A Believer’s Manifesto (2022)

A BELIEVER’S MANIFESTO (2022) – by Joe Palcsak

I choose to live my life as if the God of the Bible is real.

Accordingly, I live my life believing that He is the Creator of the universe and everything in it, including all life (John 1: 1-3), and that He created mankind in His image (Genesis 1:12).

Therefore, I live my life believing that He is an omnipresent God Who is near, and not far off (Jeremiah 23:23, 24), that He loves us (John 3:16), and that He desires that none of us should perish (2 Peter 3:9). I live my life believing that His promise is eternal life (John 3:16); an eternal life that is wonderful beyond our imagination (1 Corinthians 2:9). I believe that spending time seeking Him and getting to know Him, entering into relationship with Him is the most rewarding endeavor we can pursue. Moreover, I live my life believing that this is what He wants for us, knowing this is best for us. Consider the following Scriptures:

“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories, glory in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am God, exercising lovingkindness, judgement, and righteousness in the earth, for in these I delight” (Jeremiah 9:24).

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

God is a rewarder of those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:7), and those who know and obey Him “have more understanding than all (their) teachers” (Psalm 119:99) because they know and obey Him. On the other hand, when we do not know and obey Him, we descend into self-destruction (Hosea 4:6; Romans 1:18-32).

Therefore, I live my life believing that He Who created us also knows what is good for us and what is not; what is right and what is wrong; what is sin and what is obedience; and that all these truths have been preserved for us to seek and find in the Holy Bible, which is His inspired word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Therefore, I live my life believing the Bible is the ultimate authority (Psalm 18:30; Matthew 4:4; John 17:17); higher than any authority of man.

Accordingly, I get both my wisdom and my morality from Him and His Word, and when the word of man is in direct opposition to the Word of God, you can be certain that I fear Him more than I fear man and, “woe to them that call evil good and good evil, that put darkness for light and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20). Therefore, as His Word instructs and enlightens us, I believe in the sanctity of life, including the life of the unborn (Psalm 127:3-5; Psalm 139:13-16; Exodus 21: 22-25; Jeremiah 19:3-6; and so very many more); and that abortion is not a “right,” but an offense against our Creator; the one Who gives life to all. I believe that the institution of marriage is from God and exclusively between a man and a woman (Genesis 2:24); that, according to our Creator, there are two – and only two – sexes (Mark 10:6-9; and that all forms of homosexuality are an abomination (Romans 1:18-32).

For an extended period of time, this nation has collectively chosen to reject God and His commandments; to live as if He does not exist. We no longer seek Him, know Him, or understand Him. We now call good evil and evil good. Indeed, although He has blessed this nation more than any other nation in history, we now live in open defiance of Him. This cannot and will not go on much longer (Jeremiah 18: 9-10).

That I chose to live my life as if God and His word are true and relevant might horrify you in this day and age. You might feel the overwhelming urge to call me an anti-choice bigot, a trans-phobe, a homophobe, and a hater. But if God is real; if He is Who He says He is; and if the Bible is His inspired Word, I am none of those things. I am His son, adopted into His Kingdom – His family (Romans 8:16,17); and in my ongoing quest to obey my Father, I choose to live my life in this manner and in these truths. Of course, I often fall in this ongoing quest (Romans 3:10-12); but by His amazing grace and through His amazing love, He has provided a way for my salvation. Indeed, He has provided salvation for all who are willing to repent and obey Him through His Son, Jesus, who died for our sins, that we might be redeemed into eternal life, and who was raised by God from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3) and is alive today and forevermore (Revelation 1:16).

The brilliant thinker and convert from atheism C.S. Lewis said that if God raised Jesus from the dead, that is the most important thing we can know; and if God did not raise Jesus from the dead, that is the most important thing we can know. He’s right. Not only does our salvation hinge on the answer to this question, so does our purpose, as well as our destiny. Jesus is a historical figure. He walked this earth in the flesh for thirty-three years. His death and resurrection are likewise matters of history. Much has been written about His life, death, and resurrection. Much can be known from the historical evidence, and the evidence is conclusive (1 Corinthians 15: 3-7). Simon Greenleaf, one of American history’s most distinguished lawyers, said that the Resurrection of Jesus was one of the best supported facts in history (https://www.famous-trials.com/jesustrial/1051-evangeliststestimony). He is not alone.  A Google search will readily produce thousands of websites that reveal testimonies from countless numbers of historians and lawyers (including skeptics and unbelievers!), confessing that the evidence for the Resurrection is overwhelming. Even if one types into their search engine something like, “There is no evidence for the Resurrection,” the overwhelming majority of websites make the case for the Resurrection, not against it. And when one does find an argument against the Resurrection, the most popular objection rests on worldview and not on the evidence. They contain such language as: “The Resurrection is a miracle. I don’t believe in miracles. Therefore, despite the evidence, I chose to not believe in the Resurrection”; or: “I do not want to believe in God; therefore, I do not believe in the Resurrection”.

The truth of Christianity is entirely dependent on the truth of the Resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:12-19), and the evidence for the Resurrection is conclusive. All of this is to say that my choice to live as if God raised Jesus from the dead, validating the truth that He is Who He says He is, is the only reasonable way to choose to live. And if you believe otherwise, I am compelled to ask you, what do you base your confidence on? A hope that He is not?  I urge you to consider the merits of choosing to live your life according to the available historical evidence – as if you have a loving Creator; not a Creator Who sanctions any lifestyle you choose, but Who loves you enough to lift you up out of the world you have been living in (as He did for me in my 51^st year), and call you out of the world and into His marvelous light (John 8:11; 1 Peter 4:4-5, 2:9).  And if you choose to live as if He is not Who He says He is – as much of our society has been choosing to live in this day and age – I urge you to consider the consequences of such a choice.

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