Scientists know from estimation that the existence of the universe rests on a knifes edge, if any constant was slightly out, we wouldn't be here (if you are interested I would look up the values of these on the internet - the constants are staggering)! If there is only one universe with all the precise tuning of all the physical constants & laws to make intelligent life possible, then it is more than likely (very likely) that we are not here by accident.
Science can reveal the workings of the universe and the intricate detail which is absolutely wonderful, but not the reasons why we are here. For example, if Auntie Jackie bakes a cake, we may know the ingredients and the proportions. We can see the end result just by looking at the cake, we can see it's beauty and marvel at the beautiful decorated icing, but we don't know why it was baked and whom it was for (it was for Julie's birthday who's 50 and having a family party at 4 pm today). Only belief in a creator can answer the question burning on everyone's mind....why are we here?
If God exists then he does not operate in the natural. He is not limited to natural laws, but lives outside of them, this is the true meaning of supernatural. For instance, there is no reason He should be limited by time and therefore He is neither in the past, present or future. I've heard it said, "well who created God then"? Jesus identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega, meaning at the beginning of all things and will be at the close of time. This is stated in the book of Revelation in The Bible. It is equivalent to Him saying, "I've always existed and always will exist". Genesis 1 gives a brush stroke account of the creation, but it certainly isn't a science book and shouldn't be compared as such.
I believe that this God, although he takes interest in the physical world, is ultimately interested in our minds & inner selves (our souls). The Bible states we are made in God's image, not physically but that He would create a being like himself, a soul that is instinctively aware of morality, being free to choose goodness & truth, to make decisions and to decide our own destiny, marking us different from all other animals on the planet. This was made clear in Genesis in the story of Adam & Eve. Freedom to choose sounded like such a good thing, but as we know with it comes with great responsibility for all; what are we choosing to do with our lives? God was saying to Adam and Eve, "Look everything here is just perfect for you, it would be better for you not have complete knowledge of good and evil, because if you do unfortunately things are going to be much different around here". God was given us free-will to choose right from the beginning.
So if God could see how people would turn out, why would he bother making the universe in the first place...seems like a stupid thing to do looking at the suffering, evil and hardships in the world? God had a specific plan for the arrival of humankind on the scene and he had a desire for personal fellowship with humans, into whom he had installed the moral law of love & goodness as a signpost toward himself. Love is deep in the hearts of everyone, reflecting the nature of the creator within us. The bible states God IS Love and the gospels are love letters from heaven, to teach us the way of love. Someone once asked Jesus, what's the greatest commandment, he answered, "to love the lord your God with all your heart and to love your neighbour as yourself". Is this ultimately why we exist? Jesus was trying to send a message out to the world. We are each called to reach out to others. On rare occasions it can be on a big scale, but most of the time it's just happens by small acts of kindness from one person to another. We can give love that requires no recompense and reflects God in our nature. We are here to love and be loved! God from the beginning didn't want to force us to love Him, he wanted it to be our choice and He wanted us to choose the live out our lives for goodness and truth. The reason why God allowed the world to carry on, in full knowledge of the future evil that would take place, is because He could foresee all the good that would take place and all the kindness that by having his nature, there would be a chance that we could become like Him and that we could find Him in our lifetime; having a relationship with the creator.
From the historical accounts of Jesus, his teachings of love and acceptance, certainly taught us everything you could know about God. Jesus said, if you have seen Me, you have seen the Father. Jesus was basically saying, look I am God in human form, everything God is, I am also. Follow my teaching if you want to know anything about the creator. The story of Jesus is a large one (and again too detailed within this blog).
The story of Christ, gives us hope and forgiveness. None us us can truly say we are perfect, even the best of people go wrong from time to time. We are told in the bible that the wages of sin is death, yes that sounds a bit harsh but that was the ultimate reason Jesus came to the world. God never promises we wouldn't die physically, this is the natural course of life according to the natural laws of the world in it's current state. However, he did say we wouldn't die spiritually (our souls) if we believe and come to Him (John 3 16 - For God so loved the world that He gave his only son that whoever believes on him shall not perish but have eternal life). I will leave you with words from C S Lewis about Jesus Christ. "But supposing God became a man, suppose our human nature which can suffer and die was amalgamated with God's nature in one person; then that person could help us. He could surrender His will and suffer and die, because He was man; and He could do it perfectly because He was God. But we cannot share God's dying unless God dies; and he cannot die except by being a man. That is the sense in which He pays our debt and suffers for us". When Jesus suffered, God himself shared in our own sufferings, he shared with us in sorrow and in dying. Therefore, He is a God who understands us and knows what it is to be human, knows what it is to suffer and knows what it is to die. He is a God who can share with us in our sufferings.
The fact that humankind across the centuries, across culture, across groups and clans have all been in search of a higher intelligence and higher purpose, points us to the creator. I don't think we would feel the need to search for God if the need could never be fulfilled. The fact that we are searching confirms our need for Him.
