Teaching the world a method for studying God's Word
to learn and comprehend the meaning of Scripture
DWJD Ministries = doing what Jesus did
19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe and tremble.
- James 2:19
fig. 3
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--His eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen and understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
- Romans 1:20
fig. 2
Step One
Step One towards God is that we must first admit to ourselves that there is a God. You have to believe that God does indeed exist. It doesn't matter that you can't see Him, He's still there. Have you ever seen another planet outside of our solar system? The answer is no. No one has. But, we know for certain they exist. There is plenty of scientific derived evidence that hundreds of them have been located. They are scattered all over the galaxy. We now suspect that planets circling around stars is a common phenomenon. In the same way, no one today has seen God. But, there is plenty of evidence to prove that He exists.
We go now to our first verse in the book of Romans (See fig. 1). The word evidentcomes from the Greek word phaneron [fan-er-RON]. It means 'manifest, apparent, plainly recognized.' The Apostle Paul is clearly telling us that the knowledge that God exists is obvious to us. The word obvious means 'easily discovered, seen, or understood.' He then goes on to tell us why: God Himself revealed it to us. The word for revealed is phanerosen[fan-er-ROW-sen] and means 'readily perceived by the senses.' God made the idea of Himself easily understood by our mind.
We all believe in God. I can make that statement with confidence, because of Paul's words in Romans 1:19. But, believing in God is not enough. We must go further and actually acknowledge that He exists. No more saying things like “God is dead!” or “Religion is for the weak minded.” The Bible teaches that all men have knowledge of God. But, this simple belief we all have only lets us know that He exists. We must do more. We have to cognitively recognize and then concede that God is real.
You now might be wondering, “What about atheists?” The dictionary says an atheist is ‘someone who does not believe in the existence of a god or any gods.’ As I have just shown, Scripture refutes that definition. Thus, there is no such thing as a genuine atheist. God said He has revealed His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—to each and every one of us. And having been seen and understood, we are all without excuse (See fig. 2). Thus, I define an atheist as ‘someone who denies the existence of YAHWEH God.’ So, you are in one of two camps: You either acknowledge the existence of God, or you deny that He exists. Everyone believes in God.
Look at the phrase in the verse; "from what has been made." That comes from a single Greek word poiemasin [POY-ay-ma-sin] and means 'the works of God as creator.' Any person who has studied science to even a lessor degree finds it impossible to deny the existence of God. All one needs to do it examine something God has made. Let's take DNA as an example. DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning and reproduction of all known living organisms and many viruses. It is among the smallest things we can observe that God has created.
Each strand of tiny DNA contains enough information to build a human body from scratch. Not only that, but it schedules the development of all the cells to occur at precisely the right time. Those who have studied DNA have stated that "it's a four or five-dimensional computer code, created using just 4 different amino acids, joined in a helix composed of protein atoms." Each human cell thus stores more information within them, than all the computers on earth! While you might not understand DNA well, there is no denying it is the product of a much higher intelligence. We know Him as God.
Now, merely acknowledging that God is real and coming to recognize Him for who He is important, but this is only the first step. Believing in God is not enough. The Bible teaches us that even the demons believe in God with sufficient force to tremble at that knowledge. No, this basic level of belief is not enough. We must go one step further and acknowledge His divine existence. But, that’s still not the same as saying that you follow Him. You are just acknowledging His position as creator and master over everything. Are you ready to acknowledge that? Say it aloud; "God, I acknowledge you are the divine Creator who made everything that was created." Once you've done that, it’s time for the next step.
How to be Saved (Step One)
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God revealed it to them.
- Romans 1:19
fig. 1
Our Passion: