I placed the wedding card on the conveyor belt at the store. When the lady grabbed the card to scan it, suddenly a $50 dollar bill fell onto the scanner. We both looked at each other with big eyes as she said, “is this yours?” I told her I had no idea where it came from and we both laughed in bewilderment that this money seemed to appear out of nowhere. She said, “well maybe the universe wanted to give a gift.” I smiled back and then she continued to say, “or if you are a believer in Jesus, you could say it came from Him.” I quickly responded back, “yes I am a believer in Jesus, and maybe it was a blessing from Him.” She said she was a believer too, but just didn’t want to offend me. We ended up laughing about the situation and decided to give the money to the service counter in hopes that someone would come back to claim it. When I sat in the car, I thought to myself, why is God’s name getting replaced by the universe, and why do I keep hearing this more frequently… even from believers in Christ?
Pantheism is a basic concept in various Eastern religions and has become growing in popularity around the world. Pantheism has an assortment of forms, but basically is the belief that the universe is God. He is the leaves, the clouds, the rain; God is everything and every natural living thing is God. The problem with loosely replacing God’s name with the universe or believing that He is the universe crosses the line of idolatry, by thinking something else is God. For the Bible says that God created all things, but He is not them. Colossians 1:16 says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” He is a personal being who rules and reigns above all other things. We read in scripture that even the winds and waves obey Him (Matthew 8:27). The rocks will cry out in praise for Him when humans refrain (Luke 19:40).
“The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.” Psalms 135:6-7.
I watched a documentary on how easily we are influenced by what we see and hear, and I feel in my heart that I needed to warn other believers not to be influenced by this subtle and yet roaring word and idea of the universe being anything other than creation breathed, formed, and under the power of the mighty God. “Jesus answered, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6. There is one true God and there is one way to get to Him for all eternity, through His son, Jesus.
When you are completely heartbroken, sitting in a pool of tears, the universe doesn’t care about you, but God does. When your marriage is broken and you’re crying out for answers, the universe will not answer you, but God will. When you are overwhelmed with joy after holding your newborn baby, the universe is not rejoicing with you, but God is. He heals, He restores, He redeems, He can make new out of broken things, because He is love and He is madly in love with you. He knew you before you were born and knit the very core of who you are together to worship Him as we have been created in His image. Today let us not forgot who sits on the throne, who is our one true King and let us call on His name alone, and put no other name before the mighty name, Jesus Christ our King.
Emily Rodewald 