What if there is no God?

I wonder if you have ever asked yourself the question “What if there is no God?” I am sure that most of us at some time have thought about that. I expect that for most people the response would be along the lines of “Great! If there is no God, then I can do just as I please.” After all, if there is no God, then there would be no one to tell us what is right and wrong, what is good and evil, just doing as we please would make sense.

However, we do not really mean that at all, of course. What if my doing as I please causes someone else pain, discomfort or loss? To show ourselves as decent, moral people, most of us would modify the conclusion to, “So long as I do no one else any harm, I can do just as I please.” 

But, if there is no God, why would we make that limitation? If we are the result of “survival of the fittest”, then surely we are the result of our ancestors not being so squeamish. Just look at the animal kingdom; male tigers have no qualms about killing other male tigers, even gentle deer will battle it out to ensure that it is their line that succeeds. So, if we want to benefit our descendants, then it is in their best interest to make sure that we rise to the top, no matter what the cost to others.

Pressing this even further, the more we think about it, the more we struggle to think of reasons why we should be so careful not to do others any harm. If there is no God, then you, I and everyone else on this earth are mere accidental bags of chemicals, with no meaning, value or purpose. If you are nothing more than a random collection of molecules held together by what we call skin, then what does harming you mean anyway? If, in just a few billions years’ time, not only will all of humanity be forgotten, but the entire universe will be cold, empty and deserted, then the concept of doing harm has no significance. The contribution that you and I make to history will have made no lasting impact. 

Then there is the question of who do we mean by “no one else.” Who is the “no one else” that I am to do no harm to? Does that really include those who are different from me in any way? Does it really mean those on the other side of the planet? Does it really mean the generations that will follow after us? Does it really mean the unborn child? The problem is, with no God to tell us, we are all free to make up our own minds on these matters, and your opinion carries no more weight than mine.

But, there is a God and he has made humanity in his own image. It is this fact that gives dignity, meaning and value to every person who has ever lived on this earth. It is no wonder then that God has said that it is the fool who has said in his heart that he does not exist. It is this God, who gives meaning to right and wrong; he alone defines what is good and what is evil; he alone is the one who will ensure that true justice is ultimately done.

The Bible tells us that this God has stepped into his own creation in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has shown us who God is. He has lived a human life, always doing what is right and never once doing what is wrong. He has told us that he alone is the way to know God; however hard we try, however good we may think that we are, we can never find our way to God, except by trusting in the Jesus Christ. If we want to know God, we must come to him through Jesus.

If you would like to know more, then please contact us through the Coopers Edge Baptist Church website, email enquiries@coopersedgebaptist.org or come along to our services at 10.30 on a Sunday morning at Coopers Edge Primary School.