3.2.1 Existence of God

Existence of God

God's Existence Affirmed

There is no formal proof of God's existence in the Bible.

Let us begin this section of our study with the question: Does the Bible attempt to prove the existence of God?

The answer is no, the Bible does not attempt to prove the existence of God.

The existence of God is related as an evident fact.

The first verse in the Bible opens with: In the beginning God. God does not try to prove who He is. He is God. God told Moses: I Am that I Am.

No attempt is made to demonstrate God's existence because everywhere in the Bible God is set forth as known. A.B. Davidson

Man is called on to believe in God.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Psalm 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

God's Existence Proven

Why Try?

If the Scriptures offer no reasoned demonstration of God's existence, why do we make the attempt?

To convince genuine seekers after God.

To strengthen the faith of those who already believe.

To enrich our knowledge of the nature of God.

Argument from Creation

The argument from creation which is referred to as the cosmological argument.

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: -Romans 1:20

This Scripture tells us God reveals Himself through His creation. The invisible things of God are seen in the creation of the world. The Scripture explains it is God's eternal power that is shown forth in His creation. The Godhead is also revealed through His creation. The Godhead is the term used to refer to the three persons within the one God. The number three is prominent in all of nature. God is revealing to man the invisible things of Him: THAT HE IS A TRIUNE GOD, which we will study in the section the Trinity of God.

The power of God is revealed through creation.

There is so much power in nature. God spoke the word and the worlds were framed by the word of God. Heb. 11:3. Only God can create life, from the single celled amoeba to the trillion cells of man who is fearfully and wonderfully made God shows the vastness of His power to create life. Think of the greatness of the universe. Our own sun, which is considered a small star, emits more energy in one second than has been used by man since the beginning of time. Let us also consider the power of the wind: the hurricanes, tornadoes, and storms that have wrecked havoc to everything in their path. All of this is only natural power. It cannot compare to the eternal power of God.

The complexity of creation.

From the sea creatures that create their own light thousands of feet beneath the ocean floor to the flight of a hummingbird that can stop in mid air to hover over a flower and then fly backwards to continue its flight, creation is too complex to have happened by chance. The DNA composition of man is far too complex to even begin to explain in this class. Do you think the complex 747 jet was produced from a bomb in a junkyard? It is absurd to think this great universe was formed from a big bang.

The wonders of God's creation.

There are so many wonderful things in nature. Think of the beauty of a sunset, the majesty of the oceans, or the splendor of the mountains. Who guides the migration of the monarch butterfly from North America over the Gulf of Mexico and into Mexico? The butterflies lay eggs in Mexico before they die and the new butterflies migrate back to North America where there parents were hatched. These butterflies consistently fly to a place they have never been to without getting lost. What other explanation for this migration other than the will of God. How is it that hydrogen and oxygen, two explosive gases, do not explode when combined to form a water molecule? The little acorn contains the blueprint for the great oak tree. Who tells the male stag horn beetle to allow room in his cocoon for his antennae while the female does not? The wonders of creation are not by chance; they are the work of God.

Argument from Design

The universe is designed with such exactness and precision that it could not have just randomly happened by chance. [Let us consider an analogy from Physics expert Robin Collins PHD: Imagine a ruler, or one of those old fashioned linear radio dials, that goes all the way across the universe. It would be broken down into one-inch increments, which means there would be billions upon billions upon billions of inches. The entire dial represents the range of force strengths in nature, with gravity being the weakest force and the strong nuclear force that binds protons and neutrons together being the strongest, ten thousand billion billion billion billion times stronger than gravity. Now let's imagine you want to move the dial from where it is currently set. Even if you were to move it only one inch, the impact on life would be catastrophic. That small adjustment of the dial would increase gravity by a billion-fold. Animals anywhere the size of human beings would be crushed. As you can see, compared to the total range of force strengths in nature, gravity has an incomprehensibly narrow range for life to exist. Of all the possible settings on the dial, from one side of the universe to the other, it happens to be situated in the exact right fraction of an inch to make our universe capable of sustaining life.]

There is an astronomical term called the cosmological constant which was first introduced by Einstien and is now used to refer the energy density of empty space. This is a complex subject of physics that we will not try to explain in this class. Yet, we can look at the exactness of the fine tuning of this mathematical figure in relation to the universe. This constant has to be set with exactness in order for the universe to even exist. [According to Robin Collins PHD : The fine tuning (of the cosmological constant) has conservatively been estimated to be at least one part in a hundred million billion billion billion billion billion. That would be a ten followed by fifty-three zeroes. That is inconceivably precise.]

There are also other variables in the universe that require an exactness of precision for the very existence of the universe itself. [For example, Oxford physicist Roger Penrose said one parameter, "the original space volume", required fine tuning to an accuracy of one part in ten billion multiplied by itself one hundred and twenty-three times. Penrose remarked that it would be impossible to even write down that number in full, since it would require more zeroes than the number of elementary particles in the entire universe! This showed, he said, "the precision needed to set the universe on its course."]

We could go on and on with examples within the universe that require exact accuracy of design for there even to be a universe in existence. [For instance, there's the difference in mass between neutrons and protons. Increase the mass of the neutron by about one part in seven hundred and nuclear fusion in stars would stop. There would be no energy source for life. And if the electromagnetic force were slightly stronger or weaker, life in the universe would be impossible. Or consider the strong nuclear force. Imagine decreasing it by fifty percent, which is tiny- one part in ten billion billion billion billion, compared to the total range of force strengths. Since like charges repel, the strong nuclear force would be too weak to prevent the repulsive force between the positively charged protons in atomic nuclei from tearing apart all atoms except hydrogen. Robin Collins PHD.] Obviously without atoms which are the building blocks of all substance there would be nothing in existence.

This design is too precise to have happened by chance, the only logical explanation for such precision design is that there was a designer.

It is impossible to have a design without a designer. God is the designer of all of nature. The vast design is too accurate to be the result of coincidence or randomness as the result of a big bang as some scientists claim. For example, if the earth tilted one degree either way on its axis earth would not be inhabitable. This is not to mention that earth is the precise distance from the sun and placed in the exact location within the Milky Way Galaxy within which earth is located to support life on our planet .

The snowflake is another example of God's design. No two snowflakes are the same, yet they are all similar in design and symmetry. Snowflakes are composed of equilateral triangles, again pointing to the Trinity. There are so many areas of exact design in nature; the only logical conclusion is there must be a designer.

Argument from man's nature

Man is created in the image and likeness of God. Man was created with a conscience which is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. The conscience within a man will let him know if he has done wrong. These are moral laws and the fact that there are laws requires a lawgiver. God is that lawgiver.

Argument from History.

And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: Dan. 2:21

God is on the throne and He rules in the affairs of men.

God created man a free moral agent with a will to make his own choices. God still reserves the right as the supreme ruler of all to see His will accomplished in earth and in heaven. This truth is revealed to us throughout Scripture; Jesus prayed to the Father: "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven" Mt. 6:10. The will of God is going to be accomplished; no man can fight the will of God and win. Nebuchadnezzar lifted himself up in pride and was removed by God from his kingdom for seven years. Daniel 4:32. God is on the throne and He rules in the affairs of men.

The providence of God.

Webster's dictionary defines providence as: the act of providing or preparing for future use or application. God intervenes in the affairs of men. God knows the end from the beginning. He prepares the way for His Divine will to be accomplished.

Some examples of God's providence:

The Spanish armada was destroyed by a storm in 1588. The ships were on route to attack the Protestant country of England. Spain would have fought Christianity and promoted Catholicism God protected His people in England and preserved the people who would one day settle America.

The account of Squanto and the pilgrims is again the providence of God to help the pilgrims survive the harsh Plymouth weather. What are the chances of an Indian who speaks fluent English greeting the Pilgrims in the year 1620?

The American Revolution was nothing short of a miracle. Time and time again God helped George Washington who was a man of prayer. Early in the war the only thing that saved the young American army from defeat was a heavy fog that enabled them to safely retreat from the English army.

The civil war is another example of the providence of God. God raised up men like Abraham Lincoln, another man of prayer, to preserve The Union. The beginning of the Civil war did not go well for the Union army. It was not the will of God for the Union to be destroyed. God preserved the country and abolished the wicked practice of slavery in the process.

God orders the kingdoms of men. Dan. 2

The progression of empires from Babylon to Rome is foretold in Nebuchadnezzar's dream contained in Dan. 2. Even the fact that the third kingdom would bear rule over all the earth is told in this chapter. God ordained that the Grecian empire led by Alexander the Great would conquer the world and thus spread the Greek language to prepare the way for the N.T. This event was foretold 500 years before it happened. This can only be explained by the intervention of God in the affairs of men.

Argument from universal belief

Man was created with an inherent desire to worship God. Even primitive peoples around the world have some form of worship and belief.