The Existence of God
John 1:18 “ No man has seen God at any time. ”
Sure of holding a convincing argument, the unbeliever will say: « God? Nobody has ever seen Him... » As you can notice, the apostle John agrees with that statement. However, John doesn’t deny the existence of God. Would we refuse to recognize the existence of electricity under the pretext that we cannot see it? Of course not, since we can all observe its power. There are also some «powerful» reasons to believe in God.
Exodus 33:20 “ And [the Lord] said, ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!.’”
First of all, let’s understand why we cannot see God. Mankind, in his fallen state, would not be able to bear seeing God’s holiness. We cannot even look at the sun, how much less the Creator of the sun?
Genesis 1:1 “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ”
The Bible doesn’t even try to prove God’s existence. It simply states the fact, right from the very first verse. God is, because He has to be.
Romans 1:18-20 “ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 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. ”
We never cease to marvel at the prodigious complexity of Creation. We will see, in a future lesson, that all this is inconceivable without the presence of a superior intelligence.
Isaiah 46:9-10 “ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. ”
The facts foretold centuries beforehand by God’s prophets have come true with remarkable accuracy; together, we will see that there is no way that «chance» could be so accurate.
Daniel 2:28 “ … there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. ”
Wait until you see what God revealed to the prophet Daniel about the future, and you will surely understand why this prophet spoke this way.
Psalm 10:4 “ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts. ”
Psalm 14:1 “ The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ”
Nowadays, to deny the existence of God is often considered as the sign of a cultured mind. But in view of the evidence of a superior intelligence, the Bible can only qualify atheism as nonsense. Yes, truly, God exists.
John 20:29 “ Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. ”
God promises a blessing to those who believe in Him without having seen Him. And a wonderful promise is made to those who seek God...
Acts 17:24-27 “ The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ”
The existence of God doesn’t need to be proven, but rather felt by each one of us. When we have been in contact with God, even if it’s only once in our lifetime, we can no longer doubt His reality. And to seek the Lord is precisely the goal of these lessons. We can better understand why our first lesson focuses on the existence of God: it is necessary, at the very least, to believe that God exists, before exploring the next lessons; otherwise they would be meaningless. The philosopher Kant declared: « There is no proof of the non-existence of God. »
So, the least we would ask an atheist is to suppose that God exists. We pray that these lessons transform this supposition into solid reality.
Sure of holding a convincing argument, the unbeliever will say: « God? Nobody has ever seen Him... » As you can notice, the apostle John agrees with that statement. However, John doesn’t deny the existence of God. Would we refuse to recognize the existence of electricity under the pretext that we cannot see it? Of course not, since we can all observe its power. There are also some «powerful» reasons to believe in God.
Exodus 33:20 “ And [the Lord] said, ‘You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!.’”
First of all, let’s understand why we cannot see God. Mankind, in his fallen state, would not be able to bear seeing God’s holiness. We cannot even look at the sun, how much less the Creator of the sun?
Genesis 1:1 “ In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ”
The Bible doesn’t even try to prove God’s existence. It simply states the fact, right from the very first verse. God is, because He has to be.
Romans 1:18-20 “ The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 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. ”
We never cease to marvel at the prodigious complexity of Creation. We will see, in a future lesson, that all this is inconceivable without the presence of a superior intelligence.
Isaiah 46:9-10 “ Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. ”
The facts foretold centuries beforehand by God’s prophets have come true with remarkable accuracy; together, we will see that there is no way that «chance» could be so accurate.
Daniel 2:28 “ … there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets. ”
Wait until you see what God revealed to the prophet Daniel about the future, and you will surely understand why this prophet spoke this way.
Psalm 10:4 “ The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God; God is not in all his thoughts. ”
Psalm 14:1 “ The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ ”
Nowadays, to deny the existence of God is often considered as the sign of a cultured mind. But in view of the evidence of a superior intelligence, the Bible can only qualify atheism as nonsense. Yes, truly, God exists.
John 20:29 “ Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. ”
God promises a blessing to those who believe in Him without having seen Him. And a wonderful promise is made to those who seek God...
Acts 17:24-27 “ The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ”
The existence of God doesn’t need to be proven, but rather felt by each one of us. When we have been in contact with God, even if it’s only once in our lifetime, we can no longer doubt His reality. And to seek the Lord is precisely the goal of these lessons. We can better understand why our first lesson focuses on the existence of God: it is necessary, at the very least, to believe that God exists, before exploring the next lessons; otherwise they would be meaningless. The philosopher Kant declared: « There is no proof of the non-existence of God. »
So, the least we would ask an atheist is to suppose that God exists. We pray that these lessons transform this supposition into solid reality.
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near" Matthew 4:17