Leaving an Impression on our World

Have you heard about ChatGPT¹Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer? This is an artificial intelligence project that is striking fear into people all over the world. The concerns are it could replace the need for humanity. If you apply it to Christianity, one could think that it could become so smart that all the pastors would no longer be needed and churches in the world would just close. Want to get to know God? Just load an application on your phone and you would be on your way to heaven! I would expect Hollywood to do a movie on this one day.

Is ChatGPT something that should concern us? Is our Creator giving up on humanity and just replacing us with something superior?  Will artificial intelligence surpass all humans and erase the history of humankind with something better? Well, if you read the Bible with an open mind, you will see that humanity is burdened by sin. We are, by nature, self-centered, deceitful, stubborn, and just downright stupid most of the time. Think I am wrong? Read a few history books if you can find them anymore. Or just turn on the news! Better yet, look at the governments and leaders around the world, including those in our nation.

ChatGPT is all about this world, Satan’s world. God’s Kingdom is something even ChatGPT cannot define. The Kingdom of God is mentioned more than 80 times in the New Testament. Teachings of Jesus Christ center on the Kingdom of God. There are two parts to God’s Kingdom, His present spiritual reign over His people (Colossians 1:13) and Jesus’ future reign in the millennial kingdom (Revelation 20). Jesus promised He would come again to our world and establish His Kingdom as an eternal inheritance (Matthew 25:31-34). That seems to say that Satan will, in the end, inherit ChatGPT. This world is his dominion and Satan will be left with the bits and bites of logic, embedded with this world’s sinful bias. I asked ChatGPT what humanity could do to leave a lasting impression on history. Here is a summary of ChatGPT’s answer:

“Accomplish something noteworthy: People who make significant achievements in fields such as science, technology, politics, or the arts are often remembered for their contributions to society.

Create something enduring: People who create enduring works of art, literature, music, or other cultural artifacts can leave a lasting impression on history.

Make a significant contribution to society: People who make a significant impact on their communities or society are often remembered for their contributions.

Develop a new idea or concept: People who develop new ideas or concepts that change the way people think or behave can leave a lasting impression on history.

Overcome great adversity: People who overcome great adversity or tragedy can inspire others and be remembered for their resilience and perseverance.”

In short, do something remarkable, create something enduring, make a significant contribution to society, develop a new idea or concept, or overcome great adversity. Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?  ChatGPT just told you everything you need to know about how to be remembered forever in this world. Or did it?

(Jeremiah 29:12-14)²NIV New International Version Translations – “Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.”

ChatGPT doesn’t believe in God. I know because I asked it. Faith in God and Christ is unique to the human soul. This wisdom database leaves it up to you and your faith to decide if God is real. The same is true for eternal life. ChatGPT was meant to be the culmination of worldly knowledge. God, however, is not of this world. People may be amazed by ChatGPT and artificial intelligence, but it will only make their creativity and intellect lazy. ChatGPT is meant to think for people. Humanity can now sit at the beach, let their government send them subsistence checks, use drugs to mellow out, and let all the creativity of our world be taken over by this mysterious “Artificial Intelligence.” However, ChatGPT has no humility, the kind we find when we kneel before God and allow the Holy Spirit to convict our souls. Also missing was the relief from guilt, knowing that the Son of God removed our sins. Does this then make the question become whether ChatGPT can save our world or hasten its demise?

(Acts 17:27) – “God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

John Wesley³https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wesley was an English cleric, theologian, and evangelist who was a leader of a revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The societies he founded became the dominant form of the independent Methodist movement that continues to this day. Wesley traveled widely, generally on horseback, preaching twice or thrice daily. It is said that he rode 250,000 miles in his lifetime and gave away 30,000 Pounds Sterling to the needy. Wesley preached more than 40,000 sermons, formed societies, opened chapels, examined, and commissioned new preachers, and much more. But just what was the item(s) of most value John Wesley left our world?

Doctor J. Edwin Orr, one of the greatest authorities ever on revival in the church was a lecturer at Wheaton College. He took some students in 1940 on a brief visit to England, to visit the Epworth refectory where John Wesley had lived. Orr tells this story.

Beside a bed in Wesley’s home were two worn impressions on a carpet where it was said that he knelt for hours in prayer for England’s social and spiritual renewal. As the students were getting on the bus, Orr noticed one student missing. Going back upstairs, he found that student kneeling on the carpet kneeholes praying with his face on the bed. “Oh Lord, do it again! Do it again!” Orr placed a hand on the student’s shoulder and said gently, “Come on Billy, we must be going.” And rising, Billy Graham joined the bus.

By the time Graham graduated from Wheaton College in Illinois, in 1943, he had developed a simple, direct message of sin and salvation that he delivered energetically for the rest of his life. They estimate that his message reached over 200 million people in his lifetime.  Graham had five children, Gigi, Anne, Ruth, Franklin, and Ned. All are involved in Christian ministry today. The Samaritan’s Purse, founded by the Graham family, mobilizes staff and equipment and enlists thousands of volunteers to provide emergency aid to victims of tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters in the United States and around the world. While our world may still be Satan’s world, those Wesley knee prints on the carpet have allowed millions of people worldwide to hear the gospel of salvation and experience God’s love. Those knee prints were left by one man, on his knees praying to God every day!

(Ephesians 1:18-20) – “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.”

The mark for humanity that should become our goal is a mark that leads people to recognize their sinful nature, and the desire to seek eternal life via the path led by our Savior Jesus Christ. Leave God your knee prints from your prayers and leave this world to ChatGPT. God is not an artificial God. He is very real! Would you bet your eternal life on something created by humanity?

Contemplations

• The only living creature in our world with faith, is humankind-Who do you think put it there?
  • Ideas to Explore: Could it have come from millions of random cosmic acts? Why would virtually every civilization in history attempt to worship a higher power?
• When you use a computer or phone, and the Internet, do you check who is responsible for the information and opinions that are expressed?
  • Ideas to Explore: The risk associated with Artificial Intelligence is that it can hold bias. Do you think someone might try to manipulate people, or nations with biased information?
• If our 1st Amendment Rights are diminished, how do you think this would impact ChatGPT?
  • Ideas to Explore: The technology can contain biased information. It might be used to control large groups of people. 
• If people do not know the Word of God and God’s Truth, how do you think they can spot the obvious errors and biases embedded in artificial Intelligence?
  • Ideas to Explore: Computers are but a mirror of humanity. Sin will be part of any ChatGPT. How will you be able to tell the difference in the future?