From Robert Sargeant’s ebook “Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine”
BIBLE DOCTRINE
LECTURE 18
THEOLOGY: THE EXISTENCE OF GOD II
All ‘unbracketed’ information is from Robert Sargeant’s ebook “Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine”
[Systematic Theology: This is the collecting, scientifically arranging, and categorizing, comparing, exhibiting, and
defending all facts from all sources concerning God and His works. It is broken down into 10 main categories –
Bibliology: From biblos + logos. The study of the Bible, i.e., revelation, inspiration, preservation, canonization, etc..
Theology Proper: From theos + logos. This is the study of the essence, being, and trinity of God.
Angelology: From angelos + logos. This is the study of angels, fallen and unfallen.
Anthropology: From anthropos + logos. This is the study of man, his creation, make-up, innocence and fall.
Hamartiology: From hamartia + logos. This is the study of sin, its nature, derivation and classifications.
Soteriology: From soterios + logos. This is the study of God’s plan and work of salvation for mankind.
Ecclesiology: From ekklesia + logos. This is the study of the church (i.e. local, independent, visible)
Eschatology: From eschatos + logos. This is the study of prophecy and last things. Dispensations may also be included.
Christology: From Christos + logos. The study of the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Pneumatology: From pneuma + logos. This involves the study of the Person of the Holy Spirit.]
(the above section is from )
DEFINITIONS OF GOD
The fact is, God cannot be defined. Our God is above definition. He is incomprehensible, eternally and infinitely
above the trite intellect of man. Any attempted definition of God is anthropomorphic (i.e. it can only be put in human
terms, for a true definition of God is inexpressible in any language). [It might be something like a 3 year old explaining
how a nuclear fission reaction occurs. Or, better, an amoeba trying to understand the human brain. All we can do, and should do, is let the Holy Scriptures describe God, for this is what God wants us to know about Himself.]
A. GENERALIZED SCRIPTURAL DESIGNATIONS OF WHAT GOD IS:
There are four statements given in the Bible as to what God is:
1. God is a Spirit
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Is God more than just a Spirit? Does He have ‘matter’ to His essence? Jesus Christ took on a human tabernacle and now still has a tabernacle (matter), but it is immortal, without sin.
2. God is Light
I John 1:5 God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
Is God actually the wavelength and photon making up ‘light’? Is it just symbolic.
Is He the source of all light? Is there something totally wonderful about light that we don’t know yet?
3. God is Love
I John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
Is God the definition of love? Does all love ultimately come from God? Is this just talking about ‘agape’ love? Is God anything more than love?
4. God is a Consuming Fire
Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Is this solely symbolic? Fire represents judgment in the Bible.
B. THEOLOGICAL DESIGNATIONS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD:
1. Westminster Shorter Catechism - Presbyterian.
“God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice,
goodness, and truth.”
2. A. H. Strong - Baptist.
“God is the infinite and perfect Spirit in Whom all things have their source, support, and end.”
3. London Confession, 1644 (by seven Particular Baptist churches)
“That God is of Himself, that is, neither from another, nor of another, nor by another, nor for another:
But is a Spirit, Who as His being is of Himself, so he gives being, moving, and preservation to all
other things, being in Himself eternal, most holy, every way infinite in greatness, wisdom, power,
justice, goodness, and truth.”
[Here is what Buddhism believes about the existence of God (from )
Buddhism neither believes in the existence of God nor of soul. It is basically a religion of the mind, which advocates present moment awareness, and reliance upon one’s own experience as the sole teacher. Unlike major religions of the world, Buddhism is not centered around the concept of God or an universal supreme being. The whole existence is in a state of flux and there is nothing that is either permanent or unchanging. The Buddhist scriptures, however, do confirm the existence of ‘devas’ (celestial beings), godhisattvas (pure beings), and heavens and hells and other planes of existence. All these, though, are subject to change and evolution.
The Buddha, long ago, made these insightful remarks about the existence of God:
1. If God is indeed the creator of all living things, then all things here should submit to His power unquestioningly. But, if that is so, how can there be an opportunity for anyone to practice virtue?
2. If this world is indeed created by God, then there should be no sorrow or calamity or evil in this world, for all deeds must come from Him (God).
3. If God is that which is ‘Absolute’, then that which is absolute cannot be a causal agent (for He is the end of all things).
4. We should therefore abandon the heresy of worshipping God and of praying to him. We should stop all speculation and vain talk about such maters and instead practice good so that good may result from our good deeds.]
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
[Can you prove that God exists?
Can someone prove that God does not exist?]
[So what is the evidence for the existence of God? The evidence falls into two categories: (1) General or naturalistic evidence—reasonable evidence from the world around us, and (2) special or revealed evidence—the evidence from the Bible.
Charles Ryrie writes:
General revelation includes all that God has revealed in the world around us, including man, while special revelation includes various means He used to communicate His message in what was codified in the Bible. General revelation is sometimes called natural theology and special revelation is called revealed theology. But, of course, what is revealed in nature is also revealed in theology. Some writers use the labels prelapsarian for general revelation and postlapsarian or soteric for special revelation. However, both general and special revelation are (a) from God and (b) about God.]
()
There are three areas in which the intuitive knowledge of God can be developed:
a. By Reason — which establishes the existence of God.
b. By Revelation — which develops the existence of God.
c. By Reality — which confirms the existence of God.
Reason = Rationalism:
[In rationalism reason becomes the sole guide in discovering and learning about God whether in Scripture or in nature. Here the supernatural is generally explained away by human reason and its bias against the supernatural, i.e., the supernatural is irrational to the human mind and must be rejected.]
Reality = Empiricism:
[This is the system of pursuing knowledge through observation and experiment. In the empirical system, everything must be checked out through the senses. One must be able to smell, see, touch, hear, or taste in order to know or come to a bonafide conclusion. The empirical method or the empiricist is one who depends on experience or observation alone, without regard to theory or faith.]
Revelation = Faith:
[This takes into consideration ‘reason’ and ‘reality’ but also adds in the ‘revelation’ from God’s Word so that we can have the ‘faith’ needed to ‘believe in God’.] (these sections all from )
1 John 4:12a No man hath seen God at any time….
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Heb 11:6a But without faith it is impossible to please him:…
God has given us the ability, the understanding, that He does indeed exist.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
[In his book Knowing God, J. I. Packer writes:
“The world becomes a strange, mad, and painful place and life in it is a disappointing and unpleasant business for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfold as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you.”]
[How sad, how scary, how meaningless, to not believe that God exists!]
“The question is often asked, “If Christianity is rational and true, why is it that most educated people don’t believe it?” The answer is simple. They don’t believe it for the very same reason that most uneducated don’t believe it. They don’t want to believe it. It’s not a matter of brain power, for there are outstanding Christians in every field of the arts and sciences. It is primarily a matter of will.” (Paul Little)
I. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD ESTABLISHEDBY REASON
Rom. 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another.
[If there is no God then I am not responsible to anyone and I can live and die as I please. but in the quieter moments of reflection the conscience of every man whispers, There is a God" and only fools deny it.]
[To look up and see a plane and not see the pilot and say that the plane is pilotless is as ridiculous as looking into the heavens and saying that there is no God simply because we cannot see Him.]
The arguments from reason do not prove that God is — but they support the first truth that God is
(i.e., it may be shown, but not proved!). There are eight arguments from reason which help to establish our intuitive belief that God exists.
(These arguments are probable - not demonstrative.)
A. The argument from universal belief (a priori argument):
If only one man or one tribe had this knowledge it would mean little, but the fact that people in the
remotest corners of the world, untouched by Christianity or western civilization also share such
knowledge bears great significance.
B. The argument from cause and effect (cosmological argument):
It is an accepted principle that everything must have a cause. Things don’t just happen. Additionally, it is self-evident that the cause must be adequate to produce the effect.
1. Man is intelligent, therefore his Cause must also be intelligent.
2. Man has personality, therefore his Cause could not have been impersonal.
3. The universe around us has great power; therefore the Cause must be even more powerful
C. The argument from design (teleological argument):
A clock requires not only a maker, but a designer and a purpose. In the creation, we see design
and purpose everywhere.
D. The argument from life:
[Man cannot make life. He cannot create something from nothing. He can pro-create; but nothing further.] There must be a source of life beyond mankind
E. The argument from being (ontological argument):
Man’s intuition of God is invariably that of an infinite, perfect being. How could a finite and imperfect
man devise such a concept? This must argue for the existence of such a being, for man by himself
would not have devised it.
F. The argument from morality (anthropological argument):
This argument says that because man is a mental, moral, and emotional being, his Cause could be no less.
[Why is ‘murder’ or ‘cheating’ wrong in every society on Earth for all of history?! If morality was purely up to the choice of man, potentially nothing would be truly wrong…it would all be subjective and relative. There are absolutes in the world’s moral code…and these are universal, and timeless.
G. The argument from congruity:
If the key fits the lock, we have the right key. If the theory fits the facts, in all probability we
have the right theory. Belief in a self existent, personal God is in harmony with all the facts in any
aspect and phenomena. When man removes God from the equation, confusion and chaos always result.
(It becomes like trying to repair an automobile using a field-guide for bird watching!). God is the perfect answer to all the puzzles of life.
II. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD DEVELOPED BY REVELATION
Scripture does not attempt to prove the existence of God — it assumes it!
“In the beginning GOD….”
Where reason will help establish the innate intuition, the Bible develops it and reveals God to us as He
really is.
Rom 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
Psa. 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handiwork.
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
Ex 3:14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Isa 44:6 Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.
Isa 55:8-9 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
III. THE EXISTENCE OF GOD CONFIRMED BY REALITY (EXPERIENCE)
Millions of people have experienced the reality of God in their own lives — far too many for us to say there is NO God!
Areas such as salvation and changed lives, answered prayer, miracles, and divine wisdom and guidance all confirm what
the Bible says.
However, the existence of God should not be based solely on experience; but, rather, it can be based solely on the truth of God’s Word. Experience is all subjective, but the Bible is objective.
I know there is a God and that my intuition is correct because of what I see (reason), what I read (revelation), and what I know (reality).
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