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Romans 1:20 - For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
"If you can show me conclusive evidence that God exists, then I will immediately
become a Christian!" Have you ever had unbelievers say that to you? They presuppose,
of course, that you cannot show them any concrete evidence for the existence of God. They
truly believe that no such objective evidence exists--that it is only your highly
subjective and suspect faith that has created God in your simple mind. "You may be a
very sincere person," they say, "but unfortunately you have been brainwashed by
your religion. Your life of faith may be very meaningful to you, but in reality you are
very naive and have simply been duped by your unsophisticated family or friends."
Yes, those unbelievers are convinced that there is not a scrap of evidence to support your
"erroneous" belief in God.
Is there any solid proof for God's existence? Is there any objective
evidence that we Christians can point out to unbelievers in order to show conclusively
that God exists? According to the Bible, God has given mankind sufficient evidence of
Himself so that no blind leap of faith is necessary. In fact, Romans 1:20 states that the
evidence for the existence of God is so overwhelming and clear that an individual has no
excuse for not believing in God. And Romans 1:20 is not just talking about people who
have been exposed to the Bible or Christianity! It includes all persons from the
beginning of time. The Bible says emphatically that any person who turns away from the
evidence and denies the existence of God is a "fool". (See Psalm 14 and Psalm
53, and note the universal context in verses 2 of these psalms.)
Well then, where is this indisputable evidence for the existence of God?
It is all around us in nature! Romans 1:20 indicates that God's existence and divine
nature are "understood through what has been made." The natural world all about
us cries out for an explanation of its existence, and the only adequate explanation is
God. Not everyone has been exposed to the special revelation which God has given of
Himself in the Scriptures and in the Person of Jesus Christ, but all mankind has been
given the general revelation of God in nature. The proof of God which the skeptic
so smugly demands is staring him in the face every day.
Theologians categorize the evidence which we find in nature as the
naturalistic arguments for the existence of God. Three of the naturalistic arguments are
known as the cosmological, the teleological and the anthropological arguments. You might
think that these arguments are highly complex and complicated because of their long and
technical-sounding names. However, they are really quite simple and easy to follow once
the basic causal argument is understood.
The causal argument consists of two statements, or laws, and a
conclusion. The first law of the causal argument states that "for every effect there
must be a cause." That is, there must be a cause behind every single thing that
happens. A car moving down the street, for example, did not just materialize out of thin
air and start driving itself! There are causes behind the effect of the moving car. The
second law of the causal argument states that "no effect can be greater
(quantitatively or qualitatively) than its cause." That is, a cause must always
be equal to, or greater than, the effect it causes. A large tree falling over, for
example, must have a cause behind that fall which is quantitatively greater than a light
summer breeze! A beautiful painting must be caused by something qualitatively greater than
a few cans of paint falling on a canvas. Now behind every immediate cause there is
obviously a chain of prior causes. Behind a printed page, for example, is an immediate
printing press "cause". But what caused the printing press, and what caused the
cause of the printing press, etc., etc.? It is not difficult to see that the logical
conclusion of the causal argument is that behind everything there is either an infinite
and eternal chain of greater and greater causes, or there is ultimately a first great
cause which is itself infinite and eternally uncaused. And when you really think about it,
there is not too much difference between these two options! The Christian takes a reasonable
step (not a blind leap!) of faith at this point and believes that the God of the Bible is
this infinite and eternal First Cause. Unbelievers ridicule Christians for this step of
faith by asking, "What caused God?" They think that this question somehow wins
their case or gets them off the hook, but they are actually showing their own ignorance of
logic. Every rational person, including unbelievers, must logically conclude on the
basis of the causal argument that somewhere at the beginning of the line there has got to
be an uncaused cause. The unbeliever who labels this uncaused cause "Big Bang"
or "Eternal Universe" takes just as much of a leap of faith as the Christian who
believes in God. We could reasonably ask at this point, "Who has really been
brainwashed in their thinking?!"
Now when the causal argument is applied to the matter and motion of the
universe, it becomes the cosmological argument for the existence of God. When applied to
the design and order found throughout the universe, it becomes the teleological argument.
And when applied to the immaterial aspects of man such as his rational, moral aesthetic
nature, it becomes the anthropological argument. Let's trace each of these naturalistic
arguments for the existence of God in a little more detail.
The matter of the universe is an effect. There must be an adequate cause
for all the stars and planets as well as every single atom and subatomic particle that
exists. The causal argument demands a first cause or Prime Maker for the material of this
universe. The motion of this universe is also an effect. The causal argument indicates
that there must be a first cause for all the intricate movements in this universe.
Everything from orbiting electrons to reverse spinning moons to spiralling galaxies must
be accounted for! A Prime Mover is called for by the causal argument to explain the
complex motion of the universe. The cosmological argument cannot be denied. The only
adequate rational answer to the matter and motion of the universe is the answer of Romans
1:20--His eternal power.
What about the teleological argument? We don't have to look far to
realize that there is plenty of design within our universe. Consider things like the
structure of the atom or the marvel of the human eye. Consider the delicate balance of
nature here on earth. Consider the many natural laws which govern the vast universe. Did
all of these effects come about by pure chance? The causal argument demands that each of
these effects must have a greater cause. Order and design and structure and law demand an
intelligent cause. It seems so obvious! (See Psalm 94:9.) No wonder Romans 1:20 uses the
words "clearly seen". How can any sophisticated theory of evolution
adequately explain the "how's" and "why's" of the origin of the
effects? Have you ever watched a spider spin a web? Is it even conceivable that this
highly complex creature with its "web machine" and "web know-how"
could have come about through random mutations? Think of the human brain. What principle
of evolution can explain the development of such a complex computer, the capacity of which
is never fully utilized by any individual? Surely the wisdom of a Creator is stamped all
over this universe.
In the anthropological argument the many different non-material aspects
of mankind are considered as effects and then the causal argument is applied. The fact
that human beings are rational and have a moral nature and can perceive beauty and harmony
means that the cause of these effects must also be rational and moral and aesthetic. The
fact that humans have a will and personality means that their cause must be volitional and
personal. Romans 1:20 declares that not only God's power but also His nature can be seen
in what He has made. It's easy to see that as the many different immaterial effects
of man are examined, the first cause becomes more and more a description of the nature of
the God of the Bible. To say that all these effects in mankind have come into being
without God is to deny the causal argument and to opt for the idea that they all came
about through a chance-guided rearrangement of molecular matter. Does anyone have an
acceptable excuse for believing such a myth?
The naturalistic arguments which God has made intrinsic to His work
of creation are so obvious that His word of revelation declares that
unbelievers are without excuse forever! How much better to go with the evidence now
and agree with the Psalmist: "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies
declare the work of His hands" (Psalm 19:1). "I will praise Thee for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made; Thy works are wonderful and my soul knows this full
well" (Psalm 139:14).
David R. Reid
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