Why I believe God exists (It's as Easy as a-b-c!)
If God does exist, then the study of God is by definition the most
important endeavor a person can undertake. And for Christians
required by God to provide a reason for our faith, it is essential for
us to understand and be able to explain a clear basis for our faith in
God’s existence.
So lets begin an active study of the existence of God, and what it
means for us. Here we will study the REASONS FOR BELIEF in
the CHRISTIAN GOD. In a different area we will contrast that
with the beliefs in other Gods before we are done with our study.
SO TO BEGIN, I believe that there are three clear witnesses to the fact
that the CHRISTIAN GOD exists, which are in front of us each
day. For starters, by remembering that the belief in God is a
BASIC belief, it is easy to start with the basics. So we need
to...
Our AWARENESS, the BIBLE, and the CREATION
AWARENESS - Our own human nature (consciousness,
moral fiber, etc) suggests to us that there must be something beyond
ourselves. – we just ‘know’ in our ‘hearts’ that there is
more to life than what we can see and touch. Many of us are
good at putting this feeling aside or trying to fulfill the need with
outside influences, philosophies, etc., but it always stays there,
perpetually unfulfilled. No ‘purpose’ on this earth (money,
sex, power) ever seems to fill that vacuum. Many people spend
their entire lives striving to fulfill this need, but it always stays
there, even after the accumulation of wealth or the fulfillment of
personal goals. This ‘God shaped vacuum’ (as described by the
eminent scientist Blaise Pascal) can only be filled by the relieving
purposeful existence discovered when we understand our position with
God, and when we become reconciled back to Him. Could it be
that this longing within us is the result of God pulling us to
Himself? Because this feeling is universal, it is the first
of what is considered ‘general revelation’ from
God.
The BIBLE – Our awareness leads us to look for
God. The Bible is the evidence that God has left us, as a
self-autographed documentation of His nature and His plans (this is the
first of the ‘special revelations’ from God.) More than just
any other book, even any other 'religious' book, the Bible is
singularly unique. It is neither a single book, nor is it
written by one person, as are most 'religious' texts. It is a
collection of 66 books that were written by 40 or more different
authors in three different languages, in 3 different
continents. These books were written over a period of about
1600 years. The authors represent society at large.
They were not just scholars and preachers, but they also ranged from
common folk such as shepherds, doctors, government officials,
fishermen, and tax collectors, to Kings. There are many
styles of journalistic method involved, including history, poetry,
government records, dialogue, parables, sermons, prophecy, letters and
religious instruction.
The Bible has been translated into over 1200 different languages or
dialects.
Despite this huge diversity of history, there is one central theme of
the whole collection of writings: that God loves us and has a
plan for our lives.
The Bible is most unique in its claim of Divine inspiration.
Is it likely that the above facts of the Bible could have occurred by
accident, or by some 'religious conspiracy?' Or must Divine
inspiration and purpose must have occurred for the previously mentioned
points to come together and to survive for thousands of
years. Divine inspiration is a most outrageous
claim, and it leaves no room for a gray area. Either the book
is of God and deserves our careful study, or it is not and is an
incredible and monumentally improbable hoax. Was it by
accident that it has become the most influential book in the history of
mankind?
The CREATION demands a Creator – One of the ‘general
revelations’ about God surrounds us each day, as we see the miracles of
creation and the evidence of a creator everywhere. Science
can only explain or predict what might happen, but not why things
happen (what exactly is an electron anyway and how did it get
here?) Contrary to popular belief, evolution and the thought
that the cosmos began from nothing are simply theories. They
are not fact, and they are not as widely believed in academic circles
as the general public thinks that they are. To the average
non-believer struggling to get through each day, it is convenient (it
fits into our self-worldview) to believe that there is a logical
explanation for the creation so we don’t have to believe in a
creator. But make no mistake, it was all placed here, with a
purpose, by a Personal Creator.
Think about it for a minute, which makes more sense? 1)
Everything in the cosmos either existed forever or came from NOTHING,
that gasses evolved into light elements, and then into heavy
elements. Next came the evolution of 'dead' elements into
something alive, which finally mutated into a person who has the
capability to eat, see, think, procreate and know right from
wrong. (None of these steps, by the way, have been observed
in nature, and in fact are contrary to known natural law - they are
simply what 'must' have happened in an anti-theistic
worldview.) OR is it perhaps easier to believe: 2)
That Something created everything and shows us the evidence of its
authorship in the amazing details, synergies and complexities of the
cosmos and of life? Certainly both take an active choice
(faith?) to believe, since there were no eyewitnesses (but would we
believe the eyewitnesses anyway?) The answer to the question
is usually based upon a person's pre-conceived notions, and sometimes
upon a misinterpretation of scientific 'facts.' We must
however use ALL of our faculties, our intuition and senses, to answer
the question truthfully. It does not relieve our minds to
accept mere scientific fact if we don't also answer the questions why
and how. Between the choices above (and there are no other
choices) I believe it is much easier to believe in a Creator.
To Summarize - With all the evidence for God that
we’ve reviewed, we have seen that it is certainly not illogical to
believe in God. In fact, It is clearly reasonable to believe
that God exists, and has placed all the evidence needed within our
reach for us to believe in Him, and to cause us to pursue
Him. But the final commitment is ours – this is our free
will. We know that FAITH is not blind, but informed and
rational, indeed a PART of us, leading us (complemented by our emotion
and desires) to acknowledge the existence of the Creator, and inflame
the desire to know more about Him and His plans for us. And
Thank God, He has revealed these to us as well!!