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The ultimate quest of the human heart is to know God.  This quest involves wonder.  Wonder is “inquisitive awe in the pursuit of an understanding of all of the perfections of the excellent majesty of God.”  To know God is eternal life (I John 5:20).  This knowledge is truly unsurpassed.
The nature of beauty has been an enduring mystery to artists and philosophers.  What is beauty?  Some define it as “order, arrangement, and harmony of some kind understood as either objective qualities inherent in something beautiful or as subjective sentiment (beauty is in the eye of the beholder) of a person experiencing something that is esteemed beautiful or as both objective –an object possesses a certain arrangement of qualities or characteristics and subjective–these characteristics are satisfying to the mind and evoke pleasure.  The Scriptures teach us that beauty is the very composition of things:  the design or form of whatever exists.  The origin of beauty is the LORD.  This is expressed in two Psalms:  27:1-4 and 90:17.  “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?  When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell.  Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident. One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple (Ps. 27:1-4).  “And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it” (Ps. 90:17). The first of these Psalms is written by David.  The second is written by Moses.  But, both contain the same affirmation of the beauty of the LORD.  What is the beauty of the LORD?  We must mediate upon the LORD and note His perfections.  His perfections are the sum total of all of His qualities inherent in His excellent majesty or glory (II Pet. 1:16-17).  Consider: the beauty of His perfection; His holiness, His Mind; and His oneness.  A thoughtful study of each of these will begin the quest to know the beauty of the LORD.
The Beauty of Perfection
An accomplished woodworker noted that nothing he made from wood was perfect.  But, the tree from which he secured the wood was perfect.  The human element introduces flaws.  But, God made the tree perfect in its design and purpose.  God is perfect in all of His inner qualities.  Some of these are listed in Ps. 27.  God is light.  Light is essential to life and without it, there would be no life.  God is the source of all light which is the source of all life.  God is salvation.  He is a deliverer from that which harms and destroys.  God is strength.  He is power and might.  As a matter of fact, He is all-powerful.  He has the ability to accomplish and to bring His Word to full fruition.  God is truth.  God cannot lie.  God is just and true.  His justice rests upon His truth because without truth there is no justice.  God is good.  God’s acts are always good.  His creative acts are very good. His redemptive acts are good (right in themselves and beneficial for us).  Some of the qualities are mentioned in Ps. 90.  God is a refuge.  Safety and peace are found with Him and in Him.  God is eternal.  He is self-existing and timeless.  Thus, He is uncreated.  God is merciful.  God is relational and His relationship with people is based upon His mercy and grace.  Without such qualities of God, we could not live in spiritual relationship with God.  The perfection of God is the harmony of all of the characteristic that are intrinsic to His nature.  These characteristic do not conflict with one another nor do they negate one another.
The Beauty of Holiness
Holiness as it applies to God is sinless perfection or moral perfection.  It is freedom from all forms and vestiges of evil.  This produces the following negatives:  (1) God cannot lie; (2) God cannot tempt human beings to sin; and (3) God cannot do evil. God is pure in heart.  He is free from any evil thoughts or intents that would lead to sin.  This means that God is righteous.  God is true to Himself and His nature and cannot contradict Himself in word and deed. Thus, His Word bears this characteristic of holiness (I Tim. 3:15).
The Beauty of Mind
The genius of the mind of God can be seen in the created universe and in the riches of His wisdom in His Word.  The design of the created universe displays the genius of God.  Ps. 19:1-6, “The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.  In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.”  The creation of the universe and everything in it (Ex. 20:11) displays God’s vast knowledge of all the intracacies of the inter-relatedness of created things and of life itself.  This knowledge and the result of His creative power are too wonderful for us to comprehend in fullness.  The sun, moon and stars govern time as we know it.  They govern travel, planting, harvest, the seasons and so forth.  Animal life including their brains and bodies and human life including their bodies and souls manifest His glory.   Every human being is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26,27).  Man’s intellect, emotions, power of volition, conscience and spiritual inclinations are revealed in this creative design.  There is a clear distinction between animals and human beings.  God loves the humans He created and desires to live in covenant relationship with them.  This is not true of the animal world.  By studying the created world, we can come to know the wisdom of God.  Wisdom is incite into the way things really are (reality itself) and how they work and the ends for which they were designed.  God has also revealed Himself through His holy Word.  God’s wisdom in inherent in His Word.  His Word has been revealed and written to inform the mind of humans of the excellent majesty and glory of God.  God’s Word is truth (John 17:17).  Truth accomplishes two things:  (1) It saves (James 1:21) and (2) It sanctifies (John 17:17).  Thus, God’s Word guides the human soul in its journey to heaven.
The Beauty of Oneness
The Godhead is comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Mt. 28:19).  There are three distinct persons in one divine essence or spiritual reality.  The three are one.  “Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believers that Jesus is the Son of God?  This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, The Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.  And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.  If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he hath testified of his Son.”  (I John 5:5-9). The Triune God is three distinct persons in one undivided essence or essential spiritual being.  God is a spirit (John 4:24).  A spirit is not limited by time or space.  This is how oneness results.  Jesus proclaimed that He and the Father were one (John 10:30).  We accept this knowledge God has revealed and believe it is true.  All of the perfections of the Triune God are manifested in each person of the godhead.  Omnipotence, omniscience, omnibenevolence, indeed, all of the perfections of deity belong to each person in the godhead.  This the God that created all things.  This is the God that is sovereign over all of His creation.  This is the God that we love and worship.  This is the God that will judge us in the last day.
The earth is filled with the glory of the LORD.  This is the beauty of the LORD.  Let us celebrate that glory as we discover it and fill our minds and hearts with wonder!

God evokes a sense of wonder for many reasons related to His nature, power, and mighty acts.  The wonder of God is: “inquisitive awe in search of an understanding of all of the perfections of His excellent majesty.”  In Hebrews 12:29, the Holy Spirit declares, “Our God is a consuming fire.”  The figure is graphic–a raging fire consumes everything in its path.  It is a destructive force.  It is a power to destroy.  This phrase is a reference to the unleashing of the power of God against the forces of evil, sin, and sinners.  It captures the essence of the punitive power of God.  In Revelation 14:10, God’s Word affirms, “The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb.” Such is the fate of the person who worships the beast and his image (v. 9).  It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God! (Heb. 10:26-31).
God’s Revelation Of Himself
In Exodus 19 and 20, the LORD reveals Himself to Israel.  Israel (the nation) was encamped at the foot of Mt. Sinai.  God had just delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage.  He did this through the ten plagues brought against the Egyptians and by destroying Pharaoh’s army in the midst of the Red Sea.  God now wants to reveal His Covenant Will to the people.  He commands Moses to make preparations.  Moses is to set boundaries at the foot of the mountain that would permit the people to approach but not go up into the mount (19:12).  The people were required to sanctify themselves (wash themselves and their clothes).  They were not to engage in sexual contact with their wives (19:15).  On the third day, in the morning, there were thunderings and lightenings and a thick cloud upon the mount.  The people heard the voice of the trumpet (Ram’s horn) exceeding loud.  All of the people in the camp trembled (19:16).  When the LORD descended upon the mount, the whole mount was on fire and the smoke ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly (19:18).  God’s presence revealed His fearsomeness.  The result was that the people feared greatly.  In our quest to know God, we must understand His fearsomeness and His wrath.  The people, including the priests, were required to sanctify themselves before approaching God.   They were restricted in their approach to the mount.  Beginning in Exodus 20:1, God spake to them all the words of the covenant He desired to make with them.  God identified Himself in an unmistakable way–as the God who had delivered them from Egyptian bondage.  Then, He commanded them to have no other gods before Him (20:3).  Nor to make unto themselves any grave images, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.  God forbade them from bowing down to them or serving them.  God proceeded to give them the rest of the Ten Commandments.  The people did not want God to speak to them directly. They asked Moses to intercede in their behalf with God.  God gave commands to the people of Israel to honor Him as the only true and living God.  God will not share His glory with another.  The present covenant relationship with God is to be informed by His past mighty acts against the Egyptians.  God was revealing Himself to His people.  Know and understand that the LORD thy God is a fearsome God!
The Fear of the LORD
The people of Israel feared and trembled at the presence of God on the Mount.  Fear is the emotional response of the human heart to the display of the fearsomeness of God.  Fear produces restraint within the human heart from disobeying God and facing His wrath.  God’s wrath is His justice manifested in righteous judgments.  God possesses punitive power which is directed toward the defeat and destruction of evil in all of its forms.  The people said, “All that the LORD hath spoken will we do” (19:8).  Moses told the people that God came to prove them and that His fear may be before their eyes so that they would not sin (Ex. 20:20).  Moses clearly indicates the reason God revealed His fearsomeness.  God desired obedience to His commands.  The fear of the LORD produces compliance to the Will of God.  Solomon states that the whole duty of man is to fear God and keep His commandments (Eccl. 12:13).  The absence of the fear of the LORD will certainly lead to the proliferation of evil in the hearts of human beings.   The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge and wisdom (Prov. 1:7).  Just as Israel pledged to keep the commandments of God, the wise man today hears and keeps the sayings of the LORD Jesus Christ (Mt. 7:24,25).  Jesus taught us to fear God, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt. 10:28).

The wonder of God may be defined as: “Inquisitive awe in the pursuit of the understanding of all of the perfections of the majesty of God.”  Wonder is something that causes astonishment or admiration.  To wonder is to marvel.  Wonder is rapt attention or astonishment at something or someone awesomely mysterious (Merriam-Webster.com).   There is no doubt that God is such a wonder.
The cosmic wonder of God is the wonder of the universe created by God.  God created the heavens, the earth, and the seas  and everything in them in six days (Exodus 20:11).  This feat was accomplished by the word of God (Ps. 36:8-9, “Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the word stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast”).  This is divine commentary on the Genesis account of creation in Gen. 1 where the Bible affirms that God spoke the universe into existence (Gen. 1:3,6,9,11,14, 20, 24, 26).  The universe is the result of the. miraculous power of Almighty God, His genius, and His beauty.
The Power of God
God is omnipotent or all-powerful.  He created by divine fiat.  He brought into being that which did not exist before.  “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3).  Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee.”  Isa. 44:24, “Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself.”  Mt. 19:26, “But Jesus behold them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”  These words of truth give us the answer to the origins of all things.
The Genius of God
The genius of God is demonstrated in the design of the universe.  The sun, moon, and stars along with the solar system and the many galaxies in the universe declare the glory of God.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night. unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heart.  Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.  His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof” (Ps. 19:1-6).  There is design in the human body.  “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Ps. 139:14-16).  “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Gen. 1:26-27).  These words of truth give us the answer to the origin of human beings.
The Beauty of God
God saw His creation and pronounced it very good (Gen. 1:31).  The creation fulfills its creative purpose.  It functions as God designed it.  All created species were actualizing the function for which they were made, in relation to the totality of being:  the consequence was, of course, harmony, order, and peace.  Man was the lord tenant of the universe.  The heavens and the earth were designed as a suitable habitat for him–a vale of soul-making.  In the beginning, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  The Garden of Eden was a paradise.  The absence of moral evil in the beginning of man’s existence is also an aspect of beauty.  The human heart was virtuous or morally excellent.  The beauty of God is clearly seen in this wonder of creation where His goodness is manifested in every detail.   Yes, the creation was very good!
Each detail of the universe declares something about God.  It declares His power, His genius, and His beauty.   This is the cosmic wonder of God.  All of the details of the design are now left for us to explore and through this exploration, to discover the true nature of God.  The greatest quest of the human heart is to know God.  The wonder of God is the inquisitive awe in the pursuit of all of the perfections of the majesty of God.  Will you join the quest?
(The following pictures of the Solar Eclipse were taken April 8, 2024 by Branyon May).

The wonder of God can be defined as: “inquisitive awe in the pursuit of an understanding of all of the perfections of God that comprise His magnificence.”  Anthropological wonder is the wonder of God as seen in His creation of human beings.  In Ps. 139:14, “…I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  A human being, created in the image of God, is a cause for inquisitive awe.  What does being created in the image of God tell us about ourselves?  Human beings alone sustain a unique relationship to deity.  We are created “in His image” and “in His likeness” (Gen. 1:26,27).
The Creation of Humanity is Unique.
The divine Godhead is involved in the creation of human beings.  Humans are not the product of blind change and randomness as affirmed by biological evolutionists.  People are not an evolutionary accident.  We are created with divine intent and purpose.  God who is eternal, self-existing,  and infinite in all of His perfections brought into being a human being that is both physical and spiritual in nature and so, created and finite.  The superiority of God and sovereignty of God over His creature–man–is expressed in this relationship between the Creator and the creature.  God is a person and He has created human beings in such a way that they can have a relationship with Him.  Human beings are person too!  Human beings reflect God’s presence in the world and are evidence that God exists by virtue of the fact that they are created in His image.  No other part of God’s creation has this distinction.  This separates human beings from animals and all other forms of life.  God expressly forbids idols made of wood, stone, silver, or gold as the means of bearing His image.  All idolatry is strictly forbidden by God.  Human beings were given dominion over the earth and all other living things.  They are the crown of God’s creation.  God created them male and female.  Both male and female bear the image of God.  Sexual identity/gender identity is God-given and part of the design of God for human reproduction.  This is part of the created order and is being contradicted by those who suffer from gender dysphoria and choose to contradict God’s created design.  Human beings are dualistic in nature and consist of an “outer man” (physical in nature) and an “inner man” (spiritual in nature).  The physical body is a wonder.  The soul of man, intimately bound to the body, is given by God at conception and together, body and soul, make up a human being.  The fact that human beings possess a soul is another reason for the distinction between humans and animals.
In His Image
There are several aspects of humans that indicate that they bear God’s image.  First, humans have intellectual likeness to God.  In Ps. 139:1-6, David affirms that God is all-knowing.  Humans have intelligence (Job. 35:11), but are not infinite in knowledge.  Humans know more than the beasts of the field or the fowls of the air.  The powers of rational thought possessed by humans are part of the image of God.  Animals do not reason.  They function on the basis of instinct.  No animal has ever written a book!  Second, bearing the image of God means that there is a moral likeness to God.  God is holy (Isa. 6:1-3).  God is love (I John 4:8,16).  Humans are moral creatures.  The spirit of a human being is manifested in conscious thought, self-awareness, and self-reflection.  We have a conscience–a moral arbiter or umpire that either approves or disapproves of words and actions taken by us.  Animals are not moral creatures.  Humans are morally responsible to God because God created us.  God through various covenants has expressed His will in laws that He ordains.  This power to make laws is an expression of God’s sovereignty.  Human beings have always been accountable to God according to the covenant that they lived under at the time of their human sojourn on the earth.  God’s laws constitute objective moral laws.  These laws are recognized universally.  For instance, it is universally understood that murder and rape are wrong (sinful because they violate God’s laws).  Third, being created in the image of God means that humans have volition or the power to choose.  Responsibility to God implies the ability to respond by choice to either obey God or disobey Him.  Volitionality is essential to morality.  God possesses free-will.  God chooses and no one tells God what to do (Rom. 11:34).  “Who hath known the mind of the LORD, or who hath been his counsellor?”  Human beings have free-will.  All sin is the result of choice (James 1:14-15).  Love is a matter of choice.  If there is no free-will, there can be no love!  God desires that we obey Him because we love Him (Mt. 22:36-39; John 14:15, 23).  God is love and He has created humans with the power to love Him and others.  Love is the greatest human virtue (I Cor. 13:13).  If love were properly understood and applied, it would solve most, if not all, of the social problems facing humans today (I Cor. 13).
Truly God has created human beings with such distinction that it inspires wonder.  What is man that thou art mindful of him or the son of man that thou visiteth him?  (Ps. 8:4).  We marvel at how God has created us.  He made us in His image.  We have a created order and design that reflects God’s wisdom and power.  Using our minds, hearts and wills, we can established a spiritual and covenantal relationship with God following the terms and conditions of the New Testament (the law of Christ) and enjoy fellowship with God.  We can prepare to live with God eternally which is the reason He created us (Rev. 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created”).

The apostle Paul uses the word sincere four times: I Cor. 5:8; II Cor. 1:12; II Cor. 2:17 and Phil. 1:10.  The word is translated from the Greek word eilikrinia which means purity.  Paul uses it of the purity of the soul when communing with God (I Cor. 5:8); of the purity of daily life reflected in the conduct of the saint of God in the world; of the undefiled speech of the Christian teacher who imparts the truth of God’s word to others (II Cor. 2:17) and of the purity of heart which is the result of the beauty of spiritual wisdom which has been taught of love to discern the things that are of greatest importance over that which is  mundane.   Sincerity is the purity of heart that produces spiritual integrity.
The Basis of Sincerity
First, to be sincere, let a person bring his/her inner life into the illuminating rays of the Best-Jesus Christ.  The standard of the conscience is set by the perfect teacher who exhibits the perfect character and the perfect conduct–Jesus Christ.  If Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20), we will exhibit Christlikeness to the world around us.  Our words and actions will reflect His glory.
Second, to be sincere, let a man live in perfect openness to God.  Sincerity is that clearness of the soul in which nothing interferes with its penetration by the divine light of truth and righteousness.  Insincerity loves secrecy and hates publicity.  It shrinks from the light of judgment.  “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.  But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (John 3:19-21).  Sincerity invites God’s scrutiny and fears nothing from God.
Third, to be sincere, let a man preserve an unbroken harmony between one’s words and deeds and one’s deepest inward convictions.  This is what we mean when we say “be true to yourself.”  Being true to yourself arises from being true to God!  Polinius said, “To thine own self be true, and it must follow as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.”
The Bane of Hypocrisy
Jesus was stirred to indignation by those religious leaders who lacked harmony between the inner and outer life.  He condemned the Pharisees who “say but do not.”  Their own words were contradicted by their actions.  Jesus called them “whited sepulchers” which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27).  He warned his disciples not to follow after them.  Hypocrites wear a mask.  They live in pretense and deceive others thereby.  They pretend to be something that they are not.  The Christian life involves living a true life and can never be acting a part.  The hypocrite exhibits spiritual incompetence.  The double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways (James 1:8).  The person who attempts to serve two masters at the same time and in the same place attempts to do the impossible (Matthew 6:24).  Jesus emphatically states, “no man can serve two masters.”  Sincerity is the virtue of the heart that pursues divine purity and spiritual integrity.  Sincerity is the antidote to hypocrisy.
The Beauty of Sincerity
Sincerity is a Christian virtue.  Paul connects love to sincerity (Phil. 1:9-11).  Love is the basis of judgment or spiritual discernment.  Love for God and for neighbor is a guiding principle that helps us approve the things that are excellent.  This produces and preserves sincerity.  Purity of heart guards against profaning the sacred or ill-treatment of our neighbor.  Love rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth (I Cor. 13:6).  Love preserves a right relationship with God and with others.  Jesus said that the pure in heart shall see God (Matthew 5:8).  The ultimate reward of the true follower of Jesus Christ is the blessing of being with God forever.  Sincerity is one of those excellent virtues of the Christian life that is essential to obtaining the crown of life.

In a recent debate between Michael Shermer (skeptic/atheist) and Kyle Butt (theist/Christian) held October 25, 2023 at Faulkner University, Shermer affirmed the argument from unbelief.  The proposition for the debate was, “The God of the Bible Exists.”  Shermer denied the proposition and Butt affirmed it.  During this debate, Shermer argued that since many Jews and Muslims do not believe in Jesus, there must not be sufficient evidence to prove that Jesus is the Son of God.  Therefore, the Christian God does not exist.  This is the argument from unbelief.  This argument states that the presence of sincere non-believers proves that God cannot exist.  It suggests that there are many people willing to believe in God if only enough evidence existed to prove that He is.  The argument is also called, “reasonable unbelief.”  The argument claims that if God is real, He would have revealed Himself so clearly that anyone who sincerely was willing to believe would accept that truth.  In short, those who make this argument affirm that there is inadequate evidence to support belief in God.
Two Assumptions Made by the Argument
The first assumption is that there are objective, sincere and willing unbelievers.  The true nature of unbelief reveals that it is grounded not in objective and sincere individuals, but those who have hardened their hearts against God by the deceitfulness of sin.  “Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb. 3:12-13).  Paul referenced this very thing in Rom. 1:18-32.   “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18).  To “hold the truth in unrighteousness” is a reference to the suppression of the truth by the deceitfulness of sin (unrighteousness).  The consequence of unbelief is more unbelief.  Unbelief is self-perpetuating and therefore becomes a powerful force in moving people away from God.  There is no redeeming aspect of sin.  Sin never produces righteousness, but it produces unrighteousness which suppresses the truth about God.  This is not innocent.  People who sin are deceived.  All unbelief is based upon a lie not the truth.  Unbelief therefore does not argue against the truth.  It stands as a negation of the truth which is based upon a lie.  Unbelief is inexcusable! (Rom. 1:20).  Paul declares that unbelief is the result of those who gave up their knowledge of God for vanity (idolatry) or lies (Rom. 1:21-23).  This was a willful, intentional, act of the rejection of the truth about God and the active pursuit of idolatry.  This is the true nature of unbelief. Unbelief can only be overcome with truth.  Truth changes both the mind and the heart.  This defines the pathway to transformation and redemption (John 8:32).
The second assumption is that God has not provided enough evidence for men to reason about correctly and come to the conclusion that God is and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6).  Paul states, “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20).  God existed before people existed.  God was known by the first man and first woman–Adam and Eve (Gen. 1-2).  There never has been a time in the history of man that God has not made Himself known to man.  Adam and Eve knew God “face to face.”  The Bible gives the historical accounts of the interactions of God with human beings.  These individuals had certain knowledge that God existed and passed down that knowledge to others.  God has revealed Himself in the creation of the universe.  “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.  There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Ps. 19:1-3).  The creation speaks a universal language and that message is heard by all peoples everywhere.  Also, when God made man, He made him “in His image, in His likeness” (Gen. 1:27).  Man himself bears the image of God and is proof that God exists.  God has spoken to human beings through His written word.  The Bible stands as evidence that God is.  “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the world of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:1-3).  The writing prophets (such as Moses, Samuel, David, and many others) and the apostles and New Testament prophets (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, James and Jude) have given us a body of truth the substance of which comes from the Triune God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit).   Jesus reveals the Father to us.  “Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me?  the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:8-11).  Jesus’ life, teaching, miracles, death, burial and resurrection are all evidences that God is.  Luke records that the sacred knowledge that he gave to Theophilus consisted of many infallible proofs which were “most certainly believed” among us (see Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1-4).  Jesus predicted that He would build His church (kingdom) (Matthew 16:16-19).  The Lord’s church was established on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-47).  The church is comprised of those who have been redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ.  The existence of the church is proof that God exists and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.  The transformation of millions of lives by the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ is a powerful voice for faith in God, Christ and the Holy Spirit.  In order for unbelievers to reject the sum total of all of the evidence for God, unbelievers would have to be able to falsify every piece of evidence in a conclusive way.  This would be impossible to do.  The existence of unbelief does not destroy the many infallible proofs God has given to us of His existence and goodness.
Belief in a Lie Does Not Make It True
Our unbelief in Jesus does not disprove who He is.  “If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself” (II Tim. 2:13).  If we deny Him, He also will deny us.  Jesus is faithful to Himself. He is essentially and eternally consistent. It is His nature to be so.  Jesus authenticates Himself by His nature, power, goodness, truth and holiness.  He bears witness to Himself (John 8:18). In order to deny Jesus, one must believe a lie and one must be able to falsify who Jesus is.   The former can be done, but the latter is impossible to do.  Believing a lie does not disprove the truth.  The argument from unbelief is false and must be rejected.  We are powerless to affect the eternal consistency of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Wonder is what takes your breath away, and gives your breath back again, to breathe again–transformed!” (William Brown, bible gateway.com).
Wonder is the quality of amazed excitement (Webster).  Wonder is inquisitive awe in pursuit of an understanding of the magnificence of God!  The noblest quest of the human mind is to know God.  Please consider making this your New Year’s resolution!  The wonder of God is the antidote to boredom.  The human heart needs noble quests that ultimately satisfy and enrich the soul.  This quest is one worth pursuing, so, do it heartily!
The wonder of God begins with a pursuit of the knowledge of His Creative Acts.  In Genesis 1-2, we have an inspired, written record of those acts which we embrace by faith (Heb. 11:3).  This is none other than the pursuit of origins.  It is the pursuit of our own identity which is rooted in God’s creative acts.  It is the pursuit of God’s power, genius, and beauty.
The Power of God
“Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.  For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.” (Ps. 33:8-9).  “And God said….”  Gen. 1:3.  The Word of God is powerful!  God spoke the universe into existence.  “Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear” (Heb. 11:3).  God spoke the universe into existence out of nothing physical that existed before.  He created by divine fiat.  That is wonder working power!  That is omnipotence!
The Genius/Design of God
Ps. 139:14-16, “I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”  The human body produces wonder.  Here are some facts to consider:
-The largest bone in the human body is the femur.  It can support 30 times the weight of a person’s body.  Ounce for ounce, that’s stronger than steel.
-Messages from the human brain travel along nerves at up to 200 miles an hour.
-In an adult human, 25% of their bones are in the feet.
-A human’s ears and nose never stop growing.
-There are more bacteria in a human mouth than there are people in the world.
-A human’s little finger contributes over 50% of the hand’s strength.
-If a human’s DNA were uncoiled, it would stretch 10 billion miles, from Earth to Pluto and back.
-For an adult human, taking just one step uses up to 200 muscles.
-A human skeleton renews itself completely every 10 years.
-By the time of person reaches 70 years old, he or she will have consumed over 12,000 gallons of water.
-The body can detect taste in .0015 seconds, which is faster than the blink of an eye.
-Every hour, humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin, or about 1.5 pounds every year.  By the time a person is 70 years old, they will have lost about 105 pounds of skin.
Ps. 19:1-3, “The heavens declare the glory of God: and the firmament sheweth his handywork.  Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.”  Just consider the Astronomical Calendar for 2024 as an example of the display of God’s genius.  January 3-4, we began with the Quadrantis Meteor Showers.  January 12 is the best time to see Mercury because it is at its greatest Western Elongation.  February 20 is the best time to see Venus because it will be at its greatest Eastern Elongation.  Don’t forget to take in the New Moon and the Full Moon for every month.   March 25 will be a Prenumbral Lunar Eclipse (the moon passes through the earth’s penumbral shadow).  April 8 will bring a total Solar Eclipse.  April 22-23 will bring the Lyrics Meteor Showers with meteor surges up to 100 per hour.  May 6-7 will be the Eta Aquarius Meteor showers and May 14 will bring a total Lunar Eclipse and the moon will take on a reddish appearance.  June 20 is the summer solstice and the longest day of the year.  July 21 will be the Buck moon which coincides when Buck’s antlers are at full growth.  Also July 28-29 will bring the Aquaria Meteor showers with about 20 meteors per hour.  August 12-13 will bring the Perseus Meteor showers with about 60 meteors per hour.  September 18 will bring a Supermoon and on the 18th there will be a partial lunar eclipse.  September 22 will be the fall equinox and fall will begin in the Northern Hemisphere.  Oct. 17 will bring a supermoon.  Oct. 21-22 will bring the Orionids Meteor Shower which originates from Hally’s Comet (about 20 meteors per hour).  In November, you can see the Taurids meteor showers with a higher than usual percentage of fireballs and the Leonids Meteor showers which provide a glimpse of the most intense meteors in history.  December will bring the Geminid Meteor showers (13-14) with up to 120 colored meteors per hour.  The night sky is a light show beyond imagination and God’s genius and design is behind every astronomical phenomenon.
God’s design is seen in practically every aspect of the universe.  There is much to discover!  So, open your eyes, get excited about the process of discovery and enjoy God’s creation!
 The Beauty of God
In Genesis 1:31, the Bible declares that God gave His evaluation of the creation and pronounced it “very good.”  This pronouncement indicates that everything God created functioned exactly as God designed it.  All created species were actualizing the functions for which they were made, in relation to the totality of being: the consequence was, of course, harmony, order and peace.  The “heaven and the earth” were designed as a suitable habitat for man. Indeed, the world created by God was a “value of soul-making.”  In addition, to the created excellence of the design God brought into being, human beings were virtuous having been created morally perfect.  God’s initial creation was perfect.  This high excellence was part of the beauty of the created world which mirrored the beauty of God.   The Garden of Eden reflects this beauty.  The human form and design reflects this beauty.  The earth before the “curse” reflects this beauty.  Today, we still marvel at the beauty of the earth.  The Seven Natural Wonders of the World stand as a testament to his beauty.  The world atlas.com lists the following geographical areas as natural wonders:  Mount Everest (tallest peak on earth at 8,848.86 meters); Parcutin Volcano (a cinder volcano); The Grand Canyon (446 km long; 29 km wide and 1.8 km deep); Victoria Falls (the largest waterfall in the world, located in Southern Africa); The Harbor of Rio de Janeiro (the world’s largest natural harbor located in Brazil); the Great Barrier Reef (the largest coral reef located near Queensland, Australia) and the Northern Lights (a light show of dancing colors seen near the Arctic Circle).  Much more could be included.  Wonder is all around us!  God is at the center of all wonder.  When we consider His Creative Acts, we are filled with inquisitive awe in pursuit of an understanding of His magnificence!  Now, that’s the cure for boredom!!!