1 Peter 1:8,9
We have become a visual culture; we have I-phones that we
use to send pictures and computers, and for years we have watched the latest
news on TV. So when we are told
about a God who loves us so much that He sent His only Son to pay our price, to
buy us out of the hold that sin has on our lives, yet He cannot be seen on TV,
I-Phone, or computer, is this a problem for a culture like ours? How can a visual people see a God who
is unseen? And the question that
must be answered is, can such a people put their trust in the unseen?
As a culture we
are moving away from the Unseen God and that is a statement that can be
backed-up with data; Presser and Stinson found that many Americans were not at
church when they claimed to be. Their best estimates are that the percentage of
adults who actually attended religious services during the previous weekend
dropped from 42% in 1965 to 26% in 1994. Presser said: "We asked
people, tell us everything you did in the last 24 hours so we can know what
chemicals you might have been exposed to. If somebody went to church, they
ought to tell us, but if they didn't go, they shouldn't manufacture it. We
didn't do what most polls of religious belief do, and ask, 'Did you go to
church in the last seven days?' which some might interpret as being asked
whether they were good people and good Christians." So what are they substituting for the Unseen God? All kinds of stuff; boating, sports, vacation homes, lake homes, work, golf, family time, rest, and that is just the short list? And is it a new thing to replace the Unseen with the Seen? Once more we have history to look back on, and the answer is that from the beginning man has sought the Seen over the Unseen. A god that can be seen and touched is a god that requires no faith, and can that type of god promise hope when there is no hope, and has it spoken a world into existence?
This is what the apostle Paul says about the Unseen God; “who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 6:16) The Bible tells us that of men with an earthly father, King Solomon was the wisest man to ever live on planet earth. This wise King made this statement; “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
It comes down to this; cultures come and go, but the word of God has not changed; anyone, no matter where they find themselves, rich or poor, in prison to little gods that have bankrupted them morally, have stolen their health, and have dumped them in the gutter of life when they could no longer be of service. The Unseen God has not forgotten your name, His love has not changed, and He is faithful to do all that He has promised. Romans 10:9 has the answer to my earlier question: How can a visual people see a God who is unseen? It is by faith and is given to you by the Unseen God, and it comes by way of His grace. Two Scriptures to act on: “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9) An indispensable element is faith; Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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