Two opposing views

Lawrence Narayan, Suva

Two prominent men died this month; Billy Graham died two weeks ago and Stephen Hawking died on Wednesday. Mr Graham was a well-known evangelist who spent his life sharing the gospel to millions of people throughout the world while Mr Hawking was a brilliant and perhaps one of the greatest minds in theoretical physics in our generation.

He spent his life studying the mysteries of the universe. Both men certainly possessed an abundance of unique gifts worthy of our admiration. Though both these men were exceptional in their own ways, their most significant difference was in the area of faith. Mr Graham knew beyond any doubt that he was a child of God, redeemed by Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:7). As he approached death, he confidently expected to be ushered into the presence of the God of creation and hear these words, “Well done my good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). Mr Hawking on the other hand claimed heaven is a fairy tale and that there is no God and no need for God. For all his brilliance he was wrong. There is an afterlife for both believers and unbelievers. And he will be face to face with the Creator of the universe as His judge. Just because Hawking was a genius in his field did not make him infallible when it came to areas beyond his specialty. There is no neutral position before God. The Bible tells us "We were (God's) enemies" before we were reconciled to Him in Jesus Christ (Romans. 5:10). And Jesus said: "He who is not with Me is against Me" (Matthew 12:30). And the truth is that in ways which are crucial to us as believers in the existence of God and His role as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Mr Hawking got it wrong by denying the existence of God and His wonderful creation of which he himself was an integral part.