The Earth & The Stars in the Sky
If, on a fine, clear night, someone said to you, “Look above and tell me what you see shining up there,” what would be your reply?
“I can see the stars,” you would say. But how do you know they are stars?
You would undoubtedly bestow upon your questioner a somewhat pitying look and retort, “Because I can see them.”
That would be the obvious answer. It would be stating a fact.
Suppose, however, your enquirer said to you, “Who placed the stars up there?” — that would be a different matter, wouldn’t it?
Could you give a satisfactory answer?
The writer has actually been asked to believe that the firmament ‘just came’ into being. Again, he was expected to accept the theory that it was brought into being by long evolutionary processes of natural activity.
At his place of business, the writer asked how a certain wonderful machine was made. He received a reply to the effect that it was to conform to a special design.
If a machine made by human agency must have a designer (a first cause, if you like) surely the stupendous fact of the Universe must also have necessitated a Designer.
Let us consider for a moment the four opening words of the first book of Holy Scripture: Genesis chapter 1, and verse 1 — “In the beginning God ……” In these four sublime words all our questionings, our doubts, our finite restless seekings find a resting place.
The Evidence of Faith
One precious word, of five letters only, is the key to that perfect rest. It is found several times in the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, and forms the second word of the first verse of that chapter, “Now faith …… FAITH! Faith is evidence. Faith is real. Faith has substance, and it is tangible. Now notice verse 3 of Hebrews chapter 11: “Through faith we understand …… ” Exactly! Faith, placed in God, receives truth and Divine revelation from Him, and by it we grasp eternal realities.
Now there is a great and universal fact, hidden to natural reasoning, but beautifully clear to faith.
You, dear friend, may find it now, if you will open the pages of Scripture at Romans chapter 5, and read verse 1: “Therefore, being justified by FAITH, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So you see, we actually receive peace with God Himself through our exercise of faith. This precious faith must, however, be placed in a person. In whom? In the Lord Jesus Christ.
Be Ye Reconciled to God ….
If you will look at Romans chapter 5 and verse 10 you will read: “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
Briefly, then, dear reader, until we accept that we are sinners, and until we accept Jesus, we are enemies; but God will become at peace with us, and we with Him the moment we receive, by faith, The Lord Jesus Christ into our hearts as our Saviour, believing that He died and rose again for us, thereby paying the price to save us from our sins.
Will you so believe, beloved friend, here and now, these golden truths of Holy Scripture, by receiving Christ immediately as your personal Saviour and Lord?
Clifford Gration
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The above article was written many years ago by my much loved Father-in-Law. As I have said before, he was a gentleman in every sense of the word. He never received the world’s acclaim, nor did he seek it, but he was a faithful Christian, and one who truly lived a life of faith. He was a member of this church, Crich Baptist Church, for nearly 70 years, and after serving his Lord, and this church for all of those years, was promoted to his eternal reward in March, 2001, in the 91st year of his age. This article was the subject of a tract, the only thing that he ever published. As far as I can recall, he knew nothing of the Internet, and would be humbled and amazed, that something that he had written was being made available to folks around the world. I pray that ‘Through Faith We Understand’ may be a blessing to you. (Alan S. Flint – Clifford’s Son-in-Law)