Search The Scriptures: June 3, 2001
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
INTRODUCTION :
A. Good morning my friends, I’m delighted you were able to join us for today’s broadcast of the
bible study program Search the Scriptures. This program is the sole work of the Danville
church of Christ and is one of many ways we are trying to make Christ known in our
community. And, in order to expedite this, we are delighted to make available to you - free of
charge - copies of sermons you hear on this Search the Scriptures program. So, if you hear a
sermon you would like to have, either on cassette tape of CD just write to us or call us and let us
know which study you want. But, please place your order by the date the program was heard. I
promise that you will not be sent any unsolicited material nor will anyone call on you without
your invitation. Also, you can contact us on the Internet at www.danvillechurchofchrist.org.
B. Gospel preachers have always had the problem of convincing those who deny the existence of
God to accept the truth that God does exist. And, my friends, this challenge has not abated any
today. As a matter of fact, I would say the problem has only been compounded. Daily we are
being bombarded with more and more discoveries in the fields of science, astronomy and
archaeology that are calling into question our belief that God exists. That is, the more that space
is being probed and the more that scientists are able to alter the genetic makeup of animals the
less room many have for God. Also, given the abilities man has today to clone animals or
perhaps even humans, the less need for God many seem to have. I am convinced that today, you
will find among the elite in journalism, politics, education and medicine that belief in God is
almost nonexistence. And as a result of this wholesale unbelief among the so-called elite - the
concept that God does not exist is becoming more wide spread among the rest of society. The
Internet is quickly becoming a tool used by those who wish to spread the concept of atheism
throughout the world. Thousands of web pages on the Internet are devoted to the advancement of
unbelief. Teachers in elementary and secondary public schools are advancing unbelief. Colleges
and universities have been dedicated to the erosion of belief in God for decades. Therefore, it
should not surprise us to learn that our children are being influenced by this unbelief. Kids who
were raised attending bible studies and worship services all their lives are now openly affirming
their unbelief. And, because of this increase in atheism, it appears that no one believes in God
anymore. But, ladies and gentlemen, even with the wide display of, and the rising tide of
atheism, belief in the existence of God still abounds. There are still millions of people who
believe God exists. Often, however, those with a belief in God are looked upon as superstitious
at best - and perhaps moronic at worst. That is, if you believe in the existence of God you are
considered either a fool, or gullible. So, I ask you this morning, Does God Exist? And if he
does, How can we know that God exists? Also, Is belief in God something one merely accepts
with blind devotion - without any rhyme or reason whatsoever? That is, Does belief in God have
no more evidence that belief in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy? Also, Are believers in God
people who are out of touch with reality? In this study we will attempt to answer some of these
questions. That is, we will examine the existence of God, and in doing so we will advance some
reasons to believe in God. Reasons, my friends, that are based firmly upon a revelation in both
nature and scripture. After all, we are told by the bible in Rom. 1:20, for since the creation of
the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are
made, even his eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Here, we learn
two very important truths. One, there are evidences for believing in God, and two, when the
evidences for belief in God are ignored that one is left without any excuse for his or her
unbelief. That is, the evidences for believing in God are so dramatic and so magnificent that it
takes a self ordained fool to deny them. As a matter of fact the bible declares in Psa. 53:1 the
fool has said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt, and have done abominable
iniquity; there is none who does good. Ladies and gentlemen, proof for the existence of God is
so stunning that Paul reminded the nonbelievers in his day that even their poets recognized the
reality of God in Acts 17:28 when he said, for in him we live and move and have our being, as
also some of your own poets have said, for we are also his offspring.
I. The truth is, my friends, belief in God is fundamental. That is, if there is no God - then
certain things must be true. For example, if God does not exist then atheists are right in all their
contentions. This means that those like the late Madeline Murray O’Hair and her band of
malcontents are on the side of truth. It also means that parents who teach their children that God
is, are guilty of psychological child abuse. That is, to teach children to pray to and depend upon a
nonexistent being is analogous to demanding that a child marry an imaginary friend. My friends,
I believe this is where the psychological and the educational communities are headed. It will not
be long before believers are hauled up before the authorities and charged with child abuse for
teaching children to believe in God. Also, if God does not exist, then this means that the
Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of this great nation are based upon a
superstitious fraud, because each is anchored in belief in Nature’s God. And, my friends, if God
does not exist, then it means there is no Supreme Being to whom we must give an account. This
means that we answer to no one higher than ourselves. There will be no judgment day, no
heaven and no hell. It means the atheists’ anthem written by John Lennon will not just be
imagine there is no heaven or no hell. It means that the unadulterated truth is - there are no
heaven and no hell - if there is no God. Also, it means that there is no reasonable explanation for
the existence of this earth or for the superiority human beings have over other forms of life. It
would mean that my family and I - along with you and your family - are no different from a
pond of tadpoles or a field of dandelions. It would mean that we are incapable of love, and it
would mean that there is no such thing as right or wrong. There could be neither good nor evil if
there is no God. We all - then - should just live life to its fullest, if there is no eternity. In the
words of the apostle Paul, if there is no God then we should eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!
However, we must consider the alternative. If God does exist, if there is a Supreme Being to
whom we must answer then we better be doing all we can to find out about him. We better learn
of his nature and especially we must learn what this God requires of us. This is not something
we can simply set aside, it is something we must be diligent in finding out. Jeremiah reminds us
of this in Jer. 9:23-24 when he writes, thus says the Lord: let not the wise man glory in his
wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches; but
let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord,
exercising loving kindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
II. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe that God - that is, the God of the bible - exists. Furthermore,
I believe there is an abundance of evidence to support this belief. I also understand that since I
am affirming that I believe God exists, then it becomes my obligation to present evidences that
are convincing. And, this I will do! But, first let me say that I recognize (and so should you) that
these arguments may not in and of themselves be convincing. Some are, but others are not.
However, when all are taken as a unit; when taken as a whole, these arguments present
convincing proof for the existence of God. First let’s consider the ontological reason for
believing in God. Now, I know that ontological is not a word we use every day in conversations
we might have, so you might be wondering what I mean by ontological. Ontology is a branch of
metaphysics concerned with the nature and relations of existence. For example, an ontological
argument for the existence of God would be this. If a man can have the concept of a perfect God,
then that perfect God must exist. This statement is based on the premise that everything man can
know or think is predicated on some reality (though often perverted). Personally I think this is a
weak argument and alone could not convince anyone of the existence of God. However, it does
present an interesting thought. If man were to invent God, why invent a God who demands
perfection? I’m sure you remember that Peter wrote in 1 Pet. 1:14 quoting God, be holy, for I
am holy. Given man’s propensity to sin and engage in the bizarre, why not create a God who
allows for such sin and deviant behavior? But, the very fact that man has a concept of a perfect
and moral God is evidence that he does exist. And, secondly, there is the general argument for
the existence of God. Did you know, my friend, that there is a universal belief in God? And did
you also know that all mankind has within him a religious instinct? That is, men throughout the
world - in every country - in every age - of every culture - has a belief in some kind of a deity,
and that man engages somehow in what he calls worship? This truth becomes obvious when we
read what the ancient Greeks were doing in Acts 17. There, the people were attempting to offer
worship to their concept of deity. And, my friends, there was a reason these people were doing
this. It was because there was and is a universal belief in God. Although admittedly that belief is
often perverted because of human traditions. Yet, Paul reminded the Athenians in Acts 17:26-27,
And he has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
has determined their pre-appointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they
should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for him and find him, though he is not
far from each one of us. Answer this, my friends, Why is there a religious principle so potent in
all nations? That is, why do the people of Greece have religion? Why did the Babylonians have
religion? Why do the primitive headhunters living deep within rain forests have a form of
religion? Why do they believe in some god? Why did the American Indians have a belief in some
great unseen spirit long before Europeans landed here? You cannot simply discount this as
some sort of societal influence. The only answer is: God exists! And, wherever man lives, his
heart craves for God. This is because, not only does God exist, but he created man with a passion
to know him. We are reminded of this in Psa. 42:1-2 where the writer says, as the deer pants for
the water brooks, so pants my soul for you, O God. my soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
In response to this desire within each member of the human family, God has made himself
known to man. Paul wrote in Rom. 1:19, what may be known of God is manifest in them, for
God has shown it to them. Ladies and gentlemen, the human heart has been made with a hunger
to know God, and God has satisfied that longing by making himself known to all mankind. And
the very fact that everywhere man is, there is a concept of God proves that God exists. That
impression of God might be perverted, but man has an idea that God is. This should serve as
evidence to every genuine heart that God certainly does exist. And, third there is the
cosmological argument that serves as proof for the existence of God. This is the principle that
every effect must have a cause. That is, the universe is here - it is an effect, therefore it must
have had a cause. This is what gives the evolutionists fits. Those who worship the theory of
evolution are still struggling to discover the origin of everything. They will talk long and hard
about the general theory of evolution. They will also discuss what they believe to be the survival
of the fittest. But, my friends, they cannot intelligently discuss the arrival of the fittest. They
have no idea what was the cause of all life. They were hoping that the Hubble telescope would
give them some answers to the origin of life. They were in ecstacy when they thought that a
meteorite from Mars had traces of life on it, because they were optimistic that it would give an
answer to the question: Where did all this come from? They have, however, conveniently
forgotten that every effect must have a cause. For example, whenever you see a car on the road,
you know the car had a cause. The car is the effect, and there must have been a cause, in this
case a builder of the car. Now, we see the universe, the effect, therefore there must have been a
cause, in this case a creator. The bible tells us the cause. Gen. 1:1, in the beginning God created
the heavens and the earth. Cause and effect can be seen and understood in every aspect of our
lives, with the exception of our origin. We know we cannot have a watch without a watchmaker,
and we cannot have a suit of clothes without a tailor. Also, we cannot have a house without a
builder. The bible says in Heb. 3:4, for every house is built by someone, but he who built all
things is God. And, anyone willing to open his eyes can see this. But, next, there is the argument
that can be made from design. I often find it comical that those who seek to prove there is no
God never - and I do mean never - address the design of this universe. You see, my friends,
anytime there is design (that is, organization or structure) there must be a designer. For example,
a watch shows design and necessarily implies a watchmaker. A watch does not just suddenly pop
into existence. It takes planning and design to produce an instrument that is able to run as
precisely as a watch does. A well-designed timepiece will - with precision and order - track the
seconds and minutes of every hour of every day. We would not think of honoring those who
would call a press conference to announce that watches are the result of millions of years of
evolution. Instead we might question the sanity of such people. Yet we esteem someone as an
intellect who will affirm that the design of our universe happened by mere chance. Think about
it, how did the orderly movements of the planets within this solar system begin? And, so orderly
are the movements that we can calculate exactly how to launch a space craft and land it safely on
the moon. So orderly is the design of life on planet earth that animal instinct allows for the
migration of birds and the spawning of salmons without so much as the slightest deviation. Also,
the design of the human body cries out to the honest mind that a designer is behind it. Explain
the human eye, the digestive system or the human reproductive system without speaking of
design. And remember whenever you speak of organization you are speaking of an organizer;
you are speaking of a designer; you are speaking of God. Psa. 19:1 says that the heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork. Also, Psa. 139:14 finds the
psalmist saying, I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Deal with that,
those of you who do not acknowledge God. Stop all your ad hominem arguments and begin to
address the design of this universe. Cease wallowing in a pool of deception and insincerity and
explain the design of this wonderful world in which we live. Then, also, my friends, there is the
argument that can be made known as the moral contention. This is the argument that says some
things are inherently wrong. That is, everywhere you find societies of people you will find them
restrained in their behavior by a deep-seated sense of ought. This sense will mold all people to
respond in certain ways. Why do even atheists have a sense of justice and become angered when
that justice is violated? Atheists expect certain behavior to be followed. They denounce racism
and injustice. They are appalled by murder and rape. They feel outraged when children are
abused, and they demand something be done about the maltreatment of the elderly. My question
is why? Why do they become incensed over these things? My friends, I will tell you why. Even
though they refuse to acknowledge God, it is God who has made them and all mankind with the
capability to become morally enraged - because some things are simply wrong. The bible tells us
in Rom. 2:15 that even unbelievers have a sense of right and wrong. Paul says they show the
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between
themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them. Who wrote this instinct of right and
wrong within the human heart? It was God! This does not mean that everyone will do what is
right. The bible also tells us in Rom. 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not
glorify him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish
hearts were darkened. Mankind has done its level best to remove any concept of God from its
consciousness. And when this is done the result is filth, injustice and inhumanity. “But,” the
atheist counters, “If God is, and he is - as Christians say - good, why does he allow such human
imperfections to survive?” This is the old argument that because evil and imperfections do exist,
then God doesn’t. This position ignores several realities including the most obvious. And that is,
if the fact that defects exist proves there is no God, then why doesn’t the opposite stand as well?
That is, why doesn’t the fact that love, and kindness, and mercy living prove the existence of
God? That is, if sin and suffering prove that God does not exist, then why doesn’t love and
mercy prove his existence? It seems to me the atheist is rather selective in his arguments. Also,
the atheist loves to contend that God - being omniscient (all-knowing) must have seen all the
human suffering that would result from Adam’s sin. So why would he knowingly create future
suffering? Those who argue from this position have read too much of the writings of H.G.
Wells. Wells believed it was possible to travel through time. He believed that one could just as
well go into the future as into the past, because - the future is just as scripted as the past. That is,
life is just like a movie that has been filmed, and all we are doing is living within our frames.
But, with the right equipment we could leave our frames and travel to other frames, whether they
are in the future or the past. Atheists say that if God exists, then he must have the film of life
already shot, and therefore, he knows not only what is on each reel, but in each frame. So he
knows the suffering that lies ahead and he created man anyway knowing of his suffering and
pain. This position assumes that God knowing of the Holocaust created man anyway. That God
knowing of future sufferings created man and simply let the film be shown. Beginning with this
assumption, the atheist says that he cannot accept this, so he rejects God. My friends, the
problem with all this - is the atheist begins with a false assumption. Life is no movie with all the
filming done before we were even born. H.G. Wells was not correct. Certainly God knew that if
man sinned then man would indeed be subject to suffering. But to conclude that God created
man knowing of his suffering is absurd. My friends, tomorrow has not happened yet. Tomorrow
has not been programed to contain certain things and certain events. Every man has within him
the freedom to choose, and what man chooses is left up to him and not God. Furthermore, there
is strong scriptural evidence that God may not know of those choices until they are made. For
example, there is the illustration of Abraham. In Gen. 22 he was told to offer his son Isaac on an
altar in sacrifice to God. When Abraham was about to comply with God’s strange request he was
stopped with these words in verse 12, do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him;
for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from
me. The question we might raise is, “Didn’t God know of Abraham's reverence before this?” To
which we must respond, all we know is what the verse tells us. Also, there is the example of
Hezekiah. In 1 Ki. 20:1 we read, in those days Hezekiah was sick and near death. And Isaiah
the prophet, the son of Amoz, went to him and said to him, thus says the Lord: set your house
in order, for you shall die, and not live. Yet later we read that Hezekiah did not die, but that he
lived an additional 15 years. Verse 5 says, thus says the Lord, the God of David your father: I
have heard your prayer, I have seen your tears; surely I will heal you. On the third day you
shall go up to the house of the Lord. Now, if we conclude that God knew Hezekiah would not
die, (that is, if the movie had already been scripted) then God lied to him. You see, my friends,
the argument so loved by the atheist is actually one that should be turned on him. And that is, the
very fact of morality and goodness existing among such deviant people is proof of the existence
of a Holy God. And, finally, there is the testimony of science proving the existence of God. I
know, it is usually science that is used in an effort to disprove God. But the fact is, true science
proves that God is. Every time a mystery of the universe is uncovered, God is seen. Each time
science discovers a technical truth, God’s existence is proven. For example it has not been too
many years ago that the elite within the scientific community argued the earth was flat. Oh, there
may have been a few who thought otherwise, but the scientific consensus was, the earth was
flat. And it wasn’t until the voyages of Magellan and Columbus that scientists accepted the
earth was round. However, many centuries before Magellan, many hundreds of years before
Columbus an ancient prophet in Israel wrote, it is he who sits above the circle of the earth, in
Isa. 40:22. Perhaps scientists scoffed at Isaiah and said he was wrong. They may have used this
verse to prove the bible a hoax, but they were wrong. God revealed in his word long ago that the
earth was a circle and not flat. This should cause the forthright - in the words of verse 26 to - lift
up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things. Next consider what is revealed in
Job 36:27-28. For he draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the
clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Long before Aristotle discovered the water
cycle, and how rain results from distilled water vapors - Job said God distills rain from the mist,
which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man. Almost two and one half
millenniums before man understood this, God said it was the process he used for causing rain
upon the earth. Ladies and gentlemen, we could cite hundreds of other such revelations within
the bible, and each one would prove the existence of God. The bible is not purporting to be a
science text book. But whenever it touches upon things of a scientific nature, it is proved to be
100 percent accurate, because it came form God, and the scientific foreknowledge of the bible is
just another of the many infallible proofs we have for the existence of God.
CONCLUSION :
A. We could add to this discussion the many fulfilled prophecies of scripture, evidences for the
resurrection of Jesus from the dead, but the evidences we presented today will stand the test of
time. They will certify to those with honest hearts that God does exist. And since he does, then
we all will have to answer to him for the way that we have lived. This includes me and it
includes you.
B. This will be our final word for today. Thanks for being with us and stay tuned for some
important closing announcements. Be sure to join us again next week as we again open our
bibles and Search the Scriptures. Until then, for the Danville church of Christ, this is J.R.
Bronger saying goodbye for now.