Extraterrestrial life from a Christian's perspective

If ever there was the question that would prompt an “Only God knows” reply, it’s this one:

“Are we alone in the universe?”

This is a question that’s been asked long before I was born in 1973, and it’ll be asked long after I’m dead. Millions of dollars have been spent in the private, non-profit Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) program, which is designed to “listen” to sounds in deep space. The hope is that some of those sounds might come from an intelligent source, thus proving that there is, indeed, intelligent life out there. (Some say that we are desperate to find extraterrestrial intelligent life since virtually no intelligent life exists on earth).

One of my sons told me that since there are many planets outside our solar system and, doubtlessly, billions upon billions of other planets yet to be discovered, there has to be intelligent life in the universe. If you’d asked me 20 years ago, my answer would’ve been an emphatic no. Now, it’s not something I can answer with a yes or no; my answer is more likely to be somewhere between It’s possible and I don’t know.

Years ago, while a student at a Christian college, I posed this question to a man who, today, is a spiritual mentor and the older brother I never had. “Do you think there’s intelligent life out there?” I asked him.

“That’s an irrelevant question,” he replied.

“Why?”

“Because, if God had thought it was something important enough for us to know, he would’ve mentioned it to us in the Bible. Scripture is silent on the issue.”

One Christian minister pointed out that if you go to the library to read about UFOs (unidentified flying objects), you will have to go to the occult section. Is it that simple, that Satan and his minions disguise themselves this way? I’m not convinced. For now, whether or not there’s intelligent life outside earth is a question that we’ll have to leave up to God. In due time, He’ll reveal it to us.

Whom would Jesus vote for?

Mike Huckabee? Barack Obama? Mitt Romney? Hillary Clinton? John McCain? Ron Paul? John Edwards? None of the above?

It really is an irrelevant question when you think of it. Jesus came to preach the Gospel, teach His disciples, die for our sins, rise again and give the Great Commission. Not to campaign for a candidate or endorse anyone.

Comprehending God

When I attended Pensacola Christian College, I knew one student named Calel. The way he pronounced it, it rhymed with “pale”. I asked him once about the name’s origin. He explained that it’s Hebrew for a very fascinating phrase: “All of God.”

Calel’s name makes me think of just how vast and infinite God is. In fact, the Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 6:18 that the universe cannot contain God. It really makes me think of just how dreadfully short we are of really even beginning to even remotely approach scratching the surface of understanding God. For now, we are given the Bible, which is often turned into the popular acronym Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. Heaven is likely to be the place where the real learning begins. It’s entirely possible that throughout eternity, Christians will be students at New Jerusalem University.

The Biblical way of dealing with regrets

I have many, many regrets. Some silly, some not. There are a few that stem from incidents a decade or so ago; thinking about them still makes me cringe. Of course, Satan likes to use regrets to hinder evangelism efforts and hurt our walks with God.

The Bible talks in James 4:7 about how Satan will flee from us if we resist him. Here’s something poignant that goes along with that: “The next time Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.”

The ‘E’s of Christianity

If we could sum up Christianity, it could be condensed into two E’s: To Evangelize the lost and to Edify (or Encourage) other believers.

This coincides with what Jesus describes as The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40, Mark 12:28-34 and Luke 10:25-37): to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul and minds. From this one commandment all the other commandments flow.

Accountability partner

Recently, I got an accountability partner, a college friend named Jason. We’ve discussed a few issues and will continue to do so. I have Jason because I know I’m an imperfect person and that there are times when a male friend is needed to discuss issues that I might deal with.

Accountability is something we all should practice. I understand that many churches have things set up now where even the pastor is accountable to someone for his actions. This is a good thing, because we’ve seen the disasters in the lives of famous ministers when they’re not kept accountable. One was caught with a prostitute while others have gotten into affairs and have mismanaged money entrusted to them. It reminds me of that adage: absolute power (i.e., zero accountability) corrupts absolutely. In the Bible, when God saw that David wasn’t going to get out of his spiral after his affair with Bathsheba and his ordering her husband’s murder, God sent the prophet Nathan. Nathan bluntly told David, “Thou art the man.”