Before we can approach answering this question, we must assume there is some kind of rational and logical explanation for things. Why? Because if everything results from chaos and randomness, then logic and reason would not exist. Put simply, logic and reason cannot come from chaos and randomness. So, given reason and logic are valid, there are 3 possible explanations for the origin of everything: (1) everything came from nothing, (2) the beginning of everything was impersonal, and (3) the beginning of everything was personal.

1. The first explanation fails because nothing can come from nothing, even if you have an eternity.
2. The second explanation is problematic because time, chance, and impersonal things can never produce value or personhood (if you disagree, the burden of proof is on you and the just-so story “I know it happened because I am here” is not a valid, objective proof); however, the world is full of personhood and value, so this reductionistic explanation only results in denialism and nihilism. Ironically, many people believe this and yet deny the existence of God, all the while believing they themselves are valuable people contributing value to society. This view is held by atheistic existentialists (who believe that while nothing is objectively valuable, conscious human beings create value and therefore meaning), but the end result is solipsism, which is the belief that the existence of oneself is the only truly known reality.
3. The third explanation, that a “person” had something to do with the beginning of everything (said “person” excluded) surprisingly makes a lot of sense of the particulars of Reality including personhood, and provides an explanation for origins that provides value, meaning, and purpose to life. Of course, in order for this explanation to work, the said “person” must be eternal, as if this “person” had a beginning as well, then we have only kicked the can down the road. Let’s call this “person” who is eternal and capable of creating everything, “God.” Now, if we consider this explanation, the next question is: Does God exist?

There are 3 approaches to answering the question of God’s existence: (1) Methodological presupposition; (2) Philosophical arguments; and (3) Find evidence of the self-revelation of God.

Methodological Presupposition

The first approach, methodological presupposition, simply presumes that God exists. This is generally the flip side of materialism, which denies the supernatural realm. I say generally, because one could believe in a supernatural realm, yet deny the existence of an all-powerful, infinite God, believing instead an animistic ontology, for example. While some may vehemently disagree, believing in the supernatural realm and the existence of a supreme Being called God is a perfectly rational decision because there is evidence to sustain it, no less rational (and perhaps even more rational) than choosing to not believe in a supernatural realm. This pre-theoretical assumption also allows one to settle for oneself the question whether God exists, once and for all, simply choosing to live as if God exists, for better or for worse.

Philosophical Arguments

The second approach, philosophical arguments, makes the case for God using various proofs. These arguments range from the cosmological to the psychological, from ontological to teleological. There are dozens of such arguments, which can be cogent, powerful, sound, and/or mind-stretching. True, some depend on prior assumptions, but others do not and appear to be strong proofs for God’s existence. While one may not be sufficient proof, taken together, they are a considerable weight of evidence, though not indubitable. Here are some examples of such arguments:

• Argument from time and contingency
• Argument from change
• Argument from efficient causality
• Argument from design
• Argument from truth

For example, consider the argument from design (which I will cover more elsewhere):

1. One observes that there is order, intricate structure, and beauty around in nature.
2. This can come from either chance or design.
3. At least certain structures could not have come from chance.
4. The universe must be a product of intelligent design.
5. Design comes only from a designer.
6. Therefore there must be a Creator who designed and created the universe.

Or, consider the argument from truth:

1. Our limited minds can discover eternal truths about being.
2. Truth properly resides in the mind.
3. But the human mind is not eternal.
4. Therefore there must exist an eternal mind in which these truths reside.

To be fair, the difficulty with such philosophical arguments is that many of them have logical flaws. For example, here one can find 36 arguments that supposedly have valid flaws. I do not endorse this analysis, and some of the so-called flaws may be misunderstandings (especially if the analyzer does not share the same presuppositions as the one who put forward the argument), but it gives the idea of how hard it is to prove God’s existence purely using argumentation.

Has God revealed Himself?

The third approach, self-revelation, may be the best way. The key question this approach asks is: “Has God interacted with humanity in history?” Is there credible evidence of activity in our space-time that could be ascribed to God? Consider the following image:

Is this shadow of a bear on the cave wall an entity in and of itself, or is it linked to something greater than itself just outside the cave? He who doubts it represents a Real bear is in mortal danger despite claims to the contrary that the shadows we see in nature are just figments of our imagination, a trick of our mind, harmless illusions of something greater beyond the material world.

By the above illustration, I am certainly not implying God is like an angry grizzly bear! My point is that if there is an Entity beyond the natural world, we should look for evidence that such an entity has revealed Itself to us. Why? Because if this Entity is a conscious being that is self-aware (a.k.a., a person), then we must look beyond empiricism to learn about them (empirical study is great for learning about things, but it cannot help us know someone). A person is only known by listening to them and observing what they (have) reveal(ed) about themselves.

Such revelation can take the form of “general/natural revelation” (information readily available to all via nature) or “particular/special revelation” (specific information specially given to someone). Let’s look at both of these in turn.

General Revelation (An Overview)

General revelation is when someone looks at something in nature (including humanity) and “sees more” (e.g., thinks the grandeur of nature implies a Creator) than someone else may see looking at the same thing; this form of revelation is always impersonal, cannot come from manipulative research, and can be difficult to distinguish between one’s opinion versus actually seeing evidence for God. While general revelation may help us know about God, it cannot help us know God personally.

God could reveal generally through various ways:

1. Nature
   • If one contemplates the universe with an open mind, one gets a sense of its vastness, order, and complexity that sustains life. It seems nature, or perhaps something/someone responsible for nature is maintaining it to preserve life on Earth through the rains watering the dry fields (while it is true one may complain “it’s about time,” another may see more and say “thank you God for providentially ending the drought!”), the renewal that happens every spring season in spite of the freezing winter, and the finely tuned cosmic and planetary parameters that make Earth habitable. So many other examples exist (e.g., from entomology) that suggest not only a being with a mind is responsible for the origin and maintenance of everything, but also the magnitude/grandeur, capacity, forethought, and character of this being. One can also see that there are opposing forces at play (altruistic/selfless vs. selfish actions), which suggest a cosmological controversy is occurring, which suggests a battle of minds of spiritual proportions is occurring, and that you and I can influence other objects and beings in selfish or selfless ways too, which would mean something significant if those spiritual beings are interested in us.
2. Humans as beings
   • If one considers humanity, we see humans are capable of various behaviors, have different personalities, have different capabilities, and have different experiences. Humans have a sense of personhood, of self-awareness, and have the ability to freely choose. What does this say about our Creator? Humans have minds that go beyond processing sensory information, but that can rationalize, imagine, and create new things. The Creator must have at least the same, probably much greater, rational ability. There also seems to be inherent within humanity across all cultures some sense of morality, of what is good and what is bad. Obviously there are differences in the particulars, but does the mere presence of a sense of morality tell us something about the Creator? Humans also are relational, capable of forming close attachments to one another. Might the Creator be a relational being as well?
3. History
   • Sometimes the expected outcome based on logical prediction does not happen. Did some supernatural force intervene? Believers in God sometimes claim to have personally experienced miraculous occurrences that seem to defy the known laws of physics. But on a more grand scale, could there be a divine hand at work in the uplift of individuals, governments, and kingdoms/empires/countries and their removal/downfall? Can all of human history be entirely explained materialistically? Or are there historical events that record supernatural phenomenon that have (in some cases dramatically) changed the prospects of individuals and people-groups? Why does religion play such a large role in human history? Is human history what would be expected if there was no supernatural realm and we all evolved from ape-like cavemen with the biggest fights over resources and the battles determined by survival of the fittest?
4. Beauty
   • When one looks at a flower perfect in form, intricate in its detail, and extravagantly colored, one’s inherent impulse is to admire it as beautiful. When we look around, we notice that some things in this world have symmetry, vibrant color, and complex designs, while other things have asymmetry, dull colors, and simple structures or are decaying (see some examples here). Why do we feel some things are more beautiful or more ugly? Where does this come from? Is the idea of beauty a derived scale originating from mate selection pressures? Or does our sense of beauty have an origin beyond ourselves? Does our Creator have a standard of beauty? What does this tell us about the Creator’s character?
5. Humor
   • At first glance, this seems like an odd one; but if you stop and think about it, why does humor exist? Why do we find things funny? It is said that “laughter is the best medicine.” Did humor evolve because it is beneficial? Even if so, that does not explain its origin. Perhaps humor exists because there is something built within us that transcends mere acknowledgement of cause and effect, transcends mere mechanical response, and that lightens the darkness by grasping hope in spite of a negative situation. If we have the capacity to transcend in our thoughts our material situation, what does this tell us about the Creator?

In short, general revelation tells us that the universe cannot be accounted for by random chance, or a mere assortment of evolved/ascended deities (gods), or anything other than a transcendent Deity that is infinitely greater and more powerful than we can imagine, with an all-knowing, rational mind, and a personal, relational character. But this still leaves plenty of questions…. Very important questions.

Special Revelation

Consider the following three questions:

1. Where did I come from? (origin)
2. Why am I here? (purpose)
3. What happens after I die? (destiny)

While general revelation may offer hints or clues gained from the things God has already created, it cannot answer these ultimate questions. Answers to these questions must either be self-determined (the atheistic position) or communicated to us from the Creator God using a way we can understand (the theistic position). (Deists believe God is no longer involved so they take the self-determined approach, and animists/spirit-worshipers just believe the spirits but still have no source external to creation to provide ultimately accurate answers either.) While God may use the things of nature for self-revelation to all generally, there is also the possibility that God may make more direct revelations to individuals. If God is a personal, relational Being, with an interest in the affairs of humanity, and if there is knowledge God deems important that we know, which is not obtainable through general revelation, then it would make sense that God would communicate such knowledge to certain individuals or all of humanity. In order to be effectual, such communication needs to be in a way humans can perceive and understand. If you want to talk to the ants, you cannot use human language–you have to use ant language. Thus, special revelation would be expected to come in the form of humanly understood words, thoughts, or visions–all ways God can successfully communicate a specific/detailed/particular message to an individual at a specific time and place in our dimension.

When one starts digging through history or people’s experiences, sooner or later one will find claims alleging that God was actively involved. Such claims are either mentions of specific historical events where God has acted (e.g., heard God’s voice, angelic messengers appearing/communicating, dreams or visions that were supernatural, writings/messages that mysteriously appear, or even direct theophanies) or of people who have written records of messages communicated to them from God (e.g., the Bible). It is important to realize that such people are normal human beings who claim to have unexpected, interesting experiences with the supernatural, involving a message having unusual content that is unknowable by human means. This places such individuals into the unenviable position of being ridiculed, mocked, and even persecuted by skeptics/unbelievers and yet forced to deal with the profound sense that they are responsible to the Deity and highly convicted to share the message given, even if it is at great cost to themselves. These people may be crazy/delusional but their claims deserve investigation. Is it reasonable to believe that such people desired to deceive others in future ages to come? If we take this position generally, we cannot rely on anything written down by our predecessors for posterity–human records would be completely untrustworthy. We can only conclude deception was a motive if there is significant evidence to back up that conclusion. Ultimately it is up to us to decide if the content of the revealed messages are to be believed or not.

One of the most significant collections of special revelations is the Bible. How authentic is the Bible and why do so many people believe that it is inspired by God?

• The Biblical account/narrative goes back to before the beginning of human history, explaining human origins in a way that provides answers to the first two of life’s ultimate questions regarding origin and purpose. It accounts for the existence of evil and death. The narrative extends forward in time predicting the future of humanity and the Earth, and describes how individuals can choose their destiny, answering the third ultimate question.
• The Bible was written over a time span of approximately 1,600 years by many different authors, yet maintains a cohesive grand narrative, suggesting God inspired each of the authors. These authors were not invoking magic or doing divination, but were given divine messages at God’s initiative according to the Biblical account.
• The Bible contains remarkable prophecies, historically confirmed, of the rise and fall of kingdoms (e.g., Daniel 2, 7, 8, 11), Babylonian captivity and deliverance/return of the Jews after 70 years (e.g., Jeremiah 25:8-14; 29:10, 14; Daniel 9:1-2; Ezra 1-2), as well as over 300 messianic prophecies fulfilled by Christ!
• The Bible provides a moral framework for believing people/societies, which (1) maintains law and order, (2) promotes a culture of love, generosity, and learning, (3) encourages the family unit, reproduction, and population growth, (4) gives value and meaning to life, (5) and encourages religious freedom while inviting people to experience a personal relationship with their Creator with eternal implications. While it is true that misunderstandings of the Bible’s teachings among certain people groups and religions have distorted these core teachings, leading to persecution of “heretics” and unbelievers, the fact remains that the practical implications of the Bible’s message as expressed above is a very positive recipe for societal success.
• Archaeology in the Middle East has verified time and again the Bible’s claims of historical events occurring. Here is a short list of some of the greatest archaeological discoveries that confirm the Bible (adapted from a presentation made by Dr. Randall W. Younker, professor of Archaeology and History of Antiquity at Andrews University):
  • Rosetta Stone—written in 3 languages; broke the code for understanding Egyptian hieroglyphics
  • Merneptah Stele—An Egyptian monument known as the Merneptah Stele (dating to about 1207 BC) describes a battle of Pharaoh Merneptah against a people in Canaan called “Israel”—the first extra-biblical reference to Israelites! Found in Cairo Museum    
  • Mesha Inscription—found at Dibon in 1868; tells of Moabite King Mesha’s successful revolt against Israel (9^th century BC); see 2 Kings 3; mentions Omri of Israel
  • King Hezekiah’s Seal—translation: “belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz, King of Judah”
  • Siloam Tunnel Inscription—2 Kings 20:20-21—inside tunnel was found an inscription describes how Jewish workers dug the tunnel
  • Seal of Manasseh
  • Tel Dan—9^th century inscription found—mentions “House of David”
  • Shalmaneser III stela—Ahab in the Kurkh [Qarqar] Stela—mentions “Ahab, the Israelite” at battle of Qarqar, 853 BC—1 Kings 16-22 records Ahab’s reigns
  • Seal of Jezebel
  • Black Obelisk—first picture of an Israelite King, Jehu—bowing before Assyrian King Shalmaneser
  • Uzziah’s gravestone—mentions Uzziah
  • King Hezekiah on the Taylor Prism—in British Museum
  • Lots of inscriptions with Nebuchadnezzar’s name—each brick in Babylon had his name
  • Zedekiah in Babylonian Chronicle
  • Dividing Wall Inscription—forbids foreigners from entering temple lest he is “personally responsible for his subsequent death”
  • Caiaphas Ossuary (bone box)
  • Heel bone of a crucified man found—evidence of crucifixion

Many more examples could be given. Another blogger has recorded some more here. More controversially, Ron Wyatt claimed to have discovered Noah’s Ark, Sodom & Gomorrah, the Red Sea Crossing, the real Mt. Sinnai, and even the Ark of the Covenant. You can read all about these discoveries in a ebook published by Ark Discovery International, Inc. here, and research for yourself whether it is true or not.

So… while one cannot conclusively prove that God exists, is it really insensible to claim there is a supernatural realm and an infinitely-powerful Creator who designed and rules the created realm? No, for such a belief is based on evidence. Atheists will point to things like radiometric dating, plate tectonics, and evolution in the fossil record as evidence for their godless position that everything evolved over millions of years. But all of these things are interpretations of the natural data, which can be interpreted differently and are certainly not indubitable facts. Atheistic evolutionists have plenty of issues to deal with of their own including continental erosion rates, continental paleocurrent trends, too little expected bioturbation, the Cambrian Explosion, taphonomy (how fossils are made), and the presence of biomolecules in fossils–just to name some significant issues that are more suggestive of a short-age chronology in line with Biblical history. Perhaps we will consider some of these issues in future blog posts.

For now, my next blog post will assume God exists and deal with what I see as the most important theological battle raging today in Christianity.