Questions About God

Asking where God came from or when He was born or made is a very natural question since everything else we know about has some sort of beginning.

We, as people, all have a birthday. The houses we live in and the cars we travel in all were made at some point in time. We realize that everything we see around us has not always been here. So where did God come from?

The Bible makes it very clear that before anything else existed in the universe God was there. Genesis 1:1 shows us that before anything was created God existed. John 1:3 is a New Testament verse that speaks of creation as well. It says, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." This means that everything that was made was made by God. Therefore, no one could have made God. God has always been there. As Psalm 90:2 says, "...from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."

The fact that God has always been there is hard for us to understand. In fact it doesn't make much sense when we first hear about it, but it is true anyway for that is what the Bible states. In John 5:25 the Bible says that God has life in Himself. He is not like a plant, animal, or human being who needs to be born to have life. He always has had life. If God had to be made by something or someone else, He would not really be God. For whatever made Him would be stronger and more powerful. It only makes sense that God has no beginning (or ending for that matter). The Bible has a neat way of expressing this fact. In Isaiah 44:5, Revelation 1:8, Revelation 21:6, and Revelation 22:13, God is called the "first and the last" and the "Alpha and Omega" (this is like calling Him the "A and the Z"). This doesn't mean he has a beginning and end, but that He is everything--He is A to Z.

We are made up of matter, we inhabit space (not outer space), and we are bound by time. The Bible teaches that God created matter, space, and time (Genesis 1:1 -- "In the Beginning = space; "heavens" = space; "earth" = matter). Anything that is matter must have space for it to be matter. Time is inseparable from matter and space (Albert Einstein proved this). It is hard to imagine how it would be not to have space, time, or matter, but we can believe there must be Someone Who is above space, time, and matter. The Person that created space, time, and matter must be GREATER and not bound by His creation. Since God is not made up of matter (John 4:24), and is not limited by space, it is wrong to try to fit God into a certain time-line. Whenever we think about time, we think of things as having a beginning and ending. But God doesn't have a time-line. God has a "time-circle!" A circle has no beginning and no ending. Try and think for a moment what it would be like without time.

Everything that modern science teaches us shows that our universe had a starting point. Things just don't happen, and something does NOT come from nothing. We believe the Bible is completely accurate when it explains that God is the cause of our universe, and the something we see and know today DID come from Something--God! To think that the space, time, and matter we live in and around just happened all by itself is not good thinking at all!

God is truly magnificent. The fact that He has always been there without anyone or anything making Him just shows how much different He is from us. Don't be upset or frustrated because you don't understand this fully. The fact that we can't know everything perfectly is further evidence that there is Somebody A LOT smarter than we are! There are things we do not understand completely about God, but these are things that show He is God and we are NOT! God is uniquely wonderful!

Becoming a Christian means that you desire to "follow Christ." One cannot follow Christ if they want their sin (wrong attitudes, actions, and words) more than Jesus and what He offers. Look at what the Bible says:

1. God wants you to honor and serve Him.

Revelation 4:11 -- "You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

2. Your sin (breaking God's rules) keeps you from pleasing God.

Romans 3:23 -- "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,"

I John 3:4 -- "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

James 2:10 -- "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

3. Sin is paid for by death and separation from God.

Psalm 5:4 -- "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You."

Romans 6:23 -- "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Revelation 20:15 -- "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

4. You cannot get to heaven by being good or doing lots of good works.

Titus 3:5a -- "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,"

Ephesians 2:8-9 -- "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Not of works, lest anyone should boast."

5. Here's the best part. Christ paid for your sins.

Romans 5:8 -- "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I Peter 3:18a-- "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us F21 to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,"

6. Accept Christ's payment for your sin.

John 14:6 -- "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Acts 16:31a -- "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household'."

Romans 10:13 -- "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

7. Turn from your sin. Want something completely different than your sin.

Luke 13:5 -- "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Acts 17:30 -- "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,"

Acts 17:31 -- "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

8. God has made you a promise--eternal life.

John 5:24 -- "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

God's Promise has three parts: The person who believes . . .

1. Has eternal life

2. Does not come into judgment

3. Has passed from death to life

Becoming a Christian is much like joining an army. It costs nothing to join but the good soldier is willing to obey and even lay down his life for the general. When somebody does join the army, their life is no longer their own. When somebody joins the army, they surrender their rights to their leader. That's what God expects of us. Look at what Jesus said about becoming a Christian (follower of Christ):

Matthew 16:24-25 -- "Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it."

In order to become a Christian your will must be broken because it is naturally at war with God! In fact, the Bible says that our condition is pretty miserable, for we are born into this world:

1. An enemy of God -- our will is against His will (Rom. 5:10)

2. Dead in sins (unable to anything that pleases God -- Eph. 2:1)

3. Held captive by a foreign power greater than ourselves (Eph. 2:2)

4. A child of wrath (someone destined for eternal judgment -- Eph. 2:3)

Have you ever seen a football game? There are two teams, each with different wills. One team desperately wants to run one way, and the other team wants to go the other way. They have opposing wills. We are born with a will that wants to do anything except turn from our sin and trust Christ for forgiveness! That's why becoming a Christian is primarily a surrender of your will!

To become a Christian you must Admit that you have sinned against God and ask Him for His forgiveness. Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who died for you on the cross and rose from the dead. Call upon Jesus Christ to save you and ask Him to become your Lord and Savior. God didn't make the way to heaven difficult -- because of what Jesus did on the Cross, it's as easy as ABC!

You can become a Christian right now! There are no special papers to sign or certain works you have to do. God is so BIG and so willing to forgive, you don't have to go anywhere special or say any magic words. If you see your need for Jesus and are willing to turn from your sin and to Him, tell Him that. The Bible says that there is "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents [turns from their sin and trusts Jesus]" -- (Luke 15:10).

God promises that those who truly believe have passed from death unto life, and are secure forever in His hand. Praise the Lord that He provided for us a way of escape from a terrible place called Hell.

Do you think that when Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3) God said to Himself: "Oh no! What am I going to do now?" I don't think so!

The Bible says that Jesus was the lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8). God knew before He formed the world that Jesus would pay the penalty for mankind's sins. This is a mystery to us, but we can be thankful that God allowed Adam to sin so we could understand His love to us.

The Bible says that God demonstrated His love to us by allowing Christ to lay down His life in order that we might live. Do you realize there was NOTHING lovable about us? There was nothing we did to deserve such a gift.

If someone were to give you a million dollars, what would you think about that person? You'd probably feel like that person who gave you such a gift cared for you very much.

But what if someone gave you an even greater gift than one million dollars, in fact, they gave the greatest gift possible? What could that gift be?

The Bible says that the greatest love is when someone lays down his life for others. Do you realize that Jesus gave the greatest gift to you possible -- He gave His life!

Yes, God could've in His almighty power kept mankind from sinning, but He didn't. He is a loving God who allowed sin into the world so we might understand just a little of His great love to us who are His creation.

The world God initially created did NOT have evil, pain, and sorrow. In the beginning, before sin entered into the world, everything was perfect. God did not create evil, pain, and sorrow -- they are the result of man's choice to disobey God.

The Bible says that when Adam sinned, death passed upon all men. You can read about God's judgment upon the human race at the end of Genesis 3.

Sin is the cause of evil, pain, and sorrow. We cannot blame God for sin because God did not choose sin for us, rather, man chose sin for himself. God did not create humans as mindless robots to do fulfill His every whim and wish, God gave to man the ability to choose between good and evil. Man chose to disobey God and has suffered the consequences ever since.

But the good news is that God had planned before the foundation of the world to show His love to us by sending Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin. Just like there is a penalty when you break a rule in sports or school, there is a penalty for sin -- death and separation from God. Jesus paid that penalty for us on the cross when He gave to us His life. Jesus loves you so much that He took your place on the cross.

Heaven is a place without sin, so it is also a place without evil, pain, and sorrow. If you believe what the Bible says about Jesus and asked Him to forgive you of your sins, you can be confident that someday you will have a home in heaven.

This is a very good question, and we at Kids 4 Truth get asked this question A LOT! The obvious answer is "nobody really knows."

The Bible is everything that God wants us to know about Himself. In the Bible we find that God has always existed:

John 1:1-3 -- "that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

Although we don't know where God was before He created the world, we do know that He did exist (Psalm 90:2), that He existed then the same as He exists now (Mal. 3:6) and that God was glorified as God even then (John 17:5).

It sure is hard NOT to think that angels sing. But, it cannot be proven from Scripture that they DO sing.

Godly men throughout the centuries have felt that singing was a special right given only to God's most beloved creation -- us!

The Bible commands us to sing unto the Lord (Psalm 100:2; Ephesians 5:19)

Creation is the word we use to refer to the action of God speaking the world and everything in it into existence.

Genesis 1-3 tells the story of Creation, and later in Colossians 1:15-17 we find that Jesus is holding his Creation together at all times.

Scientists still haven't figured out why atoms (small particles that make up all matter) holds together. If atoms followed established scientific laws, then they and all matter would fly apart.

As people who believe and trust the Bible to be the TRUTH, we know it is Jesus Christ who holds everything together.

The Bible is different than any other book ever written.

There are several reasons why the Bible is different than any other book:

1. Tons and Tons of copies of the Bible exist -- more than any other book EVER!

2. Underground Discoveries -- these discoveries by archaeologists always prove the Bible!

3. Fulfilled Prophecies -- the Bible has always been right concerning future predictions!

4. Facts too amazing to be coincidence -- too much evidence exists to say "not true"

Look back at the first letters and it spells TUFF! That will help you remember why the Bible is different than any other book. You can trust the Bible.

Note: the TUFF acronym is an improvisation on Hank Hanegraaff's incredibly useful acronym MAPS that helps us remember that the Bible is different than any other book!

Let's see what the Bible says about what we'll be like in Heaven. . .

1 John 3:2 -- "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."

Philippians 3:21 -- "who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself."

These two verses clearly teach us that our bodies will someday be "glorified" if we have turned from our sins and received Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

What will we be like in our glorified bodies? The Bible teaches that we will be like Jesus Christ in His glorified body. When Christ was crucified and put in a tomb, he rose from the grave and beat death. When he appeared again to his disciples and others (I Corinthians 15:4-7) He was in a glorified body.

Some things He did in His glorified body:

1. He ate (Luke 24:42-43)

2. He appeared and disappeared at will (Luke 24:31, 36)

3. He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:8-10)

4. He spoke

5. He was real -- not just a ghost or spirit (Luke 24:35; John 20:27)

The Bible clearly tells us that our glorified body will be like His.

Since heaven is a place without time, a person's age will have no meaning. It doesn't matter whether you are 8 or 80 when you go to be with God, you will be given a glorified body and mind like Jesus Christ. The body and mind you receive when you go to be with God cannot be thought of as old, young, or middle-aged. The body you receive will be completely perfect because it will be like Christ's.

First of all, let it be known that we certainly don't enjoy speaking about a place called hell! However, when we read the Bible we find out that God says much about a real place called hell. In fact, Jesus spoke of hell about 4 times as much as heaven! If it was that important to God, then we should find out what He says about hell.

Hell is described as:

1. Everlasting punishment.

Matthew 25:46 -- "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

2. Everlasting fire.

Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:"

3. Everlasting burnings.

Isaiah 33:14 -- "The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"

4. A furnace of fire.

Matthew 13:42, 50 -- "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. "

5. Fire and brimstone.

Revelation 14:10 -- "he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb."

6. Unquenchable fire.

Matthew 3:12 -- "His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

7. Devouring fire.

Isaiah 33:14 -- "The sinners in Zion are afraid; Fearfulness has seized the hypocrites: "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?"

8. The body and soul suffer in hell.

Matthew 10:28 -- "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."

We can see that hell is certainly a place to be avoided at all costs. Sometimes, people don't accept a literal place called "hell" because they believe that God would never cast people into a place like that. But probably the most important thing we learn about hell from the Bible is that hell was NOT created for humans.

Look at what the Bible says in Matthew 25:41 -- "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: "

Hell was not created for humanity -- hell was created for the devil and his angels. The Bible says that God is not willing that any should perish. It also says that He takes no pleasure in the death of the unrighteous (those without Christ). God is a loving God but He is also a holy God Who cannot tolerate the presence of sin. The fact of Hell is the bad news, but the next part is the good news. . .

God has provided a way so that no one has to go to hell when they die. Here is what the Bible tells those who want to escape the penalty of Hell:

1. God wants you to honor and serve Him.

Revelation 4:11 --"You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created."

2. Your sin (breaking God's rules) keeps you from pleasing God.

Romans 3:23 -- "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

I John 3:4 -- "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness."

James 2:10 -- "For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all."

3. Sin is paid for by death and separation from God.

Psalm 5:4 -- "For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You."

Romans 6:23 -- "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. "

Revelation 20:15 -- "And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."

4. You cannot get to heaven by being good or doing lots of good works.

Titus 3:5a -- "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us,"

Ephesians 2:8-9 -- "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

5. Here's the best part. Christ paid for your sins.

Romans 5:8 -- "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

I Peter 3:18a -- "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God,"

6. Accept Christ's payment for your sin.

John 14:6 -- "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."

Acts 16:31a -- "So they said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household'."

Romans 10:13 -- "For 'whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved'."

7. Turn from your sin. Want something completely different than your sin.

Luke 13:5 -- "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish."

Acts 17:30-31 -- "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

8. God has made you a promise--eternal life.

John 5:24 -- "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

God's Promise has three parts: The person who believes . . .

1. Has eternal life

2. Does not come into judgment

3. Has passed from death to life

It is important to be sure that you will never see or feel hell. But Jesus does not offer a ticket just to go to heaven. You must be willing to turn from your sin and trust Jesus with your entire life.

Becoming a Christian is much like joining an army. It costs nothing to join but the good soldier is willing to obey and even lay down his life for the general. When somebody does join the army, their life is no longer their own. When somebody joins the army, they surrender their rights to their leader. That's what God expects of us. Look at what Jesus said about becoming a Christian (follower of Christ):

Matthew 16:24-25 says, "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it'."

In order to become a Christian your will must be broken because it is naturally at war with God! In fact, the Bible says that our condition is pretty miserable, for we are born into this world:

1. An enemy of God -- our will is against His will (Rom. 5:10)

2. Dead in sins (unable to anything that pleases God -- Eph. 2:1)

3. Held captive by a foreign power greater than ourselves (Eph. 2:2)

4. A child of wrath (someone destined for eternal judgment -- Eph. 2:3)

Have you ever seen a football game? There are two teams, each with different wills. One team desperately wants to run one way, and the other team wants to go the other way. They have opposing wills. We are born with a will that wants to do anything except turn from our sin and trust Christ for forgiveness! That's why becoming a Christian is primarily a surrender of your will!

You have to Admit that you have sinned against God and ask Him for His forgiveness. Believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Son of God Who died for you on the cross and rose from the dead. Call upon Jesus Christ to save you and ask Him to become your Lord and Savior. God didn't make the way to heaven difficult -- because of what Jesus did on the Cross, it's as easy as ABC!

You can do this right where you are, right now! God is so BIG and so willing to forgive, you don't have to go anywhere special or say any magic words. If you see your need for Jesus and are willing to turn from your sin and to Him, tell Him that. The Bible says that there is "joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents [turns from their sin and trusts Jesus]" -- (Luke 15:10).

God promises that those who truly believe have passed from death unto life, and are secure forever in His hand. Praise the Lord that He provided for us a way of escape from a terrible place called Hell.