There Is a Chance That God Exists
On Tuesday, August 8, 2023, someone in Neptune Beach, Florida, picked the correct numbers to win the 1.58 billion Mega Millions drawing. It was one of the largest prizes in the history of lotteries in the United States.
For weeks national and local news stations had covered the growing jackpot. Reporters made a show of buying a ticket as they reported the story. The chance of picking the winning number on August 8th and for any Mega Millions drawing is one in 302.6 million.
Buying lottery tickets isn’t a wise investment. Buyers are more likely to be struck by lightning during their lifetime or die in an automobile accident on their trip to purchase lottery tickets than they are to win the jackpot.
Despite the astronomical odds, I heard one news reporter who was hyping the drawing say, “There is a chance!” Unfortunately, the people least able to afford lottery tickets are most likely to buy them. That “There is a chance!” exclamation reminded me about chances people take with their eternal destiny which are likely to end disastrously.
Most people live as if God doesn’t exist, and they will never have to give an account of their lives to Him. Why do news reporters never say, “There is a chance!” to that accountability reality?
Jesus said, “And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?” (Mark 8:36 NLT). Winning 1.58 billion falls far short of gaining the whole world. Jesus says that no amount of material gain offsets eternal spiritual loss.
There is a chance that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him sincerely (Hebrews 11:6). Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) suggested that everyone has an important choice in a spiritually uncertain world. He contended that people should live as if God exists and strive to believe in Him. If He does not exist, they only give up certain pleasures and luxuries. However, if He exists, they gain an eternal home in Heaven and avoid eternal suffering in Hell.1
Much evidence points to God’s existence. Anthony Flew explained why he changed his mind about God’s existence in There Is a God: How the World's Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind. What persuaded the world’s premier atheist to change his opinion from “no God” to “God!”?
First, the consistent, rational laws of nature indicate a creating, orchestrating divine mind. Some modern physicists have observed mathematically precise, universal regularities in nature they believe are not accidental.
Second, the universe is “fine-tuned” to sustain life. Without these specific, exacting arrangements, life wouldn’t exist.
Third, biological systems are amazingly complex. Flew asks, “How can a universe of mindless matter produce beings with intrinsic ends, self-replicating capabilities, and ‘coded chemistry’ “?
Fourth, the evidence that the universe began out of nothing impressed Flew. It either started without a cause or with a cause outside it. He doesn’t believe nothing produced something. He believed God is the best explanation for the universe.2
Given the evidence, why don’t television reporters ever say, “There’s a chance that God exists and rewards those who seek Him? I encourage buying the ticket of believing in Him. I’m going to buy one myself.” The odds are far better than 302.6 million to one. #freechristiandiscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources
2. Atheist looks at science, decides there is a God – The Denver Post
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