There are strong reasons to believe God exists: the universe had a beginning and a cause, it is finely tuned for life, objective moral values point to a moral Lawgiver, and human beings universally sense the transcendent. Scripture adds that God reveals himself in creation, in conscience, and supremely in Jesus Christ.
Detailed answer
Several classic arguments point toward God. The cosmological argument observes that whatever begins to exist has a cause; since the universe began to exist, it has a cause beyond itself. The teleological (design) argument notes the remarkable fine-tuning of the universe for life. The moral argument reasons that objective right and wrong require a transcendent moral Lawgiver.1
Beyond arguments, people across all cultures and ages have an awareness of the divine. The Bible says this is because God has made himself known in what he has created, so that his existence is evident (Romans 1:19-20).2
Christianity claims that God has not only left clues but has personally entered history in Jesus Christ, the clearest revelation of who God is (Hebrews 1:1-3).3
Biblical basis
- Psalm 19:1-4ESV
- Romans 1:19-20ESV
- Acts 17:24-28ESV
Theological explanation
Theologians distinguish general revelation (God known through creation and conscience) from special revelation (God known through Scripture and Christ). Both testify that God is.4
Arguments can show that belief in God is reasonable, but saving knowledge of God comes through his self-revelation in Christ and the work of the Spirit.5
Common errors
- 1.That belief in God is irrational or unscientific — many rigorous philosophical arguments support it.
- 2.That arguments alone produce saving faith — they remove obstacles, but trust in God is personal.
Pastoral application
- a.Use good reasons for faith to engage honest questions with confidence and humility.
- b.Move beyond merely arguing about God to actually knowing him through Christ.
Notes
- 1.William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics, 3rd ed. (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008), chs. 3–4, on the kalam cosmological argument, fine-tuning, and the moral argument.
- 2.Romans 1:19–20; Psalm 19:1–4. General revelation renders God's eternal power and divine nature "clearly perceived" in the things that have been made.
- 3.Hebrews 1:1–3; John 1:18. Special revelation culminates in the incarnate Son.
- 4.Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism (New York: Dutton, 2008), chs. 8–9, on clues of God in the world and the necessity of Christ.
- 5.Westminster Confession of Faith 1.1 distinguishes the light of nature from the necessity of Holy Scripture for saving knowledge of God.
Bibliography
- Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith: Christian Truth and Apologetics. 3rd ed.. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008.
- Keller, Timothy. The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism. New York: Dutton, 2008.
- Plantinga, Alvin. God, Freedom, and Evil. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.
- Swinburne, Richard. The Existence of God. 2nd ed.. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 2004.