Answering Life ’ s Ultimate Questions : Part One
By Jeff Keaton
Question One : Who holds ultimate authority in this world ? “ In the beginning , God . . .” Genesis 1:1
Over the last year or so , I have spent a considerable amount of time pondering how the first few chapters of Genesis answer many of life ’ s most important questions . All belief systems , religions , and worldviews are simply an attempt to make sense of all that we see in life . However , we tend to think that in order to prove that Christianity is true , we need to be intellectual geniuses who know something about everything from the beginning of time .
Instead of trying to memorize facts , consider asking these questions to those who are skeptical : How does what you believe work out in the real world ? If I follow your thinking and belief system , where will it lead me as a person , spouse , parent , and citizen ? Does what you believe produce peace , productivity , prosperity , and actual progress in homes , cities , and nations ? I ask these questions because I have become deeply convinced that the biblical worldview answers life ’ s greatest questions in the most sensible way and leads us to experience beautiful and meaningful lives .
Genesis 1-3 gives us fundamental answers to many of life ’ s greatest questions . In this series of articles , I want to look at several of those questions and the answers we receive from God ’ s Word , and how they work out in the real world .
The question of ultimate authority is one that all humans have pondered from the time we are just children . Because we are born with sin in our hearts , we demand control from our earliest days . We ’ ve all experienced firsthand what happens when a child is first taught that they can ’ t do anything they want to do . Not long ago , my two-year-old grandson was sitting on a Polaris ATV and playing with the ignition key . I told him to stop turning the key on and off . He stopped for a little while , but then , as he watched me , he decided to try and start the Polaris . For the first time in his young life , Papaw decided to act as if I would punish him . The way he took off running and screaming , you would have thought I was about to kill him ! Marshall was learning that he didn ’ t have ultimate authority over his young life .
Today we have untold millions of people who do not understand who is ultimately in charge . Most have been taught we are the rulers of our own universe , and we should , within reason , be able to do whatever we want to do . In reality , this kind of thinking leads to chaos , not happiness . Eventually , someone has to be in charge .
In an evolutionary worldview , the strongest person ends up in charge , and if that person happens to be benevolent , life might be okay for a while . However , sooner or later , someone who is evil ends up with the most authority . History is littered with the pain and suffering monsters like Hitler and Stalin have brought to the world .
16 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW