Professional Documents
Culture Documents
indd 5
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
Evangelical Christian
Publishers Association
1/12/15 3:05 PM
Contents
Introduction .................................................................... 11
Its Like This. . .
1. God............................................................................. 15
W
hat is He like (if He even exists)?
2. The Bible..................................................................... 39
Can it really be trusted?
3. Jesus............................................................................ 65
W
hat makes Him so special?
4. The Holy Spirit........................................................... 91
Why does everyone think Hes so weird?
5. Sin and Salvation...................................................... 123
Which
do you want first, the Good News. . .or the bad news?
6. The Church............................................................... 151
Do I really have to go?
7. Heaven and Hell....................................................... 185
What
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1
God
What is He like (if He even exists?)
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
Jr.) says, Lets kick the tires and light the fires, big daddy! Ive
never wanted to own an F/A-18 Hornet so badly in my life.
Like every other alien movie produced by Hollywood,
Independence Day revolves around two basic questions:
Do aliens exist?
If so, what are they like?
Every sci-fi flick answers those questions in its own way.
Sometimes the aliens are green, sometimes theyre red, and
sometimes they even look like us. Sometimes the aliens are
good and sometimes theyre bad. But the same two questions
are at the heart of every alien movie.
I think most people ponder the exact same questions about
God:
Does He exist?
If so, what is He like?
Now do you see why I think of aliens when I think of God?
Maybe youve never answered those two questions about
God. Maybe youve never even gotten to the second question
because you doubt the answer to the first one. Thats fair.
Seriously. After all, these are the two biggest questions in life.
But theres a definitive answer for both of those questions.
1/12/15 3:05 PM
First, I can honestly say that Ive never seen a flying saucer;
Ive never been abducted by aliens for weird experiments (like
the guy from Independence Day); nor have I come across any
compelling evidence for their existence. In no way has my
lifeor anybodys that I knowbeen affected by visitors
from another planet. In fact, Im much more worried about
my home being invaded by termites than Martians.
But when I look at the world around me, at the people who
share it with me, and even into the recesses of my own heart, I
come to a completely different conclusion about God.
Every single human being who has ever lived has wondered
whether or not God is real. Ive done it. Youve done it. Weve
all done it. Answering that question is at the center of our
existence as humans. Think about it: squirrels arent concerned
about the existence of God, or the next thousand years, or who
will win the Super Bowl. They only care about their next acorn.
Were the only life form that wonders if theres somethingor
someoneout there. . . .
Throughout history, billions of people have wondered
whether theres a good reason to believe that God exists. My
answer is, No, theres not one good reason to believe God
exists. . .there are lots of good reasons to believe He exists.
Lets look at some of those reasons and see if, in the process,
we can discover what God is like.
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
that His people know the difference between good and evil,
and He seems equally concerned that His people choose good
over evil.
So far, God appears to be a highly intelligent Creator who
has designed an intricate and properly functioning universe.
This shows His fondness for order and purpose. He also seems
to be highly interested in His creationespecially in us, who
are created in His imageto the point that He would engage
us with His words so we might know how to live. This proves
He cares about us and is dedicated to character, integrity, and
justice.
So much more could be said about God, His existence,
and His character, but well discover even more about Him
in chapters 3 and 4. Lets close this chapter by looking at the
Bibles defining attribute of God so we can best know what
Hes like.
1/12/15 3:05 PM
1/12/15 3:05 PM
David R. Smith
1/12/15 3:05 PM
27
1/12/15 3:05 PM