Does God Exist?
In the August edition of our newsletter I tackled the question of why we as people of believers in God and His Son Jesus should attend church. This month I am tackling an even deeper question. Is there proof that God exists?
I have thought of both of these questions myself since childhood years. I feel I provided some good evidence why we should attend a worship service weekly. Hopefully, this article will also provide an answer to the age old question of the existence of God.
We live in a scientific driven age. As a people, we have explored a vast amount of space, even more than our discoveries of the great oceans of the world. For me, most of our answers to both questions are driven by one simple word, faith.
I do know that usually, when skeptics ask us Christians for “proof,” they are usually calling for “scientific proof ” for God’s existence, objective moral values, the soul, or life after death. We have come to expect such challenges in an age of scientism—the belief that science, and thus “scientific proof”—can alone yield knowledge. The scientific proof of God’s existence gets very deeply into philosophy, math, cosmological evidence, our perfect conditions on Earth to sustain life, etc. Very interesting material and a strong subject of many books and internet articles. Yet, let’s begin here:
Explain to your family that God has not left us without evidence for His existence. He knows we would be foolish to make up something to believe in, so He helps us find the real thing.
Nature
Nature is not random. It is orderly, consistent and beautiful. Could this order have happened without a Designer to plan it? Could this beauty have happened without a personal, caring Creator? A “big bang” without the guidance of God, would cause big destruction, not an orderly result. Explosions create chaos, not beauty. Only a Personal Creator brings beauty.
Human Individuality
All humans are unique. For example, human faces have two eyes, a nose and a mouth, but each face is different. If we were created by a neutral force, why aren’t we all clones? The uniqueness of each person points to a Personal Creator who values the uniqueness of His creation.
A Sense of Right and Wrong
If there is no good God and no Personal Creator, where did our sense of right and wrong come from? The fact that each person has a sense of right and wrong points to a Moral Creator. Otherwise, everything would be a matter of personal preference. Even people labeled as sociopaths have a sense of right or wrong when the action is against them. Even a serial murderer will admit that it is wrong to kill. It’s just that he ignored his conscience and acted on his own sinful schemes.
The Presence of Love
How do you explain that human beings care about each other? Where does love come from? Why do babies need their parents long after they are not physically dependent upon them? Why do males and females want an exclusive relationship? Why are we lonely when we feel no connection with other people? Rocks and trees don’t love, so why do people love? The human ability to give and receive love shows that we are guided by more than instinct. It also shows that we are more than a random collection of atoms.
Yearning for Something More
It’s not enough to just get up, go to school, do our chores, eat, earn money and sleep. We want more. We want meaning, relationships and purpose. Many see this yearning as a God-shaped emptiness that only God can fill. Unless God fills this void, we can never find contentment no matter how many people we relate to. Serving God brings the purpose and meaning for which we yearn.
Jesus Christ
Who is Jesus? Jesus Christ is much more than a religious leader, prophet or teacher. The Jesus of history is God Himself. How do we know? Jesus rose from death never to die again. Why is His resurrection so important? No human can do that. Jesus is God’s ultimate revelation of Himself. Through Jesus, God showed people what He is like. He became a human being so the Almighty God could communicate with us.
The Bible
More than just another Holy Book, the Bible comes directly from God. The Bible tells us how God acted in the past, how to obey Him in the present and how He will act in the future. How do we know the Bible is God’s book and not another of the many holy books available? The Bible has historical, archeological, scientific and internal proofs. It has more evidence for its reliability than other printed documents. The Bible also proves itself spiritually: 2 Timothy 3:16 describes the Bible as God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
Questioning is a sign of growth no matter what age. Perhaps this short article cleared up some questions or doubts you may have. Perhaps not. Maybe I have fallen short of a good and soothing explanation. So, I will continue to speak of the existence of God in future articles, and know I am only a phone call away. I love to talk, especially about God.
Blessings,
