The ancient good tidings from God: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!’” (Luke 2:8-14)

The latest “good tidings” from man: As you may have heard, the American Humanist Association has paid $40,000 to place ads this Christmas season on Washington D.C. buses, praising man and saying: “Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake.” Last month, the British Humanist Association financed a similar campaign on London buses. Their ad heralded these “good tidings of great joy”: “There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Their two-fold purpose, according to spokesman Fred Edwords, is to encourage “agnostics, atheists and other types of non-theists who feel a little alone during the holidays because of its association with traditional religion.” The other purpose is “to plant a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds.” (Fox News, Nov. 12, 2008; http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,450445,00.html)

At the risk of tarnishing man’s latest “good tidings of great joy”, may I make a few comments? I promise not to plaster them on any buses. Besides, as one connected with providing relief for hurting people in Africa and the Middle East, I know some better ways to invest $40,000...

First, “Why believe in a god?” As one who knows and loves God, I am fascinated by the philosophy that belief in God is a negative thing. As much as I love and enjoy my wonderful wife and amazing kids, my relationship with my awesome Creator-Owner-Redeemer is my greatest joy in life. He is my closest friend. Without Him, my brief passage on planet earth would be painfully empty. And it is because I know God that I want to “be good” and extend His goodness to others. Furthermore, it is because I belong to Him that I am not worrying and am able to enjoy life! Jesus the Messiah put it like this: “I am come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.” (John 10:10-11) I am sorry if this offends my humanist friends’ stoic spirit, but I absolutely love being cared for by my Good Shepherd! Of course, the stop-worrying-about-God-and-enjoy-your-life thinking should not surprise us. The first man and first woman also attempted to hide from their Creator, after they bought into the serpent’s “rational thought” that rebelling against God’s plan would somehow permit them to enjoy life to the fullest. The reality is that nothing is more wonderful than being in relationship with the One who made you for Himself and invites you to spend eternity with Him. The good news is that, ever since our first parents sinned, God has provided a way for helpless sinners to come back to Him. The Christmas story is part of God’s plan to fulfill the promise He made on the day that Adam and Eve sinned: that He would provide a Savior for humankind.

Second, as for “just [being] good for goodness sake,” the reality is that only God can make us truly “good” and righteous. King David said: “You are my Lord, my goodness is nothing apart from You.” (Psalm 16:2) In the sight of a perfect God, our best self-efforts are like “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Furthermore, God is the one who plants in His redeemed people the desire to share His “goodness” with others. To illustrate, I have a colleague who is working in a dangerous region of the Middle East bringing relief, opportunity, and care to abused street kids. Do you think he would be sacrificially and joyfully investing his entire life in this way if his only motive were to “be good for goodness sake”? (He would not. As a teenager, his goal was to play NBA basketball. But the Lord God replaced that goal with a greater passion: to be the lap of Jesus to hurting children in some of the world's most difficult-to-penetrate places. His motivation? God's love for him and his love for God.)

Finally, about planting “a seed of rational thought and critical thinking and questioning in people's minds”—which is more rational:
A.) to believe that the making and maintenance of our irreducibly complex universe and all it contains is the result of some random process? or:
B.) to believe that all we see, from cells to constellations, is the handiwork of a good and all-powerful Creator and Sustainer? Yes, I’ve heard the arguments—such as: “If there is a God, and if He is both good and all-powerful, why doesn’t He put a stop to evil?” Curiously, we seldom ask, “If God is good and all-powerful, why doesn’t He put a stop to me when I commit evil deeds?” We want God to judge evil, but we don’t want Him to judge us. (For a more complete answer to this question, see pages 20-22 of ONE GOD ONE MESSAGE)

God still gives us the freedom to choose what we will believe - eiither: “Just be good for goodness sake!” or: “There is born to you...a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!”

Which tidings bring you great joy?

P.D.B., November 2008

NOTE: For a more thorough explanation of how God can make you truly good in His sight and cause His goodness to flow through you, take time to read Knowing God. Better yet, read One God One Message . This 30-chapter book (which can be read over a 30-day period) offers an unhurried spiritual journey as it leads skeptics and truth-seekers beyond the classic obstructions and into a clear understanding of the one true God's good tidings of great joy!