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

What if God really exists? Part 3 – the reliability of the senses

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. In the last blog, we started with self-awareness which led us to at least knowing that we, ourselves, exist. I exist, but I am finite. I do not know everything and there is much I experience that is outside of myself. This realization of self-existence and awareness leads me to ask the next questions:

1. How can I know if anything else exists?

2. If I exist, and I am a finite being, where did I come from?

3. Why does anything exist and how did it all come into existence? (Why is there something instead of nothing?)

You can read that in my blog here:

https://bylivingwatersministries.blogspot.com/2021/11/what-if-god-really-exists-part-2-i.html

How can I know if anything else exists?

In order to do that, we need to understand a few things about ourselves. So what am I aware about myself? We established that I can think and doubt, at least. I believe we can also conclude that we not only have a mind capable of thought, but also have a material component and have physical bodies. (There is also a spiritual component, which we will explore later.) We, as physical or material beings, experience the material universe through our five senses: sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. How reliable are our senses? Can our senses be fooled? Most certainly they can be! If our senses can be fooled, can we truly trust our senses at all? And if we cannot trust our senses, can we truly know what else exists or what is true? Sometimes we believe we saw something but it was not accurate. Or we hear a sound that we interpret as one thing, but it turns out to be something else or maybe the trick of our mind. Illusions occur, as the cinema and magicians demonstrate regularly. However our five senses are the only way we can possibly process the material universe. Living in physical bodies, sight, sound, touch, taste, and hearing are all we have as ways to interact with the physical world.

Fortunately, I believe are senses are basically reliable, even if they are not absolutely reliable or infallibly reliable. We may hear something incorrectly or see something incorrectly, or guess wrong what we are touching. However, we can trust our senses enough to walk down the steps without falling or know that we are eating an apple instead of a cactus or to stop at a red light. We will quickly pull our physical hand out of a real fire. So our five senses must be at least basically reliable. In fact, the scientific method is dependent on the reliability of our five senses.

So, if our senses have a rudimentary reliability, and we see, taste, touch, hear and smell things in this world, that we can perceive that a material world exists. We can can conclude that we, ourselves, exists and that some type of physical world exists.

If these statements are true, then it brings us to another question:

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?

We can conclude that there is something (you, myself, a physical universe, etc., exist) because God exists, which we will explore in the coming blogs. We will also need to look at some assumptions that I have been using in these posts and which everyone assumes when engaging in any discussions even if they do not realize.

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! -Psalm 34:8 (ESV)

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

-I John 1:1-4 (ESV)

What if God Really Exists? - Part 2 - I Think, Therefore I Am

In my last blog, I discussed 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 that first and that can be found here: https://bylivingwatersministries.blogspot.com/

These questions do not have simple answers, so we will need to go step by step to logically understand who God is and if he really exits. Where to start logically can be a challenge and apologists start a different places. No matter where we start, we will have deal with the finite and explain assumptions. I believe a good place to start is with the self. Though we do not understand everything about ourselves, we know it better than many other things. Self-awareness is something everyone can confirm in some way: I exist in some fashion.

At a very young age we start to become aware of ourselves and the world around us. I can remember as a small boy becoming more and more aware of myself and that I was consciously “alone” in my body and mind. I was an entity looking out from within through the tiny portal holes of my eyes. It was a little frightening at first to this boy, realizing I had to make decisions on my own in some sense. It took me quite some time to come to accept the reality of it about myself. I am a finite being in a material world. I knew came from my parents, but that still left many questions about existence.

Philosopher Rene Descartes (1596-1650) has also explored this idea of self and existence. Through a series of doubting everything, he came to the conclusion that, at the very least, he himself must exist.

“While we thus reject all of which we can entertain the smallest doubt, and even imagine that it is false, we easily indeed suppose that there is neither God, nor sky, nor bodies, and that we ourselves even have neither hands nor feet, nor, finally, a body; but we cannot in the same way suppose that we are not while we doubt of the truth of these things; for there is a repugnance in conceiving that what thinks does not exist at the very time when it thinks. Accordingly, the knowledge, I think, therefore I am, is the first and most certain that occurs to one who philosophizes orderly.” ¹

Descartes reasoned that if he is able to doubt, he is therefore thinking, and if thinking, then he must exist for only something that exists can think. So at the very least, I can conclude that I myself (or yourself) does truly exist. Even if I know nothing else, I can affirm to myself that I exist. I am self-aware.

“While other knowledge could be a figment of imagination, deception, or mistake, Descartes asserted that the very act of doubting one's own existence served—at minimum—as proof of the reality of one's own mind; there must be a thinking entity—in this case the self—for there to be a thought.”²

I exist, but I am finite. I do not know everything and there is much I experience that is outside of myself. This realization of self-existence and awareness leads me to ask the next questions:

1. How can I know if anything else exist?

2. If I exist, and I am a finite being, where did I come from?

3. Why does anything exist and how did it all come into existence? (Why is there something instead of nothing?)

The next step in our quest for God will explore how we, as finite thinking entities, experience the material world: the reliability of the five senses.

1Principles of Philosophy, Descartes 1644; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum

2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cogito,_ergo_sum

What if God Really Exists?

 Some comments I hear all the time in this strange post-Christian western society sound something like this:

“Whatever you believe is fine, as long as you are sincere”

“Whatever you believe is okay, I will respect that”

“I am Christian, but that is what I believe. You can believe whatever you want.”

I believe this, but it is okay if you can believe something different.”

“COEXIST”

“All religions or beliefs are equal”

People who say such things are revealing something about themselves and their beliefs that they may not even realize. They are revealing their actual foundational worldview-- a world view that they may be aware or they may not be aware. That worldview is most likely materialistic, secular and atheistic. They also probably believe in macro-evolution as a realistic scientific explanation of the universe as well. Before continuing, let me take a moment to define these terms. Materialism is believing that the physical universe (i.e. matter/energy) is all there is—there is no God or no spiritual beings or spiritual world.¹ There are only planets, and stars and animals and plants, etc. They may believe in multiple universes or other theories, but agree to these ideas can be explained in materialistic ways. Secular in the sense of non-religious or leaning towards a observable understanding, using the senses. Atheism is a belief that there is no God or supreme being (a=without, theo=god). “Macro-evolution refers to major evolutionary changes over time, the origin of new types of organisms from previously existing, but different, ancestral types. Examples of this would be fish descending from an invertebrate animal, or whales descending from a land mammal.” ²

Someone may respond to this by saying, “Not so, I believe in God or powerful spirits” or “I am Baha'i” or “I am Buddhist” “I am a Christian”. They might add, “I am trying to be respectful to others beliefs.” I understand being respectful to others beliefs, and I agree to a point, as long as it does not compromise the truth or disrespect God Himself.  However, I would disagree that you truly are convinced of these ideas or you would say, “Respectfully, this is the truth, what you believe is false.” What you are really saying is “I do not know if anything is really true, so I will believe what makes me happy or feel comfortable, and you should do the same.” I understand some will say “I truly believe in Buddhism, but you are not understanding these truths yet, or have not grown spiritually enough yet to understand, and my beliefs allow for that growth.” But this is a slightly different response than “believe whatever seems right to you.”

Let me ask these sincere questions: What if a supreme being really does exists? What if there really is a being that is far more knowledgeable and wise, even all-knowing (omniscient)? Would you not want to know if that were true? Would you not want to ask this being some questions? What if this supreme being had incredible powers and abilities, even was all-powerful (Omnipotent)? What if this being could be many places quickly across the universe or many places at once or everywhere present (Omnipresent)? A being that created all that there is and perhaps ruled the created universe? Would you not want to get to know this being? Would you not want to know what its purpose and plan was or what it thought of as good, right, just? Would you not want to know the truth or would you just say, “I do not care, my beliefs make me happy, comfortable.” If such a being is real and you decide on something that was not true or real, would not your plans and beliefs eventually collide with those of reality or those of the supreme being? You would be living in a bubble, a fantasy world of your own making that was not realistic. For instance, you can say “I do not believe that the IRS exists and I do not need to pay taxes,” but eventually, there will be consequences.

So my next question is, do you want to know what is really true to the best of your understanding or do you want to just believe what makes you comfortable or happy or what is easy to believe (for now)? Do you want to seek truth or not? Do you want to truly know if God exists or not? If God does exist, not knowing that could be very perilous or at the very least you may miss out on something beneficial. Not knowing what this being wants, plans or demands could be very dangerous.

Now I have been talking in generalities up to this point. If a supreme being exists and we believe that, but we know nothing about this being, we have only reached the belief of a theist, deist or an agnostic (a=without, gnostic=knowing, knowledge) . The theist, deist, or agnostic does not know if God exists, they only suspect or believe that such a being exists. 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?

Would you disagree that these are honest questions?

Let me say to you that I know that God does exist and you can know Him. How do I know that and others do not? Let me say that I am not unique. There are millions of us, even billions, that have encountered the Supreme Being, the Living God, the Creator of all things over thousands of years. He has revealed Himself to us, so we know who He is and that He is. Moreover, I believe a Biblical worldview is the most logical and reasonable concept you can have.

Seek to know Him, do not just believe what is easy or makes you feel good. Seek truth. That takes great humility. Over the next few posts, we will look at how we can know that a god exists and what we can know of Him and how to know Him- that is, have a relationship with Him. What is more glorious than that?

“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord...” Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the Everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 40:27 (ESV)

“Why do you spend your money for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live...” Isaiah 55:2 (ESV)

1Britaannica.com https://www.britannica.com/topic/materialism-philosophy

2“What is the Difference Between Macroevolution and Microevolution” ICR.org, https://www.icr.org/article/what-difference-between-macroevolution-microevolut/