Can we be certain that God exists? Many have claimed that we can be absolutely certain, and that and doubt regarding God’s existence is absurd. While I appreciate the sentiment, and generally agree that you can’t even talk about the existence of God without assuming that he exists (by the use of logic, reason, and language), I don’t believe that attaining absolute certainty regarding his existence should be our goal.

The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith. Furthermore, we must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:3). If we could attain certainty regarding the existence of God, what role would faith play? How could we believe that he exists if we could know with absolute certainty that he does?

Instead of attaining certainty in the existence of God, we should aim for confidence. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Consequently, we need an informed faith. A faith that is strong, confident, and full of substance. A faith that is strengthened by what we do know, yet is content with what we do not know. This is the kind of faith we need.

As we consider three arguments for the existence of God, let’s keep this kind of faith in mind. Our faith cannot be separated from reality, yet it cannot demand the certainty that would render faith useless. For example, God has clearly shown us his attributes in the things that have been made, and thus we are without excuse (Romans 1:20). But the righteous must still live by faith (Romans 1:16-17).

Therefore, when these arguments regarding the existence of God are considered, we must recognize the clear demonstration of God’s existence and his attributes, but we must choose to exercise faith in them, or rather in God. Its not enough to be convinced of God’s existence intellectually, we must exercise faith in the God who’s existence we are considering. With that being said, here are three of my favorite arguments for the God’s existence:

1. The Cosmological Argument

The primary claim of the cosmological argument is that the universe must have a cause. If everything that begins to exist has a cause, and if the universe began to exist, then the universe must have a cause. That which causes the universe to come into must be its creator, able to stand outside of the universe and bring it into being. Nothing comes from nothing. Something must come from something, or someone.

Imagine you are taking a stroll down the beach, and you come across a glorious sand castle. Would your assumption be that it has always existed, or that at some point in time, it had a beginning? Of course you would assume that it had a beginning. Such is the case for everything else you experience in life. Everything that exists has a cause. This is why the scientific consensus has adopted The Big Bang Theory, because it explains the beginning, or the cause, of the universe. However, even The Big Bang, if it began to exist, had to have a cause. Who or what caused it?

The cosmological argument asserts that the universe had to have a beginning, and that it is probable for that beginning to be God. More on that in the next argument.

Continue reading “Three Classic Arguments for the Existence of God” →