Accountable to God

There are many clever scientists and philosophers who take pride in being atheists. They characterise themselves as those who are pursuing truth through investigation of facts and logical thinking. But they are unable to find enough proof to convince them that there is a God. There are also many other people who come to the same conclusion after thinking about things in their own way. But the fact is that there is a God, who created the whole universe and everything in it including people. How is it that such clever people cannot see that?

One simple reason is that we cannot find God through natural means and none of us is clever enough to figure God out. But there is a spiritual reason. Jesus said it when religious leaders questioned His ability to know spiritual truths and to teach them. "If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself" (Jn.7:17). Spiritual truths can be understood if we are seeking it with a good heart, that is, with a sincere desire to obey it and live according to it once we know it.

What is the problem with atheists? They realise that if they acknowledge God, they will immediately become accountable to Him, and they won't be able to live doing whatever they like! So they will find some excuse in their mind to steer away from the concept of God.

That is the problem, and not that there is not enough evidence to prove God's existence. There are countless number of people who have sought God and found Him. Many have searched for Him even through scientific knowledge, and recognised that there is more than enough evidence around, if only we look in the right direction. If we are searching with an aim to disprove the existence of God, there are enough things we can find, which we cannot understand, and then claim that they prove there is no God. But if they are honest they can see that they are only coming to conclude what they wanted to believe. It is different if we are looking for God among all the facts, and then He will reveal Himself to us. "You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart" (Je.29:13).

There is a fashionable trend among some people to 'deconstruct' their faith. Obviously no one knows all the answers to questions, and if we decide we cannot believe till we get them, we will have to give up. But think of it. Faith is not make-believe, and it is based on truth we have come to believe. If we have really come to God through faith in Jesus, it would have begun to change our life little by little. Just because there are lots of things out there we don't know the answers for, are we foolish enough to throw away what we do know?

There is a growth involved in Christian life, as we study the Bible more, apply the truths we learn, interact with others, and learn from experience. There will always be things that puzzle us, but are they sufficient for us to put away things we have already come to know?