In the Beginning
Gen. 1:1
The existence of God has been a subject of debate by philosophers and theologians for thousands of years. Most of the time their arguments and debates take place in rarified air that is far above the thinking of the average person and certainly above my head. It’s like the philosophy student who came home for the holidays and was asked by his father, “How did your philosophy class go?” To which the student replied, “We did not get much accomplished because every day when the teacher tried to call the roll, the students kept arguing about whether or not they existed.”
Most of us who live in the real world, do not concern ourselves with such deep thoughts. If I ask you to prove to me that you have $2.00, you would take $2.00 out of your wallet and show it to me. And if I ask you whether or not a person was honest, you would not reply with a long dissertation on the nature of honesty. You would simply provide me with evidence concerning this person’s honesty.
What I am going to do today is to provide a few pieces of evidence that support my belief that God exists. I will not and cannot PROVE the existence of God. That cannot be done any more than someone else can prove that God does not exist. Both positions are based on belief derived from an interpretation of the evidence. In both cases, faith is a decision to believe or disbelieve in the existence of God. I find it interesting that the Bible does not seek to prove the existence of God but every where in the Bible, the existence of God is taken for granted. Someone has said that “A God capable of proof would be no God at all.”
We need to realize the importance of the issue. This is not just some academic exercise to twist our brains into pretzels. Our belief or disbelief concerning the existence of God will affect all the answers to all our other questions about life.
If God does not exist, then:
1. There is no supreme being to which we must give an account. We then are answerable to no one but ourselves.
2. If God does not exist there is no judgment day and no heaven or hell. We will then live according to the philosophy, “Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die.”
3. There is no such thing as right or wrong, good or evil. We become our own gods determining that good is what pleases or benefits us and evil is that which displeases or does not benefit us.
If God does exist, then: 1. There is a Supreme Being who determines what is right and what is wrong and to which someday I must give an account.
There are several “arguments” that support a belief in God. Those who do not believe in God have counter arguments for all these arguments but this morning I am not trying to convince a non believer, I am only seeking to support our faith. I am going to look at five arguments starting with the weakest and ending with the strongest. The first three arguments are philosophical in nature while the last two are more technical.
The first argument is known as the “ontological” argument. It is the weakest of the arguments. It is based on the premise that everything man can know or think is based on some reality. It argues that if man can have the concept of a perfect God, then He must exist. In other words, if we can conceive of God then he must exist. For a person to say, “I do not believe in God,” is self contradictory for if God does not exist then the person would not even be able to conceive of God.
The second argument is called the “general” argument. It is based on the fact that there has been and continues to be a universal belief in God or a supreme being in all societies throughout all history. It argues that since there is in the universe those things that satisfy man’s deepest longing, there must be a reality (God) that meets this universal craving for a supreme being. Every society has worshiped some kind of God or gods. The apostle Paul refers to this religious instinct in his sermon to the Greeks in Acts 17:27 when he says that men “grope” for the God who created them
The third argument is the “anthropological” or “moral” argument. It is based on the reality that all people everywhere have a “sense of ought.” There is an innate understanding that in certain circumstances, there are things that should and should not be done. Even children cry out, “It’s not fair.” Even atheists have a “sense of justice,” and are angered when it is violated (as in the case of rape or murder). The moral nature in man demands a moral being as the originator of that moral nature.
The fourth argument is the “cosmological” argument. It is based upon the premise that “every effect must have a cause.” (Geodesic ball illustration) The universe is an effect that must have had a cause. The believer in God believes that God is that cause. Gen. 1:1 states emphatically, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
ILLUSTRATION: One day a group of scientists got together and decided that man had come a long way and no longer needed God. So they picked one scientist to go and tell God that they were done with him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we’ve decided that we no longer need you; we’re to the point that we can clone people and do many miraculous things, so why don’t you just go and get lost. God listened very patiently and kindly to the man. After the scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well, how about this? Let’s say we have a man-making contest. To which the scientist replied, “Okay, great!” But, God added, “Now we’re going to do this just like I did back in the old days with Adam. The scientist said, “Sure, no problem,” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt. God stopped him and said, “No, no, no, you go get your own dirt.”
The cosmological argument is the kind of argument the writer of Hebrews uses in Heb. 3:4, “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.” Paul in Rom. 1:19-20 gives the implication of recognizing God as the builder or creator of all things. As we look around us, we see hundreds of things that have been built by someone. It is illogical to say that these things just happened.
A common objection is raised, “Who created God?” It is important to understand that the law which states that every effect has a cause applies to things that are physical. God by definition is not physical, and therefore not bound by laws which would apply to physical things. John 4:24 tells us that God is spirit and because God is spirit he is not bound by the law of cause and effect. As someone has said, God is the great uncaused Cause.
The fifth argument is the “teleological argument.” This argument is based on the evidence of design in the universe. Evidence of design suggests a “designer.”
ILLUS: (holding up a Geodesic ball) Just as the intricate design of this toy logically demands that someone designed it, the intricacy of the universe demands that someone designed it.
The Psalmist in Ps. 19:1 makes this argument when he says that the “heavens are telling of the glory of God and their expanse is declaring the work of his hands.” Even the intricate design of our world screams of the existence of a grand designer. For life to exist on the earth, a complex set of elements have to come into play.
The earth must be just the right size, its rotation must be within certain limits, its tilt must be correct to cause the seasons, its land/water ratio must be in a delicate balance. Human life exists within very narrow parameters. A little too much heat or cold and we die. We need light, but no too much ultraviolet. We need heat, but not too much infrared. We live just beneath an atmosphere that shields us from millions destructive meteors and meteorites every day. We live just ten miles above a rock screen that shields us from the terrible heat beneath our feet.
The philosopher Voltaire said it this way, “If a watch proves the existence of a watchmaker but the universe does not prove the existence of a great Architect, then I consent to be called a fool.” The Bible put it this way in Ps. 14:1 and 53:1, “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”
These are only five arguments that support my belief that God exists and that he is the creator of all things, including me. There are other arguments such as fulfilled prophecies in the Scriptures and scientific foreknowledge of the Scriptures. If you are interested in exploring this subject further I would recommend a book that is in our library by Josh McDowell called “Evidence that demands a verdict.”
Now what is the implication for me if God exists? If God exists and is our creator then he is the one who should control our lives. We live because God created us. Therefore, as our Creator, God also has the right to be our Director. We must look to God for meaning and direction in our lives.
We need to realize that the God who created the world has not abdicated his throne. He is still in charge. He is our Father and we are his children. He loves us and will take care of us. Jesus said, in Matt. 6:25-33 . . .
