He is There and We Can Know Him

There are good and bad reasons for believing in God. Some of the bad reasons are as follows.

One poor reason is: "I believe in God because that's what my parents believe." That's not a very good reason because it's not personal faith–it's borrowed faith.

Another poor reason is: "I believe because it feels good to believe." Emotions are not a very good guide in finding truth because emotions are too easily manipulated.

Another poor reason is: "I believe because I like the traditions and the festivals attached to my religion." This is not a good reason either because festivals and traditions don't have the power to transform someone's life.

Well, today on Bible Talk, we're going to share with you some better reasons for believing in God.

The Importance of Having Good Reasons

Today we're going to talk about God. That's what we always talk about, but today we're going to talk specifically about the existence of God.

There are good and bad reasons for believing in God. I'd prefer to have good reasons for believing in God–wouldn't you?

Sometimes people believe because their mother believed, or because it's comfortable to believe. They can go along real well for a long time. But the problem with having poor reasons for believing in God is that when something goes wrong–when you face a trial in your life–if you don't have good reasons for believing in God, what happens to your faith?

It goes down. It's finished.

If you don't have good reasons for what you believe, you cannot sustain an attack on what you believe.

People sometimes laugh and say, "Oh boy..." But I've got good reasons for believing in God. I don't believe in some huge leap of faith where all of a sudden you leap into this big, black cavernous space and just hope something's on the other side. I believe in God for good reasons, and I'd like to share some of those reasons with you today.

Reason #1: The Origin of Life

The first reason for believing in God–the existence of God–is that it is the best explanation for the origin of life.

If you ask people where the universe comes from or where life comes from, there are only three possible answers.

1. The universe was always there and evolved.
2. There was nothing, and then suddenly–poof–it all happened by itself.
3. Someone created it as it is.

Those are the only possibilities: it was always there, it appeared by itself, or someone created it.

Some Christians might say, "Genesis 1 says, 'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.' That settles it." That's fine if you believe the Bible is inspired. But what about the person who doesn't believe the Bible? Can you prove to him that God created the world without opening the Bible?

I think so–through logic and observation.

The Laws of Thermodynamics

There are scientific laws called the laws of thermodynamics. "Thermo" means heat. "Dynamic" means power. These are the laws of heat and power, developed by scientists through observation and logic.

The First Law: Nothing Comes from Nothing

The first law of thermodynamics was clearly expressed by Robert Mayer in the 19th century. In simple terms, it says: nothing comes from nothing.

Scientists observed that no new energy or matter is being created. It can only be transformed into another form. For example, oil can be converted into plastic, but it cannot be destroyed or created out of nothing.

When people say the world created itself, they go against this law, which is accepted by all scientists. Without even looking at the Bible, we can say that it's illogical and unscientific to claim that the universe created itself–because nothing comes from nothing.

The Second Law: The Universe Is Not Eternal

The second law was clearly expressed by Max Planck, who died in 1947. Through observation and testing, he realized that matter is not eternal.

The universe is slowly in a state of decomposition. It is losing heat. Every time energy is converted, a certain amount of heat is lost. When the universe loses all of its heat, it will not be able to sustain life.

If something has an end, it also has a beginning. Science shows that the universe is winding down. Therefore, it cannot have been eternal. That eliminates the first two options. What's left? Someone must have created it. You can call Him whatever you like. I call Him God.

This doesn't prove the Bible is true or that Jesus is the Son of God. It simply shows, through logic and observation, that a being created the universe.

Reason #2: Design Implies a Designer

Every time I look at the universe–the stars, people, a baby, an eyeball–I see order and design. Whenever I see design and order, I think: if there's design, there must be a designer.

William Paley gave this illustration: imagine walking in the desert and finding a watch. You recognize that someone designed it. The designer must be smarter than the watch itself.

In the same way, when I look at the universe and see order, beauty, and purpose, I conclude that the one who designed it must have intelligence, order, and purpose as well.

That's another good reason I believe in God. It's logical. Design implies a designer–an intelligent, supreme designer.

Interviews: Why Do People Believe?

Some people say:

• "Just look around at the trees, birds, and ocean. Someone created that."
• "There must be an initial cause for everything."
• "Maybe it's the way I was brought up."
• "There has to be something higher."
• "When I'm in trouble, I think about Him."

It was surprising how many people didn't know why they believed–or why they didn't believe. They just had no reasons.

Cause and Effect

Behind every effect, there must be a cause. Behind every design, there must be a designer capable of producing that design.

Science teaches that everything tends toward disorder. Yet evolution claims increasing order over millions of years. To some, that doesn't make sense.

If everything works under authority–parents, governments, leaders–then logically there must be ultimate authority over all.

The Limits of Emotion

One of the most dangerous things to say is, "I believe in God because deep down inside I just feel it."

Someone else might say, "Deep down inside, I don't believe because I've suffered too much."

Feelings alone are not enough. We need evidence.

Human Nature as Evidence

When we look at human beings, we see qualities we do not share with animals:

• Conscience
• Creativity
• Planning
• Moral awareness
• A sense of time

Where did these come from? C.S. Lewis wrote about the "sense of ought"–that inner moral law. It's inconvenient, yet it compels us. It's not just conditioning. We feel we ought to do certain things. Dogs don't have that. Trees don't have that. Where did it come from?

Revelation

Another proof is revelation–that God has revealed Himself. II Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is inspired by God. There are many reasons to believe in God. But you have to take the time. A scientist once said that if you study science long enough, you will have to believe in God. You can look into space or into an atom and see structure and creation, but you won't physically find God. God is spirit.

Conclusion

We've tried to show that even without opening the Bible, there are strong reasons for believing that God exists:

• Nothing comes from nothing.
• The universe is not eternal.
• Design implies a designer.
• Human nature points to something beyond matter.

Thank you for being with us this week. We invite you to join us next week for another edition of Bible Talk.