Does God exist?

GotQuestions.org

Subscribe

Download

Share

00

00:00

Does God exist? Whether God exists is one of the most basic and important questions any person can consider.

00:14

Opinions about God abound, but answering the question does God exist demands more than a few seconds of attention and involves a wide range of ideas and evidence.

00:24

Ultimately, what we see in human experience, science, logic, and history leads to a confident answer, yes,

00:32

God exists. Often, this question is posed as, can you prove

00:37

God exists? The problem is that, while truth itself is absolute, there are virtually zero instances of absolute proof outside of pure logic and mathematics.

00:48

For that reason, courtrooms don't require absolute proof to reach a verdict, rather they seek to dispel reasonable doubt and consider what's most probable.

00:58

Demanding proof of God that no one could ever reject is unreasonable. Neither evidence nor people function that way in the real world.

01:06

Encountering facts and accepting them are profoundly different. Airtight, sound arguments will remain unconvincing to those determined to disbelieve.

01:16

For the resolute skeptic, it's not proof even if it would convince almost anyone else.

01:22

A person's intent is more influential than any evidence encountered. That means a certain amount of faith is necessary.

01:29

And not just regarding God's existence. Perfect knowledge is beyond our ability. Bias and prejudice cloud our views.

01:37

There will always be a gap between what we can know and what we believe. This applies equally to skeptics and believers.

01:45

We cannot possibly know every detail involved every time we sit in a chair, eat food, or climb stairs.

01:52

Such actions all express a measure of faith. We act despite what we don't know because of what we do know.

01:59

That's the essence of biblical faith, including faith in the existence of God. We trust in what is known, leading us to action despite a less than absolute understanding.

02:11

Whether or not one acknowledges God, the decision involves faith. Belief in God does not require blind faith, but neither can it overcome malicious resistance.

02:21

Bolstering faith are human experience, logic, and empirical evidence, all of which help answer the question, does

02:28

God exist? Human Experience Discussing the existence of God usually starts with logical arguments.

02:36

That makes sense, but it's not how human beings normally operate. No one starts devoid of all perspective, waiting to follow a robotically rational path before forming an opinion.

02:49

People interpret life based on the world around them. So looking at the existence of God ought to start with experiences.

02:56

Afterwards, we can use logic to assess those views. Evidence of God exists in daily human experiences.

03:04

This includes our innate sense of morality. It applies to the apparent design of the universe around us.

03:11

Human life compels belief that truth, deception, love, hate, goodness, evil, etc.

03:17

are real and meaningful. The overwhelming majority of people throughout history have been inclined to believe in a reality greater than the physical.

03:27

Our experiences are not conclusive evidence, of course. Instead, God uses general revelation as an invitation.

03:35

Common experiences are meant to emphasize that we ought to seek further answers. Those who ignore or disdain

03:41

God's invitation don't have the excuse of ignorance. Human Logic Three of the more powerful logical suggestions of God's existence are the cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments.

03:55

The cosmological argument considers the principle of cause and effect. Each effect is the result of some cause, and each cause is the effect of a prior cause.

04:04

However, that chain of causes cannot go on infinitely into the past, or else the chain would never actually start.

04:12

Logic demands something eternally existent that is not itself the effect of anything else.

04:18

Our universe clearly is not eternal or uncaused. Logic points to God, the uncreated, eternal measure of all things, the first cause of our reality.

04:29

The teleological argument examines the structure of the universe. The largest galactic configurations, our solar system, our

04:36

DNA, subatomic particles, everything gives the appearance of having been purposefully arranged.

04:42

This trait is so strong that even hardened atheists have difficulty explaining away the appearance of design.

04:50

Nothing about subatomic particles or forces indicates that they must be arranged as they are.

04:55

Yet, if they were not exactly as they are, complex matter and life would be impossible.

05:02

Dozens of universal constants coordinate with mind -boggling precision just to make life possible, let alone actual.

05:10

Science has never observed or explained life arising from non -life, yet it also shows a sudden onset of complex organisms.

05:19

A team of archaeologists who saw the words, I am here, on a cave wall would universally assume intelligent action.

05:26

Meanwhile, human DNA represents a coding structure beyond the ability of the best human engineers.

05:32

The weight of this evidence, logically, favors the idea of an intelligent designer, God, as an explanation.

05:40

The moral argument points to concepts like good and evil, ethics, and so forth.

05:45

It's notable that these are discussions of what should be, not merely what is. Moral principles are drastically disconnected from the ruthless, selfish reasoning that one would expect of a creature randomly evolved to survive at any cost.

06:01

The very idea that human beings think in non -physical, moral terms is striking. Beyond that, the fundamental content of human morals remains constant throughout history and across cultures.

06:13

Further, discussion of moral ideas leads inevitably to a crossroads. Either moral ideas are completely subjective and therefore meaningless, or they must be grounded in some unchanging standard.

06:27

Human experience doesn't support the conclusion that morals mean nothing. The most reasonable explanation for why people think in moral terms and share moral ideas is a real moral law provider, by a moral law giver, or God.

06:43

Human Science The logical arguments above are inspired by observations.

06:49

Concepts such as the Big Bang Theory demonstrate at the very least the scientific validity of a created, non -eternal universe.

06:57

Likewise for the structure of DNA. Empirical data lends credibility to the idea of a biblical creator and contradicts alternative explanations such as an eternal universe or a biogenesis.

07:10

Archeology also lends some support to the Bible. People, events, and places depicted in scripture have repeatedly been confirmed by secular discoveries.

07:20

Many of these discoveries came after skeptics implied the Bible's accounts were fictional. History and literature, for their part, also support the existence of God.

07:29

The preservation of the Bible is one example. Our ability to trace the existing text of scripture to a time so close to the original events supports the

07:38

Bible's reliability. Judeo -Christian influence on culture, morality, human rights, and the birth of modern science also strongly indicates an approach aligned with truth.

07:50

God in Us Each of the prior categories is an entire field of study and the subject of thousands of books.

07:58

Yet, the existence of God is demonstrated most profoundly for most people in personal experience.

08:04

It may not be possible to prove to others that you're happy, for instance, but that doesn't change the fact that you are.

08:11

That's not to say internal perspective outweighs objective truth, but complex truths are often powerfully supported by individual experiences.

08:20

Changed lives, reformed attitudes, and answers to prayer are all part of our personal perception that God exists.

08:28

A personal sense of truth is a compelling way we know God exists and it's God's intent for all people to experience that sense.

08:36

God came to earth personally as a human being, so we could have a personal relationship with Him.

08:43

Those who sincerely seek God will find Him, resulting in the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.

08:49

The question, does God exist, therefore, cannot be answered with absolute proof, but we can point to the weight of evidence that suggests

08:57

He does exist. Accepting the existence of God is not a blind faith leap into the dark, it's a trusting step out of the dark into a well -lit room where many things are made clear.