Course XII: Managing My Anger
“Why Does God Care About Me?”
Lesson Two
The Basics . . .
“Why Does God
Care About Me?” By
Hillery M. Motsinger, Ed.D., L.P.C.
Edited & Arranged by Buck Griffith
Unit 45 - Lesson 2
(NewLife Behavior English Edition)
P. O. Box 270720, Corpus Christi, Texas 78427-0720
“If any person be in Christ, he is a new creature…”
(Second Corinthians 5:17)
Copyright © April 1997 (Revised 2009) by Hillery M. Motsinger
NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
RESPONSE SHEET
Dear Student,
We have found that thoughtful written responses greatly enhance the student’s
understanding of this course material. Therefore, we urge you to use this Response
Sheet as an aid in the study of this lesson.
STEP 1: BEFORE YOU START
Before you start this lesson, please write three or four sentences describing what you
think God feels about you as an individual. Then, please put this sheet out of sight until
you finish the lesson.
STEP 2: PREPARING TO STUDY
Read the questions on Page 11 (do not attempt to answer them yet). Then read and
study pages 3-10 as you would read a chapter of a book.
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
Why Does God Care
About Me?
We do not know where you stand in your belief about God or even whether you believe in God. We also do not know
what concerns you have in your life. Perhaps you are in a state of relative satisfaction with life or maybe you are in
the depths of despair and suffering. If you are hurting and in difficult circumstances (whether or not they are of your
making), we urge you to take heart. Perhaps the darkness of your despair or the depth of your longing will lead you to
see truths you have never seen before. It has been said, “When it is dark enough, men see the stars.”
We hope you will find answers to life’s deepest questions and concerns as you work through these lessons. We are
praying not only that your mind will be filled with the piercing truth of God’s design for you, but also that your heart
may be saturated with His all-encompassing love and comfort.
I. Introduction
There are times when all of us ask . . .
“Is God concerned about me?”
This usually happens at the death of a loved one, the loss of a job or the end of a
marriage. Circumstances beyond our control may have brought us great heartache or
trouble. Or we may have brought them upon ourselves by our own decisions or
mistakes.
At such times as these we have a tendency to put ourselves down. We don’t like
ourselves. We feel that others don’t like us either. We may feel that even God has
turned His back on us.
Do not be deceived for a moment! In Luke 15, we see that God loves the sinner. The
only thing He hates is the sin. God loves to rejoice when even one sinner repents and is
reconciled to Him and to the family of believers.
Luke 15 is especially good for those of us who have taken our eyes off God and
wandered off into trouble that we could not handle. God loves those of us who leave on
purpose, waste blessings on ourselves, and come home begging when we get into
trouble. God even gave His only Son to reconcile us to Him (see John 3:16 and
Philippians 2:2-8).
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
Every person is free to decide whether he or she believes that God is concerned about
just one good person. Your answer to the question, “Who am I that God is concerned
about me?” depends upon your point of view.
This lesson will explore three commonly held beliefs or points of view about the nature
of man and the existence and nature of God.
II. Three Points of View
A. Atheistic Point of View
The atheist declares that based on the physical evidences of sight, hearing,
touch, taste and smell, there is no God. Therefore, he believes the Bible is a fake
and that there are no moral standards and no sin. Since there is no sin, the
atheist feels there is no need for forgiveness, no need for a Savior, and no need
for God’s love – since there is no God anyway.
The atheist believes that science will answer the questions of our origin, purpose
and destination. Colossians 2:8-13 and First Corinthians 3:19-20 negate the
atheist’s theory.
The atheist states that our minds are not spiritual, but purely biological. James
1:5 disproves this.
An atheist would say that our minds are to use “scientific truth” to survive and to
meet our physical and emotional needs, with pleasure as man’s most important
goal.
Thus, the atheist claims there is no God to be concerned about him or
anyone else. If the atheist is correct, we are just animals. We are
like “Rover” the dog – when we are dead, we are dead all over.
However, Psalm 14:1, Psalm 25:6, Psalm 103:17, Proverbs 12:15
and Colossians 2:8-19 totally refute this theory.
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
B. Agnostic Point of View
The term agnostic is from the Greek “agnostos” which means “not knowing.”
Thomas Huxley, English naturalist and agnostic, first used the term about 1869.
The agnostic is a skeptic, a doubter, a “free thinker,” and bases his theory on
ignorance. He says that no one really knows if God exists and that it is
impossible to know. First Corinthians 1:18-25, First Corinthians 3:19, Psalm
46:10 and Romans 1:20 soundly refute this.
The agnostic lets his moral standards be determined by majority vote.
“Anything goes. Whatever the gang thinks – live, drink, and be merry for
tomorrow we die.” These are the cornerstones of the agnostic philosophy. Read
Ephesians 5:4, Romans 14:17 and Proverbs 11:3-5. All three deny this view.
The agnostic states that there are no definite answers for man’s origin, purpose
and destination and that each person is his/her own guide. He doubts that there
is a God and that even if there is . . . Why should God be concerned about man?
If the agnostic is correct, man is just another statistic. He goes the way the wind
blows or the majority votes. He might believe and be lucky, but he is not sure
what to do. Passages like Jeremiah 10:23, Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 20:24-25
and First Corinthians 1:18-25 provide insight and show this theory to be wrong.
C. The Christian Point of View
The Christian point of view is based on faith, hope and love. The following
scriptures clearly support this view:
First Corinthians 13:1-13 Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 2:7-8
Romans 1:16 Joel 2:28
Malachi 2:10 Romans 8:9
John 1:10 and 20-27 Ephesians 5:18
John 1:17 Acts 2:17-18, 38
Galatians 5:16 Galatians 6:8
John 11:23-26 John 14:1-4, John 1:14-17
John 3:16 First Corinthians 13:13
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
By faith in God’s Word, we know the answers to our origin, purpose, and
destination. See Table 1-1.
Also, please read:
Genesis 1:26-28, Genesis 2:7 Ecclesiastes 12:13
Psalm 8:6-8, Psalm 139:14 Matthew 25:1-46
Proverbs 23:7 (KJV) John 14
Romans 8:28.
Our behavior is a product of our thinking and our feelings. Consider Genesis 3:6,
Psalm 10:4, Isaiah 65:2, Matthew 15:19, Mark 7:21-23, James 1:14, Philippians
2:5, Galatians 2:20, Romans 7:25 and Romans 6 in support of this concept.
Trust and obey the Lord, for there is no other way to find peace, joy, freedom,
and happiness.
Table 1-1. Points of view
QUESTION ATHEIST AGNOSTIC CHRISTIAN
Does God exist? No Maybe Yes
What is belief based Physical senses Ignorance Faith, hope, love
on?
What is behavior What is best for the What the majority Scriptural principles
based on? individual does; each person is and self control
their own guide;
behavior changes as
group changes
What is man’s origin? Man is an accident of Man can’t know Man was made by
nature God and in His image
What is man’s Science will eventually Unsure To glorify God through
purpose? find a purpose; to fulfill service to mankind
biological urges
What is man’s No life beyond the Unsure God has prepared a
destiny? grave mansion in heaven
What is man’s worth? No more than animals Just another statistic One soul is worth
more than the whole
world!
If the Christian view is correct, each person is a spirit created by God and in His image
(Genesis 1:26). Each can claim, “I can do all things through God’s Son, Jesus Christ”
(Philippians 4:13). The route to happiness is through JOY . . .
J esus first
O thers second, and
Y ourself last
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
The road to perfection is to “love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to
them that hate you and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you”
(Matthew 5:44). The path to peace of mind is to believe . . . “All things work together for
good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose” (Romans
8:28).
III. Christian Evidences
Truth is truth, wherever it is found.
True science and true Christianity never contradict one another. Whenever science and
the Bible don’t seem to agree, we are either misinterpreting science, misinterpreting the
Bible, or both. One does not have to leave his brain at home to be a Christian. There
are numerous evidences that objective and educated individuals can use to validate the
Christian point of view. After all is considered, belief rests on faith.
However, after examining the evidence, many have found that it is more reasonable to
believe that there is a Designer of the universe, than to believe that the universe is a
product of a series of statistically impossible, perfectly executed accidents. The
following paragraphs cite only a few instances of Christian evidences.
A. Modern criticism developed the theory that writing was unknown in the day of Moses
and that the early Old Testament books could not have been written until long after
the events they record. But within the last century, hundreds of thousands of books,
written on clay tablets predating Moses by centuries, have been uncovered. This
evidence shows that even the earliest Biblical events could have been recorded at
the time they happened.
B. For centuries there have been theories that attempt to refute the Biblical account of
Christ’s resurrection from the dead. One idea is that the apostles stole the body and
hid it, then claimed that Jesus had risen. But does it seem reasonable to think that
this defeated group of men could have completely changed their lives, endured
years of persecution and even been killed, for a lie?
C. There are many examples in nature that defy any explanation short of design – and
a Designer. The more complex something is, the less likely it is that it can be
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
explained by chance happenings. The following is an example taken from the
“Dandy Designs” feature of John Clayton’s magazine, Does God Exist?1
(January/February, 1990) . . .
Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson have reported that there is a lizard called
“Yarrow’s Spiny Lizard” which has a canteen supplied to it when it is born. The Yarrow’s Lizard
is unusual in many respects.
It bears live young, which have a sac inside their bodies which holds water. The amount of
water is large – sometimes 10% of the newborn’s weight. The advantage of this built-in water
supply is obvious. In the desert, dehydration is a major problem: a lizard with a water supply
has a much greater chance of survival than one without such provision. By a month after birth,
the sac shrivels up and becomes a vestigial organ. This lets the adult lizard move quickly and
efficiently (Science News, Volume 128, p. 124).
The design seen in all living things challenges any attempt to relegate all we see to
chance. The planning that is evident all around us is a testimony to the greatness of
God.
IV. Conclusion
We recommend that we take the third choice. We will live a more positive lifestyle and
be heirs of a great promise and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16-17).
The atheistic point of view has done much harm to society. Humans are considered of
no more value than animals. If one sees himself as no more than an animal, he tends to
act like an animal without regard for others.
This has caused a breakdown in morality in our society.
1
John Clayton is a Christian scientist who once worked against religion in the same manner as the late Madalyn
Murray O’Hare. He has excellent material on Christian evidences in correspondence courses, a bimonthly
magazine, books, pamphlets, tapes, etc. that can be obtained free. Write: Does God Exist?, P.O. Box 2704, South
Bend, Indiana 46680-2704.
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
Atheism held the official position in the former Soviet society for years. Force and power
were used to stamp out faith. But the atheistic view crumbled because it did not have
the substance to sustain it.
We are now seeing their churches being filled again by people starved for a spiritual life.
Sometimes builders are sued because they used inferior materials which
cause their buildings to collapse. The buildings looked good from
the outside, but when stresses came, they collapsed. A society
built on atheism is like that. It may look good and sound
on the exterior, but there is no substance to it.
It is built on sand instead of rock (Matthew 7:24-27).
God could have made us like puppets and caused us to automatically obey Him but He
didn’t.
Instead, He designed us to be free to think and to choose our own destiny. As someone
has said . . .
“God doomed us to freedom, while He protected the
animals with instinct”
This suggests that God took a gamble on the human creation and allowed us to have
the power to love, trust and obey Him, or . . . selfishly abuse the power that He created
within us.
We also know that God is concerned about us because . . .
He created us (Genesis 1:26-27).
He wants us to have the abundant life (John 10:10). [This will be covered
fully in Unit 2, Lesson 3]
He wants us to carry out a great and noble purpose (Matthew 28:19-
20; Colossians 1:10-12).
He has a home for us (John 14:1-4; Romans 6:23).
He bought and paid for us (Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:20;
Hebrews 9:12; First Peter 1:18-21), not to use, misuse and
abuse us, but to set us free (John 8:32).
As Christians, we may not know what the future holds, but we know who holds the
future.
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
It can be likened to watching a movie on video for the second time. We may still be
stressed during the conflict, but not as much as we were when we saw that movie the
first time.
The difference is that with the second viewing we know what the outcome will be!
We can face life this way, knowing that Christ has already won the final victory and God
has a home prepared for us.
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NewLife Behavior – Course XII
Unit 45 – Lesson 2
Session #2
STUDY QUESTIONS
Name________________________________________Date____________________
Address______________________________________________________________
1. For answers, the atheist goes to
(a) the Bible
(b) science
(c) God
(d) the Church Library
2. For answers, the agnostic goes to
(a) the Bible
(b) history
(c) God
(d) majority vote
3. For answers, the Christian goes to
(a) God’s Word
(b) neighbors
(c) science
(d) the office
4. The atheist says our minds are
(a) blank
(b) purely biological
(c) spiritual
(d) very small
5. The agnostic says there are no
(a) rooms at the inn
(b) indefinite answers
(c) definite answers
(d) none of these
6. The Christian says we are heirs of
(a) J. Paul Getty
(b) a great promise
(c) a head
(d) all of these
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7. The atheist says there is no
(a) God
(b) air
(c) sky
(d) water
8. The agnostic says morals are best determined by the majority
(a) of Democrats
(b) of Republicans
(c) of publicans
(d) vote
9. The Christian bases his view on faith, hope and
(a) the American way
(b) cash
(c) love
(d) binoculars
10. The route to joy is through Jesus 1st, others 2nd and last
(a) Your spouse
(b) parents
(c) self
(d) children
REFLECTION
Now that you have finished this lesson, please write a few sentences in the space below
that describes what you think God feels about you as an individual.
APPLYING THE LESSON
Finally, to gain the most from this study, list one or more ideas from the lesson that you
want to use to change your behavior. Also, list any questions you want to ask your
instructor or studymate.
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