Life Did Not Appear By Mere Chance

A few years ago a Doctor of Psychiatry, a Buddhist, challenged me. “You are a Christian only because you were raised in church!” I replied, “Yes, I was raised in church. But, no, that’s not why I’m a Christian.” He walked away. A half hour later he returned and insistently said, “Tell me why you are a Christian.”

I gave him two answers. “First, I have thoroughly researched the Bible and I found that it stands the test of historical accuracy. The Bible and history say that Jesus Christ was crucified by Roman soldiers, suffered for our sins and was raised again from the dead three days later.”

I went on to say, “When I was a boy, my mother got tuberculosis and was isolated in a TB sanatorium with no hope of a cure. After several months, my brother and I prayed for God to heal our mother. That night a vision of Jesus appeared beside her hospital bed. Jesus passed his hand through her chest, saying, “Myrtle, when they take the X-rays, it will be gone.”

The next day they took more X- rays. The doctor said, “Mrs. Wood, all we can find are scars where you used to have TB. You came in here positive but now you’re negative.” Their tests confirmed she was free of TB so they released her. Mom told me the figure alongside her bed had nail-scarred hands. So, that’s why I am a Christian, because Jesus Christ is alive!”

The psychiatrist turned and angrily walked away without saying a word. I believe someone with a testimony of God’s power or mercy is not at the mercy of someone with an argument. I know what the Lord has done in my life. It’s real and I’m not shy about telling it.

In this modern age, people face more challenges to their faith than our older generation did. A lot of young people go off to college as believers but graduate as doubters, thanks to a few unbelieving professors and a culture of skepticism.

Besides the reliability of the Bible, the more we can learn about real science ( not myths), the easier it becomes to put doubt down and lift faith up. Faith in God is reasonable. God doesn’t want us to check our brains at the door when we go to church. Science and the Bible are not at odds with one another. God’s truth, when rightly examined, is vindicated.

In my opinion, if Darwin had known about DNA and had known the true age of the earth, perhaps he would not have proposed his theory that left God out. Why? Because we now know that DNA is far too complex to begin randomly. Life could not occur by chance. In millions of years, there simply hasn’t been enough time.

Astronomers know the universe had a starting point — perhaps 14 billion years ago — based on the known speed of light from the farthest stars. The universe had a beginning just like the Bible tells us in Genesis. As for its age, when God “stretched out the heavens,” not only did space expand, but our measure of time was distorted as well.

As for me, I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist. Instead, having eyes that see and a brain that works, I believe in God and the truth that makes sense — the Bible’s story of how we got here and why. Jesus (and the nation of Israel) are proof enough that God is real and the Bible is true.