How Do I Know God Exists?

The fool says in his heart, 'There is no god' (Psalm 14:1). WOW! That's quite a bold statement. God says that only a fool denies his existence. How could God make such a harsh statement? Why does God expect everyone to know about him? God expects everyone to acknowledge his existence because God has revealed himself to all people.

Almost every nation and people throughout the history of the world have acknowledged the existence of some god. All people on earth have a natural knowledge of God. Such knowledge comes from two things. First, the world itself begs for a Creator. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands (Psalm 19:1). When people stop to look at the vast oceans, the majestic mountains, the blue sky, trees and grass and animals, the first instinct is to thank God for his wonderful creation. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20). God reveals himself to us through his creation.

Second, all people know about God because something inside of them points to him, especially when feeling guilty. All people have a conscience and that conscience tells us that we are accountable to someone, to God. Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them (Romans 2:14-15). Without being taught, most people know by nature the basic differences between right and wrong. The conscience tells us that it's wrong to steal or to hurt others. Our conscience tells us that if we do wrong, we must answer to God. God reveals himself to us through our consciences.

Unfortunately, while the natural knowledge of God tells us that God exists, it does not tell us who that God is. It does not tell us what that God is really like. It does not tell us what that God thinks about us. At the very best, our natural knowledge would only tell us that a wise and powerful God created this world and now wants to destroy us for the wrong we have done.

So, God chose to tell us more about himself in the Bible. The Bible is God's own word by which God chose to tell us who he is and what he has done for us. The Bible is the revealed knowledge of God. The Bible more fully reveals God to us. The Bible confirms that God made the world. The Bible confirms that we must answer to God for our sins. The Bible also tells us that God loves us in spite of our sins; it also tells us that God provided a solution for our sins. The Bible tells us, "God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God reveals himself to us through the Bible.

God expects all people to acknowledge his existence because he has revealed himself through creation and conscience. However, without the Bible no one would know how much God loves all of us or how he showed his love by sending his Son to die on the cross for our sins.

Where did the world come from?

"By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible," (Hebrews 11:3).

We can only know the origins of the world and even of ourselves BY FAITH. Why? because no one was there to see it. Regardless of what you believe about the origins of the world, you can only believe it by faith. You either take man's word for it; or you take God's word for it.

God tells us about the creation of the world in the first chapter of the Bible, Genesis One. The first verse informs, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The very first thing that God tells us about himself is that he is the Creator. The rest of the chapter clearly details what God made, when he made it and how he made it.

God created the world from nothing. Nothing existed before God. "All things were created by God and for God. He is before all things and in him all things hold together," (Colossians 1:16b-17). Only God is eternal; he does not have a beginning or an end.

God created the world with his Word. At least nine times in Genesis One we hear the phrase, "God said." When God speaks, things happen. In this case, God spoke and there was. God spoke and there was light. There was sky; there was dry ground and seas; there was vegetation; there were lights in the sky; there were birds and fish and land animals. However, God did not create everything by his Word. To create man the LORD God formed him from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being," (Genesis 2:7). God used his own hands to create man showing that man was the most important part of his creation.

God created the world and everything in it in six days. The word "day" can have different meanings. It can mean 1) period of sunlight, 2) 24 hours or 3) a long period of time (back in my day). At the end of each day's creation God said, "And there was evening, and there was morning - the _____ day," (5,8,13,19,23,31). Evening and morning add up to 24 hours. Thus, God created the world in six 24-hour days.

In his account of creation God repeated one other phrase. Six times between verses 20-25 God said that the plants and animals would each reproduce "according to their kind." The LORD is a God of order. From the beginning God shows us his order and design. He designed the living parts of his creation to reproduce according to their kind. In other words, apple trees produce apple trees and dogs produce dogs and man would produce man.

Praise God for his order and design and for his entire creation. "By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done," (Genesis 2:2-3). What a wondrous God we have who has created a world that shows his wisdom and power, and especially his love. God has given us his creation to enjoy. He has shown us that he is the Father of all and our Father because he made us. Next month we will discover why God made us.

Where did sin come from?

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned," (Romans 5:12).

"Through one man? I thought sin entered the world through one woman, Eve?" "I thought sin entered the world through the Devil." "I think it's God's fault because he gave the command." Where did sin come from anyway?

Genesis Three gives us the full story about how sin entered the world. It is true; God gave Adam and Eve the command to not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. He threatened that the result would be death. If God had not given the command, Adam and Eve could not have disobeyed. Of course, without the command Adam and Eve could not have shown their love for God either. Every time they obeyed God's command, they worshipped him. God's command is not the blame for sin.

Who is to blame then? The Devil? Yes, the Devil is partly responsible for sin. The Devil rebelled against God, trying to assume authority God had not given him. As punishment God prepared hell for the devil and all of the other rebellious angels who followed him (2 Peter 2:4). As the saying goes, "Misery loves company." The Devil made it his goal to bring as many as possible to hell with him. And so, the Devil tempted Adam and Eve to doubt God. He deceived them into believing that they too could be like God, and he succeeded.

Adam and Eve deserve some responsibility for sin as well. When Eve thought that God was withholding some of his blessings from her, she took it upon herself to obtain them, and she ate. Then she passed on the fruit to Adam, and he too ate, falsely believing the Devil's lies. As a result, Adam and Eve brought sin into this world and passed it on to every human after them.

The consequences of sin are great and many. God's threat came true; with sin death entered the world. Death now reigns over plant and animal, over all the earth and especially over humans. Along with death came pain, hard work, broken relationships, grief and all kinds of troubles in our lives.

Is it fair that we suffer all of these consequences for someone else's sin? Yes, it is because all have sinned. I have sinned; you have sinned. We are born in a sinful condition and we commit sin everyday of our lives, continuously disobeying God's commands. We too are responsible for sin and we are always dealing with the consequences.

However, we don't have to deal with the consequences of sin forever. Someone else has dealt with sin for us, Jesus Christ. Although we deserve death, both physically and eternally - although we deserve to live forever in hell and apart from God, we don't have to. God sent his son, Jesus, to suffer the consequences of sin for us. He died - physically on the cross. And he suffered through hell. Jesus Christ has removed our sins and all of their consequences. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord," (Romans 6:23).

Who is Jesus Christ?

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:10-11)

An angel of the Lord used those words to announce the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds in the field that night. The shepherds went into Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus just as the angels had told them. Before they returned to their flocks, they told everyone they passed about the baby boy wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. To this day we still celebrate the birth of Jesus. Why? What makes this baby so special? Just who is this Jesus, the Christ?

Many people in the world think that Jesus is just another man. Oh, he's a little higher than the average man, but a man nonetheless. Many look to Jesus as an example of how to live. He was kind to everyone and paid special attention to the people no one else cared about. He was never afraid to speak his mind or stand up for himself. He was obedient and respectful to authority. He was a good man.

Jesus is human. He was born of a woman, the virgin Mary. He needed to eat and to drink and to sleep. He felt pain and sorrow. He struggled through temptation. He died.

However, Jesus did not become a man in order to set an example of how to live. Jesus became a man so that he himself could live as a man - under the law of God. Jesus is such a good example for us because he lived a perfect life. God demands that we be holy if we want to live in heaven. Because Jesus knew that not one of us could live a holy life, he came to live it for us. Jesus also became a man to die. Jesus knows that God demands punishment for the unholy lives we have lived. So, Jesus came to die on the cross in our place. Jesus became a man to live and die in our place, not as our example.

Jesus is also God. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He said he was God and so did his Father. He can do anything: change water into wine, heal the blind or deaf or mute or lame, raise the dead. He even raised himself from the dead.

Unless Jesus is God, everything he did as a man means nothing. Jesus was only able to live a perfect life and obey every command of God in our place because he is God. All other men, who are not conceived by the Holy Spirit, are born with sin and live sin every day. Unless Jesus is God, his death is just another death. But, if Jesus is God, his death counts for you and me and the entire world - just as the Bible says it does. The fact is: Jesus is God. Therefore, his life and death count for me.

Jesus is the Savior. Because Jesus is true man - who lived a perfect life and died an innocent death for us; because Jesus is true God - whose life and death count for the world - Jesus is the Savior.

No wonder the angels announced the birth of Jesus! No wonder we still celebrate his birth today! We are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, true God and true man - our Savior! We hope you will consider joining us at Mount Olive Lutheran Church this Christmas to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

How do I get to heaven?

"There is a way that seems right to man, but in the end it leads to death," (Proverbs 14:12).

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved," (Acts 16:31).

Why should God let you into heaven? There are really only two possible answers to that question. "I believe that I have been a good person," or "I believe in Jesus Christ as my Savior." One response leads to eternal death and the other leads to eternal life. The answers cannot be commingled. Either I believe completely in Jesus, or I believe in my own good works.

From the beginning of time humans have concocted their own plans of salvation. All such plans focus on good works. Human nature tells us that we must DO something to GET something. Our human minds do not comprehend the idea of FREE, UNDESERVED LOVE. Here are some of the ways humans try to get to heaven.

"I just have to do enough good things. If I live a decent life, take care of my family, treat my neighbors well and obey the government, then God will reward me with eternal life." The problem? God says, Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy (Leviticus 19:2). God doesn't ask us to do as many good things as we can; he demands that we do everything he has commanded. Anything less falls short and deserves eternal death.

"If I do more good things than bad things, God will let me in." This solution has the same problem as the previous thought. God does not accept any sin. The apostle James wrote, For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it (2:10). God is not willing to sweep any or even the smallest sin under the carpet; he will punish all sin with eternal death.

"Well, I'm much better than that guy down the street. I don't drink too much or beat up my wife. I'm certainly better than all of the murderers in prison. I think God will let me in." Unfortunately, God doesn't ask us to be better than someone else. He requires that we be perfect and holy like him. Again, this line of thought leads to death.

Rather than trying to come up with our own solutions to get to heaven, we'd be much better off listening to God's solution. God knows that we cannot provide the perfection he requires. God knows that we have sinned and that he must punish that sin. Yet, God has provided the perfect solution in his son Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul wrote, God made him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of God, (2 Corinthians 5:21). God punished our sin. He punished Jesus by sending him to die on the cross. Jesus' death paid the debt of our sins in full, and the sins of the whole world. In exchange for our sins God gave us Jesus' righteousness. God credits the perfect life that Jesus lived to us.

We don't have to DO anything because Jesus has already done it all. As a result of what Jesus did, God gives us forgiveness for our sins and eternal life for FREE. Life eternal is the gift of God. Jesus is the only way to get to heaven. Forget everything you have done and believe. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Where did the Bible come from?

"For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21).

Is the Bible the word of God or the word of men? Certainly men wrote the words of the Bible. But, were they writing their own thoughts and ideas or were they writing on behalf of God? The answer to the question is critical. If men were only writing their own thoughts and ideas, the Bible holds no more authority than any other book. Then there is no truth, only opinion. On the other hand, if men wrote God's ideas and his exact words, then the Bible is TRUTH. Then we are obligated to take the Bible at its word or to reject God. So, the answer is?

The Bible itself claims to be the word of God. Peter said that men spoke from God. Paul simply stated, "All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). Is there proof or evidence to back up such a claim? Let's take a look at how the original audiences received the messages of men such as Moses, the prophets, the apostles and Paul.

How did anyone know that what these men said came from God? Two ways. One, the messages were true. Two, God's power often accompanied the messages. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. When Moses first addressed the people, God gave him the ability to perform miracles to prove that he was speaking for God. He turned his staff into a snake and water from the Nile into blood. Later, when God asked Moses to give his Law to the people of Israel, he himself said, "I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you" (Exodus 19:9).

Later prophets would have to rely on the truth of their message. The prophet Jeremiah proclaimed war and exile for Israel while another prophet, Hananiah, proclaimed peace. The people preferred peace and thus listened to Hananiah. But, Jeremiah said, "the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the LORD only if his prediction comes true" (Jeremiah 28:9). Not much later, Jerusalem was destroyed and the people were carried off into exile. Jeremiah's prophecy came true. As a result, the people recognized him as a man who spoke for God.

The disciples of Christ spoke from personal experience. They walked and talked and lived with Jesus for three years. Jesus taught them personally. They simply reported what they saw and heard as eyewitnesses. Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty" (2 Peter 1:16). After he left, Jesus not only gave these apostles the command to preach his Word, he also gave them the ability to do miracles to back up their message.

How did these men know God's word? God himself gave it to them through the work of the Holy Spirit. Peter said that they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Paul said that all Scripture is God-breathed. This is the teaching of Verbal Inspiration. It's not inspiration in the sense of, "Oh, that song really inspired me." Inspire means to "breathe-into." God breathed into these men the very thoughts and words he wanted them to write. Over the years the Christian Church, or believers, acknowledged that the prophecies and writings of these men were the words of God. These prophecies and writings then became the Bible.

How can I know that the Bible is God's word? First of all, your faith is evidence that the Bible is God's word. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe" (1 Thessalonians 2:13). God's word creates faith in your heart. When you hear it, you believe. That's evidence that the Bible is actually God's word. Second, God invites you to test it. Jesus himself said, "If anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own" (John 7:17). Some didn't even believe that Jesus spoke God's word. "Test it," he said. Do God's will and see if he doesn't bless you. Are you willing to try?

Why did God give the Bible in the first place? John answers that question, "But these are written that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). Jesus is the central character of the Bible; everything points to him. God wants all people to know who he is and what he's done for them. God wants all people to recognize their sin and need for a Savior. God wants all people to know that he sent his only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for the forgiveness of their sins.

In the end, it takes faith to believe that the Bible is God's word. No one can present enough "facts" to help the human mind understand how men could write the thoughts, ideas and words of God. Ironically, faith to believe the Bible comes from the Bible itself. "Faith comes from hearing the message and the message is the word of God"(Romans 10:17). That same faith offers you new life, forgiveness of sins and salvation. I believe it because God said it.