The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Dr. Dominic Akuritinga Ayine, has revealed that GH¢ 0.5 billion has so far been recovered in the UniBank criminal case.

He said the money forms part of GH¢ 1.2 billion being pursued from individuals who directly benefited from funds unlawfully taken from the bank.

Dr. Ayine disclosed that the accused persons have provided landed properties worth GH¢ 824 million to UniBank as part of efforts to recover the full amount.

He explained that the accused persons will take responsibility for any shortfall if the sale of the properties does not raise enough money.

“The recovery of the remaining GH¢ 0.7 billion and the sale of the properties are expected to be completed within 18 months,” he said.

According to the Attorney General, although it would have been ideal for the accused to pay the full amount in cash, that was not a realistic option during the negotiations.

The UniBank case is part of the government’s efforts to hold people accountable for the collapse of some banks during the banking sector clean-up.

By Jacob Aggrey

I have heard people liken God Almighty to the universe. Some have often referred to Him as the universe. It has become a norm in the circular world to reference God Almighty as the universe.

For instance, pop culture has equated or replaced God with the universe, and this has become a normal thing, used in traditional and social media posts. Individual narratives that require the mention of a higher power or authority will usually invoke the universe as that power.

Often, most celebrities from all spheres of life praise the universe for the good things that happen to them and also direct their fear to the uni­verse as paying them back for their bad choices. When things don’t go their way, they wonder if the universe is teaching them a lesson or simply has other plans (Szterszky, 2018).

Even professing Christians at times speak of the universe rewarding or punishing them, or else teaching them a lesson instead of referencing God Almighty. Some pray to the universe instead of God.

Biblically, equating or referencing God to the Universe is an error. God is much higher and bigger than the universe because He created the universe. This article examines some biblical scrip­tures that highlight this error.

The universe is everything that exist anywhere and forms part of God’s creation. The synonyms for the universe include population, existence, creation, world, cosmos and macrocosm. These are the handiworks of God and should not be equated to God.

On the other hand, God Almighty is the creator, not a creation, he created the world, the cosmos, the terrestrial beings and we cannot trade His glory with that of His creation. It is an error that needs to be corrected (Genesis 1:1-31).

God is the ultimate and eternal creator, while the universe is seen as a vast and finite creation. God is generally considered to be beyond the universe, encompassing it and existing inde­pendently, while the universe is viewed as a product of God’s creation and sub­ject to the laws of nature and time.

While God is described as infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent, and eternal, His attributes show that He exists out­side of the universe and is not a part of the physical world. God is the creator, sustainer, and ruler of the universe. God is believed to have created the universe from nothing and continues to maintain its existence and order. John 1:1-5).

The universe on the other hand, is viewed as a finite, physical system governed by natural laws. It is seen as a product of God’s creation and subject to the constraints of space and time. Science explores the natural laws and processes that govern the universe. While science explains to some extent how the universe works, it has not been able to address the existence or nature of God.

The following scriptures explain the attributes of God that distinguishes Him from His creation.

The book of Colossians 1:15-20(AMP) says of Jesus, the Incomparable Christ:

15. “He is the exact living image [the essential manifestation] of the unseen God [the visible representation of the invisible], the firstborn [the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator] of all creation.

16. For by Him all things were created in heaven and on earth, [things] visible and invisible, whether thrones or domin­ions or rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him [that is, by His activity] and for Him.

17. And He Himself existed and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. [His is the controlling, co­hesive force of the universe.] [Proverbs 8:22-31]

18. He is also the head [the life-source and leader] of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place [He will stand supreme and be preeminent] in everything. [1 Corinthians 15:20]

19. For it pleased the Father for all the fullness [of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes] to dwell [permanently] in Him (the Son),

20. and through [the intervention of] the Son to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace [with believers] through the blood of His cross; through Him, [I say,] whether things on earth or things in heaven.

In the book of Romans 1: 19 – 28 (AMP) it is said:

19 For that which is known about God is evident to them and made plain in their inner consciousness, because God [Himself] has shown it to them.

20 For ever since the creation of the world His invisible nature and attri­butes, that is, His eternal power and divinity, have been made intelligible and clearly discernible in and through the things that have been made (His hand­iworks). So [men] are without excuse [altogether without any defense or justification], [Ps. 19: 1-4.]

21 Because when they knew and recognised Him as God, they did not honor and glorify Him as God or give Him thanks. But instead they became futile and godless in their thinking [with vain imaginings, foolish reasoning, and stupid speculations] and their senseless minds were darkened.

22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools [professing to be smart, they made simpletons of themselves].

23 And by them the glory and majes­ty and excellence of the immortal God were exchanged for and represented by images, resembling mortal man and birds and beasts and reptiles.

24 Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their [own] hearts to sexual impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves [abandoning them to the degrading power of sin],

25 Because they exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed forever! Amen (so be it). [Jer. 2:11.]

26 For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affec­tions and degrading passions. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one,

27 And the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another–men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was [their] fitting retribution.

28 And so, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God or approve of Him or consider Him worth the knowing, God gave them over to a base and con­demned mind to do things not proper or decent but loathsome,

We cannot trade the glory of God with that of His creation. If you must give glory to God, do so and don’t equate it to the universe. The universe by itself cannot do anything for you. It is under the control of the Supreme Being, God Almighty who created it and controls it. God will not trade His glory for anything because He is All in All.

Recognise God and His divinity, deity and authority and give Him the honour due Him. It is either God to whom you give honour or something else. When you are tempted to equate good things, remember it should be to God Almighty and not to the universe. May God give us all understanding of who He is and that we know Him for ourselves.

End.

Rev. Dr R. Esi Asante is an Assistant Pastor at the Upcity Church Interna­tional in Accra. She is also a lecturer with the Faculty of Management at the University of Professional Studies, Accra.

By Rev. Dr R. Esi Asante (PhD)