Cross Training: The Existence of God

Cross Training: God

One of the most talked about, argued, debate, fought about topics in the history of the world is the subject of the reality of God. There could be no issue of greater importance than knowing if there is or really is not a God. The implications are staggering and the stakes are high. If there really is no God then we are in big trouble. This is for a great many reasons. The primary reason is with a creator of the universe there is no real reason to believe anything or anyone in the entire universe of any value. If there is no God then universe some kind of weird cosmic fluke but with out any meaning. It has no purpose all it is one big thing to house a bunch of little things with no reason for being what so ever. It is like have a huge mansion furnished with everything but really no one to enjoy it. It just exists for no reason. If there is no God we really have no reason to think there should be any kind of after life. We are no than any other thing that exist we are dust in the wind. We come from nothing and go back to nothing there is no reason to think our lives has value or reason we are just another part of the great cosmic accident that is existence. If there is no God there is no difference between right and wrong because who is to say it is really one person’s opinion versus another. If there is no God there really is no real purpose in this life because nothing we do will be lasting importance. Even the word importance loses all meaning if there is a God nothing really matters.

Thankfully this is not the universe we live in! We live in a universe created by an all wise creator. Who made the universe for a purpose as well and everything else and he is the source of all meaning who we can be thankful we know in a person way.

Tonight we are going to be looking at how we know that there is in fact a real, personal God and how he has made himself known to his creation.

The real question is not is there a God? But has God revealed himself and how can we share that with people who may say that there is no God.

God has revealed himself in two ways lets take a brief look at Psalm 19 to see how God has revealed himself to his creation.

Psalm 19:1-4 Says the heavens declare the glory of God. Notice all the verbs in the opening 4 verses! All speaking verbs. Creation is not neutral on the existence of God.This how God has revealed himself to all of mankind. This is called general revelation.

Now lets look at verses 7-9 they all talk about God’s word. The second way God has revealed himself is through his word this is called special revelation. This how we know specific things God wants us to know.

Also note the Psalmist response to God’s revelation. Our response should mirror his.

God has spoken ! He certainly has not left in the dark concerning his creation!

Not only has God revealed himself to his creation he says he has to see more on that lets flip to Romans. Lets read Romans 1:18-25
Especially notice Romans 1:20
For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Notice how God said people would know about God! IN THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE!!!!! That goes back to general relation God showing his existence to every body. The scripture continues with
they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
The reason someone does not believe in God in not because they don’t have reason to its because their sin nature chooses idols instead of God! See Romans 3:10-18 for more on that.

So if scripture is true that God is revealed through creation we should be able to see that from creation. Philosophers and Theologians through out history have come up with a number of ways of realizing the existence of God through creation This is see through the Cosmological Argument. The Cosmological Argument for the existence of God goes like this. Things exist. Things can not come into existence by themselves therefore there must have been cause to bring things into existence. The ultimate first cause of things must be God. Or put simply creation must have a creator! This argument has taken many different forms through out history and in different cultures. This helps show that it is truly general Revelation.

Lets look at a few of these Cosmological arguments:

Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican Friar who was born in 1225-1274 who came but ways for seeing the existence of God through creation. We are going to look at 3 of them.

The First is the Argument from Motion which goes:
1) Nothing can move itself.
2) If every object in motion had a mover, then the first object in motion needed a mover.
3) This first mover is the Unmoved Mover, called God.

The Second Way is the Causation of Existence
1) There exists things that are caused (created) by other things.
2) Nothing can be the cause of itself (nothing can create itself.)
3) There can not be an endless string of objects causing other objects to exist.
4) Therefore, ther must be an uncaused first cause called God.

The Third Way is Argument of Contingent and Necessary Beings.

1) Contingent beings are caused.
2) Not every being can be contingent.
3) There must exist a being which is necessary to cause contingent beings.
4) This necessary being is God.

Another Form of Cosmological Argument is Paley’s Teleological Argument aka The watchmaker argument. Paley’s argument goes something like this: If we were to take a walk in the woods and in the middle of nowhere we find a watch. We would then pick it up and examine it. Looking at the we could only naturally assume due to the complexity of the watch and that it looks like it was fitted together it must have an intelligent watch maker. Then we look at the universe and notice how complex it is and how everything works together just right we must assume that it too had a creator. It we look at a watch and know that it had a watch maker it must be logical to conclude looking at the universe that for something infinitely more complex the universe must have had an intelligent creator. This is also the Intelligent Design Theory.

Before we move on lets talk about the Big Bang Theory. Did you know that the Big Bang Theory actually does much more to show that it is necessary for there to be a God then no God at all? This because Big Bang theory says the universe came into existence. Secular Scientist used to say that universe always existed the Big Bang Theory proved them wrong. So the big question is then if the universe did not always exist how it came into being. Obviously from something outside the universe that could only be God.

Is there other ways than creation that show that God has revealed his existence? Then answer is YES! Let’s flip back to Romans now in chapter 2 lets look at verses 1-16. That says a whole lot! We all know we accountable to God because we judge other but for tonight lets focus on 15-16 It says : 14For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. This says that people who do not know the law (any one who does not know scripture) have the law on there heart. How can this be true? It must refer to the fact that everyone has a conscience. Everyone in all cultures through out time have an understanding that there is a difference between right and wrong. How can this be with out God giving this law to everyone? C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity Uses this as argument for God. The reason there is also a difference between right and wrong is because of God’s standard. If right and wrong were made by man then it would be arbitrary and have no real meaning! Who when then really say what makes something right or wrong? It would all be relative to the person so no real difference. But own conscience says that not the case! Why do we get angry when so one is mean to us? Or why do feel bad when we have been mean to someone else? It shows that God put a moral law in each of us!

God has definitely given us a lot ways to know he is there? Yet on hand isn’t funny to be discussing ways we know God exists when our existence is dependent on him. In Ecc its says God put eternity in the hearts of men. Romans 1:21 says this 21For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. This shows that everyone is already programmed to know God and that it is our hard hearts that would want to argue with that! Going along with that idea is we don’t need to prove God’s existence. Some things are perfectly rational to believe with our having proof. For example to ever feel like you have to prove that you have thoughts to know you have thoughts? It is almost impossible to do. Alvin Plantiga came up wit the idea that God is has designed us to know him and that believing in God is “properly basic” this makes sense with what know in Romans 1:21 This shows that it is rational for believing in God with out trying to put God in a test tube. It also can be used to show the unbeliever that he has no grounds attacking our beliefs.

So how can we show lost word the reality of our God? The answer is found in Matthew 5:13You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
This says the world sees gives glory to God by seeing the reality of your faith! If we are living in such a way that shows we are truly different that is the best way to show the world the reality of your faith. So to show the world that our God is real we must live like our God is real! Remember the reason people are not saved is not a intellectual but spiritual one! Our life needs to match our faith and facts!