Does God Exist?
Does God truly exist? How can anyone be sure such a being exists? We believe that the existence of God, and questions such as these relating to it, can be intelligently answered. However, the existence of God cannot be demonstrated to the five senses of man. God’s existence must be accepted by faith just as the writer said: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Heb. 11:3). This faith is not blind. The same writer said: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). Therefore, faith is a conviction founded on evidence, and we believe the evidence for God’s existence is overwhelming.
When the Psalmist said: “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands” (Ps. 19:1) he was using the argument from effect to the adequate cause. David could not deny the existence of the Universe any more than we can. He knew that something does not come from nothing; but something is therefore, something always has been. The two things that now exist are mind and matter. Either matter (that which is dead, lifeless, has no feeling) created mind (that which is alive, can think, and has feeling) or mind created matter. The Bible opens with the words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). There had to be a first cause and since mind is superior to matter then it is reasonable to believe that mind is eternal and created matter is not eternal. The eternal mind is God (Gen. 1:1).
The writer to the Hebrews used this same sort of reasoning when he said: “For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God” (Heb. 3:4). A house is something that shows design and planning. His argument is that men are involved in the design, planning, and building of a house. A house does not come into being by accident. Yet, we are expected to believe that this wonderful and beautiful Universe came into being without a designer—without the Supreme Being—God.
Paul’s argument in his letter to the church at Rome approaches this matter in much the same way. He shows that the Gentile is without excuse in ignoring the existence of God, “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). Paul is saying, there is no way man could ignore the fact of a Creator when there is a creation. There is no excuse for rejecting the truth about God because His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen in the Universe He created.
The first chapter of the first book of the Bible opens with these majestic words: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” There, in simple terms, is the answer to man’s questions “Where did everything come from?” “How did this world which we now inhabit come into existence?” Then, after giving an account of the creative work of God during six days, the inspired summary is given in these words: “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made. This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven” (Gen. 2:1-4).
The Universe establishes the existence of God, and the Bible also bears witness that God exists, because only divine inspiration can explain the existence of this most remarkable of books.
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Paolo Di Luca was born in Milan, Italy, and grew up in Ferrara, Italy. He served in the Italian Army. For nearly 25 years, he ministered to churches of Christ in the nation of Italy. His father, the late Gilberto Di Luca, preached the gospel in Italy for a half century. Paolo now resides in New Martinsville, WV, with his wife Cindy. They have one son, Marco, of Los Angeles, CA. This article, written at the invitation of Warren Apologetics Center, brings a unique perspective to the literary contributions being made to the far-reaching cultural battle presently being waged in America.