Is There Really A God?

Is There Really A God?

No doubt many unbelievers question our sanity as Christians, when we confess that we "believe in God, the Bible, miracles, and supernatural phenomena." Some folks, who are strictly of a scientific persuasion, are especially given to bashing our beliefs because we cannot prove God exists in scientific terms or from a scientific perspective. What they fail to realize is that they are attempting to measure the weight of a baseball with a yardstick! Just because one cannot actually do this does not mean the baseball has no weight! In other words, science has no known strategies for speaking in an authoritative manner about religions, faith, Christianity, metaphysics, and the supernatural. Science has no means, apparatuses, constructs, or analytics for handling such realities. It is not that the realities do not exist, but that science is too small inept and inadequate to handle them!

So what these atheists are actually challenging us to do is the equivalent of forcing a square peg into a round hole. The two (faith and science) do not fit together in many regards. Therefore those individuals who think solely in terms of one guiding discipline, science, really are ill-equipped to handle subjects like the Bible and authentic biblical Christianity. I am absolutely amazed as to how such individuals attempt to speak so authoritatively against faith in God and Jesus Christ! If I used a microscope to measure electricity in an attempt to finally prove electricity does not exist, I have only demonstrated my ineptitude at choosing measuring instruments. That is all! I have not proven or disproven anything with regards to the actual existence of electricity. However, if I take a multi-meter or oscilloscope to measure electricity, I will soon discover it does exist and that it is powerful. The same can be stated for biblical faith in God (Heb. 11). When we approach the subject of God with a Bible and a heart of faith, we began to see, and realize that what the Bible teaches is accurate; what God promises we can actually experience; what God warns against we can take to heart, or live with the consequences He foresaw (Rom. 10:8-17). Science says seeing is believing, but God says believing is seeing! Christians do not believe in a vacuum, nor is our faith ‘blind.’ Actually there is a tremendous foundation upon which our faith rest. Though good science, philosophy, archeology, and history have corroborated biblical claims, events, places, concepts, and personalities repeatedly, our faith actually rests on the Word of God itself. We have two principle assumptions: 1) The True and Living God is a vital Reality, 2) The Bible is absolute truth. The Scriptures are food for our faith and crucial to faithful interaction with the True and Living God. We accept and believe deeply what the Bible says regarding God and seek to interact with Him according to it prescriptions. The truth of the Word coupled with our experiences with God are real and life shaping...even transforming. We do not accept the notion that the study of theology is a waste of life either. Noted Bible scholar Harold L. Willmington said,

The greatest and most profound idea the human mind can ever conceivably entertain concerns the possibility of the existence of a personal God. The sheer importance of man’s response to this idea cannot be exaggerated, for it will not only govern his life down here but also determine his ultimate destiny. Unless one satisfactorily answers the who question, he cannot possibly solve the how, why, when and where problems of his own existence.  

Let us take a few minutes and explore the idea of the existence of God from philosophical and theological perspectives. It may surprise some to know that there are solid rational premises for believing in God and the supernatural. Clearly, the Scriptures, our own conscience, and all creation itself force us to intelligently acknowledge that there really is a God.

I.   The Existence of God—Is there a God? Why believe in God?

I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God. –Abraham Lincoln

A.     The Existence of God is taken for Granted in the Bible.

1.The Bible clearly assumes God is a reality.

                                                                     i.            The Bible begins with an awe-inspiring announcement of the fact that God exists (Gen. 1:1). “In the beginning God created…”

                                                                   ii.            Everywhere and at all times it is a fact taken for granted. “A God capable of proof would be no God at all” (Jacobi). He is the self—existent One (Exod. 3:14) and the Source of all life (John 5:26). –Evans, William

2.The Bible writers never attempt to prove God exists.

                                                                     i.            There is no portrayal of the concept of God arising in the minds of men.

                                                                   ii.            Actually man inherently knows God exists and has some ideas about what He is (Rom. 1:18-21).

3.The Bible presents a concept or a definition of God (Ex. 34:4-9, 14; Deut. 6:4; Psalm 95:1-11).

                                                                     i.            God is an infinite, eternal spirit, creator of the universe and sovereign over it.

                                                                   ii.            The God we are talking about is the creator of the universe, the original being, the sovereign ruler of all that is, the sole judge of all that is true and false, right and wrong, good and bad. He is the One who communicated to humankind generally in nature and specifically through the words of the Bible. –Max Anders [adapted]

                                                                  iii.            “God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.” –The Westminster Shorter Catechism 

4. We must know God if we are to trust Him (Heb. 11:6). We must trust Him if we are to obey Him. We must obey Him if we are to have meaningful life on earth and eternal life in heaven. And we can only obey Him if we know who He is; that is, what His characteristics are, what He is like.

B.     There is Reasonable Support for God’s Existence. Can you justify your belief in God without the Bible? 

These are naturalistic and rational arguments that explain to some degree the existence of God. As believers, we are convinced there is a God and we have a relationship with Him through faith in Jesus Christ. However, the following arguments are useful when attempting to convince a skeptic or Bible–rejecter about the existence of God. While these are not absolute proofs of God’s existence, these together provide quite a strong argument for the reality of the True and Living God. They demonstrate the rationality behind believing in God! Remember, a threefold cord is not quickly broken (Eccl. 4:12).

1.Reasoning from Universal Belief (Rom. 1:18-21; Ps. 19:1-6).

                                                                     i.            All mankind has some idea of a Supreme Being. While the concept of God found among many cultures and civilizations differ greatly on the number, name, and nature of this Supreme Being, nevertheless the idea remains. Our knowledge of God is “intuitive” that is we simply know this without being told. It is not derived at through observation, reading, or reflecting.

                                                                   ii.            A classic example is the amazing story of Helen Keller (1880-1968). From the age of two, Miss Keller was blind, deaf, and without the sense of smell. After months of agonizing and fruitless attempts on the part of her teacher to communicate with the young girl, a miracle occurred. One day Helen suddenly understood the concept and meaning of running water! From this humble foundation Miss Keller built a lofty tower of thought, including the ability to use her voice in speaking. She became an educated and articulate human being. Sometime after she had progressed to the point that she could engage in conversation, she was told of God and His love in sending His Son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. She is said to have responded with joy, “I always knew he was there, but I didn’t know his name!”

2.Reasoning from Cause (Heb. 3:4).

                                                                     i.            Every effect must have an adequate cause. “Every house is builded by some man; but he that built all thing is God” (Heb. 3:4). The world in which we live was built by a designing mind of infinite power and wisdom.

                                                                   ii.            Man is an effect; he has not always existed. Geology proves this conclusively. The fact that the first Cause must have been an intelligent Being is demonstrated by the fact that we are beings of relative intelligence ourselves.

                                                                  iii.            Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was a great British scientist, mathematician, and philosopher. He had a miniature model of our solar system made. A large golden ball represented the sun and the planets—smaller spheres—were situated in orbits around the sun. Through a system of belts and cogwheels the planets could mechanically revolve around the sun. One day while studying this design and model a friend who rejected the Bible’s creation account stopped by. This is how the conversation reportedly went:

Friend: ‘My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?’

Newton: ‘Nobody’

Friend: ‘Nobody?’

Newton: ‘That’s right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happen to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they begin revolving in their set orbits with perfect timing!’

Of course the visiting friend understood the unexpressed argument: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” –The Living God

3.Reasoning from Design (Ps. 19:1; 139:14).

                                                                     i.            The universe has remarkable order, suggesting intelligence and design behind it. God explains the order and apparent design and purpose in the universe.

                                                                   ii.            A watch proves not only a watchmaker, a craftsman, but also a designer; a watch is made for a purpose.

                                                                  iii.            Not only is the universe “here,” and therefore to be accounted for, but its order, design, and purpose must also be accounted for. It is the difference between all the parts of a watch lying in a jumbled heap on a table and having it up and running on your wrist. It is one thing to explain where the jumble of parts came from. It is quite another thing to explain how they all got put together in such a way as to tell time. Not only is the universe “here” but it also runs like a precision watch. If you are going to believe that a Mayan civilization exists on the jungle floor because you see four suspicious hills from 25,000 feet above, how much more should you be convinced of God because of the design and apparent purpose.(Anders)

                                                                 iv.            The genetic code in a simple DNA molecule is so complex that we have not yet figured out what it is. The atom is made up of protons, neutrons, electrons (and many other subatomic particles discovered in the last fifty years). There is a trillion times more space than matter in the atom. So in my hand, there is a trillion times more space than matter. And there is a trillion times more space than matter in this book. Why doesn't my hand pass through the book? (Max Anders)

                                                                   v.            If that isn't enough, what we used to call matter is beginning to look more and more as if it is not merely matter but little compressed balls of energy. If this is true, then the universe is held together by an amazing power indeed!

                                                                 vi.            Or, how about this one. If you slowed the rotation of the earth even a small amount, you would turn it into a desert on one side, and a frozen wasteland on the other. So if square hills in a jungle suggest a Mayan civilization, the universe shouts of God. Many evolutionists want to believe in the big bang and evolution, not because the evidence is overwhelming, but because, in their minds, beginning with a bias against God, there is no other acceptable alternative. (Anders)

4.Reasoning from Morality (Gen. 1:26-27; Rom. 2:14-16).

                                                                     i.            Man has an intelligent and moral nature; therefore, his Creator must be an intelligent and moral Being, a Judge, and Lawgiver. Man has an emotional nature; only a Being of goodness, power, love, wisdom and holiness could satisfy such a nature, and these things denote the existence of a personal God. 

                                                                   ii.            The conscience and moral nature of man demands a self-conscience and moral Maker. This built in barometer supplies no information, and the information on which it passes judgment may be incorrect. But never the less conscience tells us we ought to do what is right regarding the information we have. Our sense of duty may be weak, but it is never absent. The only satisfactory explanation for this is that the Creator planted that sense in us all.

5.Reasoning from Scripture.

                                                                     i.            The Bible concurs with our observations about life and the universe, and describes the God who made it.

                                                                   ii.            We have not begun by looking at the Bible to answer our wondering about the existence of God. If we had, you might have objected that appealing first to the Bible is like asking someone on trial to be his own character witness. On the other hand, you would expect the Bible to concur with reality. (Anders)

                                                                  iii.            The Bible affirms our looking at the universe for initial evidence for the existence of God (Psalm 19:1; 8:1, 3, 4, 9).

                                                                 iv.            God intended the intricacy and design of the universe to point to Him. Concerning that intention, read Romans 1:18–20.

                                                                   v.            Concerning the uniqueness of humanity, the Bible says in Genesis 1:26 and 27 that God made man in His image and likeness, male and female.

                                                                 vi.            Who has not sat on a moonless night, when the stars seemed so bright they might fall from the sky, and had the thought well up, “There must be a God”? Who has not looked at the beauty of the Grand Canyon, or Yosemite Valley, or the Pacific Ocean, and thought, “There must be a God”? (Max Anders)

                                                                vii.            Such human experiences of the glory of creation often prompt just the response that the Bible everywhere presupposes and exclaims, “There must be a God!” The Bible's consistent witness that God exists and the naturalistic arguments we have considered together amply justify believing in God.

C.     The Reality Of God And His Nature Is More Than An Intellectual Debate! (Deut. 6:4; 10:17) What does knowing the truth about God’s existence mean to you?

If all this were merely a matter of intellectual curiosity, we could debate it until we ran out of energy, ended in a stalemate, shrugged our shoulders and said, “Well, that was interesting, but I guess there's no way to know for sure.” Then we could go home and think about something else.

But it is certainly more than an intellectual debate to me. I want to know there is a God. I want to know if it is safe to die, I want to know if there is something I can do to make everything okay for me when they lay me six feet under and throw a shovel full of dirt in my face. (Anders)

In addition, I also want to know if it is safe to live. I want to know if there is purpose and meaning in life now. I want to know if I am going through life on my own, at the mercy of random blows of fate, or if there is a God who loves me and will guide me and look out for me. I want to know if there is someone I can pray to, or if I am alone. I want to know if there is such a thing as truth and error, right and wrong. When I lose my job, when my family falls apart, when my health fails, when the wrong person is elected, when my home is devastated by a tornado, or my town is ravaged by a flood, is there a God? Will He see me through the trials of life? Is it safe to live? (Anders)

I'm not content to dismiss all this as an interesting intellectual debate. I'm not content to leave this as a stalemate. I want to press through the stalemate. If we cannot scientifically prove or disprove God, I want to know the likelihood of His existence, and then go with that likelihood and seek knowledge of Him in an appropriate way. (Anders)

Using science to justify a disbelief in God is as incongruent as humans using ants as a mode of transportation. You say that is ridiculous! I would say the same. Using science to reject faith is the epitome of ill-informed baseless and unintelligible decision making. Yet, such atheists use their half-baked propaganda to criticize Christians’ faith in Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory. Such actions are patently reprehensible; they are as coherent as using a Chinese dictionary to interpret an Argentine idiom! Such individuals should not pretend to be authorities on subjects they obviously and demonstratively have no viable platform to address. Again if all they have is a scientific point of view then they are extremely ill prepared to address ANYTHING at all that deals with the spiritual, biblical, theological, or metaphysical. While science has been a blessing to humanity in many ways, it remains far too limited and inept to handle these weighty and eternal matters! Atheists should stay with what they actually know. They should stop parading themselves as elite and well informed; their blinding ignorance about ‘spiritual matters’ is extremely glaring to those of us who know the truth!