Why do I need God?

WHY IS ‘RIGHT’ RIGHT AND ‘WRONG’ WRONG—AND WHO DECIDES?
If you think it is not necessary to believe in God to live a good, moral life, ask yourself how you define goodness, and how you decide what is morally wrong. For example, it is generally agreed that stealing and murder are wrong. But why? If, as some claim, our moral code has simply "evolved" over time, then could it change? Could stealing and murder become acceptable? If not, why not? The fact is, the atheist/humanist view that there is no God, no absolute values, and no external laws, is bankrupt and unworkable. No civilised society could function that way.

MOTIVATED BY THEIR FAITH
William Wilberforce brought about the abolition of slavery in the British Empire. Lord Shaftesbury campaigned to stop children being forced to work in factories. Elizabeth Fry fought for better conditions in our prisons. William Booth founded the Salvation Army, to help the poor and destitute. We could go on naming people whose faith in God and the Bible inspired them to go out and change people's lives for the better. All our great social reformers were motivated by their faith. How many atheists have been motivated by their unbelief to work for the welfare others?

THE MAIN REASON
The main reason we need God is that we are lost without Him. We have all disobeyed His laws, which makes us sinners. Sin is not just things like stealing and murder. It also includes evil thoughts, lying, jealousy, greed, adultery and sexual promiscuity. Because God created us, we are accountable to Him, and He has the right to judge us. The amazing thing is that God loves us and wants to forgive us. His holiness and justice demand that sin be punished, but His love found a way for us be forgiven. The solution is in Jesus Christ, and His death and resurrection. We all deserve to be separated from God for ever, but for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and what He has done, "there is no condemnation" (The Bible, Romans 8: 1)

The contradictions of Godless ‘morality’
Atheists and secular humanists have a massive logical problem when trying to defend their position on right and wrong. In 1926 atheist Joseph Lewis wrote that "our guide in moral affairs should be that which gives to the individual the greatest possible happiness." (The Bible Unmasked). The late humanist philosopher Bertrand Russell, when asked on what grounds he condemned the acts of Adolf Hitler, said that Hitler was wrong "because most people agree with me". When pressed to say how he distinguished between right and wrong, Russell said "by my own feelings." (Quoted by John H Hick in The Existence of God, 1964).
The logical absurdity of such views is apparent when we remember that Hitler was quite happy to kill 6 millions Jews. According to his philosophy he did not feel he was doing anything wrong. Neither did the Russian communists under Stalin when they imprisoned and killed millions of dissidents in Siberian labour camps. Neither did Pol Pot when he massacred millions of his fellow-countrymen in Cambodia, nor the Chinese leadership when they mowed down hundreds of protesting students in Tianaman Square.
Today, many people have embraced the idea of relative morality, or "situation ethics". They claim that, rather than relying on fixed moral reference points, we must decide whether something is right or wrong according to the situation we find ourselves in, and rely on our own ethical judgment. History ought to teach us the folly of this approach, but then we never learn from history, do we? When we throw out belief in God and His laws, we throw out the very basis for all moralilty.

THE ATHEIST WHO FACED THE TRUTH
The late C S Lewis is well-known to many people as the author of books such as The Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, and Surprised by Joy. But many do not realise that Lewis was once an avowed atheist. One of the reasons for his atheism was his concern about all the evil and unjustice he saw in the world. Then he began to ask himself where his sense of justice came from, and he realised it must be God. Lewis realised he could not be an atheist any longer!

WE NEED A FIXED, EXTERNAL REFERENCE POINT
Unless we have some fixed, external reference point to guide us we are in a moral wilderness. Before the days of radar and satellite communication, sailors depended upon the stars to navigate, particularly the North Star which never moved its position. If we reject belief in moral absolutes given to us by a Creator who cares about our well-being, then we are adrift in a chartless ocean, with nothing to guide us. Just as political anarchy begins when people reject human authority, so moral anarchy results from thinking we can set our own rules of behaviour.

Why do you care about injustice and evil?
Many people are concerned about the evil and injustice they see in the world. Sometimes they say: "There can't be a God of love, or he would never allow these things to happen." If you have ever expressed such a view, just ask yourself where your own sense of justice came from. Why do you care? If there is no God, and human beings have no accountability to a higher authority, why does it matter? Has it ever occurred to you that your concern about such things actually comes from God? The Bible tells us that God is concerned about injustice, and angry when humans exploit and ill-treat their fellow-humans. If we are created in His image, it is not surprising that we should share some of His feelings. We care because we were created by a God who cares!