Does God exist? The answer affects literally everything. It determines whether the universe was designed by a grand Creator or was the result of random chance. It determines whether you are accountable to a greater power for your actions. It determines whether there is life after death and if there are rewards or punishments in an after-life based on what you do now. The list goes on and on.
Even people who say they believe in God can have moments of doubt. These doubts can be deepened by skeptics who claim there is no proof or scientific evidence of God. When a skeptic asks a believer for proof of God, rarely is the skeptic persuaded by the believer. How can we have confidence in a being we can’t see or touch?
There are valid reasons to believe in God!
Are Science and Faith Compatible?
Some of the challenges to faith in God come from the world of science. But are science and faith really opposed to each other?
One popular secular view is that belief in God is completely incompatible with the incredible success of scientific discoveries. Others think science and religion don’t conflict as long as they’re separated; they believe science can explain the natural world, while religion can provide purpose, meaning, and value. Despite this, many well-respected scientists believe rational science and faith in God are indeed compatible.
According to science, the universe had a beginning. This is consistent with Genesis 1:1, which is the foundation of Judeo-Christian belief: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This has been challenged by some who claim God is not necessary to explain the cosmos. However, removing God presents a fundamental problem: How can something come from nothing?
Can Something Come From Nothing?
The popular theory is that the universe began with a “Big Bang.” But, what could have caused it? How could all the energy and matter for a complex universe suddenly erupt out of total emptiness? No rational scientific theory has shown how something — in this case everything — came from nothing.
The idea that a physical universe could come into existence without a creator is relatively new. For thousands of years people have long recognized God’s hand in the natural world and that creation requires a creator.
Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead…”
Today, science continues to reveal a grand complexity to the universe that's well beyond what ancient civilizations had the capacity to understand -- making the idea of an intelligent designer of the universe even more obvious.
Life Comes from Life.
Despite technological advances, not a single scientific effort has succeeded in creating life in a laboratory. This is because life can only come from life. All life requires a pre-existing life force, and the Bible confirms this.
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being
John 1:3-4 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.
The Word of God is completely consistent with the established scientific law of “biogenesis” in explaining that a living God provided the spark for all life on earth, including humanity.
Laws Come from a Law-Giver.
Laws of nature allow us to discover the marvels of the universe. Without reliable physical laws governing the cosmos, everything would be chaos. The scientific method itself is based on the foundational laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.
These predictable physical laws give order to nature and are finely tuned so that life can flourish on earth. The beautiful coherence of the laws that hold the universe together logically point to an intelligent mind as the source.
In addition to physical laws that give order to the universe, moral laws give order to life and society, objectively distinguishing right from wrong. Moral absolutes cannot exist without an authoritative moral source.
If the universe were accidental, then morality would be irrelevant; right and wrong would be decided only by personal preferences, as there would be no objective standard to judge right from wrong.
For example, if murder is bad – as nearly every culture has recognized – then there must be an objective standard that defines it as good or evil. These laws are outside the natural physical world and don’t come from materialism – they are supernatural.
God’s Way Works.
God established physical laws which operate perfectly and in order. Those laws are reliable, they never fail, and are consistent throughout time. In the same manner, His moral laws are perfectly conceived and constant, with verifiable natural consequences.
Some people claim morality is relative to circumstances and culture. Others argue that logic and reason can lead humanity to morality. But, history has shown human nature to be an inherently selfish, untrustworthy guide for finding peace and harmony (Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 10:23). Just look around at the mess of society to see how incapable humans are of achieving happiness on our own terms.
However, according to the Bible, God has revealed to humanity a moral law to help us understand how we should live. These timeless moral laws can’t be discovered through scientific exploration – they are known only by divine revelation from the Creator God.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
The keeping or breaking of His moral laws have natural consequences, and serve as a simple, yet powerful confirmation of God’s existence. The effects can be observed and for thousands of years mankind has witnessed the results of their actions, consistent with those promises made by God.
Put God To The Test.
Living faith in God leads to an understanding that God’s promises cannot be broken. He cannot lie. His Word stands the test of time.
Yes, it is entirely rational to believe in a God who exists outside of space and time as the Creator. But more than that, when you try to find explanations about life exclusively from the physical world, it becomes clear that science fails to answer the fundamental big questions: What is the purpose of life? What happens after death? What is the best way to live?
The truth cannot be found in science, yet faith in the God of the Bible provides fulfilling, comforting, honest answers to the fundamental questions of life.
So put the Bible to the test. Put God to the test. Prove all things, hold fast to what is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Our loving Father answers prayers. He fulfills His prophecies. If you honestly and sincerely seek God through study and prayer, you will discover even greater confirmation of God’s awesome existence.
God has an amazing plan for the entire creation and that plan includes you!
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Does God exist? The answer affects literally everything. It determines whether the universe was designed by a grand Creator or was the result of random chance. It determines whether you are accountable to a greater power for your actions. It determines whether there is life after death and if there are rewards or punishments in an after-life based on what you do now. The list goes on and on.
Even people who say they believe in God can have moments of doubt. These doubts can be deepened by skeptics who claim there is no proof or scientific evidence of God. When a skeptic asks a believer for proof of God, rarely is the skeptic persuaded by the believer. How can we have confidence in a being we can’t see or touch?
There are valid reasons to believe in God!
Are Science and Faith Compatible?
Some of the challenges to faith in God come from the world of science. But are science and faith really opposed to each other?
One popular secular view is that belief in God is completely incompatible with the incredible success of scientific discoveries. Others think science and religion don’t conflict as long as they’re separated; they believe science can explain the natural world, while religion can provide purpose, meaning, and value. Despite this, many well-respected scientists believe rational science and faith in God are indeed compatible.
According to science, the universe had a beginning. This is consistent with Genesis 1:1, which is the foundation of Judeo-Christian belief: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This has been challenged by some who claim God is not necessary to explain the cosmos. However, removing God presents a fundamental problem: How can something come from nothing?
Can Something Come From Nothing?
The popular theory is that the universe began with a “Big Bang.” But, what could have caused it? How could all the energy and matter for a complex universe suddenly erupt out of total emptiness? No rational scientific theory has shown how something — in this case everything — came from nothing.
The idea that a physical universe could come into existence without a creator is relatively new. For thousands of years people have long recognized God’s hand in the natural world and that creation requires a creator.
Psalms 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.”
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His [God’s] invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] His eternal power and Godhead…”
Today, science continues to reveal a grand complexity to the universe that's well beyond what ancient civilizations had the capacity to understand -- making the idea of an intelligent designer of the universe even more obvious.
Life Comes from Life.
Despite technological advances, not a single scientific effort has succeeded in creating life in a laboratory. This is because life can only come from life. All life requires a pre-existing life force, and the Bible confirms this.
Genesis 2:7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being
John 1:3-4 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men.
The Word of God is completely consistent with the established scientific law of “biogenesis” in explaining that a living God provided the spark for all life on earth, including humanity.
Laws Come from a Law-Giver.
Laws of nature allow us to discover the marvels of the universe. Without reliable physical laws governing the cosmos, everything would be chaos. The scientific method itself is based on the foundational laws of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology.
These predictable physical laws give order to nature and are finely tuned so that life can flourish on earth. The beautiful coherence of the laws that hold the universe together logically point to an intelligent mind as the source.
In addition to physical laws that give order to the universe, moral laws give order to life and society, objectively distinguishing right from wrong. Moral absolutes cannot exist without an authoritative moral source.
If the universe were accidental, then morality would be irrelevant; right and wrong would be decided only by personal preferences, as there would be no objective standard to judge right from wrong.
For example, if murder is bad – as nearly every culture has recognized – then there must be an objective standard that defines it as good or evil. These laws are outside the natural physical world and don’t come from materialism – they are supernatural.
God’s Way Works.
God established physical laws which operate perfectly and in order. Those laws are reliable, they never fail, and are consistent throughout time. In the same manner, His moral laws are perfectly conceived and constant, with verifiable natural consequences.
Some people claim morality is relative to circumstances and culture. Others argue that logic and reason can lead humanity to morality. But, history has shown human nature to be an inherently selfish, untrustworthy guide for finding peace and harmony (Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 10:23). Just look around at the mess of society to see how incapable humans are of achieving happiness on our own terms.
However, according to the Bible, God has revealed to humanity a moral law to help us understand how we should live. These timeless moral laws can’t be discovered through scientific exploration – they are known only by divine revelation from the Creator God.
Deuteronomy 30:15-16 “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the LORD your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”
The keeping or breaking of His moral laws have natural consequences, and serve as a simple, yet powerful confirmation of God’s existence. The effects can be observed and for thousands of years mankind has witnessed the results of their actions, consistent with those promises made by God.
Put God To The Test.
Living faith in God leads to an understanding that God’s promises cannot be broken. He cannot lie. His Word stands the test of time.
Yes, it is entirely rational to believe in a God who exists outside of space and time as the Creator. But more than that, when you try to find explanations about life exclusively from the physical world, it becomes clear that science fails to answer the fundamental big questions: What is the purpose of life? What happens after death? What is the best way to live?
The truth cannot be found in science, yet faith in the God of the Bible provides fulfilling, comforting, honest answers to the fundamental questions of life.
So put the Bible to the test. Put God to the test. Prove all things, hold fast to what is true (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Our loving Father answers prayers. He fulfills His prophecies. If you honestly and sincerely seek God through study and prayer, you will discover even greater confirmation of God’s awesome existence.
God has an amazing plan for the entire creation and that plan includes you!
May We Suggest...
Dig Deeper ⬀
cogassembly.org