Apologetics – Kallos

Who Made God?

Jackie Hwang — Fri, 01 Apr 2022 07:35:00 +0000

You may have heard that everything in the universe is made by God, but then, who made God? JACKIE HWANG takes us on a thought exercise using logic to answer this question.

There are few questions harder to answer than “Who made God?” or “Where did God come from?” Western philosophers and theologians have pondered and debated these types of questions for a long time. But, because of our human limitations, we will never be able to verify any of the answers offered. Our best chances lie in using logic to address these questions. So, instead of trying to arrive at a 100-percent certain answer, let me take us through some steps to explore this issue using logic.

STEP 1: EVERYTHING IS CAUSED BY ANOTHER THING

The first step in our thought exercise is to recognise that everything and everyone in the universe came into being because something or someone caused it/him/her to enter into existence. To explain this, I will use two examples. The first example is a watch. If we were to see a watch in a shop, we would assume that the watch was made by either a watchmaker or a watchmaking machine at some point in time. The second example is a baby. If we were to see a baby, we would assume that the baby was birthed by a mother at some point in time. For both the watch and the baby, it is most logical that their existence was caused by another thing or another person.

STEP 2: NOTHING CAN COME INTO EXISTENCE BY ITSELF

After we recognise that everything and everyone’s existence was caused by another thing or person, we know that the statement in reverse must also be true. This is that nothing and no one can come into existence by it/him/herself. Using the same two examples as in step 1, we would say that it is impossible for a watch to make itself, and it is also impossible for a person to give birth to him/herself.

STEP 3: THE EXISTENCE OF A THING MEANS THERE NEEDS TO BE A CAUSE OF THE THING

Since the world around us has things and people, it is most logical that there is something or someone else that caused its/his/her existence. So, in the example of the watch, its existence means that someone or something else made it. In the same way, your existence and mine mean someone else gave birth to us. So, the existence of a thing indicates the existence of a cause.

These first three steps establish the logical relationship between a thing and something else that caused it to exist. The thing and the cause cannot be the same item or step in the chain, and the thing’s existence means that there is also a cause. We can call this logical relationship thing-and-its-cause.

STEP 4: TRACING THE LOGIC OF THING-AND-ITS CAUSE LEADS BACK TO A BEGINNING OF ALL THINGS

Following the logic of thing-and-its-cause, we can trace this connection back to a time when there was a beginning cause which led to the existence of the thing/person. For the watch, the existence of a watch means that there is a watchmaker. The watchmaker was taught by someone else who knew how to make watches. The teacher of the watchmaker also learned his trade from another person. And, tracing all the way back, there must be a first teacher (or possibly multiple first teachers in different civilisations) of all subsequent watchmakers. As for human beings, the existence of you and me means that our mothers gave birth to us. Our mothers were birthed by their mothers. Tracing our ancestries all the way back, there must be a first mother who was the beginning of humanity.

STEP 5: THE FIRST BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING MUST BE THE FIRST CAUSE

After we trace everything back to a beginning, we must ask if there was also something or someone else that caused the beginning. The logic of step 2 tells us that the beginning also needs a cause other than itself. Antony Flew, a well-known atheist philosopher who later changed his mind about the existence of God, states, “Every system of explanation must start somewhere, and this starting point itself cannot be explained by the system.” This starting point would be known as the First Cause in philosophy. Flew later would admit that the First Cause is best identified as God.

In the example of the watch, God as the First Cause would be the One who made the universe, the sun, and the earth. The sun shines on the earth. The movement of shadows resulting from sunlight as the earth rotates led to the concept of the sundial to keep track of time. The sundial led to the invention of clocks and watches. Therefore, we have watchmakers and watches.

In the example of the baby, God as the First Cause would be the One who made humanity and gave us bodies with a reproductive system to perpetuate human existence. Therefore, we have fathers, mothers, children, and families.

STEP 6: GOD AS THE FIRST CAUSE CANNOT BE MADE OR CAUSED BY SOMETHING ELSE

If we recognise that the First Cause must be God, then God cannot be made by something or someone else. If He is made by someone else, then He would no longer be the First Cause. The other thing that made God would be the First Cause. Then, the other thing that is the real First Cause would actually be God. God must be the First Cause; otherwise, He is no longer God. According to this line of reasoning, the logical answer to the question of “Who made God?” is that no one made Him. For Him to be God, He has to always exist and not be made. This requires some serious thought, but God is God because He is not made by anything or anyone else, and is always and forever in existence (John 1:1–4; Col 1:16–17)!

Finding The One

Aarksara Foo — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 05:13:00 +0000

In my early 20s, I would pray every single day for God to show me whom He wanted me to marry. I patiently waited, but there was neither a sign from God nor any suitable partners.. When guys did show their interest in me, I asked God: Could he be ‘the one’? Silence. Should I let the guy who was standing right in front of me go? I heard no reply from God. It was really hard.

A DECISION

Then in 2015, when I was 22, I made a decision that I would marry whomever God chose for me —regardless what he looked like or what he did in life. I told God that my desire was for Him to decide on my life partner for me. In essence, I was promising Him that I would marry the man He gave me. I entrusted my heart to Him as my matchmaker.

A POSSIBILITY

That same year, Clovis — one of my friends in my prayer group — broke up with his then-girlfriend. I heard a still but clear small voice say, “Just be there for him.” So, I was there for him whenever he wanted to talk. I was his listening ear, and my heart would ache whenever I knew he was sad. Gradually, I started developing feelings for Clovis.

Yet, I wondered if these feelings were just my own desires.

Soon, it was time for me to depart on a six-month overseas exchange programme. I asked God for a sign: if Clovis were to send me off at the airport, then I would hold on to my feelings for him. I thought there was a high chance that he would not come, as only my family and my closest girl friends had told me that they would be there. However, on the day of my departure, I saw him walking toward me at the airport and was stunned with happiness. I kept asking myself: Is this God’s confirmation or a mere coincidence?

I ENTRUSTED MY HEART TO HIM AS MY MATCHMAKER.

After I returned from the programme, Clovis and I met up, and I was glad that our close friendship remained. However, in the following few months, he started to distance himself. My frustrations began to mount: What was I to him? Was I just his friend? What was God trying to teach me?

A TOTAL SURRENDER

In early 2017, the year I turned 24, during my devotion time, I experienced a meltdown about the situation with Clovis. After much wrestling with my own desires for the relationship, I surrendered my heart to God. I begged Him to remove my feelings for Clovis, as I did not want to seek anyone for myself any longer. I wanted to be abandoned to God’s call and will. In that moment, God filled me with such a great relief that I knew that my burdens had been lifted.

But just when I thought that this marked the end of the drama with Clovis, I had two consecutive dreams that very night. In the first dream, I saw my wedding ceremony. I could clearly see that Clovis was the bridegroom and the pastor conducting the ceremony told him to kiss me after our vows. In the second dream, Clovis joined my family to take a family portrait. I woke up the next morning with such peace and assurance. The dreams were utterly unexpected — I understood them as God finally confirming and assuring me that Clovis would be my future husband.

I prayed for God to reveal His plan directly to Clovis, and also to our parents, as I wanted them to have the same peace. Eventually, my father and Clovis’ mother sensed that God has revealed to them His plans for us to be together. However, Clovis did not take any initiative to pursue me for a whole year. Pent-up emotions and doubts crept back: Why did God show me Clovis in my dream? Would it be wrong for me to date someone else?

OVER TO HIM

In July 2018, Clovis and I, along with some friends, went for the One Thing Gathering, a worship conference. I remember that the opening message was on Psalm 139, reminding us that God knows our hearts and He knows our thoughts before we utter or even think them. It was there that Clovis decided he wanted to surrender his own desires completely to God.

It was a few weeks later that God spoke to Clovis through a dream. In Clovis’ dream, both of us were in his car, preparing to worship God in an open-air carpark. In the dream, Clovis was feeling frustrated, as he couldn’t figure out the chords for a particular song. So, I logged in to his personal email to retrieve the chords for him.

GOD KNOWS WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU AND HIS TIMING IS PERFECT.

The dream showed Clovis that I was someone significant; we were more than friends. We were together not just to have fun, but to be in the same ministry to lead people into God’s presence through worship. It was clear to him that I would be his wife and his helpmate.

A STEP OF FAITH TO A LIFELONG ADVENTURE

Clovis shared his dream with me. I could hardly believe that after three long years of waiting, the time had finally come for us to be together. This was actually real; God was indeed our matchmaker. Since God had spoken so clearly to us, we decided to take another step of faith. With our pastors’ guidance, we got married in October 2018, after only three weeks of wedding preparation. God accelerated our progress as a couple. Clovis was my boyfriend for a month, and my fiancé for a week, before becoming my husband for life. We took that step of faith to embark on a lifelong adventure with each other and with God — and we have no regrets. I hope that our story encourages you if you have been struggling with waiting. But remember, God works in different ways for different people. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours, and we should never try to put God in a box and presume to know exactly how He would move in each of our lives. God knows what is best for you and His timing is perfect. Seek Him, ask Him, wait on Him, and obey His Word completely. God has never failed. When you truly surrender, God will move!

How Do I Discern God’s Voice?

1. ALIGN YOUR DECISIONS TO GOD’S WORD
Learn how to read the different books of the Bible and do it daily, and you will get to know God better every day. This will help you make good decisions and raise red flags that you should not ignore. For example, when you feel interested in someone, whether you pursue the relationship or not would be influenced by the warning in 2 Corinthians 6:14 about unbelieving partners.

2. SEEK COUNSEL FROM YOUR SPIRITUAL LEADERS AND PARENTS
Whenever you have to make a big decision — such as whether to date or marry someone — ask for advice from the people who know you well and love you (Prov 11:14). You may be so consumed by your feelings that you are unable or unwilling to check if you are making a sound decision. Your spiritual leaders and parents should be able to guide you through your decision-making process and highlight the potentials and pitfalls.

3. ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE THE PEACE OF GOD
If you feel unease about any decision, commit to time in prayer and even fasting (which can be about giving up a distraction) to earnestly seek God, and wait for Him to communicate with you clearly. Remember that the peace of God doesn’t mean ignoring danger signs or pretending that everything is fine, but having Jesus Christ as your centre (Phil 4:6–7).

What to do when you don’t know what to do

Jillian Lee — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 04:46:00 +0000

“God, don’t you care? Have you forgotten about me?”
“What’s your plan for my life?”
“How come everyone else has a clear calling except me?”

These were the words in my tear-stained journal, at a point of time in my life when I felt completely lost and directionless. As a teacher, I was burnt out, and had been questioning the purpose of the profession for several months.

I knew that this was not where I was meant to be … but I had no idea where to go. All my half-hearted attempts to apply for other jobs were met with silence. What was worse, all my heart-wrenching cries to God for clarity on my next steps were also met with silence.

IS GOD SILENT OR AM I DEAF?
Until one day, God spoke to me from Hebrews 11:8.

“By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.”

Abraham left his homeland without knowing where he was going. Not only that, he brought his wife, nephew, and all the people and possessions that he had acquired with him on this uncertain journey (Gen 12:4–5). For someone who liked having all my ducks in a row, and whose life up to that point had been pretty smooth-sailing, what Abraham did was a somewhat uncomfortable, if not preposterous, idea.

Then came God’s gentle challenge: “Jillian, where is your security? Is it in me? Or your five-year plan?”

JILLIAN, WHERE IS YOUR SECURITY? IS IT IN ME? OR YOUR FIVE-YEAR PLAN?

GOING INTO THE UNKNOWN
But God’s question illuminated the real condition of my heart. The real reason I wanted Him to reveal my next steps was because I was afraid. I was afraid of the risks involved in leaving a comfortable job with no prospects in sight. I was afraid of trying something new and failing. Yet, God has called us to trust Him despite the unknown. And what God really wanted was wholehearted faith and trust in HIM, regardless of whether I knew where He was leading me.

I repented and decided that I would tender my resignation. Things moved quite quickly after that. One of my friends from church asked me if I was interested to go for a talk by the founders of a school in Asia. I wasn’t too keen. (Another school? I thought I was done with education!) But I decided to take a five-day trip to the school to find
out more.

During the trip, I was invited as a guest to one of the graduating classes. The students (mostly in their late teens or early twenties) were encouraged to ask this guest from Singapore some questions. I was expecting the usual second-language learner questions like, “What type of food do you eat?” and “What is life in Singapore like?” Instead, the first question that came my way was, “How do you define success?” This was followed by others like, “What’s your calling?” and “What advice do you have for us as graduating students?”

FINDING MY CALLING
I was tongue-tied! Never in my six years of teaching had any of my students asked me questions like these before. And here was an entire roomful of young adults asking these deep and profound questions — questions that I had trouble answering myself! I sensed that there was something unique about the school, and I applied to be a teacher there under the Short Missions Service (SMS) programme in my church. I thought that I would give it a go for a year … but ended up staying for four years, receiving (and accepting) God’s call to education, and never looking back.

So, what have I learnt on this journey? What advice would I have given my younger self who was seeking direction for my career and future?

Give God the space & time to speak.

Have our anxious thoughts and worries crowded out God’s still, small voice? Have we become so obsessed with our call that we shut out anything else God is saying to us? My own experience tells me that God does speak, but it’s often not what you’re expecting to hear. We’ve heard this so many times: God cares more about the condition of our hearts than about what we can offer Him with our lives. But our constant fretting and comparing betray our actual understanding of this truth. Also, when we understand that the sufficiency of God’s grace is more important than the efficiency of our ways, we learn to let God speak and move in His timing, not ours.

Be proactive

Waiting on the Lord requires patience, but it doesn’t mean inactivity. Take the initiative to find out more about the world we live in and how God is actively working in it. Listen to what Christians in various industries have to say about how their work is redemptive. It’ll broaden your perspectives on what ‘meaningful work’ involves (The Cathedral Podcast by St. Andrew’s Cathedral and The Regent Podcast are great places to start!). Speak to people in industries that you might be interested in to get clarity on what their work involves. Sometimes, we have too rosy a view of what a job entails.

Get with a mentor or trusted friend to discern your strengths and weaknesses. Our Asian tendency to think we’re not good at anything is often a blind spot. What have your parents, teachers, or church leaders said you are good at? (If you can, pluck up some courage to have a conversation with them on this!) What unique experiences has God allowed you to go through? What character weaknesses do you need to be more aware of? All these insights might help us see ourselves — and perhaps the path ahead — more clearly.

And if the road ahead is still murky, use this time to grow in other important ways — do volunteer work or apply for internships in a broad range of industries. You may not end up with a job, but you’ll definitely end up richer in compassion and experience. In a nutshell, you can’t steer the car if the wheels aren’t moving … so move, even if it’s just an inch.

Relax, you’re going to mess up, anyway.

Our best plans are going to get messed up, and that’s a fact. We’re going to put our best foot forward and fail, and even when we think we’ve got it all sorted out, God is still going to surprise us in oh-so-many ways. Because as much as we delude ourselves into thinking otherwise, we’re not in control of our lives. And that, my friends, is good news. It takes the pressure off ourselves to get it right all the time. We are free — free to make choices, to make mistakes, and to experience the grace of God again and again — because all our stories have already been written into God’s grand story.

It’s been about 12 years since that anguished journal entry. Has life been smooth-sailing just because I’ve “found my calling?” Nope. I can’t count the number of times I’ve cried, tried, and failed. Do I know what the next five to ten years of my life will look like? I have a vague idea, but I’m still clinging on to God for every step and reminding myself to give God space to speak, to move in tandem with Him, and to relax and enjoy the journey as much as I can.

Dig Deeper: How Do I Know What God’s Will for My Life Is?

Jackie Hwang — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 04:26:00 +0000

When a major decision comes our way — whether in choosing a school, career, or life partner — we often look for guidance to make the right choice. For many of us, we have heard that God has a will for our lives, and we wish to make our decisions according to that will. However, we may find God’s will unclear, and this brings us to the question: “How do I know what God’s will for my life is?” I remember asking this question many times in my younger days, often with the fear that I had missed a clue from God about how to make an important decision. Over the years, I have come to realise that to understand God’s will for me, I need first to understand the nature of God’s will. And once I understand this, what He wants for my life is no longer so mysterious.

I HAVE COME TO REALISE THAT TO UNDERSTAND GOD’S WILL FOR ME, I NEED FIRST TO UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF GOD’S WILL.

THE NATURE OF GOD’S WILL

One way we can understand God’s will is to recognise that there are three categories of His will. The first is God’s sovereign will, which is His plan from the beginning of time to the end of time. It involves His design to save people from sin through Jesus Christ (John 3:14; Eph 1:3–10). Most of God’s sovereign will has been revealed in history and recorded in the Bible, but some parts of it remain hidden until the end of time.

The second category is God’s moral will. This is God’s expectation for those He has saved to live godly lives and enjoy freedom from sin’s bondage and consequences, whilst being salt and light in a dark world (Gal 5:13–26; 1 Pet 2). God’s moral will has been clearly revealed in the Bible to teach us how to live as believers.

The last category is God’s will for individuals. This is what many of us feel is most immediate to our concerns in decision-making and perhaps the most difficult to figure out. Before I go on to explore God’s will for individuals, let me mention three crucial points. First, God’s will for individuals is never contrary to His sovereign will and moral will. Second, some people, like Samuel (1 Sam 3:1–21) and Paul (Acts 9:1–30), may have a special experience that reveals God’s will for them. Third, some people will never have such an experience, but this doesn’t mean that God’s will for them is any less significant. With these thoughts in mind, we can look into how we can make the right decisions according to God’s will for us as individuals.

HOW SHOULD I MAKE DECISIONS ACCORDING TO GOD’S WILL?

Since God’s will for us as individuals never goes against His sovereign and moral will, we should check that we are living according to these two aspects of His will before even asking the question of His will for us as individuals. In a sense, the two aspects of His will that are already revealed in the Bible are prerequisites to our understanding His will for us in other major decisions.

Once we are living according to these aspects of His will, we actually have a lot of freedom in making decisions. Some of us may be under the misimpression that our lives are like a maze in which every choice is critical to lead us down the right path and achieve the right outcome. Contrary to this, a metaphor that is closer to the Bible is that of a ship on an open sea with many paths for navigation to any number of safe harbours, though there are general principles to avoid dangerous waters and to wisely ride out storms. There will be times when we need to make mid-course corrections or look for new paths.

The metaphor of a ship uses a ‘wisdom perspective’ to understand God’s will for individuals. So, instead of making decisions by looking for a sign from God, it looks at what is already available for making good decisions within the revealed will of God as well as our surroundings.

HOW DO I APPLY A ‘WISDOM PERSPECTIVE’ IN DECISION-MAKING?

To apply a ‘wisdom perspective’ in our lives, we should know that choices for schools and careers are often determined by our natural abilities and situational opportunities. With what God has already provided and where He has placed us, we make wise decisions by making the most of these resources according to godly principles. In the Parable of the Talents, for example, Jesus praises the servant who made the most of the resources given by the master (Matt 25:14–30).

When it comes to choosing whom to date and marry, both attraction and compatibility will draw us to people who could be good matches for us. There are many social and moral considerations that will typically guide our decision to finally tie the knot. In the Bible, the emphasis falls less on whom to date or marry, and more on sexual purity (1 Cor 6:18–7:7) and godly spousal responsibilities (Eph 5:21–33). Indeed, these principles are more important for a good relationship than the initial choice of a partner.

SOMETIMES IT IS NOT WHAT WE CHOOSE, BUT HOW WE ACT IN OUR CHOICES AND WHOM WE ARE LIVING FOR.

A ‘wisdom perspective’ also helps us see that some criteria for decision-making may be obvious in our existing circumstances. Even though supernatural answers are possible, they are not necessary to understanding God’s will. Paying attention to obvious cues and using godly principles as guides are also an important part of God’s will. A list of questions below provides general guidelines to help us make godly and wise decisions:

• Does my choice fit who I am and where I am in life?
• Should I consider a path less travelled?
• Do the people who know me best and whom I respect agree with this decision?
• Is there anything in my choice that seems to go against God’s sovereign and moral will in the Bible?
• Have I prayed and asked God about this decision?

Remember: sometimes it is not what we choose, but how we act in our choices and whom we are living for. The Christian responsibility to live uprightly, speak truthfully and graciously, and, in all manners, to love God and others as Jesus has commanded us (Matt 22:37–39) is the core of God’s will for us in all that we do and wherever we are. With these principles guiding your sails, may you venture into the open sea with God at the helm of your ship!

I felt my grades were never good enough

Kallos Team — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 04:19:00 +0000

There were times when I was studying in my room and my parents came in, asking, “You studying?” My brain went, Yes, what else do you expect? Can I focus now? but I merely replied with a nod or a polite “Yes.” Then there were moments when they came in at the exact moment when, after two to three hours of studying, I was on a five- or ten-minute break, watching a short video or using my phone.

“Why aren’t you studying?”

“I am taking a break.”

“Why are you always taking a break?” They didn’t believe me and started to nag about studying.

It was even more demoralising when I didn’t score 70s or 80s in my tests despite all the effort put in. It was worse because getting scores of 60s meant more chiding and nagging at home. During those ‘pep talks,’ my parents commonly said things like, “You haven’t been studying hard enough.” Then they went on about how it was harder for them, how I am much more fortunate today, why studying is so important, and what would happen if I don’t study and get good grades.

I knew that they were just worried about me and my future, and that they nagged at me because they love me enough to. But this combination of events often left me hanging with a single question: Why bother studying if I am not going to do well? I came to a point where I thought I would be better off as an emotionless robot. One that was programmed to study and get good grades. One that studied 24/7 without breaks. One that would not be a disappointment.

I dreamt of getting into the ‘better’ secondary schools during PSLE. I didn’t. In secondary school, I worried about not getting my preferred subject choices. The list of concerns did not stop there. “What if I don’t get into junior college?” (Getting into polytechnic was just starting to get popular, so thankfully, my parents were accepting of it.) “What course will I choose if I have to go to polytechnic?”

Then I entered polytechnic and a new set of anxieties fell upon me that caused those questions to haunt me again. No matter what I did, I could not pull up my GPA. What if I can’t get into university? What will my future look like? Will I be able to secure a good job and support my parents? There were so many “what ifs” and I had no idea what to do. I never felt that my grades were good enough. I didn’t feel good enough. I spiralled into self-doubt, feeling helpless, useless, and worthless. I questioned God. I asked Him, “God, what can I do? Why am I so useless? What is your purpose for me?”

“I think I am better off dead.”

One day, when my thoughts hit rock bottom, I heard God ask me, “Do you trust me? Do you trust that I am good?” To both questions, I answered “yes.” Then He said, “Then trust that you are My precious little girl and trust in My good plans for you. Have faith in Me. You are not alone. I am here for you.” At that very moment, I felt His love wash over all my worries, fears, and insecurities. In my darkest moments when I felt worthless, God told me I was precious, pulled me back into the light, and gave me strength. Now, I choose not to focus too much on my worries and insecurities but focus on God instead. He reminds me that my worth is not defined by my grades or my future job but by His love for me.

Settle To Not Settle

Kallos Team — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 04:13:00 +0000

“She’s a dreamer,” my mother would say. There is a photo of me with eyes half-closed, gazing at something beyond the camera, in the album she compiled of my early years. Next to it, she wrote: “I am a dreamer.”

I flashed that picture the day I gave my first TEDx talk, which was on dreaming, the theme of the conference that year.

Clutching a piece of cardboard with “Creative Writer” written on the front and back, I triumphantly told my audience to “Settle to Not Settle.” The front of the cardboard
represented what you were studying or pursuing for work; the back of it, what you dreamed of doing. If there was a difference, it meant you still had a dream to achieve one day — effectively closing that gap, as I already had by then. Don’t settle until the front and back of your “cardboard confession” are the same!

But did I really follow my dreams? I wonder, almost ten years from that moment. Did I
truly spend the last decade in creative writing and producing for a living because I was
pursuing what I desired? Well, here’s the truth from where I stand: I don’t think I followed my dreams as much as I followed the hand, heart, and voice of God. The journey has been wild, and He made this happen.

I cannot, in good conscience today, tell you to follow your dreams, but I can tell you that your dreams point to who He has made you to be, more than they show you what you’re
supposed to do with your life.

Following God has not looked like Him giving me directions on big life decisions whenever I demanded them. No, most of the time it has been like this: the hand of God putting a finger on an area of my character that needed Christ-like transformation; the heart of God convicting me to love my neighbour; and the voice of God reminding me that I am His child, whom He loves.

You see, with a God who has promised to lead the way, you don’t need to strive to fulfil
the dreams in your heart or worry about your future career. Don’t settle for the world’s wisdom that a good life means chasing dreams, climbing the corporate ladder, making money, or finding success. Settle, right now, on following the God who has bigger dreams for you than you could ever have for yourself.

It says in Ephesians 2:10 that we are God’s workmanship, His dream brought to life for the good works He has already prepared in advance for us to do — “that we should walk in them.” Whichever way you have been walking, even “following the course of this world” on a path that leaves you “dead” rather than alive in Christ (Eph 2:1–2, 5 ESV), God knows the way you should go. The Creator knows exactly who you are, and what He created you to do. Follow Him!

If I could do it over, the front of the cardboard would have my dream, and the back, God’s dream for me because more than ever, I trust Him. His heart is completely for me, and I’ve learned that the real work is what’s being done in you as you follow Him. And as He changes you, step by step, your dreams for your life will one day align with His for yours.

These dreams probably won’t deviate too much from the passions you’ve held from younger — you’ll still be a dreamer, as I am. The dreams will just be bigger, bolder, and wilder than you can imagine. They will serve the kingdom and bring you incredible joy. Follow His hand, follow His heart, follow the voice of God. Settle to not settle.

JONK’S JOURNALS

A PRAYER
Dear Lord, You see me for who I am and all You have made me to be. Help me to know You for who You are and the depth of Your love for me, that I may trust and follow You with my whole life. Amen.

JOURNAL THIS!
1. In your heart of hearts, what are the dreams you hold for your life? Sit with God and dream with Him.

2. Are there areas where the hand of God is leading you? What is He showing you about His heart through the Word? How has He been speaking to you recently?

KNOW THE WORD
Allow the Holy Spirit to illuminate His truths for you in these passages:
– Psalm 139:1-18
– Jeremiah 1:5-8
– Isaiah 43:1-4

AFTERTHOUGHTS
Check out my 2012 project on dreaming, “I Still Have a Dream” here.

And my TEDxYouth talk on “Settle to Not Settle” here.

Dig Deeper: Do all religions ultimately point to the same God?

Jackie Hwang — Mon, 01 Nov 2021 06:30:00 +0000

In Huston Smith’s famous book, The World’s Religions, he attributes the following words to Hindu religious leader Ramakrishna (1836–1886)

God has made different religions to suit different aspirations, times, and countries. All doctrines are only so many paths; but a path is by no means God Himself. Indeed, one can reach God if one follows any of the paths with whole-hearted devotion.

This statement may seem to make sense because every religion has some idea of a divine reality who is sometimes called God. Yet each religion’s notion of the divine is different from the others. In some religions, God is a what and not a who. In others, there are plural gods and not just one. The plethora of definitions for the divine leads us to the question: Just which God is Ramakrishna talking about? Since all religions talk about God/gods differently, they do not point to the same God. In the following sections, we will explore some religions — namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Islam, and Christianity — and their understanding of the divine. In this process, I hope it will become clear that different religions think about the divine very differently.

DIFFERENT RELIGIONS THINK ABOUT THE DIVINE VERY DIFFERENTLY.

Inclusive Religions

Broadly speaking, religions can be divided into two kinds according to their idea of the divine — inclusive religions and exclusive religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Taoism can generally be categorised as inclusive religions. What makes them inclusive is the notion that the divine has many expressions, and thus the worship of one god does not exclude the worship of another.

In Hinduism, the countless number of gods — some of which are avatars (manifestations) of other gods — point to a supreme reality or divine essence, known as Brahman. Though Brahman is often translated as “God,” there is no consensus on whether Brahman is a who or a what.

In addition, Brahman and atman (soul or human essence) are considered to be one and the same. Because human essence and divine essence are the same to them, the highest aim for those who practise Hinduism is to be released from the cycle of death and rebirth. This is when atman re-joins Brahman like a drop of water returning to the ocean. Inclusivity in this sense not only blurs the boundaries between different deities, but also between the divine and the human.

Buddhism, which was birthed from Hinduism around sixth to fifth century BCE, shares some of Hinduism’s inclusivity. Like Hinduism, the temples of Buddhism house many figures of worship, such as bodhisattvas (enlightened one). However, whether these figures are considered divine in Buddhism is open to interpretation. According to the teachings of Buddha (the founding figure of Buddhism), the goal of Buddhism is to achieve individual enlightenment and escape from suffering, rather than to worship the divine. Therefore, what or who is divine is not the central concern of Buddhism. The existence of a divine reality is questioned even within Buddhism.

Taoism’s idea of the divine is somewhere between Hinduism (a belief with many manifestations of the divine) and Buddhism (a belief with no certain definition of the divine). Taoism points to an impersonal “ultimate reality” called Dao (the Way or the Path) which is the rule by which the universe functions. Though in Taoism there is a pantheon of many gods and demigods, none of them represents Dao, nor do they collectively make up Dao. These deities, if properly appeased, can help people in their desire to flourish in life, but the main concern for those who practise Taoism is to find Dao and live according to its ebb and flow.

As we can see, these three inclusive religions differ in their ideas of the divine, even as their inclusivity sometimes allows them to absorb gods from other religions into their own mix. It would be an error to equate the Hindu Brahman, Buddhist enlightenment, and Taoist Dao as the same divine reality.

Exclusive Religions

Unlike inclusive religions, exclusive religions such as Islam and Christianity are clear in expressing that their respective concepts of God are different from other religions. Not only is the concept and identity of God distinct from other religions, the worship of God must also be exclusive — given to Him alone.

In Islam, the Shahadah (an Islamic statement of faith) declares that “there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger.” Even though Allah is known by 99 names, these names merely describe attributes and do not change the fact that Allah is the only God in Islam. In fact, Islam is so intensely monotheistic that it often accuses Christianity of having not one God but three because of the Christian idea of the Trinity.

Indeed, Christianity’s doctrine of the Trinity — the unity of one God in three fully divine persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — is a most perplexing but unique concept of the divine. It is not the same as Hinduism’s polytheistic notion of many gods blending into one. Rather, the Bible teaches that God is to be worshipped to the exclusion of other gods (Exod 20:3). Jesus Himself makes the claim, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). (Whenever Jesus says, “I am,” it is an echo of how God declares Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “I AM.”)

Because Islam and Christianity are exclusive religions, they would not consider their ideas of God to point to the same God, though they share some historical roots in their development. And it would be even further from their understanding of divinity to assert that their God is the same as the divine reality described in Hinduism, Buddhism, or Taoism. Hence, from the above overview of just these five religions, we must conclude that not all religions lead to the same God!

Respectful Inter-religious Dialogues

After seeing that all religions diverge in their ideas of the divine, it is important to know that we can still talk respectfully to people of other faiths about their beliefs. In Acts 17:16–34, Paul is a model for engaging people of other religions in a winsome conversation whilst also presenting the gospel boldly. Recognising that other religions are different from ours can be more respectful than rushing to find false similarities. As we listen carefully to people of other religions, we can also be confident to present ours. In this way, we can bear witness for Christ in both our attitude and message!

WE MUST CONCLUDE THAT NOT ALL RELIGIONS LEAD TO THE SAME GOD!

Dig Deeper: Why Does God Allow Evil

Jackie Hwang — Wed, 01 Sep 2021 09:03:00 +0000

When a horrific event occurs, it is natural for people of faith to ask, “Why does God allow evil?” Not only is this an earnest question asked by believers who are seeking answers to experiences of horror and pain, it is also a question used by sceptics and atheists to deny the existence of a God who is good or all-powerful, or both.

This question is especially poignant as we see suffering on a global scale during the pandemic and also as those in Singapore have been shaken by the senseless killing that took place at River Valley High School on 19 July 2021. Though our hearts ache and our minds struggle to find answers for these recent events, we can still be sure that God has not ceased to be good and all-powerful. In fact, there are many ways our faith in God can help us deal with the evil we see in the world.

Can a good and all-powerful God Allow Evil?

Evil, simply defined, is the absence or corruption of what is good; and often there is an underlying assumption that God should want to prevent all evil because He is good and all-powerful. A sceptic will use this assumption and claim that, because evil exists, God does not care about humans and is therefore not a good God. Or the sceptic will assert that God is not powerful enough to prevent evil. Both arguments use the existence of evil to cast doubt on God’s goodness and sovereignty.

The problem with this assumption is that it overlooks how God has created people with free will. Because God has made people with free will, He allows us to choose to sin and to commit evil acts, even if doing so is contrary to what He desires. Evil exists not because God does not care or is somehow powerless to stop it. Rather, it is because He permits people the exercise of their free will, even though it pains Him to see their sinful choices (see how Jesus laments in Matt 23:37).

However, God will not tolerate evil indefinitely. He promises a future when there will be a restoration of all that is good and a judgement against all that is evil (Rev 21). The Bible offers an inspiring description of this new world in a promise that echoes one made in the Old Testament: “‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Rev 21:4; cf. Isa 25:8). This picture can be a source of hope when we see evil in this present world!

GOD WILL NOT TOLERATE EVIL INDEFINITELY.

Does God have a good reason for the evil?

In addition to the promise of a future hope beyond evil, God can sometimes use evil to accomplish His good purposes. However, we should not misunderstand God’s turning of evil into a greater good to mean that He has caused evil. No, evil does not come from God! But God’s sovereignty means that He can work toward a good outcome despite evil.

There are two examples from the Bible that show us how God turns evil into a greater good. One of them is Joseph’s story.

Though he was sold into slavery by his brothers, falsely accused of sexual assault
by his master’s wife, and suffered unjust imprisonment (Gen 37; 39–50), God used these evil events to put him at the right place and right time to save not only his family but many people in and around Egypt from starvation during a famine (Gen 50:20). Another example is the death of Jesus on the cross. Jesus knowingly allowed Himself to be betrayed, arrested, wrongfully put on trial, and finally crucified on the cross (Matt 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 22–23; John 18–19). But God used the evil done by humans to Jesus as part of His salvation plan for humanity (Rom 5). The examples of Joseph and Jesus show us that God sometimes has a good reason to permit evil, and can even turn it into something necessary to accomplish His purposes.

Sometimes, evil can appear random in that it does not seem to lead to any good outcome or even have human free will behind it. Random evil could be because God has not made His reasons obvious to us. It could be like the case of Job, who lost his family and health, but never found out that all this was a test of his faith (Job 1–2). Yet, Job recognises at the end of his trials that God’s purposes are sometimes hidden from human understanding (Job 42:1–6). And, just like Job, when we face evil that we don’t understand, we should still turn toward God in faith.

God comforts and suffers alongside those in pain

As we turn toward God when we face evil, we will discover that He is our source of comfort (2 Cor 1:4). We can take heart that He is not far away from us when bad things happen. Since Jesus has personally experienced pain and suffering due to evil (Phil 2:6–8; 1 Pet 2:22–24), He understands intimately what we go through when we face evil. In fact, we can say that He suffers alongside us (Isa 53).

NO ONE IS IMMUNE TO MENTAL HEALTH SUFFERING, NOT EVEN CHRISTIANS.

Knowing that God understands our pain, we can turn to Him in prayer. In the Psalms, we often see that God hears the prayers of those in distress (Ps 6; 13; 62). Through turning to Him, we can cling to God’s unwavering goodness and faithfulness to us (Rom 8:28; 2 Tim 2:13), even if it sometimes seems like evil rules the day.

Therefore, when we face evil, instead of turning away from God in pain, we should turn towards Him with the belief that He continues to be good and sovereign amidst any form of evil. In God, we will find a future hope as well as present comfort because Jesus took on human suffering both to accomplish God’s greater plan of salvation as well as to empathise fully with our deepest pain.

Does the Bible Support Rape?

Jackie Hwang — Tue, 01 Jun 2021 10:25:00 +0000

Rape is a horrific crime, no matter when it happens or who
it happens to. So, some of us may be troubled that the Bible
records multiple accounts of rape, and even seems to penalise
victims of rape! JACKIE HWANG digs deeper into the issue.

It may be shocking for you to find accounts of rape in the holy Bible. As a young person, I was horrified when I first read these sections in the Bible. However, I was heartened to discover later that just because historical accounts of rape are recorded in the Bible doesn’t mean that God condones rape. On the contrary, the Bible mentions rape because God condemns it and wants us to know how He deals with these sinful acts.

IS SEXUAL VIOLENCE OKAY?
The most obvious accounts of God’s condemnation of rape are found in Genesis 19:1–25 and Judges 19–20. In both accounts, groups of men set out
to gang-rape the visitors to their cities. Then, innocent women were offered up
to be raped in the place of these visitors. A close look at these two accounts shows that God condemned these actions. In fact, Genesis 19 shows that the angels of God intervened and struck the violent mob with blindness (19:11). In both cases, God severely punished these cities shortly after these incidents of sexual violence (Gen 19:12–13, 29; Judg 20:23, 28). Thus, we should understand these two accounts as evidence that God condemns rape, and so should God’s people (cf. Judg 19:30).

THEN WHY DOES GOD COMMAND WOMEN TO MARRY THEIR RAPISTS?
Though God punished these cities for their sexual violence, other passages in the Bible seem to indicate that one consequence of rape is that women are to be given in marriage to their rapists. In particular, Deuteronomy 22:28–29 explicitly states that a man who rapes an unmarried woman needs to make a financial payment to her father and marry her. To modern ears, this verdict sounds outrageous! Why would God dictate that a victim of rape be ‘punished’
by being forever bound to her rapist? She never consented to the sexual act to begin with, so wouldn’t marriage possibly trap her in a situation of further sexual violence? Furthermore, the financial reparation seems to benefit only the father but not the victim herself.

GOD’S HEART FOR JUSTICE
It would be a mistake to take the law of Deuteronomy 22:28–29 as biblical support for rape. Neither should we see it as a legal stipulation for modern societies. What is important for us to remember is its principle to restore justice in a bad situation. Its purpose is to serve as a deterrent against rape, a corrective to sexual violence in a sinful world, and apathway toward justice in the case of wrongdoing against women. Even as its ancient context is different from our modern one, we can take to heart that God’s condemnation of rape and His concern for victims of sexual violence are timeless!

Do We Really Have Free Will?

Jackie Hwang — Sat, 01 May 2021 02:54:00 +0000

Do we really have free will — the ability to make our own decisions? Many answers have been offered by philosophers and theologians, but each answer generates more questions. I would not claim to answer this question once and for all. Instead, let me take us on a journey of discovery by exploring how this question is relevant to a Christian’s understanding of salvation.

FREE WILL, GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY, AND HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY
The question of free will is hotly debated by Christians who connect it to two particular biblical ideas. First, they contrast human free will with God’s sovereignty — His ultimate control over all things since He is the all-knowing and all-powerful God (Ps 33:10–11; Rom 8:28). We can understand this contrast as a question: If God is sovereign, then do humans have free will to make decisions about what He already knows or has even determined ahead of time?

This leads us to free will’s connection to a second biblical idea — human responsibility for sin. We can also frame this as a question: How can people be responsible for their sin if God already knows they will sin? In a sense, this question shifts the responsibility of human sin to God, because His sovereignty seems to cancel or override human free will!

However, the Bible denies that God is responsible for human sin, even whilst affirming that God is sovereign (Jas 1:13–18; cf. Rom 1:18–32). So, as Christians, we need to hold in tension God’s sovereignty with human responsibility when it comes to the issue of sin. We are each responsible for our own choice to sin and cannot blame God for it.

GOD’S KNOWLEDGE AND HUMAN SIN
One way to resolve the riddle of God’s sovereignty versus human responsibility is to understand that God’s knowledge of the future does not mean that He controls our actions. So, we separate knowing (God’s foreknowledge of us) and doing (our own choice to sin, whether from carelessness, giving in to weakness, or direct intention). However, this solution generates other questions, such as: Why doesn’t God stop us from sinning if He already knows we will sin? If God already knows we will choose to sin, does that leave us with any other alternatives to choose otherwise?

Questions like these are difficult to answer because they venture into the realm of hypothetical possibilities. Some theologians have attempted to provide answers to these types of questions, but others have critiqued them as guesses without biblical basis. Personally, I would say that we just don’t know, and perhaps can’t know, since there are limits to human understanding.

IF OUR ANSWERS TAKE US BEYOND WHAT THE BIBLE EXPLICITLY TEACHES, THEN IT IS UNWISE TO HOLD DEFINITIVELY TO SUCH ASSERTIONS.

Here’s a good rule to follow: If our answers take us beyond what the Bible explicitly teaches, then it is unwise to hold definitively to such assertions. I understand, though, this can also sound like a cop-out! It is difficult to find an answer to a hypothetical question that can satisfy everyone.

CAN WE SAVE OURSELVES?
If people — in having free will — are responsible for their sin, then they are also in need of salvation from sin. The need for salvation takes us to another set of questions regarding free will: If we are responsible for our sin, are we also responsible for saving ourselves? Or put another way, do humans have free will when it comes to saving ourselves?

THE BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE HUMAN WILL IS THAT IT IS LIMITED BY SIN...

The answers to these questions are also complex. At the most basic level, we know that without Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross on our behalf, there would be no forgiveness for us and salvation from our sin. In fact, the overpowering influence of sin in our lives is what prevents us from saving ourselves (Rom 3:10–26). The biblical understanding of the human will is that it is limited by sin and so we are not completely independent in our choices. So, God’s intervention in carrying out a plan for salvation is necessary.

DO WE CHOOSE GOD OR DOES GOD CHOOSE US?
The debate on free will then turns to this question: How much does God’s sovereignty operate at the individual level in our choice to accept His offer for salvation (Eph 1:11–12)? This is a concern not so much when we think about those who are saved, but those who are not saved. And if we assert that our sinfulness means that we need God to save us, there remains this question: Why doesn’t God save everyone?

The fact that there are those who are not saved seem to indicate that God is either too stingy to save everyone — which is clearly not biblical (John 3:16) — or that human will is also an important factor in choosing salvation (Luke 13:23–24; Rom 10:9–10). If human will is actually the greater factor, then the responsibility in rejecting salvation lies more with us than with God.

On this note, there are some theologians who assert that God’s sovereignty means that His offer of salvation cannot be rejected by individuals whom He has chosen. However, this position can lead to this question: Is God ultimately responsible for their rejection of Him since He didn’t choose them?

One possible way to resolve this is by connecting God’s foreknowledge of people’s choice with His own choice of them for salvation. In essence, God chooses those whom He foreknew will choose Him. However, this logic is vulnerable to the charge that cause and effect have become confused with each other.

OUR FREE BUT LIMITED WILL
I hope our journey of discovery has helped you realise how complex these questions are. The main thing to keep in mind is that both God’s sovereignty and our will — free but limited — are in operation both in our salvation and in our lives. Keeping a balanced perspective is the key. The Bible teaches that we are neither the masters of our destiny nor puppets in the hands of a puppeteer.