Who Should We Believe: Jesus Or Science? Both?
Throughout my life, I have heard the same argument repeated over and over again. Who is correct; Jesus or the scientists? I have watched and listened as people have gotten into some heated arguments over this subject.
About 6 months ago, I had an experience that threw me headfirst into the study of quantum physics. Although first identified in 1900 and even today a major part of all our lives, quantum physics has spent the last 120 years relatively unnoticed or even denied. Albert Einstein spent a great part of his life trying to disprove the laws of quantum physics, but he never succeeded. With the advancement of quantum physics, this field of science is now in agreement with the side of the argument that says that we do not die. There is definitely life after death.
I will go into deeper explanations in future posts; however, for now, I want to focus on the fact that we do not die, but continue our life in heaven or in hell. Since I am going to make the assumption that everyone would rather spend eternity in heaven, this post is going to focus on what Jesus says is most important to accomplish that goal.
Getting To Heaven: How?
Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another, as I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34 NIV
There are several different kinds of love, but the one mentioned most often in the Bible is agape. Agape love is unconditional. It is the love that God has for all of us and we just have to be willing to accept it. You may go to Wikipedia: The Four Loves for an explanation of the other types of love.
Jesus said that we should love each other as He has loved us, but what does that mean. After all Jesus died on a cross for us. Is that what is expected? Probably not; although I have heard many times that in time of war, soldiers sacrifice their own life to save the lives of their buddies.
Love Thy Neighbor: Who Is My Neighbor?
Jesus did say in Matthew 22:39, “The second greatest commandment is: Love your neighbor as yourself.” But who is your neighbor? Generally, we think of a neighbor as someone who lives close to us, but I would like to suggest that a neighbor is anyone who is near us. Either at work or school, it might be someone in the same room; or someone riding the same bus, train, or plane. It might be someone we pass as we walk on the sidewalk. In other words, it could be anyone with whom we come in contact throughout our life.
So how do we love this neighbor? For one thing, listen to them when they talk and truly focus on what they are saying. Put them before yourself just as Jesus put us before Himself as He hung on the cross. Matthew 26:39 tells us that Jesus threw Himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want.” He put our needs before His own. This is not easy, but it is possible. Additionally, we must get to know what our needs are, so that we do not allow someone to use and abuse us. Putting the other person first must work both ways.
Are Anger And Murder The Same?
This leads to the last point of this post; anger. In Matthew 5 Jesus teaches that there is no difference between murder and anger. When we are angry we usually do or say something to hurt another person, animal, or inanimate object. The only difference is the extent of the harm being done. Jesus says, “But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire,” Matthew 5:22. I will not go into detail at this time, but if our physicists are correct and I believe they are, there is no difference between murder and anger when we are talking about eternity.
So where does that leave us? Who has not at some time become angry? In fact, psychologists even tell us that constructive anger is healthy. So again, where does that leave us? We must do all we can to control our anger, and when we fail, repent and turn to Jesus for help. Romans 13:8 says, “Owe no one anything except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the laws.” Romans 13:10 adds, “Love does no wrong to a neighbor: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” It is necessary to remember that we are talking about agape love; the kind of love that God gives to us; the kind of love that serves and puts the needs of another before our own needs.
So, Where’s The Science?
I know that I offered no information about quantum physics and the discoveries being made. I will go into detail in later posts, but at this time I think that it is more important to focus on how Jesus says we should live. For anyone who is interested, there are 3 books on our Recommended Reading page that focus on the advancements that have been made.
