What if God really exists? Part 10 – The Good News

       In earlier blogs, I have been discussing the question of God's existence and claiming that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being Part 4-Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way? (Yes- God's word the Bible Part 7 - God Speaks)

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes – creation Part 5 - God Alone   Part 6 - The observable attributes of God)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way? (Yes - His word, the gospel, the incarnation, prayer)

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good? (Yes)

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all? (Yes)

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? (No) Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath? (Yes)

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

In the last blog, it was demonstrated that we all have incurred God's wrath and judgment. We ended asking these questions: Being under the perfectly righteous pending judgment of God, are we forever doomed, helpless to change our sentence? Will we continue to suffer with disease, disaster, division, death and damnation? Can we do something that will make up the wrongs? Can we plead our case? Is there an advocate that will speak on our behalf? Or is there a hope of pardon or leniency?

You can read that blog here:

What if God really exists? Part 9 Can we incur God's disfavor or wrath?

Let me assure you, there is good news. Very good news. In fact, the best news you will EVER hear. We may be not be able to save ourselves in any way, but God has a plan.

In the beginning, God created a good world, but Adam disobeyed which brought about a curse and death. But God did show grace. The more wicked we became, the more grace abounded. God killed an animal in Adam's place and clothed his nakedness. Moreover, he promised that one from the seed of the woman would come that would crush the head of the serpent. (Genesis 3:15)

However, God could not just look away from sin. In order for justice to be true, wickedness must be judged and punished. Throughout history, wickedness and sin have been kept in check, but we all know that there is still much suffering and evil in the world.

Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:19-20

There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from God's judgment. But at the appointed time, God fulfilled His plan.

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)

Jesus the Christ came to fulfill all that man could not and satisfy the law of God, suffer the punishment and judgment of God in our place. How could He do this? Jesus could do this because He was the Son of God—God Himself. (John 1:1-5; John 8:19, 59; John 14:6; Phil 2:6, I John 1-4, Rev 1:8, 17-18). Jesus was both fully man and fully God, the seed of the woman, the Second Adam (Romans 5). Jesus came as God incarnate, lived the perfect, sinless life that neither we nor Adam could live, fulfilling the law and suffering the judgment of God on the cross in our place. Adam's sin was imputed onto us all. Our sin was imputed onto Christ, but Christ's righteousness is imputed onto those who believe, His elect.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” John 3:16 (ESV)

So though there is much suffering and pain in the world, God has provided a way. He also promises that one day, all suffering and death shall cease for those that repent and belong to Him. He will make all things new. (Rev 19-21).

Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 20:14–15, 21:1–5(ESV)

Through Jesus Christ, we have hope. God desires to know us and for us to know Him. He desires to have a relationship with us, just as he walked with Adam in the garden (Gen 1-3), just as He walked with Moses (Exodus, Deut.) and the disciples (John 14-17). What is more awesome than that? Someday soon, He will return to judge the world and take His adopted children to be with Him.

God does exist. He is just, good, and desires to be with His children. He has communicated with us through His word and through His Son, Jesus. Seek to truly know Him. He never disappoints. He has forgiven my sins through Christ, and can do the same for you. I know Him and you can know Him, too.

He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! Revelation 22:20 (ESV)

What if God really exists? Part 9 - Can we incur God's disfavor or wrath?

In earlier blogs, I have been discussing the question of God's existence and claiming that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way? (Yes- God's word the Bible)

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes - creation)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way? (Yes - His word, the gospel, the incarnation)

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? (No) Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

We have demonstrated that God communicates with us through His word and that the Bible is the only word of God and a trustworthy source for truth.

God Speaks

In this blog, we want to answer the question that was asked earlier: Can we incur God disfavor or wrath? Since an omnipotent God does exist, we should know what He is communicating, what His desires are, if any, and if we can fall into disfavor in any way. I would think that is vitally important to know!

In the first few chapters of Genesis, the Bible tells us that God created the world and put man in it. He created a complex and beautiful world with stars above, abundant life of great diversity, majestic trees and delicious foods to eat. He gave us work to give us purpose and meaning. He even gave Adam a “helper suitable for him” and he said it was all “very good”. He placed man in a garden, a special place, with all of his needs met and God Himself walked with man daily. He placed man to rule over all to rule over all it with wisdom. There was no death, sickness, or sorrow. God, it seems, was very generous and loving in His abundant gifts to man. (Genesis 1-2) God had only one rule and stipulation: Do not eat of the one tree in the garden. (Gen. 2:15-17). God is good, generous, just, holy, righteous, perfect in wisdom, all-powerful, and gracious. It is completely foolish, illogical and unwise to disobey the Creator God. However, both Satan and Adam disobeyed God to the utter ruin of us all. Disobeying such a perfect Being who is the creator of all things and through whom “we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:24) was a horrendous crime and worthy of His wrath and disfavor. The payment for that disobedience is death and eternal damnation. (Gen. 3) We are not autonomous as much as we desire to be: we either serve the True and Living God or the devil. To desire be autonomous is to desire to be our own god, to want to be be god ourselves, which is completely foolish and idolatrous. We do not even desire to serve or have a relationship with this perfect and good being that is God. In Exodus, God also gave us a set of laws (i.e. The Ten Commandments, Exodus 20) to guide us in how to live more godly lives. However, most of us do not even know the commandments of God or even have an interest in serving or pleasing God.

Over and over again throughout history, God has demonstrated that we all live ignoring God, disobeying God and even hating the One who created us. God in his graciousness and mercy, has delayed the final judgment, but it is abundantly clear to any that take the time to understand that we definitely have incurred God's disfavor and His wrath and deserve His perfect justice and judgment.

So, being under the perfectly righteous pending judgment of God, are we forever doomed, helpless to change our sentence? Will we continue to suffer with disease, disaster, division, death and damnation? Can we do something that will make up the wrongs? Can we plead our case? Is there an advocate that will speak on our behalf? Or is there a hope of pardon or leniency?

We will discuss that in our next blog.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. Romans 1:18–25 (ESV)

Repent or Perish

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And [Jesus] answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1–5 (ESV)

What if God really exists? Part 8 – What is God saying? A Bible Overview

In earlier blogs, I have been discussing the question of God's existence and claiming that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way? (Yes- God's word the Bible)

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes - creation)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way?

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? (No) Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

Through logic and careful observation of the existing universe, we can know that God is necessary, self-existent, eternal, a god of order, a god of law, a god with intelligence, a god of logic, a god of life, a god of beauty, a god of morality, a god of justice who is omniscient and omnipotent. We have also come to the conclusion that God has communicated with us through His Word, the Bible, the only true word of God. You can read about that here:

God Speaks - the Word of God

So, what does God want to tell us in His Word? Though I am not a theologian or an expert in God's Word, I have been studying the Bible for most of my life¹. We will look at some general purposes of God's Word today, but also answer some of the original questions asked above over the next blogs.

1. Communication. One of the main purposes of the Bible is to interact with us His creatures and communicate with us. This also implies a desire to have a relationship with us. In Genesis chapters 1-3, God walked with Adam, the first human. However, we see that the relationship was damaged and Adam was removed from that meeting place. Due to that Fall and the Holy Character of God, God and Man can no longer meet in the same way. Sin in our lives hides God from us. So God established the written word so that we may know his will and who He Is.

   2 Corinthians 4:3–5

   And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (ESV)

   1 Corinthians 13:12

   For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (ESV)

   Deuteronomy 31:8

   It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (ESV)

2. The Gospel and Jesus, the Son of God. The gospel (The Good News) is the main focus of all of Scripture. From the first chapter to the last of the Bible tells us of Christ and His purpose of our redemption. The Trinity, including God the Father and God the Son, created a perfect world and placed man in it to serve God and enjoy Him forever. However, when Adam failed, God promised a future redemption and established a way to prepare for that future hope. For millennium, God spoke through prophets who wrote down His Word to prepare for the coming Redeemer. We had no way to repair the damage done, but God himself made a way by sending His Son, Jesus the Messiah, to do the work of redemption, restoring the relationship with God for Man to those who believe and are His adopted children. Someday, Christ will return to bring judgment and to make all things new. Jesus is seen throughout Scripture, from beginning to end.

John 3:16–18

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. (ESV)

Revelation 21:6–7

And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. (ESV)

3. The Scriptures give guidance on how to live. Most people have heard of the Ten Commandments, though few could repeat all ten. Through the Bible, He communicates to us what pleases Him and what is right and good and what is evil. Being fallen creatures of sin with corrupt natures and being totally depraved, we do not naturally know what is good, right or true. We are not “basically” good. Modern society clearly shows how lost we can be about knowing right and wrong and not recognizing truth on our own. Scriptures are a guide to living right. Moreover, The Bible is full of warnings of judgment if we do not obey God's law.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Colossians 1:9–11

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; (ESV)

Matthew 12:36–37

I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. (ESV)

4. The Bible tells us who God really is. As we have demonstrated with the last few posts, we can know a few things about God for the created world. This is known as natural theology. God has revealed some of His attributes through the created world. However, many things about who God is can only be known by Scripture such as the Trinity, His law, His grace, His mercy, His holiness. This is known as revealed theology.

Exodus 34:5–7

The LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.(ESV)

John 14:9–11

Jesus said ...“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves. (ESV)

4. To record His Covenants. Throughout the ages, God has made various covenants and promises. A covenant is a contract or agreement between God and men. God made a covenant with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, the Israelites and David. Those covenants are recorded so we can know that God keeps His promises most of which were fulfilled through Jesus Christ.

Genesis 12:2–3

“And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (ESV)

Exodus 34:10

And he said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you. (ESV)

2 Samuel 7:12–14

When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

So through God's word, we can know God, we can know His will, know His promises and be aware of His warnings.

1You can read my Personal testimony on my blog. Also, you can read My testimony after 25 years as a true believer.

What if God really exists? Part 7 – God speaks

 In earlier blogs, I am discussing the question of God's existence and that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way?

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes - creation)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way?

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?  I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

Through logic and careful observation of the existing universe, we can know that God is necessary, self-existent, eternal, a god of order, a god of law, a god with intelligence, a god of logic, a god of life, a god of beauty, a god of morality, a god of justice who is omniscient and omnipotent.

You can read that here:

The observable attributes of God

But can we know more? Has this self-existent God communicated with us in any way? Perhaps He has. It seems reasonable He would communicate with us or reveal Himself in some way other than creation (known as “natural theology”) if He existed. Throughout the world and history, there have been several books created claiming to be the Word of God. The Torah, the Quran, the Book of Mormon and the Christian Bible are some of the most known. There are also other works that are considered inspired like the Bhagavad Gita, the teachings of Buddha and the Tao Te Ching, but they do not directly claim to be from God that I am aware. Because the authors do not make a direct claim to be the word of God, we will not consider them.

So how do we know which ones are, if any, truly from God? It is possible none are from God. Just because a work claims to be divine does not mean it actually is. It has been demonstrated that God created an orderly universe, including the law of non-contradiction. It has also been demonstrated that God is just and therefore not a God of falsehood. Using these two concepts, we can know which writings are truly the Word of God.

The Bible and the Quran teach different and contradictory ideas and beliefs about God. The Bible says Jesus is God, the Quran says he is not god but just a prophet. The Quran claims that the Bible is the Word of God, except for the “Tahrif” or corruption that has been found. That is, if there are differences between the texts, the Bible is wrong. To claim that the Bible is God's word but contains errors, implies a contradiction in rationality and goes against the character of God. In the Quran are also found mathematical errors, self-contradictions, scientific errors, and other errors. The author is also a confessed false prophet.¹ This would indicate a false claim by the Quran as the true word of God.

The Book of Mormon teaches ideas that contradict the Bible and the gospel such as that Jesus was a created being (not God) and that Lucifer is his brother. The Book of Mormon makes claims of places and people that cannot be confirmed by archaeology or history.² These would indicate a false claim by the Book of Mormon as the true word of God as well.

So what about the Bible. Is it the word of God or not? The Bible has been accepted by most scholars, both secular and religious, as a reliable work of history. In fact, Luke, who wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, is said to be a historian of “the first rate” and his works are written with great accuracy and detail. Archaeology also has shown over and over the Bible to be an accurate historical source.³ So, it can be said with confidence that it is, in general, an accurate, reliable book of history, at the very least on the same level as other books of history.

Another confirmation of the Bible as an accurate source are the thousands of manuscripts found. Over 25,000 manuscripts confirm that Bible we have today is the same Bible that was written thousands of years ago, some dating before 200A.D. The Dead Sea Scrolls confirm the accuracy and completion of the Old Testament even before Christ was born. No other book has anywhere near the sources available to confirm the accuracy of the original manuscript.

However, the Bible is full of more than just a reliable historical record and that is not its prime purpose. The Bible claims to be the word of God over 3000 times. There are miracles recorded and incredible things like a great fish swallowing Jonah, a great world-wide flood, fire from heaven, talking animals, angels, demons, prophecies, etc. How do we account for such things? Do they contradict laws of science or logic? So either it is the word of God or a sham that should be discarded.

If the Bible is a reliable source of history and in that source there are claims of fantastical things recorded such as miracles, we cannot completely dismiss the record of those miracles. God, who is omniscience, omnipotent, omnipresent and the creator of all things is outside of the created order and is certainly capable of doing miracles. God is not only omnipotent, but the only potent. As the only self-existent, eternal being, He is the only one capable of doing certain things outside of the created order. This is sound and reasonable. So we cannot rule out miracles just because it goes against a secular, materialistic belief system. Miracles are recorded in the Bible from eye witness accounts, many times by multiple people. We need to consider the possibility of miracles taking place in history. Miracles point to and are there to confirm the events and words recorded as being from God. Miracles are used by God to confirm that a messenger is truly from the real and living God.

Prophecy is one of those supernatural concepts that points to the Bible being from God, more than any other in my opinion. Hundreds of prophecies have been written and fulfilled, sometimes with minute detail hundreds of years later. It is something anyone today can confirm. Jesus himself fulfilled over 300 prophecies. There are also many other predictions that included the nations surrounding Israel such as Edom, Babylon, Assyria, Tyre, Egypt and others. Most have been fulfilled.

Scientific and statistical probability also confirm the Bible. Despite every effort, no scientific law or discovery has been proved to contradict the Bible. There are may claims of proofs, but none that can be confirmed. In fact, I would say science and history actually confirms the Bible over and over. The fact that Jesus fulfilled hundred of prophecies (or even just ten!) written in the Old Testament (that we have proof was complete before he was born) is so unprobable mathematically as to be supernatural.

With all of these supernatural events and prophecies authenticating the Bible, therefore, the Bible out to be received as divine. The Bible contains the doctrine of its own inspiration and is more than a generally reliable and historical record. It is a divinely inspired record. It is God's Word. It is God communicating with us.

“The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen...” Deuteronomy 18:15

And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the LORD your God.” Joshua 3:9

1Bible vs Quran

2The Bible vs the Book of Mormon

3How archaeology confirms the Bible; GCI.org

What if God really exists? Part 6 -The observable attributes of God

In earlier blogs, I am discussing the question of God's existence and that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way?

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes - creation)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way?

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

`In the last two blogs, logic has shown that God must exist as a Necessary Being that is beyond just matter, energy. The Big Bang cannot explain the universe, it can only be explained by God alone.

So God does exist, but is that all we can know about him? Logically, can we only affirm the deist, theist or the agnostic? Not at all. As was mentioned in the last blog, the universe is complex and concepts exist within creation that cannot be adequately explained logically by materialism, as much as atheistic scientists and philosophers try to do so based on their belief system.

God is a being of order. Laws of physics control how the universe operates. The Laws of Motion and the Laws of Thermodynamics guide how objects interact. Metaphysical laws guide molecules, atoms, and subatomic particles in ways we are still trying to comprehend. The universe is complex but not random or chaotic. We have 3 primary colors and three secondary colors that combine to create all colors. Music is in scales that can be ordered. Gravity moves the heavenly bodies with mathematical precision. The planets move with such accuracy that we can predict exactly what the sky looked like thousands of years ago. These laws that govern the universe had to be created as part of the universe. Lawful order in the cosmos demonstrates an orderly, lawful and intelligent Creator.

God is a being of logic. Logic is not a man-made construct developed by Aristotle. The laws of logic, such as the law of non-contradiction, would still function even in the farthest reaches of the cosmos. The fact that logic exists and affects the universe, demonstrates it was there from creation.

God is a being of life. Life exists. The earth is full of it in every corner, from the clouded highs to the depths of the seas. Life is complex and diverse. With life comes emotions and intellect as well as reproduction. Life is unique and cannot be explained materially despite the claims of illogical and unproven evolutionary theories. There are no discovered powers or laws within the DNA or molecules to bring about life or change life from one kind of being to another kind being. There is great adversity and complexity within a kind, but not the power to create new kinds of life. The spark that is life comes from God himself.

God is a being of intelligence. In order for there to be logic, order, law, or life, there must be intelligence. Scientists speak of evolutionary processes moving through time and reacting or “deciding” to change in order to survive or improve. A dinosaur cannot “decide” to grow feathers. DNA or cells or molecules in a creature cannot “decide” this either. These entities do not have intelligence, they react to laws of life and physics and within the limits of these laws. An intelligence being can create and work with these properties.

God is a being of beauty. Color, music, savoring aromas, fine textures and overall beauty also demonstrates an intelligent Creator. He is a God from which beauty comes. If we were only beings of materialism, beauty would mean nothing. We may not even notice it. Beauty is not needed for the functioning of the materialistic world. Instead, we are deeply moved by it. Our appreciation of beauty points to a Creator who brings about beauty.

God is a being of morality. What about morality and love? To a materialist, these would be meaningless constructs of chemical reactions. “Two pieces of meat lying on a table says they love each other.” It is foolishness. The idea of morality points to something beyond humanity. There also seems to be a universal law of morality. For instance, almost everyone would say murder is wrong, even if we define in differently in different societies. If you look closely at morality with logic, a precision develops in these moralistic laws, demonstrating a uniformity that it is not obvious upon first glance. C. S. Lewis explores the idea of a universal moral law thoroughly in Mere Christianity. Most recently in western society, moral relativism is failing (as it must logically) and giving way to a secular and liberal moral ideology that is being thrust on all people. What is this secular liberalism based on? The personal opinions or moral ideas of people with authority. But these people in authority are finite in wisdom and knowledge and biased in agendas (and morally corrupt). However, this also must fail and even collapse for it cannot be sustained as it is. Morality, logically, must come from an all powerful and perfectly good God.

What about justice? The concept of justice exists, but does true justice exist? We experience injustice regularly. This experience is either personal or witnessed in society. A person is murdered and the murderer is not found or is overlooked by the authorities. Personal property is damaged or stolen and no compensation is given. In order for there to be true justice, it must go beyond this life experience. Justice cannot be ultimately found in this mortal life. Justice points to an afterlife and a proper judgment in that afterlife. For proper judgment, there must be a perfectly moral and good Judge. This Judge must not only be perfectly moral, but all-knowing so that there is not some unknown or hidden factor that may affect the understanding of the cause. In order for justice to prevail, this Judge must be able to completely enforce the proper verdict, otherwise it may not be carried out and justice still fail. That implies an all-powerful Judge. God is a being of justice that is all-knowing and all-powerful.

Through logic and careful observation of the existing universe, we can know that God is necessary, a god of order, a god of law, a god with intelligence, a god of logic, a god of life, a god of beauty, a god of morality, a god of justice who is omniscient and omnipotent. All this points beyond any mythological being or materialistic secularism, but points in the direction of the God that is described in the Bible.

What if God really exists? Part 5 – God alone

In earlier blogs, I am discussing the question of God's existence and that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know? (Yes)

How can we know? (Logic demands it– Necessary Being)

Has this God communicated to us in any way?

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art? (Yes)

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way?

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here:

What if God really Exists?

In the last blog, we came to the conclusion that “God” must exist based on the need for a first cause that is a self-existent, eternal Necessary Being. This is a logical necessity.

You can read that here:

What if God really exists- Part 4 - Necessary Being

Some may challenge the concept and say things such as:

What about the Big Bang theory or other theories of origin?

Could not matter and/or energy be eternal instead of assuming “God”?

First, let me say, I am not a scientist. However, a rudimentary understanding of science and logic are all that is needed to proceed. Lets look at the Big Bang theory. According to the theory, all matter and energy was compressed into a point of singularity that exploded billions of years ago. The latest adjustment to this theory now says that it must be “inflation” instead of a “bang,” but still millions of years ago and still the same basic concept.¹ What both of these distinctions of the theory are not able to answer is: What caused it to explode (or change) 13.8 million years ago (or whenever is the latest guess)? How did it and everything else come to exist originally? Something must be eternal and self-existent (able to exist in and of itself) that caused all to happen and come into being. Any other origins theory would have the same dilemma. Stephen Hawking claims nothing existed before. He then goes onto state this “nothing” was actually “something” that moves in a time that can be imaged as more circular rather than linear and is basically eternal.² Hawking believes this without any evidence whatsoever, yet Christians are criticized for what we believe with much reason and evidence.

What about the foundation of all material - matter and energy? Could matter/energy possibly be eternal? One of the problems with this is that matter is constantly changing. The laws of motion says an object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.³ So the question is, how did it get started? Where and when will it stop? Did it have a beginning and will it end or will it forever move? The law of thermodynamics tells else that us that matter and energy cannot be destroyed but move towards equilibrium and that the entire universe is moving towards entropy.⁴ This implies it will not go on forever in a sustaining way. The universe is governed by laws of physics which give limits to its changes and actions. If something is always in a state of change, especially if these changes are caused forces outside of its own entity, then it cannot be existent of itself (self-existent). To overcome these problems, other ideas like multi-verses are theorized, but they have the same dilemmas. You will not find the answers to the universe by only looking in the 'box'. You need to look outside of the universe to find the Author.

Another problem with such theories that try to get rid of God through theories of origin is they cannot adequately answer the origins of other facets of the universe such as: the laws of logic, the existence of life, and concepts of such things as love, good, and evil (universal morality). Can a material universe explain these concepts? I know that scientists claim that all these things came from the material universe. That is, life was sparked from the matter and energy and evolved in more and more complexity. Living being then invented such things as love, morality, logic. However, these things seem to part of the created order and not something that man invented. The idea of life is still a mystery to most. Scientists cannot replicate it or truly explain it. Morality seems to be universal and beyond the material existence. Same with the laws of logic, which laws we have been assuming as I write these blogs. Logic is a law of the universe that goes beyond the earth, and is not man made. ⁵

These concepts imply an intelligent, eternal creator and not a materialistic origin of all things. The Necessary First Cause could not have been a big bang or an big inflation or just the eternal changing of matter and energy. God alone is the only possible eternal, self-existent, necessary being. So the next discussion will be what we can know of God.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.”

-Romans 8:19-20 (ESV)

1Surprise: the Big Bang isn’t the beginning of the universe anymore, Big Think; October 2021 It is interesting that the article admits to being ignorant of origins, yet still says it must have happened based solely on 'faith'. “Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we can no longer speak with any sort of knowledge or confidence as to how — or even whether — the universe itself began. By the very nature of inflation, it wipes out any information that came before the final few moments: where it ended and gave rise to our hot Big Bang. Inflation could have gone on for an eternity, it could have been preceded by some other nonsingular phase, or it could have been preceded by a phase that did emerge from a singularity. Until the day comes where we discover how to extract more information from the universe than presently seems possible, we have no choice but to face our ignorance.”

2Before The Big Bang: Stephen Hawking Says Nothing Existed At Singularity; International Business Times; 3/4/2018 Hawking has only pure speculation. “...he says anything that existed before the beginning of the universe as we know it has no role at all to play in everything that came after, and can therefore be completely left out of any theories we formulate to explain our observations. This is because he believes the universe at the moment of Big Bang was a singularity, a time when “all the laws of physics would have broken down. This means that the state of the universe, after the Big Bang, will not depend on anything that may have happened before, because the deterministic laws that govern the universe will break down in the Big Bang. The universe will evolve from the Big Bang, completely independently of what it was like before.”

3Laws of Motion, wikipedia

4Khan Academy, The Laws of Thermodynamics; Khan Academy

5The Biblical Basis for the Laws of Logic, Dr. Jason Lisle, Biblical Science Institute

What if God really exists? Part 4 – Necessary Being

 In an earlier blog, I am discussing the question of God's existence and that it is possible to know that God does exist and even to know God. I also asked such questions as:

If such a being exists, can we know?

How can we know?

Has this God communicated to us in any way?

Did this Being leave any signs or hints that it exists, like a painter signing his art?

Has this Being interacted with us-- or anyone at all ---in any way?

We may also ask questions such as, “If such a being exists, is it good?

Is it benevolent towards lesser creatures or pay any attention at all?

Does this God set things in motion and then move onto something else, leaving us to our own decisions? Can we get its attention and perhaps win awards or favors? Or the opposite? That is, incur God's disfavor or wrath?

I suggest that you read the series in order and that you should start here: https://bylivingwatersministries.blogspot.com/2021/11/what-if-god-really-exists.html

We are taking a step by step approach to these questions and need to establish some foundations. We started with self-awareness and moved to the basic reliability of the five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. With our senses to perceive the universe. This led us to these questions: Why is there something rather than nothing? Where or how did this universe with all of its complexities come from? If I exist, and I am a finite being, where did I come from?

You can read the last blog here:

https://bylivingwatersministries.blogspot.com/2021/11/what-if-god-really-exists-part-3.html

Now we can get closer to the heart of the matter. What an amazing and complex universe our five senses can perceive! With the assistance of instruments, we can peer into the deepest reaches of the cosmos and down to the smallest particles of matter. It is a universe of incredible beauty and diversity. There are unfathomably large stars and microscopic molecules. There is abundant life and harsh death. There is electromagnetism, gravity, and multiple laws of physics. The universe is ordered by such laws as the law of thermodynamics, the law of causality, the laws of life and the laws of logic.

As amazing as the universe is, it is finite, it has limits. It is most likely finite in size as well as finite in time. We, as humans, have a beginning and an end. People, animals, trees, and even stars have been observed to perish and change. The material universe, let's say matter and energy, is in constant motion. So the question is, how did it get started? Where and when will it stop? Did it have a beginning and will it end or will it forever move?

The law of Causality states that for every effect, there must be a cause. Read that carefully, again. For every effect, there must be an antecedent cause. A cause is defined as a reason for an action or condition. Something that brings about an effect.¹ An effect is defined as something that inevitably follows an antecedent (a cause or an agent)² For instance, you hit a ball with a bat (cause) and the ball moves (effect). David Hume and Immanuel Kant stated you cannot “prove” the law of causality, but all of science and life is based on this foundational law. It is assumed in all we do.

If everything in the universe seems to be finite and is in motion, then everything is basically an effect. An entity may be both a cause and an effect, but something started it all. What is the first or Ultimate Cause? There MUST be an ultimate cause. Aristotle called it the “unmoved mover.” This original (or first) cause is necessary. It is necessary in two ways. It is necessary to be the first cause for anything and everything else to exist. Without a first cause, nothing else would exist. It is necessary to bring all other things about. Secondly, it is necessary in that it cannot be an effect in any way, but must exist of itself. It must be Self-existent. It must have always existed. It must be eternal and it MUST exist.

We asked earlier, why is there something rather than nothing? There is something (that is, all the universe or everything) Because a necessary first cause must exist that is self-existent (not dependent on anything else) and it must be eternal. It is the only logical conclusion. If there ever was nothing—no matter, no energy, no forces, no God, absolute nothing ---the universe and all of creation could not exist now. It is logically impossible to be otherwise.

To summarize our thoughts so far: we have demonstrated an awareness of self and an awareness of the universe through our senses, which leads us to an understanding of all that exists must have a ultimate original cause that is self-existent and eternal. Who or what this necessary entity or first cause may be (i.e. Creator) we will discuss more in the next blog.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” -Genesis 1:1 (ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” -John 1:1-3 (ESV)

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” -Psalm 19:1 (ESV)

1https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cause

2https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effect