Weird Ideas: God and the Universeமாதிரி

There’s an ancient Christian statement of faith called the Apostles’ Creed whose roots go back all the way to the 2nd century. When someone would start their journey with Christ, those who were already a part of Christ would use the basic teachings in this creed to help people come to know the truth. Later, when these new believers would come to be baptized, they would say these creedal statements as a testimony of their new beliefs.

It starts with the phrase: “I believe in God the Father Almighty…” Off the bat it makes a bold claim. There is a God, and he’s like a dad.

If that statement doesn’t seem radical to you, that’s evidence of a perspective change God has already worked in you as a Christian, or the influence of Christian thinking and jargon around you. But in this secular, scientifically-centered world, common sense seems to say that matter is all there is. There’s what you can see, apprehend with your five senses, test, and measure. It’s foolish to believe in something beyond it.

Christians have a different idea. They perceive an unmeasurable Power that binds the universe together. And not just some impersonal principle or force, like Star Wars or gravity. It is a sentient being who is knowable, and who loves you. This Power is best understood as a person. And not just any person, but like a dad.

The world yearns for this. Despite so often rejecting God, you’ll hear comments like “The universe is good,” or “The universe loves you.” Even the way people talk about science betrays this, with phrases like, “Science teaches us…” or “Science shows…” There’s a yearning in every human heart for a personal relationship with something more than what we can see and test and measure.

The universe and science don’t give a rip about you. They can’t. The former is impersonal and without a mind. The latter is a concept. But there is one behind the universe and science who does give a rip about you. He is good and thinks about you like his child. He is the one we’re looking for.