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Does God Exist?
What is the proof and at issue?
By David Cox
Doct34 v1 ©2015 www.coxtracts.com
This tract can be freely printed as long as it is not altered.
In this discussion, some believe that God exists (theists), some believe that God does not exist (atheists), and some believe that God may exist, but cannot be known by man (agnostics). Before we get into the meat of this issue, let us throw the entire issue into a different light. God demands man to have faith. Only then will God reveal proof of Himself to them.
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. 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.
The issue is really not whether God exists, but whether you will acknowledge Him, and submit to Him. It is like a child. There is no question of the reality that he has come into being through some means, but rather, will he acknowledge and submit to his parents that brought him into this world?
What the Bible Says
In evolution’s description of our beginning, no explanation is given for where the essential first elements (matter) came from. You just have to “have faith” and accept blindly that they existed or self-created. This faith is that somehow material can come from the immaterial. Hebrews 11:3 explains how did matter initially come into being? It came from non-matter, because God (eternal and inmaterial) “brought it out” of Himself or caused it to come into being. The evolutionist cannot explain where the initial matter came from in his origin of things.
In Genesis 1 and 2 God reveals the simple beginning of all created things, “that God….” created. God’s introduction of Himself to the Jewish nation in Exo 3:14, God identified Himself as just “I am that I am”, John 8:58 “before Abraham was, I am.” God acts as a supreme being without beginning, and without end. God is the final cause that brought all that exists into existence. He is the Creator of everything that exists, and as Creator, He demands worship of himself beginning with the belief in the concept of “God,” the Supreme Being and Creator. God has made man a moral creature, and that God will judge man’s actions and life to punish or “reward”.
Man’s Myopic Vision
Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11 There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12 They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. 17 And the way of peace have they not known: 18 There is no fear of God before their eyes. 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Part of the problem of “seeing proof for God” (believing He exists) is that man’s own vision, understanding, and mind is warped, because he is sinful, his understanding is corrupted. Every man has done moral wrong and has corrupted his own spirit. This sin “breaking fellowship with God by disobeying your Creator” causes man to justify himself in his own mind, and the easiest way is to refuse to acknowledge the judgment of God, or even the existence of God.
God is Beyond Proof
Isa 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. The very being of God is beyond what we can comprehend except for God telling us about Himself. That is why atheists cannot understand that God exists, it is beyond all of us.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
Again the Bible explains how God is not just a super man that mankind can somehow grab ahold of him, prove he exists, and then call him into accounts with their thinking. Consider
Isa 64:6-7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us…
and
Exo 33:20 Thou canst not see my face.
It just doesn’t work that way with a transcendent God, “ungrabable” by mortal man.
Atheists take refuge in their rebellion and denial of God in that “they are scientists”. But science in and of itself can only observe and “prove” what is material, and it is helpless when it comes to proving transcendent realities like love, hate, nobility, or God. In other words, the atheist presupposes that real things are only that which are physical and material, i.e. “observable”.
Therefore love cannot be proven to exist. 1Jn 4:12 compares God which cannot “be seen” to love. 1Jn 4:8 makes the point that if a person does not comprehend and fully embrace biblical love, neither will they know God. Transcendent things are not easily grasp by the scientific mind, because they are only indirectly observable (like the social sciences like psychology for example).
God is transcendent, which means he is above, beyond, and even “outside” of all creation, this means that there is nothing within creation that can definitively prove God, especially to rebellious men. If we believe in the moon, but some scoff at us saying it is just an optical illusion, we could actually go to the moon and inspect it physically to prove its existence. God does not exist in a specific place where you can go and examine him. He is not material but transcendent to our existence.
Ps 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
This verse speaks of God’s transcendence, that is, in a special way God exists apart from this world, He is not a “player” with angels, demons, Satan, and mankind, but he is a game creator, a ruler maker, and a Judge over the rest. He is not in another universe, but exists apart from this world although he fully is present in all parts of our universe. Thus we see the difficulty of proving the existence of what cannot be physically (scientifically) examined.
How God Proves Himself to Us
If for a moment we can accept that such a type of transcendent God does exist, how would he therefore prove himself to mankind? In three ways: (1) A self revelation of God. If God does not reveal himself to us, we can never discover him otherwise. But God does desire to reveal Himself to us, and Creation itself is a revelation of God.
Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Romans 1:19-20 “… because what may be known of God is manifest in them [the Gentiles who do not believe in God], for God has shown it to them.”
Again, in dealing with a transcendental “thing”, you must look at its reality “non-scientifically”. (2) Authority is imposed. The issue of God’s existence is actually a battle for God getting recognition in man’s heart as Creator/God of his life, and man refusing to acknowledge God, wanting to do his own self will (sin).
Ps 14:1 The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.
The Psalmist’s point is that the sin motive (doing self-will) is what causes man to deny God. Atheists will gladly ignore God, but when some evil person does THEM some wrong and their is no human authority to avenge them, he will “cry to God” for vengeance. Why? Because sin (evil) needs punishment, and denying God removes all possibly of eternal “justice” happening. Salvation (God taking the person to a place of eternal pleasure) is only given to those who “believe that he (God) is, and that he (God) is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb 11:6) Atheists have to first explain how he himself (a complex being) came into being, and how the complex world came into being, when nature (the second law of thermodynamics) teaches him all systems degenerate into chaos, not from the simple to the more complex.
God’s authority (seen in His Word, the Bible) is asserted by His words being respected and believed. A transcendent God (if he does reveal himself) would place his words into an authoritative “package” (i.e. Book) which comprehending the truth of God would depend on your honoring that Book.
John. 17:17 “Your word is truth” John 10:35 “the scripture cannot be broken”
Psalms 119:160 Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.
Matthew 24:35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
The transcendent God reveals Himself in an authoritative declaration of His will, in His Word the Bible. So belief in God must be held hand-in-hand with faith in God and submission to God. The atheist cannot believe in God until he submits to God. The two things are the same. (3) Through Natural Creation.
Romans 1:20 “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:”
God says that nature and creation “reveal” God to us. But man must see the design of God in nature and creation, and realize that there was/is an intelligent power behind this order and genuis, and this is the person of the Supreme Being, God. Sin demands justice, and God is the Judge. Man’s sin and the hardness of his heart is what keeps him from “seeing God” (cp Eph. 4:18).
Job 12:7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
In other words, there is obvious evidence, but belligerence is the problem which detains man’s understanding of God’s reality. Jesus rebuked the Jews in John 5:39-40 because they studied the Scriptures (Bible) but in the end, they refused to come to Jesus because they were sinful. This has to spiritually discerned (1Cor 2:14).
Jesus is God’s Perfect Revelation to Us
1Cor 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
In the scheme of things as we see a transcendent God that does communicate Himself to mankind and will definitely give us information about Himself. This is both so that we can worship and fellowship with Him, but also because God desires this communion with us. Sin has broken that possibility.
If you are an atheist or agnostic, repent of your faithlessness, and believe in God and trust in Jesus as your Savior today!
More Tracts in the Bible Doctrine Category
- doct01 Fundamentals of Christian Faith
- doct03 Do Heaven & Hell really exist?
- doct04 Hell and Heaven, Hades, & Paradise
- doct07 The Athanasius Creed
- doct10 Theodicy: Problem of existence of evil
- doct12 God incarnate
- doct16 Satan our Enemy
- doct25 Jesus is our Moral Pattern
- Doct28 What will heaven be like?
- Doct34 Does God exist?
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