain point, but past certain degrees we will begin to feel uncomfortable,
experience pain and discomfort, and resulting in injury. Likewise with the cold, we may be exposed without
any covering to certain cold temperatures for only a minimum amount of time, and only be able to withstand
certain points below freezing, but eventually we can not only damage our tissue by longer exposure, but
death itself can result.

In the world of super heroes, however, there are many characters which can resist the burning temperatures of
the Sun, the most extreme sub-zero temperatures, and do so without being permanently damaged.

This is not the case, however, in real life. Nevertheless, those who object to the God of the Bible's goodness
and existence, still appeal to a naturalistic world view as if somehow this contradicted the God of the Bible.

In the world of super heroes, characters have no limits in either how high they can jump, nor how much
distance they can fall from extreme heights. In the real world, we can only jump so high, just a few feet above
the ground in even the best athletes, and man is vulnerable to heights as little as a few 10 feet off the ground.

This is what we see in the reality of nature, but in the super hero world, the limitations of nature itself are not
in place, they can be broken, avoided, and surpassed.

Once again, characters in a super hero world can die many multiple times and still live for thousands of years.
Speed is also not withheld in this fantasy world, characters can travel everything from 100 feet a second, to as
fast as the speed of light.

There are characters who do not get hungry, do not thirst, experience no pain, and have fantastic vision and
other heightened senses. They can breathe underwater, survive within a volcano, not be affected by lightning,
are invulnerable to disease, and have tremendous strength and agility. Their abilities are so extraordinary that
they are too many to list.

Yet, within them all, none of them reflect reality, what we know and experience. They all defy the laws of
nature, and go beyond the limits seen in nature.

Let's get back, however, to the real world. Why is the world, to begin with, considered evil? Why is anything
considered evil even within the naturalistic world view?

If our skins only have a certain tolerance to outside intrusions and if they are easily able to be pierced and
hurt, why is that considered an evil? Supposedly, these are the laws and limitations of nature that those who
hold a naturalistic world view acknowledge.

Why is murder evil? Murder, if we want to define it in a naturalistic world view and be consistent, is perhaps
nothing more than the result of a sharp object penetrating the skin to the point of bleeding, injury, and
therefore resulting in death.

Our lungs need oxygen, so why is asphyxiation an evil if it results in death simply because the lungs have
ceased from receiving oxygen? In the naturalistic world view this cannot be called evil, it is merely an end
result of the limitations our bodies have within the laws of nature.

A superhero may not feel blows or be affected by them, but a real human being can get hurt and injured if
only a mere 10 pound rock falls on their head. The skull may crack, cause bleeding, and there might be
further problems that lead to death. Why is this evil in the naturalistic world view? One force just impacted
an object that wasn't able to resist it, and the human body, being unable to recover, suffered death as an end
result.
Why is death itself considered evil in the naturalistic world view? If, according to them, human beings are
just organic matter arranged in a certain way, and composed of many billions of cells, then why is aging and
dying seen as evil?

The body merely reacts to the elements and forces of nature over time and it decays, to the point that cells can
no longer retain their vitality, and the organism dies. So why is death considered evil from a naturalistic
world view?

Why is hunger itself considered an evil? From a naturalistic world view, the digestive system merely lacks an
intake of organic compounds over a limited time, and the organism begins to break down and possibly die.
What is evil about hunger?

What is evil about thirst? From a naturalistic world view the body merely lacks water, and the organism
begins to fail because it lacks water.

Why is blindness an evil? From a naturalistic world view eyes just fail over time due to the weakening of
tissue and nerves inside the components of the eye, and, just as a camera may get chipped or broken over
time, it fails to operate and function as expected.

Why is being deaf an evil? From a naturalistic world view one's ears just may have received too much
bombardment from outside vibrations that travel through the air, and therefore rupturing, damaging, or
prohibiting the further expected functioning of the ears.

Why is it evil if any child is born with a mutation or a defect or an inherited disease? Within the laws of
nature, these results at birth are merely the result of improperly configured enzymes and proteins within the
organism that lead to failure and a nonfunctioning system in the child.

One could go on, and add further things that are considered evil even within the naturalistic world view, but
these should be enough to present the general idea herein being discussed.

We will, instead, come to the realization that despite the naturalists' views on how nature is self-maintaining,
and how no God is needed, that all men have a natural expectation of health, survival, and preservation.

There are different words and expressions that can be used for something that man finds to be against his
desires, such as a thing being bad, wicked, wrong, upsetting, or evil.

Some people may constantly want to wake up being greeted with a nice, warm sunny day. If the day is rainy
and full of dark clouds, however, then to that person that might be a bad day.

A person may come up against a stranger that insults them out of nowhere or gives them a hostile look, so to
their day - that incident may make it a bad day, and further - the hostile person may be called wicked.

At a checkout counter, a clerk may give the customer $5 less in change than what they have expected to
receive back after they have paid for their item. When the customer realizes this, it is considered wrong on
the part of the clerk.

A parent who is unable to spend a holiday with their child may find it upsetting that they were unable to.

The crash of an airplane, a flood that ran through a town, a tornado that destroyed someone's entire house, a
gas explosion that damaged a factory, or a lasting illness in youth may all be considered evil. These things
tend to be called tragedies whenever they occur.
There are also aesthetic things which one can consider bad or evil, such as a person having a very broad chin,
a missing tooth in one's smile, a zit that pops up before an important moment in life, a runny nose, foul
breath, a cut in the skin, an ingrown hair, or a broken toe nail.

These things may be petty to some, yet to the individual they can be a bad thing because they either expect to
be beautiful, to have all their teeth, to have perfect skin, and for their nails to be properly cut and appealing.

All people expect certain good things from life, they all expect a good outcome and results of their daily
lives, and they all expect their days ahead to be met with peace.

We all expect certain good things from all aspects of our lives, from the seemingly minute, to the more
encompassing.

Little things, such as ordering a meal from a restaurant and not finding a hair on the food can make for a
wonderful experience in someone's daily life, but if a hair does happen to be on the meal, it can ruin that
person's entire day. Yet, think of what is considered to be bad: a mere hair. That experience itself, is not the
result of a moral decision, but just a circumstance in which one hoped to receive a better outcome.

Finding a parking space when needed can count as a person having a great day, but if they start out their day
lacking a parking spot, then that same day may turn into a bad one for them.

Ordering an item and receiving it on time may make one's day a tremendously joyful one, but, if the item
took two weeks to arrive, then it might considered an evil thing to their lives.

These things so far being mentioned, are ultimately petty, they are not to the point of being considered
universal evils on people's minds.

Yet, to the individual, these small things can add up to make for a very uncomfortable, and depressing
experience in their life.

We expect the food we buy to be fresh and without bruises or damaged parts. We expect our dishes in which
our food is served at a restaurant to be clean and without having any chips or breaks on them.

We expect everything from our clothes being clean and presentable, to our experiences with our neighbors to
be friendly, and the government to treat its citizens with respect. We naturally expect these things, and if they
at any time lack, the lack of them can be considered evil.

Suffering and pain are considered evil, but why? Because once again, health is the natural state that all men
expect, and they hope to live old lives without pain.

It is considered an evil if a person dies at 4 years of age, and it is seen as a tragedy if someone at the prime of
their life loses their life at 20 years old before they reach middle age.

Life itself is given a certain expectation even by the naturalists, otherwise they would not consider anything
to be an evil in the natural universe.

So an honest question needs to be asked to any naturalist: how does one have any reasonable expectation of
peace, health, happiness, joy, and security from within the workings of the natural world alone?

If an honest answer is also given, one would have to admit that no such expectation is to be considered from
the naturalistic world view. Neither any peace, nor joy, nor happiness, nor security, nor joy.
If we adhere to reality, we cannot expect any of these things from a purely naturalistic means. Rather, there is
an expectation of all these things if they were already present within the reality that God himself has
established to apply to all living things.

This is indeed what we can read throughout the Bible. It is God who sets these expectations for us, and it is
God from whom we can expect anything good in life, whether it be peace, joy, happiness, security, or health.

So then, acknowledging this basic human expectation, let us remember what has been established here
before: that man originally had perfect health and peace and security in the Garden of Eden, but that due to
man's desire for sin, God removed his presence from man and left him to wander the Earth alone.

Genesis 3:17-19

"And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree,
of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt
thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."

Let us also remember how it was established that God gave 10 commandments as a pattern for how man
could regain his fellowship with God and return to his presence.

In the commandment God gives to honor one's parents, God immediately includes a promise along with it if
it is adhered to.

Deuteronomy 5:16

"Honour thy father and thy mother, as the LORD thy God hath commanded thee; that thy days may be
prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."

So here we can read that an expectation of long days is promised to those who respect this commandment.
Further, we also read the clause that it contains, which is that it may go well with one.

Right there, in the Bible, we can begin to see what expectation God has set for the life of all men.

This law given to the Jews to be kept as God's people, however, also came with certain admonitions where
God made it clear that if they did not keep those commandments, they would be under obligation to not
expect any thing good to be received of them by God. Instead, he warned them that they would lack good in
all aspects of their lives, and that they would be met with evil for not loving his commandments of life and
peace.

Deuteronomy 27:24-26

"Cursed be he that smiteth his neighbour secretly. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them. And all the people shall say, Amen."

Deuteronomy 28:15-20
"But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all
his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon
thee, and overtake thee:

Cursed shalt thou be in the city, and cursed shalt thou be in the field.

Cursed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Cursed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy land, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy
sheep.

Cursed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and cursed shalt thou be when thou goest out.

The LORD shall send upon thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto for to
do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly; because of the wickedness of thy doings, whereby
thou hast forsaken me."

In contrast to all these evils, God gave to the people hope, and peace, and joy in all things, if they abided by
his commandments.

Deuteronomy 28:1-6

"And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe
and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day, that the LORD thy God will set thee on
high above all nations of the earth:

And all these blessings shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the
LORD thy God.

Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and blessed shalt thou be in the field.

Blessed shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the increase of
thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep.

Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store.

Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out."

This expectation of all good things in life come directly from God who gives them, they are only present with
him, and can only be found within his presence alone.

Joy, peace, health, and security, can only be found in God's presence.

Psalms 5:11-12

"But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

Psalms 29:11
"The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace."

Psalms 67:1-2

"God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah.

That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations."

Psalms 103:2-5

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth
all thy diseases;

Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies;

Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

So we see that God himself is good and gives us the very things we all look for in life when we walk toward
his presence.

Many may still ask, however, how can we be sure that God is good, and that he judges people righteously?

Man will almost always try to contrast his own supposed righteousness against God's. He will try to say that
God cannot be as good as themselves.

The 10 commandments feature the pattern for all things that can be considered good or evil. In them we see
that God's standard for righteousness is higher than our own and simply cannot be met when man follows his
own nature.

Let us consider the commandment to not lie against one's neighbor. Usually, there is some general
recognition even among those who reject God, that telling a lie is immoral and an evil.

Yet even among these who recognize such an immoral action, they would still sometimes try to justify
themselves by saying that a small lie is not evil, and that there is nothing wrong with that.

Usually they follow their justification by saying that it is nothing wrong if it doesn't hurt anyone.

Man can only ever say this in his ignorance, however, from a limited perspective.

Man can still consider himself righteous even if he makes a small lie. In his own mind, there are no
consequences from his little lie.

In order for God to be good and righteous above all, he has to consider the consequences of all sins that
people do, not just what man may consider evil via his own limited perspective, but how everyone's actions
affects everyone at all times. Righteousness can only be right or wrong from an omniscient point of
reference, knowing all things that people do at all times.

Let's consider how someone tells a small lie.

A woman's son might receive a phone call from his mother at 5:40 PM on a random day, the mother asks
about whether or not her son will be ready to go out eating at 6:30 PM as they previously agreed to. The son,
however, now changes his mind and finds it inconvenient to go with his mother at 6:30 PM. So he forms, in
his mind - a small lie, and instead tells his mother that he is feeling a little sick and is unsure about being able
to go with her that night.

So he tells her that perhaps they can save it for the next day. The mother believes him, and the son hangs up
and goes about his way. On the mother's end, however, she remains concerned, and believes his son may not
be well. She then calls the restaurant where they were supposed to meet in, and tells the restaurant that she
has to cancel their reservation.

The restaurant, however, finds this problematic, and ends up arguing with the mother that this is now too late
to cancel, and that the restaurant should have been told earlier about this, and it creates problems for potential
customers who hoped to be in that same seating, when they asked if anything was available at 6:00 PM, and
the restaurant had to tell them no.

The mother and the person from the restaurant now end up insulting each other on the phone, they eventually
end up hanging up the phone on each other in a disgusted manner.

The problem didn't end there, though. The mother was known by face to the person in the restaurant, and
from then on they remain bitter towards each other, and the mother makes sure to no longer go to that
restaurant because of her being insulted.

So the mother creates an enemy in life, for no reason other than the son's supposed little lie.

Life is filled with those situations. One sin leads to another sin, unbeknownst to the person who first sinned.
They do not consider how a stranger may be affected by their actions, and they do not think beyond the
moment when they are acting out their sin. Man is selfish and only sees things from his own limited
perspective.

God, on the other hand, fully sees all things that everyone is doing at all times, and considers all of their
actions, and to what all of their actions at all times lead to, whether they are good, or whether they are evil.

It is only in God's omniscience and omnipresence that any good can ultimately be discerned as to whether or
not it is good. Further, God sees where all sin leads to, not just by the person who initiated it, but how it may
affect persons around them who they never considered, not only in their own family, but perfect strangers as
well.

For God to be just, he must consider all human beings at all times, and consider all of their actions and how
they affect others. God, as the only righteous judge, is the only one who can see past the moment, past
someone's actions which they think are unimportant and affect no one beyond themselves.

God considers the lowly of the Earth, and how they can be affected by the sins of those in power who have
no regard for them.

Psalms 138:6

"Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off."

Psalms 94:9-11

"He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?

The LORD knoweth the thoughts of man, that they are vanity."
Psalms 10:13-14

"Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not require it.

Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand: the poor committeth
himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless."

God sent his very prophets to let the earth know that he is watching over all the actions of man and that he is
aware of all things that men do in secret places.

Psalms 44:20-21

"If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;

Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart."

Jeremiah 29:23

"Because they have committed villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours' wives,
and have spoken lying words in my name, which I have not commanded them; even I know, and am a
witness, saith the LORD."

Some would yet ask, however, if God can still reveal his presence to man, then why isn't he seen or heard in
these days?

This question might sound sensible if the Creator of all things adapted his form to that resembling the things
he created, but the Bible also explains to us what God's very own nature is like, and from it we can
understand that God is a Spirit, and is not made of flesh.

Man is looking for an external finding of God, but God has made himself to be found in the internal parts of
man.

Ezekiel 11:4

"And the Spirit of the LORD fell upon me, and said unto me, Speak; Thus saith the LORD; Thus have ye
said, O house of Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of them."

Joel 2:28-29

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."

John 4:24

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

Luke 17:20-21

"And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them
and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

We are not to believe, then, that God is in the form of a mountain, or a tree, or a rock, or a statue, or an image
made by man. God is beyond his own Creation, and his glory beyond man's comprehension.

Why would God need a form? Why would the Creator, who is greater than all things within his Creation, be
expected to be found in something that can be seen externally and physically? God was before all things he
ever created, and in him alone was the invisible Spirit that lead to all things that would eventually be created.

John 17:5

"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the
world was."

1Timothy 1:17

"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever.
Amen."

Psalms 104:30-31

"Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works."

Psalms 148:1-5

"Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.

Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created."

One would still ask, if God is good, why doesn't he have more care for his creature and give him a means to
escape from the evils that man has subjected himself to via man's own sin?

The Bible addresses this very question. God has indeed sought for man to have a means of escape, and he has
sought to personally guide his creature.

Right away after man's fall, we can read in the Bible how God set up a way for man to be delivered from sin.

Genesis 3:14-15

"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and
above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy
head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
First, he promises that the serpent's head will be bruised by the seed of the woman. Later on, God promises to
Abraham that in Abraham's seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

Genesis 22:18

"And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice."

After God had rescued the children of Israel out of Egypt by Moses, he then tells Moses that the people
should make God a sanctuary for him to dwell among them.

Exodus 25:8

"And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them."

Exodus 29:44-46

"And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his
sons, to minister to me in the priest's office.

And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God.

And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I
may dwell among them: I am the LORD their God."

Yet all this was still an external manifestation of God's presence. God was not content to dwell among the
people in an external fashion, but rather, as has been expressed before - in an internal way.

Jeremiah 31:31-34

"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with
the house of Judah:

Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring
them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the
LORD:

But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people.

And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD:
for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD; for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

Furthermore, God did not see it fit to dwell among just one people, but according to the promise made to
Abraham, he wanted to gather together all nations to him.

Isaiah 2:2-3

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of
the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem."

For this reason God announced to his prophets that he would send the Messiah to be the savior of all men.
This salvation was for the cleansing from sins by which mankind is plagued with all forms of evils, and the
ending result of all evil which is death.

Psalms 74:12

"For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth."

Psalms 98:1-4

"O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm,
hath gotten him the victory.

The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the
heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the
salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise."

Isaiah 25:7-9

"And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread
over all nations.

He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the
rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.

And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the
LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

Isaiah 38:17

"Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of
corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back."

Isaiah 43:25

"I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."

Out of God's love for all men, he would not allow sin and death to retain dominion over their lives. God took
it upon himself to carry out his plan of salvation, and this was done by sending his only begotten Son Jesus
Christ into the world to fulfill the promise originally given to Eve and to fulfill the peace promised to
Abraham.

Luke 1:68-75

"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:

That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;

The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without
fear,

In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life."

God sent his only begotten Son, not as a stranger, not as a far off untouchable deity, but made in the same
flesh of all men, and lived among them openly.

John 1:14

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

Hebrews 4:15

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all
points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

1John 1:1-2

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we
have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;

(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life,
which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"

1Timothy 3:16

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the
Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."

We have before established how within reality - evils come in many forms on the Earth, this includes hunger,
disease, deformities, pain, suffering, mental distress, and death.

What proof is there, then, of God's love? Is God caring, or is he distant and without compassion or mercy?

Jesus Christ came to earth to give testimony to the love of God, to show to all men that God is not a distant
far off deity, unable to recognize the pains and sufferings of man, but rather in his Son, God showed his
caring for the most afflicted in all the Earth.

Jesus Christ came to heal the sick and the brokenhearted and to give life.
He fed the hungry -

Matthew 15:32-38

"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they
continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they
faint in the way.

And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a
multitude?

And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and
the disciples to the multitude.

And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children."

He cured disease -

Matthew 4:23

"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people."

He healed people of their deformities -

Matthew 12:13

"Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like
as the other."

He took away pain -

Mark 5:25-29

"And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years,

And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered,
but rather grew worse,

When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment.

For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that
plague."

He restored those who were suffering -

Luke 17:12-14

"And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:

And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.

And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as
they went, they were cleansed."

He restored a sound mind to those who had a mental illness -

Matthew 17:14-18

"And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and
saying,

Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft
into the water.

And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.

Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long
shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.

And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour."

He gave sight to the blind -

Matthew 20:30-34

"And, behold, two blind men sitting by the way side, when they heard that Jesus passed by, cried out, saying,
Have mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

And the multitude rebuked them, because they should hold their peace: but they cried the more, saying, Have
mercy on us, O Lord, thou Son of David.

And Jesus stood still, and called them, and said, What will ye that I shall do unto you?

They say unto him, Lord, that our eyes may be opened.

So Jesus had compassion on them, and touched their eyes: and immediately their eyes received sight, and
they followed him."

He made the deaf to hear -

Mark 7:32-35

"And they bring unto him one that was deaf, and had an impediment in his speech; and they beseech him to
put his hand upon him.

And he took him aside from the multitude, and put his fingers into his ears, and he spit, and touched his
tongue;
And looking up to heaven, he sighed, and saith unto him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.

And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain."

He rose people from the dead -

Luke 7:12-16

"Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his
mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her.

And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not.

And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto
thee, Arise.

And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.

And there came a fear on all: and they glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is risen up among us; and,
That God hath visited his people."

God did indeed visit his people, and he showed them the fullness of his love in his Son Jesus Christ by
having mercy and compassion on the afflicted.

Only the God of love could show such mercy, and caring, and compassion, and this love was shown in its
ultimate form by himself taking on the sins of the whole world upon the death on his cross, so that we could
receive the forgiveness of sins. It was on his cross that Jesus Christ tasted death for every man.

1John 2:1-2

"My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

Hebrews 2:9

"But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory
and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man."

In Jesus Christ alone is the forgiveness of sins, and through him we are able to receive eternal life. The very
life that we could not previously receive when we were dead in sins by our evil desires.

Ephesians 2:1-9

"And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of
the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through
Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

Not of works, lest any man should boast."

This wonderful love that God has shown to all men via the death, burial, and resurrection of his Son Jesus
Christ, is declared openly to all the world, so that whosoever believes on him will have everlasting life and
forgiveness of sins.

Romans 10:11

"For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

1John 4:9-10

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the
world, that we might live through him.

Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins."

1John 5:20

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that
is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."

The true God, who has set men free from the evil of their sins through Jesus Christ, and has assured that
death would no longer triumph over man, calls every one to this eternal life.

Only God alone, who is good alone, could offer this wonderful salvation.

The promise of peace, health, security, and eternal life all rest with him, and he has given this all through his
only begotten Son Jesus Christ.