How do we know God exists and how do we know there is a God?
Some would say the existence of God cannot be proved or disproved; it is “not scientific.” Others would say there is plenty of proof in nature, the universe, and the human body itself. All these intricate masterpieces have to be the work of a loving Creator. In fact, it is often stated that it takes more faith to believe that our world is completely random, than it does to believe in a God who created it!
The Bible says that we must accept by faith the fact that God exists: “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). If God wanted, He could simply appear and prove to the whole world that He exists. But if He did that, there would be no need for faith. Jesus himself pointed this out to “doubting Thomas” and the other disciples after His resurrection: “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:29).
There may be another reason some resist the existence of God. Once they admit that’s true, then they must also be accountable to God and in need of his forgiveness (Romans 3:23, 6:23). If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without worrying about His judgment. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the theory of naturalistic evolution—it provides them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. Realize that when some people try so hard to disprove His existence, it is in fact an argument FOR His existence.
How do we know God exists? As Christians, we know God exists because we speak to Him in various ways every day. We may not hear Him speaking audibly to us, but we sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His love, we need and want His grace. Things have happened in our lives that have no possible explanation other than God. There are so many miracles and life changes that we cannot help but acknowledge and praise His existence! Faith in God is not a blind leap into the dark. It is a safe step into a well-lit room, full of joy, love, and “the peace that passes all understanding.”
Why do Christians believe the Bible is true and is the Word of God?
A number of facts make it reasonable to believe the Bible is accurate and reliable. Jesus, the Son of God and the greatest spiritual authority of all time confirmed the accuracy of the Bible, even to the “smallest letter or stroke.” (Matthew 5: 18) Archaeology has affirmed its historical accuracy. Biblical manuscripts number in the thousands and in some cases date less than 100 years from the actual occurrence of the events that they describe – giving us by far the best historical document civilization possesses.
The Bible has an amazing unity to it, even though it is made up of 66 books, written over a period of 1,500 years, by more than 40 authors, from widely different cultures and parts of the world. This alone supports that there was divine supervision over its writing. The Bible claims to be the Word of God (II Timothy 3:16; John 1:1-5). Through the exact fulfillment of prophecy and the miraculous transformation of individuals who have believed its message, it has proven itself over and over to be just that.
Why are there so many religions and do all religions lead to God?
Romans 1:19-21 contains the biblical explanation for why there are so many religions. The truth of God is seen and known by every human being because God has made it so. Instead of accepting the truth about God and submitting to it, many of us reject it and seek our own way to understand God. But this doesn’t lead to enlightenment regarding God – it leads to futility of thinking.
The existence of so many religions is not an argument against God’s existence or an argument that truth about God is not clear. Instead, the existence of so many religions is evidence of humanity’s rejection of the one true God. Humankind has replaced Him with gods that are more to their liking. This is dangerous. The desire to recreate God in our own image comes from the sin nature within us—a nature that will eventually “reap destruction” (Galatians 6:7-8).
All people—religious or otherwise—will stand before God someday (Hebrews 9:27), but religious affiliation is not what determines your eternal destiny. Only faith in Jesus Christ will save. “Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). It’s as simple as that. Only Christianity—faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ—leads to God’s forgiveness and eternal life. “No one comes to the Father except through the Son” (John 14:6). It does make a difference what you believe. The decision to embrace the truth about Jesus Christ is important. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong.
What about those who never hear of Jesus?
- No one claims to know God completely. If they did they would be God.
- What we do know about God from the Bible is that He reveals himself to everyone. “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
- What is not as clearly revealed is how the work of Christ on the cross is applied to every person. Because He is just, we can be sure that He will treat fairly those who have not heard about Christ.
- The Bible is clear – those who have heard about Christ and reject him are choosing to reject God and will pay the penalty for their own sins.
God’s perfect love and justice is much better than ours. Whatever He decides will be loving and fair. The most logical behavior for anyone concerned about people who haven’t heard Christ’s message would be to trust Jesus and go tell them about Him.
How can a loving God allow evil and suffering in the world?
Suffering is very real and cannot be dealt with lightly. No one can tell us why we must go through suffering. Christians acknowledge the presence of evil and suffering in life. Jesus was a man who was the suffering servant, “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.” (Isaiah 53: 3) In the Bible, suffering is simply recognized as a part of the experience of every human being. Suffering is the result of sin and related to sin, but people do not always suffer in direct proportion to their sin.
One way to process the question of suffering is, “Why don’t we all suffer more than we do?” Why does God tolerate us as we continue to sin? Luke 13: 1 – 5
Another way is to remove God from the story – but that only makes evil and suffering more absurd. Other religions deal with it by saying it is an illusion or that God is not all powerful or loving. But if you believe that evil and suffering is real, then please be comforted by this: Jesus Christ and His followers are on your side. Not only is the problem of evil and suffering treated as the main problem in Christianity, but the solution is the main theme of the Bible.
The Bible (third chapter of Genesis) says that all evil and suffering is the result of humankind’s choice to run from, or cut themselves off from, God, the author of life and goodness. The solution, according to the Bible, is to come to Christ. He’s the one who saves us from our sin and from this world and worldly things. He promises to bring us into a perfect heavenly world where there will be an end to pain, evil and suffering.
Is there a real hell and why would a loving God send anyone there?
According to the Bible, hell is just as real as heaven. The Bible clearly and explicitly teaches that hell is a real place to which the wicked and unbelieving are sent after death. We have all sinned against God (Romans 3:23). The just punishment for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). While we often think of how we sin against others, all of our sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4). Jesus Himself indicates that punishment in hell is just as everlasting as life in heaven (Matthew 25:46). The wicked are forever subject to the fury and the wrath of God. Those in hell will acknowledge the perfect justice of God (Psalm 76:10). Those who are in hell will know that their punishment is just and that they alone are to blame (Deuteronomy 32:3-5).
Logic and fairness demand the concept of hell. Think of all the evil and atrocities that have been committed throughout history. For God to allow those crimes to go unpunished would mean that God is not worthy of our worship and love.
Now why would a loving God “send” anyone to hell? Simply – He doesn’t. We choose to go there when we reject the love of God. Let’s say you were shown a door to your right leading to heaven, and one on your left leading to hell. If you walked out the door heading to hell, you wouldn’t have anybody to blame but yourself. In fact, the bible tells us that God does everything possible to keep us out of hell. He cared so much to keep us out of hell that he sent Jesus Christ to come to earth, to die on the cross, to pay for our sins so that we don’t have to pay for them. He wants to set us free! He wants to give us forgiveness! God made us in his image and He gave us the ultimate power to say yes or no. If we choose to reject God here on earth – and since God is an infinite and eternal Being – then we are choosing to spend eternity separated from Him.
Yes, hell is real. Jesus talked more about hell then He did heaven. He said it is a real place and it is a place of eternal torment. Jesus knows more about it than we do. Praise God that, through Jesus, we can escape this eternal fate (John 3:16, 18, 36).
Why do I exist? What is my purpose in life?
These are the most fundamental questions of life.
Well, you need to understand God to answer that question. You see, the bible says, “God is love.” It doesn’t say He has love; it says He IS love. It’s part of His nature, His character. It is the essence of His being. Now, love isn’t very valuable unless you share it and the bible says, “God made you to love you.” You were created as an object of God’s love. If you want to know why you’re taking breath right now, why your heart is beating, it’s because God made you to love you. It’s the sole reason. You were made to be loved by God and to bring Him pleasure.
Now, God wants you to learn to love Him back and that’s the first purpose of your life – to get to know Him and love Him back. A man once asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40) Many have summarized these two commandments as “love God, love people.” So when you get up in the morning, you could pray, “God, if I don’t get anything else done today, help me love you more and learn how to love people more.” We believe that the happiest and most peaceful people in the world are those who understand what this means.
God didn’t put us on this earth just to mark things off our to-do lists. Until we understand this, life isn’t going to make sense. If you held up an invention that you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose. The only way you would know is to either talk to the inventor or creator or read the owner’s manual. The owner’s manual of life is the Bible and our Creator is God.
See the Mission Addiction workshop, We’re Here For A Reason: Discovering and Living Your Life Purpose
Does my life really matter?
You were created by a loving God who loves you and designed you with intricate detail in your life. When you understand that God made you to love you and that God made you to be a part of His family and that God made you to last forever, then you’re never going to have a problem with low self-esteem again. The God of the universe loves YOU!
It was Bertram Russell the atheist who once said, “Unless you assume the existence of God, then the purpose and meaning of life is irrelevant.” The truth is, if there is no God, your life does not matter much. But because there is a God, God had a specific purpose in mind when He created you and you DO matter. You matter because God created you. You matter because he sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for you. If you want to know how much you matter, think of Jesus Christ on that cross with his arms outstretched, saying, “I love you this much.”
Loving God and loving people are the most important things in life. God wants you to know Him and He wants you to have a relationship with Him. You’re worth so much in God’s eyes that he sent His Son to die for you.
How can I become a Christian?
This is the best part because God loves us and makes it so easy! All you have to do is receive and completely trust Jesus alone as your Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and completely accept His death as the complete sacrifice for your sins (John 3:16). Becoming a Christian is not all about rituals, going to church, or doing certain things while refraining from other things. Becoming a Christian is all about believing and having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Christianity works! The God of the bible provides a supernatural wisdom and presence in our lives TODAY! Faith can and should be used in our daily struggles, recovery, and healing from past hurts. To learn more, consider The Baptism Decision workshop and other faith classes offered at Mission Addiction.