Series
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
The Book of Esther
The Book of Esther
Sermons
Rev. Jerry Hamstra
Introduction to Acts
Introduction to Acts

Secularism

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (7) Expressive Individualism

“Our happiness and greatest wellbeing come from living for God rather than living for ourselves. We were not designed to find our deepest happiness by focusing on ourselves. We are designed to find our deepest happiness in God. The Bible is actually very concerned with man’s happiness, but as a result of living for God rather than living for ourselves. The picture that the Bible paints of a life in the service of God is a wonderful picture of fulfillment and wellbeing and profound happiness. The Bible makes it clear that the deepest joy that we can know is joy in the Lord and in his service. Psalm 32:11 says “Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” ”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (6) Postmodernism

“The problem as the Bible expresses it is not that man is unable to find the truth apart from revelation from God, but rather that mankind is not looking for the truth in the first place. The biblical approach to the whole subject of mankind and the truth is that we know the truth about God and the world but by nature we suppress what we know to be true. The problem is not that we cannot find the truth. The problem is that the truth is all around us and we hide from it because the truth is that God is our Creator and our King, and we refuse to submit to him.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (5) The Meaning of Life

“These are just a few aspects of the biblical teaching about the meaning of life. It begins with being reconciled to God through Jesus Christ. Apart from salvation, we only live for ourselves rather than living for God and the Bible teaches that that is the way of death. But it also teaches that those who believe in Jesus and follow him find their purpose in pleasing God and enjoying fellowship with him. And it insists that living this way is the most satisfying and joyful and fulfilling way to live. And it insists that living to please God has an eternal significance. It matters now, but it will also matter forever.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (4) Faith, Reason and Knowledge (2)

“Evolution cannot rationally account for anything because of the huge role it gives to chance, but it certainly cannot account for the deeper spiritual and psychological and moral aspects of human life. The jump from nothing to something and then from random something to orderly something, and then from orderly physical stuff to the profound spiritual, psychological and moral aspects of life is a whole list of impossibilities. At the end of the day our experience of life is nothing like what you would expect if the secular worldview were true.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (3) Faith, Reason and Knowledge

“ If you do not start your thinking with the God of the Bible, it is impossible to give a reasonable account of the world and the big questions of life. You don’t start with reason and reason your way to God. You start with God and show that any reasoning about ultimate things that does not start with God is actually irrational. ”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra

Biblical Responses to Secular Beliefs (2) The Conforming Power of Society and the Biblical Answer

“We live in a secular world that teaches that all that matters is our lives in the here and now. The Bible teaches us that the most important thing for human beings is how they relate to the God of the Bible. And what we will see the more that we study the Bible and ourselves and the world around us is that the world of which we are a part reflects perfectly the word of its Creator.”
— Rev. Jerry Hamstra