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LIFEGroup Reflections

I like math. I love the certainty that I can have in math. I love that I can actually prove that there are 180 degrees in a triangle. Think about it. I’ve just stated a truth. I’ve just stated a truth that is universally true for all time. There never has been, and never will be a triangle that does not have interior angels equaling 180 degrees. This is true in America, its true in China, its true in India. It is true everywhere all the time, never changing.

In our LIFEGroup this week we asked the question “Can we have the same certainty about God?” Can we come up with a proof for God? Theologians in the past tried to create logical arguments that proved God. Anselm came up with probably the most famous logical proof for God. He said that God is that which nothing greater can be thought. The argument runs that though we are created beings we can conceive of great things such as infinity and ultimate goodness. Since as finite creatures we have no direct experience of infinity and ultimate goodness those attributes must belong to something in order to be thought. The argument concludes that God must exist because we can conceive of those things.

Anselm’s argument is quite brilliant. It seems like any logical person must admit that God exists. In fact when we think of things like perfect love, justice, and mercy it is even clear that Anselm has proved that the God that exists is the Christian God. This “proof” has been around for hundreds of years, so why is it that there are people who still refuse God?

Surveys show that the vast majority of people in the United States do believe in God and yet fewer and fewer people in the neighborhoods around us have a relationship with Jesus and are involved in a church. Where is the disconnect occurring? How can people say that they believe in God and yet have no interest in learning about Him and what he requires of them? I know many people who even claim to be Christians but see no need to attend a church. I guess if Sunday morning is all church is, if Calvary is only that building on the highway, then I don’t blame them.

People need to see beyond the building. Our LIFEGroups can help people do that. We had or LIFEGroup meeting at the Barnes and Nobles book store. As we had this conversation I thought about the people that sat around us in the book store. I wondered if they saw Calvary as a building or as a group of people who want to love God, love each other and love the world. Then I wondered what our LIFEGroup could to change their perception. It’s a challenging question. If our LIFEGroups can get involved in the culture around us we can show people what Calvary really is. Maybe instead of trying to prove God to the world, we will be able to show God to the world.

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