I think, therefore I am.

One of my intentions for producing this blog is to share my beliefs. Beliefs are a funny thing, especially in light of today’s emphasis on relativity and pluralism. What we believe, we hold to be true. Moreover, what is contrary to our beliefs, we hold to be false. No one meaningfully says, “I believe today is Monday, but I don’t think this is true.”

Of my beliefs, here is one of the most important to me: I believe in God. This little statement could be unpacked to fill up a book (which many have done without exhausting the subject). One piece of evidence to support my belief in God’s existence is that I don’t need to existence. That I exist, I cannot deny, but it is possible that I could go out of existence at any moment. Furthermore, there was a time when I did not exist. Because I exist contingently, there must be something that I depend upon at this very instance for my existence. This thing that I depend upon cannot itself be contingent, rather, it must be a necessary thing.

This necessary thing must be God. God is the greatest possible being, which means that there can be only one (and no, God is not a Highlander). There has never been a time, nor will there ever be a time when God does not exist.

This God possesses the omni-attributes: omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, etc. This means that there is nothing greater than God.

Lastly, the God I believe in is the triune God that has revealed himself in the Old and New Testament and in the incarnation of the Second Person of the trinity starting 2,000 years ago in Israel as Jesus of Nazareth. This God is a holy and loving God who despises sin, yet who loves humanity, his creation so much, that he himself has provided the means for humans to be reconciled to himself. The means of justification consists in the sacrifice of Jesus specifically to atone for humans in the place of humans. Rejection of this sacrifice leaves one condemn, facing eternal separation from the presence of this holy God.

This belief of God’s existence governs my actions and serves as the standard whereby I examine the values I hold. Moreover, because I believe in this God, my life is focused on serving him and seeking to have my passions match his. This includes seeking for those whom he seeks for, namely those people who do not acknowledge him.

I look forward to the next post, when I might be able to share some more of my beliefs and thoughts (thankfully, I have thoughts. This means I don’t have to worry and wonder as to whether or not I exist).