I recently re-watched the movie "God's not dead". This line caught my attention: (paraphrasing) In the big bang theory nothing exploded and became everything. Which is just exactly what you would expect when reading Genesis chapter one, when God speaks things that were not there suddenly come into existence, literally from nothing! It is utterly amazing to me how some people come to the conclusion that there is no God. A YouTube evangelist that I sometimes watch puts it this way, the building is evidence of a builder, the painting is evidence of a painter so creation is evidence of a creator. Just the human body alone is so intricately designed that man, with all of his technology cannot perfectly copy a human being. Just the human eye, is a marvel of creation. In the movie it was said, that some of the most devoted atheists were once Christians. I feel that there might be two reasons for this. One- someone close to them died a horrible death, and the surviving relative blames God. Or two- people have a conception that God is tormenting people in hell forever and ever. So let's address these two reasons. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why does God continue to allow sin? While the quick answer is free will, For most people that answer doesn't cut it. They ask how long must this experiment go on? For further study on this see: www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4979/t/did-god-create-the-devil- Also, consider reading or rereading the book of Job, in the Bible. To address the second reason please see: https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4988/t/is-the-devil-in-charge-of-hell- and https://www.amazingfacts.org/media-library/study-guide/e/4980/t/saved-from-certain-death The truth is that God wants people to love Him not because they don't have a choice, but because they do. My father once told me a story of a woman who on the day after her wedding her new husband gave her a list of all the things she was going to do and when she would do them. It said when she would wake up, when she would have breakfast on the table etc. Her whole day was planned down to when she could use the bathroom and when she could go to sleep at night. She resented and began to hate that man. After many years the man died and the woman eventually got remarried. The day after the wedding she asked her new husband for her list. He replied, "what list?". When she explained he said that there was no list, that she was free to do with her day whatever she wanted to do. Many years went by and they were happy and she loved her husband more and more. One day while doing some cleaning she ran across her old list. As she reread the list she realized that she was doing everything on the list, but this time it wasn't because she had to, but because she really wanted to because she loved her husband. Jesus said, if you love me, keep my commandments. He could have created robots that would repeat whatever they were programmed to say. Would you be satisfied if you recorded, 'I love you ' and then just played your recording over and over? Would it make you feel loved to hear your own voice parroting back those words? God loved us so much that He sent Jesus to take our punishment for sin, so that we could have the choice to live with him forever. If you walk into court with a bunch of speeding fines the judge can let you go if someone pays for your fines. Sin is so abhorrent to a holy God that the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. You and I have broken God's laws and deserve the death penalty. Just like when a murderer goes to court and the judge gives him the death sentence. If he were to try to tell the judge that he was a good person at heart the judge wouldn't listen. Our sins are that abhorrent to God. But Jesus took our death penalty so we wouldn't have to. John 3:16-17 KJV
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
https://bible.com/bible/1/jhn.3.16-17.KJV
