Back in 1991, with God’s help, I taught a course for followers of Christ. The very first subject I taught them was this: “Evidence for the Existence of God” — how we are to teach others that God exists. The most basic thing we must begin with, the thing we must know in order to share the gospel, is how to prove to people that God exists. For our country is full of “Orthodox atheists.” When you ask them, “Are you a Christian?” they all say, “I’m a Christian.” When you ask them, “Do you believe in God?” they answer, “I believe there is some kind of force”… and no further. Why? Because for forty years under the totalitarian regime we were taught that there is no God, that religion is “the opium of the people,” that everything connected with God and the church is false, that it is all a lie. The religion of the Communist Party was atheism. This is exactly why the first thing we must teach people is that there is a God. We may not get as far as telling them about Jesus Christ, about the sacrifice, about salvation, and so on. But the first, earliest thing we must say to people is that there is a God.
For whether or not there is a God is something that changes people’s lives. Psalm 14 says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” And then it says, “They are corrupt…” (verse 1), “All have turned away, all have become corrupt” (verse 3). So whether or not people believe in God has moral consequences in their lives.
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14:1)
If “there is no God,” then there is no one to answer to. You can do whatever you please. If there is no life beyond the grave, then it is “eat, drink, and wear your new clothes.” If there is no God, then it is “trample on others, take no one into account!” Where there is no God, there is depravity and every kind of corruption.
And the opposite is true. Where “there is a God,” where there are people who believe in Him, things are different. There is the fear of God. This means that people are afraid that God may judge them for their actions. They fear that there may be consequences for how they treat others. So where there is knowledge of God, where there is faith in God, there is love, because God is love (1 John 4:16), and He tells us to love one another (John 13:34). There is purity there, there is a striving for a holy life… Not that everything is perfect, but things are far better where people believe in God. Of those who reject the existence of God it is said:
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. 3 All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:1-3)
So those who do not believe in God do not do good things. And this is why it is so important for us to explain to people, and to prove to them, that God exists.
The Bible in itself does not prove God. It makes no attempt at all to prove God, because that would be like my trying to prove that I exist. Why prove something so clear and evident? On the other hand, some say that if God could be proven, then He would not be God. For God is so limitless and so far above everything that He has no need to be proven. The very attempt to prove God is something laughable. The Bible accepts God’s existence as an axiom, as an unconditional premise. It begins straightaway with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In the Bible God’s existence is never called into any doubt at all. For God is self-existent; He is “the Ever-Existing One.” His Name is Yahweh — “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). So in fact, to deny the existence of God is foolishness and “madness,” and the one who does not believe in Him is a fool and “a madman.” The real problem of such people is that Satan has blinded their minds, so that the light of the gospel cannot shine on them and they cannot be saved (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
CAN THERE BE A CREATION WITHOUT A CREATOR?
In this teaching we will look at several arguments that prove the existence of God. Arguments are proofs in support of a given claim or thesis. Taken separately these arguments may not be sufficient, but all of them together, taken as a whole, are proof that God exists.
The first of these arguments is called the cosmological argument. Cosmology is the science that deals with the universe and with the order in the cosmos — the organization of the stars, the planets, the earth, human beings. All of it is ordered. Stated most simply, the cosmological argument for the existence of God runs like this:
Since there is a creation, there must also be a Creator.
In logic, things are proven by a major premise, a minor premise, and a conclusion. The major premise of this argument is this: everything that has begun must have a cause that made it begin. Everything that has a beginning must have been caused by something. Is there an effect without a cause? Is there a change without something to bring it about? Or can something exist without having been caused?
The minor premise of the argument is that the universe has a beginning. It began; it exists.
And then the logical conclusion is this: since the universe exists, there must be an adequate cause for its existence. For something to exist, it must have a cause. Is there a creation without a Creator? Can things simply come about on their own? When you cook, say, beans, can they cook themselves all on their own? They cannot. For the beans to be cooked, someone has to cook them. Can a house build itself? It cannot. Since there is a house, there must also be a builder who built it. Take the human being as an example. Since human beings exist, there must be a Creator who created them. A person cannot just appear out of nothing, because he is a rational being. Being human, we can think, read, and clothe ourselves. We sew our clothes, we build our houses. We are organized. We have electricity, the internet, films, all kinds of technologies. It takes a great deal of faith to believe that all of this came about on its own. God created us rational.
And so the cosmological argument may be summed up as follows: if everything that exists has a cause for its existence, and the universe has its beginning, then the universe must have an adequate cause for its existence. A cause outside of it, a cause so great that it is able to cause it. Most people agree with this cosmological argument. Observing the world, they come on their own to the conclusion that there is something, there is someone, above everything around us that can be seen. And when we ask them, “Do you believe in God?” many of them say, “Yes, there is some kind of force.” So this is the cosmological argument: Can there be a creation without a Creator?
CAN THERE BE LAWS WITHOUT A LAWGIVER?
The second argument is called the “teleological” argument. This word means the study of the purposefulness of things. Everything in this world has its own order. It is purposeful. Why is the cow brown, why does it eat green grass, and yet give white milk? There is a reason for it. Why are there clouds? Why does it rain again after the clouds have once emptied themselves? Where does the water in the clouds come from? There is a water cycle… Everything in this world has some purpose, some function, some meaning and design. Consider, for example, human genes. Every person resembles his parents because he carries a combination of their genes. In this resemblance there is purposefulness.
The major premise of the teleological argument is this: the order and arrangement of a system presuppose a rational and purposeful cause for that order and arrangement.
This second argument proves that the “force” and the “cause” that the cosmological argument speaks of is not simply some force or some cause. It is a rational Force and a rational Cause. Everything in creation is made with reason, measured out and with purpose.
The minor premise of the teleological argument is that the universe is characterized by order; it has its laws.
So we come to the second question that leads us to think there is a God: “Can there be laws without a Lawgiver?” If you drop an object, it will not fly upward but will fall downward. Why? Because it is bound to obey the law of gravity and the pull of the earth. The universe is characterized by a precise arrangement. Have you noticed? Fish swim in the sea, birds fly in the sky, and animals walk on the earth — there is order in everything.
And the conclusion of the teleological argument is this: since there is order and a useful arrangement in the universe, it therefore has an intelligent and purposeful Cause that caused things to be exactly this way, rather than existing in a state of chaos.
That is, God is not merely “some force,” He is Intelligent. He is Wise. He has reason. A force cannot have reason. Does electricity have reason? And when something has reason, it means that it is a person. So God is not merely some force. He is a Person. This is the proof of this second, teleological argument, which rests on the rational and organized arrangement of the world. If everything in this world is made rationally and intelligently, then its Author is evidently rational and intelligent.
IF IT IS IN THE DICTIONARY, THEN IT EXISTS
The third argument is called the ontological argument. Ontology is the science that deals with the existence of things. It studies existence itself as such. According to the ontological argument for the existence of God, the very fact that a person has the idea of the existence of God proves that He exists. For consider:
Why should a person believe in God if he is sinful? Why should a sinful person believe in a righteous God? Could a person not simply refrain from thinking about God?
But every person thinks about God. Every person has the idea that there is a God. Of course, many people deny that He exists, but the very existence of the idea of God proves that God exists too. According to this argument, the very existence of the word “god” in the dictionary proves that He truly exists. Since the word for God exists, then He exists too. You cannot have a word for something that does not exist. If there are words like book, camera, internet… then these things exist. You may not know what the internet is, but since there is such a word, then the internet exists. If there is a word for God, then God exists too.
THE WITNESS OF OUR CONSCIENCE
The fourth argument is called the moral argument. The word “morality” refers to the principles of right and wrong in our behavior. And here we see the importance of the human conscience. Every person has a conscience. And in fact, in a person’s conscience God has stamped His own understanding of good and evil. For it is said that the conscience either justifies people or condemns them. So this moral argument is actually also anthropological, because anthropology is the science that deals with man. And this shows in fact that man is intellectual, intelligent. He has morality, and therefore his Creator too must be a moral Being. For man was created in the image and likeness of God.
Cardinal Newman said: “Were it not for the voice within me, so clear in my conscience and in my heart, I would be an atheist or someone who believes in many gods.” This is why the apostle Paul, when speaking to the churches, says, “it is also plain to your conscience.” Why? Because a person’s conscience confirms that the word Christ’s apostles speak is truth, and that it is trustworthy (2 Corinthians 5:11).
11 Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. (2 Corinthians 5:11)
So far we have said that God exists, because the very idea of God proves that there is a God. Second, there cannot be an effect without a cause — that is, there is a Force. But everything is ordered, and therefore that Force is rational. Seeing also that man has a conscience and an awareness of good and evil, we come to the conclusion that his Creator too is a moral Being. So we can be sure not only that God created us; not only that He is Rational; not only that He is a Person; but also that He is a moral Being. He Himself can render judgment. He is Judge and can distinguish good from evil. He is the moral Judge before whom every person must give account (Hebrews 4:13).
Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:13)
These are the four arguments.
The first argument is the cosmological, and it has to do with the creation of everything. Can there be a creation without a Creator?
The second, the teleological argument, poses the following question: Can there be a law without a Lawgiver?
The third argument, the ontological, is about the existence of the very idea of God. If the very notion of God exists, then He Himself exists too.
And the fourth, the moral argument, is that since man, who is a created being, is moral, then God, his Creator, is also moral.
And so, in all these arguments we have an interesting building-up. God is not only a Force, but He is also a rational Force, or a Person. And finally, God is not only a Person, but He is a moral Judge, and we will have to give account before Him.
IF IT UNLOCKS, THEN IT IS THE KEY
The last argument for the existence of God that we will examine is the argument from correspondence — that is, that things fit together only in one single way. It is like a key and a lock. Only one single key fits its own lock. If a given key cannot unlock a door, then that key is not for that door. If we do not believe that there is a God, then nothing else can explain the things in our lives and in this world. Without God we cannot explain why man exists. If we ask an atheist, who does not believe there is a God, “Why does man exist?” what will he answer? In the old days the communists said that man exists in order to build communism. Communism is when society develops to the point where it is “from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.” But this is a kind of chimera that, because of the sin that is in man, can never be reached — a horizon that is never arrived at. Whereas the idea that there is a God simply fits everything, explains everything — it opens every door. If a person does not believe that there is a God, he cannot explain to himself why he exists in this world. He cannot explain to himself why he lives. What is the meaning of life? But if there is a God, everything becomes clear. God created us with the purpose of having fellowship with us. We are sinful because we have broken His commandments. God saves us so that we may live with Him in eternity, and so on.
In other words, the last argument of theism is the harmony of the connected facts. The correspondence between them supports the thesis of the existence of God and the necessity of faith in Him.
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS UNTRUE HISTORY?
Besides the main arguments of theism, there are several additional ones. These are, for example, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible. It was not written in one sitting. God chose to reveal Himself to us in history. The facts recorded in the Bible are historical. The authors and the recipients of the books are real persons. And in their lives God performed miracles. Israel, God’s people, is still on this earth. The history of the Jews is undeniable proof of the existence of God. If something happened and became history, can we say that it did not happen? This is not a matter of some people distorting history and presenting it in a way that suits them. This is a matter of bare facts. What happened to the Jews, the facts of their history, prove the existence of God.
Besides this, the Bible itself — when you read it, the first thing you see is that there is harmony among its separate parts. It is as though a single author wrote it all.
And second, in the Bible there are recorded prophecies that have been fulfilled. For example, there are prophecies that Israel would be taken into Egypt, and that afterward it would be brought out from there. This is fulfilled 450 years later. Then God gives a prophecy that His people would be taken into captivity in Babylon. This is fulfilled. Then God says that He will bring them back into their land — and this is fulfilled.
Besides Israel, God’s people, there are prophecies in the Bible about Jesus Christ as well. These too are fulfilled. Jesus Christ comes and accomplishes His redemptive mission.
There are also prophecies about the Holy Spirit. These too are fulfilled, and He is poured out and given to the church.
And there are prophecies not only about Israel, but about other nations as well, which are also fulfilled. For example, there are prophecies about Tyre and Sidon, that they would be under water. And archaeology proves that what the Bible says is true. For what the archaeologists have discovered fully confirms the truthfulness of the Holy Scriptures.
Another proof is the manuscripts that were found, called the Qumran scrolls. Qumran is a cave in Israel, and there, in some jars, scrolls were discovered. In that cave there lived a Jewish sect called the Essenes. In that place the Essenes kept their sacred writings. And among them they discovered books of the Bible. A little shepherd boy lost his goat and set off to look for it. And since he thought it had gotten lost in the cave, he threw a stone. And when he threw the stone, it clinked against one of the jars. The shepherd boy thought he had found treasure. But there was no gold there, only some scrolls. He handed them over to the museum, and these manuscripts turn out to be an astonishing witness to the reliability of the Bible. It turns out that the later copies we have and these copies from twenty centuries ago match completely — one to one. This means that the Bible is trustworthy.
Another proof is the personal experience of the believer.
These last proofs are similar to those accepted in a court of law. When a crime has been committed and a decision must be made as to whether an accused person is guilty or not, two kinds of evidence are taken into account. One kind is physical evidence, and the other is the testimony of witnesses. When it comes to God and history, we cannot have physical evidence. Some people say, “Show me God, and I will believe.” To such a person put the following question: “Do you believe that there was an Alexander the Great, or a Homer, or an Aristotle?” And when he says that he does, you say to him, “On what grounds do you believe? Show them to me!” Well, history records it. And history records God too. With respect to God, we cannot rely on any physical evidence. Setting that aside, two other kinds remain — the testimony of the apostles, because they witness that they saw Jesus Christ risen from the dead, and the experience of the millions of believers living on this earth today. The apostles testify to the truth; the Holy Spirit and the Church also testify to the truth. The testimonies of believers to answered prayers, healings, and miracles are countless.
So it turns out that we have many witnesses who declare that there is a God. And this too is something that ought to convince people of the existence of God. If a person does not want to believe, nothing can convince him. This is why the apostles speak of “obedience” to the “gospel,” to “the faith,” and to “the truth” (1 Peter 1:22; Romans 6:17; Romans 15:18; 2 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8) — that is, the acceptance of the gospel ultimately depends not on grasping it, but on the decision of the individual’s will. But on the other hand, we are obligated, like the apostle Paul, “to persuade people” (2 Corinthians 5:11; Acts 18:4) and to present to them reasonable and solid proofs that God exists. The decision is ultimately theirs, but we are obligated to fulfill our evangelistic duty and to be free from the responsibility of warning them about the danger of unbelief, to be “innocent of their blood” (Acts 18:6).
Let us use the arguments we have examined when we witness to people. Ask them the questions from this teaching, and in this way provoke them to think and to reason, and so unforced within them the seed of the gospel is sown (2 Corinthians 10:5).
3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)