We accept that God exists. We can not see God, or touch him, yet we believe that He exists. This is faith. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6).
Those who do not believe that God exists argue that since God can’t be seen or touched, our belief in His existence is irrational.
Sigmund Freud hypothesized that man has simply projected his wish. As man is easily frightened by a harsh and unyielding world, he desires protection. So, he “creates” God to comfort himself.
However, the fact that we can’t physically prove the existence of God should not preclude our faith in Him. There is sufficient evidence, both extra-biblical, and contained within the scriptures, to supply sufficient proof to any honest individual that God does indeed exist. We will deal with scripture later, but in this article we wish to present two arguments which contribute to the proof of God’s existence.
The Argument from Intuition
Augustine, who lived in the fourth and fifth centuries, is credited with first proposing this argument. Simply put, it states that the universal practice of all groups of people, in ancient and modern times, in every culture, is to look to God. Systems of worship and sacrifice are found in every nation, at every time in history. This serves to indicate that man has an instinct which compels him to worship. While this argument may not have much credibility to the scientist, it still is a powerful statement as to the universal condition of man. And the scientist is at a loss to fully explain the phenomenon.
Even in our secular society, with the intelligentsia working hard to abolish the concept of God from scientific, societal and educational contexts, belief in God remains strong. It even had a large impact upon our latest national election for President. While many ridiculed the President’s practice of prayer, a large segment of America’s population voted for him precisely because he was a “man of faith.”
As Batsell Barrett Baxter wrote in his book, I Believe Because…, “There is something about man, although somewhat indefinable, that reaches beyond the material universe in which he finds himself” (pg. 41).
The Argument from Cosmology
It is acknowledged by all (both theists and atheists alike) that “nothing comes from nothing.” It has been stated that there are only four possiblities to explain the existence of our universe:
-
It is all an illusion
- It spontaneously arose from nothing
- The material universe has always existed
- The universe was created by a self-existent being.
Except for a few who are taken to fancy, the first two possibilities are seen to be untenable. This leaves us with either a self-existent universe, or God. The physical universe, in that it is a cosmos (ordered universe) rather than chaotic, argues for the existence of a designer.
Further, there are physical laws that preclude the idea that the physical universe itself has always existed. For example, the law of entropy (The Second Law of Thermodynamics) states that there is a continuous flow of heat from warmer to colder bodies. As one scientist acknowledged, if the universe has always existed, then “it would have long since run out of useful energy and ground to a halt” (Dr. Edward Luther Kessel).
Of the two possiblities, the only one which fits the facts of a finite (in regard to time) and orderly universe is that of an omnipotent, self-existent being, which was responsible for its creation.
This is why the Psalmist proclaimed:
“The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3).
Nature proves to us that God exists. While we can’t see Him, we certainly can see evidence of Him in the grandeur of His creation.
