I wonder why

[melyndie]

So...if there is no God, there is no afterlife, and there are no eternal consequences, then why not just live it up? There is no reason to be good, except with a selfish end. One could live on impulse and whim, jumping from one pleasure to the next. Why be nice to people you'll never see again? Why drive on the right side of the road when nobody is

Comments

[sirjake]

I've had similar thoughts. The only thing I can come up with for why society isn't worse is the grace of God (common grace).

[anulyra]

Rom 1:20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

Rom 1:32 and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.

Rom 2:13-15a for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts...

We're programmed with absolute truth, we're made in His image.... but corrupt.

[asourceofjoy]

Good questions, Melinda! Here's a passage that came to my mind upon reading your post:

"For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;" (Romans 2:14-15, KJV).

I like the way the Message translation puts it, too:

"When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong."
(Romans 2:14-15, the Message translation)

Our conscience is one of the clearest evidences of creation; even those who are unsaved are created in the image of God.

[anulyra]

heh... I said the same thing.

[asourceofjoy]

LOL, I know! By the time I got my post typed up and posted you'd beat me to it. ;-)

Those are good verses, though. :-) I like the other ones you shared, too.

Re:

[anulyra]

I always thought of them as being part of a larger complete thought.

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[completeinhim]

Your post reminded me a lot of the first part of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity. An excellent point to share with unbelievers, which can't help but make them go, "Hmm..." We're in a fallen world, but God's fingerprints are all around us. Many are so blinded that they just don't see.

-Jess <>

[elanortheeldest]

lol, Jessica... I was getting ready to refer to Mere Christianity, too. :-) Lewis explains brilliantly how man always desires, whether he knows it or not, for an order of some kind.

- Nicole

Re:

[melyndie]

It sounds like this Lewis guy and I might get along! ;-) I wish I had that book now. Guess I shall have to hunt it down somewhere!

[completeinhim]

Hehe...I think you would! ;-) I actually haven't read the full Mere Christianity yet, though I fully intend to. For Christmas, I received a little book called The Case for Christianity, which I later realized is the first section of Mere Christianity. That first part was so good that I'm looking forward to reading the rest! :-) Maybe I'll pick that up after finishing my current read...Ah, summer is good. ;-)

-Jess <>

[jess383]

I've often wondered the same thing.

God created man in his own likeness and therefore no one can deny the desire deep within them (with the exeption of some people) to accomplish good whether they believe in afterlife or not.
And who can look around and deny there is a God?
I once had someone tell me (who not a Christian at the time) that he would wake up in the morning and look outside and think, how can there not be a God??
I sometimes feel that if each person search the pit of their soul, they would find that belief in something greater than themselves.
Personally, I find great comfort during hard times knowing that something bigger and better is taking care of me.

Whoops, didn't mean to ramble like that.