1. Is there any evidence for the existence of God?

Upon first asking that question, you might think that the questioner is a little simple. But the reality is that many very intelligent people question the existence of God.

The basis for their questions usually lie in their own experiences... how can there be a God, they ask, if...and then they add their own experience of something troubling them or troubling the world.

The existence of God, however, cannot be limited to our human experience, although that is important. We’ll look at our human experiences of God in a moment, but more than that, I should be honest with you and say that God has revealed Himself to us. The Bible gives us the clearest evidence for God’s existence, especially as He has shown Himself as loving and self-sacrificing in Jesus. That’s the real proof. But I’m jumping ahead of myself.

Let’s look at the traditional arguments for the existence of God. For almost a thousand years, seven arguments have been used to argue for the existence of God from nature:

1. Conscience or moral argument: This sense of right and wrong in everyone’s hearts is evidence for God. We have a sense of “oughtness” inherent in our beings.

2. Cosmos: Where did the world come from? While evolutionists will argue for an eternal nature to matter, most scientists suggest that there must have been a beginning of matter. Even those who advocate the Big Bang theory suggest that something had to create that first element of matter. The cosmological argument suggests that here is the evidence for God. The Bible also tells us in Psalm 19 that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament shows His handiwork.”

3. Telos: The fact that people have a sense of purpose is another argument for God’s existence. What gives life a sense of purpose? Where is this purpose leading? A Roman Catholic philosopher, Teilhard de Chardin, spoke of an omega-point toward which all life is heading—that was created by God.

4. Ontos: In the middle ages, a monk and teacher named Anselm, would contemplate God’s existence and then share his contemplations with his fellow monks. Near the end of his life, he was encouraged go write this down in a little book, the subtitle was “faith seeking understanding.” Anselm’s argument was quite heady—he said that God is “that than which a greater cannot be thought.”

5. Homo religiosus: Philosophers and some theologians speak of the “religious man” quality in most human beings. There is a sense of God’s being. C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that all humans have a sense that something or Someone is watching them, “the Man upstairs”

6. Aesthetics: As Americans we are very practical, yet there are some things that really have no practical purpose—particularly things of beauty. Now, we may say that beautiful flowers attract bees and so are pollinated; or people are beautiful in order to marry and have more people. However, when you consider a sunrise or sunset, there is no practical purpose for this beauty...it just is! God loves beauty and the beauty of nature gives evidence of God’s presence.

7. History: Why do certain events happen? We speak of coincidences, but some things seem to have guidance—a bank of clouds hides a group of military troops before a successful battle; a flat tire causes you to be late and you avoid a traffic pile-up on a highway. These acts of history give evidence of God’s guidance and preservation of His creation.

Are there other proofs? You can probably think of some yourself. I recall thinking as a second grader that if there is a God, then I should believe in Him. If there wasn’t a God and I believed, it wouldn’t hurt me. If I didn’t believe in God and He was real, then I’d be in trouble. So, my logic as a second grader was to realize that believing in God was the smart thing to do.

In college I learned that my second-grade argument had been considered by a famous mathematician, philosopher and atheist-turned-Christian, named Blaise Pascal. His argument is often called “Pascal’s wager”. If you believe in a God who doesn’t exist, you don’t lose anything (assuming that death is the absolute end). Whereas if you believe in God, you gain everything (eternal bliss). On the other hand, if you don’t believe in God and He doesn’t exist, you gain nothing (death ends all), whereas if you don’t believe in God who exists, you lose everything (eternal damnation).

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pascal-wager/

http://www.allaboutcreation.org/proof-of-god-video.htm