Got (God) Questions? pt.1"What Evidence Do You HaveThat There Is A God?"

Let's start off with one of the most basic and popular questions asked by non-Christians on a regular basis: "What evidence do you have that there is a God?"

Now let's think about this. Looking at this question from the perspective of a non-believer, it is a totally valid inquiry. Much of what we believe as Christians is largely based on faith which, for someone who doesn't even want to have faith, doesn't provide a very convincing argument. So these types of questions are better approached from a scientific or philosophical point of view. As believers, we can see the universe itself as all the proof we need of the existence of an all powerful God. The way life is breathed into all creation, and the way the patterns of the universe flow harmoniously together.

There are three arguments for the explanation of the universe:

1. The universe always has been. It had no beginning.

This explanation is the weakest of the three, and has been rejected by almost every scientific community or logical thinker. We have found scientific proof that the universe had a beginning. Something put the world into motion. It certainly isn't eternal.

2. The universe came into being by itself.

Scientists call this the "Big Bang Theory." This theory has more merit than the first, but still isn't quite completely credible. If the universe did not at first exist, it could never have created itself. (We all know the saying "nothing cannot do anything.") According to the Big Bang Theory, the universe is the result of a small volume of matter at extremely high density and temperature that was thrown in all directions and became what we now know as the universe. Although the Big Bang theory itself possesses some merit, it still fails to address one thing: How did order come from chaos? Never does a chaotic explosion produce order. An explosion in a print shop does not produce an encyclopedia. Furthermore, how did all of those millions of molecules come into being? And who packed them so tightly? When looked at carefully, we find that there is not much contradiction in the "Big Bang Theory" and the claims of the biblical Genesis. However, many questions still remain answer-less until we explore explanation number 3...
3. The universe was created.

Like I said before, everything in creation points to intelligent design. Creation by an all-powerful, omnipotent God. Charlie H. Campbell provides this example in his book: "Let's imagine I am holding up a painting. When you see a painting, what proof do you need to establish the fact that a painter exists? Nothing besides the painting itself. The painting is absolute proof that there was a painter. You do not need to see the painter to believe that he or she exists." The universe is God's painting. We don't need to physically see Him to believe that He is the painter. In fact, the Bible tells us that we can't see Him anyway (Exodus 33:18-23).

So you see, faith and logic go hand in hand. God created us to be logical, and seek out the answers to our questions. He doesn't intend for us to ignorantly follow Him. He wants us to be firm in our faith because we know that what we believe is true. The more we ask questions and learn, the closer we become to understanding the truth and genuinely being near to the heart of God.

"A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading" -C.S. Lewis

*This blog post is based on readings from pgs. 19-20 in Charlie H. Campbell's "One Minute Answers To Skeptics"

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