Is God Real? How Can You Prove God Exists?
At some point in every person’s life, I think we all stop and ask the question, “is God real”, and when we say “yes” then many people naturally follow this up by asking “can you prove God is real”. Wouldn’t it be nice if Christians didn’t always respond with the default replies “you just gotta believe” or “that’s what the bible says” and offered some scientific evidence? Don’t get me wrong, those answers are true and I’ve used them far more times than I can remember, but can we offer any type of proof to appease the person seeking God’s existence?
I think Christians make the mistake of getting offended by these questions, failing to realize that these questions would not be asked if someone were not seeking the truth of God’s existence, even if they’re only doing it on a subconscious level). Let’s be honest, these questions are fair, and as far as I am concerned very natural questions. Of course, the bible does offer up some answers, and it even explains why we all ask this question “is God real”. It’s like there is natural programming that runs behind the scenes telling us God is real and is causing us to seek Him. Before I was a true believer I questioned God’s existence and put many Christians on the spot to answer some difficult questions to prove their Deity was real. On the surface, it looked like I was trying to prove them wrong, but looking back I now know I was really hoping they would prove me wrong. Yes, I wanted there to be a God. However, ask for proof of His existence and most Christians either put up a brick wall or simply say “you just have to believe“. Why was I seeking a God that I thought I didn’t believe in? I think scripture tells us the answer in Hebrews and Romans.
[Hebrews 8:11] “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest”.
[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”.
I digress, so let’s get back to the big question of how do we prove or at least offer up evidence of God’s existence. You can’t see God, you can’t touch Him, and you can’t hear Him (audibly), so what do we do?
Romans 1:20 gives us the answer. Paul told us that by God’s creation we know He is real, so there’s your starting point, and it’s a darn good one. Even scientists are hard-pressed to deny God’s existence when we look at everything in all of creation.
The Evidence of God’s Existence
In any court of law we are going to look at the evidence before we draw our conclusions, so let’s put God on trial (in a manner of speaking). Here are just a few of the evidence of God’s existence (source EveryStudent.com) that do not require intellectual suicide to cause one to believe in the existence of an all mighty God.
- Does God Actually Exist? The complexity of our planet points to a deliberate Designer who not only created our universe but sustains it today.
Many examples showing God’s design could be given, possibly with no end. But here are a few:
The Earth…its size is perfect. The Earth’s size and corresponding gravity hold a thin layer of mostly nitrogen and oxygen gases, only extending about 50 miles above the Earth’s surface. If Earth were smaller, an atmosphere would be impossible, like the planet Mercury. If Earth were larger, its atmosphere would contain free hydrogen, like Jupiter. Earth is the only known planet equipped with an atmosphere of the right mixture of gases to sustain plant, animal, and human life.
The Earth is located at the right distance from the sun. Consider the temperature swings we encounter, roughly -30 degrees to +120 degrees. If the Earth were any further away from the sun, we would all freeze. Any closer and we would burn up. Even a fractional variance in the Earth’s position to the sun would make life on Earth impossible. The Earth remains this perfect distance from the sun while it rotates around the sun at a speed of nearly 67,000 mph. It is also rotating on its axis, allowing the entire surface of the Earth to be properly warmed and cooled every day.
And our moon is the perfect size and distance from the Earth for its gravitational pull. The moon creates important ocean tides and movements so ocean waters do not stagnate, and yet our massive oceans are restrained from spilling over across the continents.
Water…colorless, odorless, and without taste, and yet no living thing can survive without it. Plants, animals, and human beings consist mostly of water (about two-thirds of the human body is water). You’ll see why the characteristics of water are uniquely suited to life:
It has a wide margin between its boiling point and freezing point. Water allows us to live in an environment of fluctuating temperature changes while keeping our bodies at a steady 98.6 degrees.
Water is a universal solvent. This property of water means that various chemicals, minerals, and nutrients can be carried throughout our bodies and into the smallest blood vessels.
Water is also chemically neutral. Without affecting the makeup of the substances it carries, water enables food, medicines, and minerals to be absorbed and used by the body.
Water has unique surface tension. Water in plants can therefore flow upward against gravity, bringing life-giving water and nutrients to the top of even the tallest trees.
Water freezes from the top down and floats, so fish can live in the winter.
Ninety-seven percent of the Earth’s water is in the oceans. But on our Earth, there is a system designed that removes salt from the water and then distributes that water throughout the globe. Evaporation takes the ocean waters, leaving the salt, and forms clouds that are easily moved by the wind to disperse water over the land, for vegetation, animals, and people. It is a system of purification and supply that sustains life on this planet, a system of recycled and reused water.
The human brain…simultaneously processes an amazing amount of information. Your brain takes in all the colors and objects you see, the temperature around you, the pressure of your feet against the floor, the sounds around you, the dryness of your mouth, and even the texture of your keyboard. Your brain holds and processes all your emotions, thoughts, and memories. At the same time, your brain keeps track of the ongoing functions of your body like your breathing pattern, eyelid movement, hunger, and movement of the muscles in your hands.
The human brain processes more than a million messages a second. Your brain weighs the importance of all this data, filtering out the relatively unimportant. This screening function is what allows you to focus and operate effectively in your world. The brain functions differently than other organs. There is intelligence to it, the ability to reason, to produce feelings, to dream and plan, to take action, and relate to other people.
The eye…can distinguish among seven million colors. It has automatic focusing and handles an astounding 1.5 million messages — simultaneously. Evolution focuses on mutations and changes from and within existing organisms. Yet evolution alone does not fully explain the initial source of the eye or the brain — the start of living organisms from nonliving matter.
- Does God really exist? The universe had a start somewhere- what caused it?
Scientists are convinced that our universe began with one enormous explosion of energy and light, which we now call the Big Bang. This was the singular start to everything that exists: the beginning of the universe, the start of space, and even the initial start of time itself.
Astrophysicist Robert Jastrow, a self-described agnostic, stated, “The seed of everything that has happened in the Universe was planted in that first instant; every star, every planet, and every living creature in the Universe came into being as a result of events that were set in motion in the moment of the cosmic explosion…The Universe flashed into being, and we cannot find out what caused that to happen.”
Steven Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in Physics, said at the moment of this explosion, “the universe was about a hundred thousand million degrees Centigrade…and the universe was filled with light.”
The universe has not always existed. It had a start…what caused that? Scientists have no explanation for the sudden explosion of light and matter.
- Proof that God exists? The universe operates by uniform laws of nature. Why does it do this?
Much of life may seem uncertain, but look at what we can count on day after day: gravity remains consistent, a hot cup of coffee left on a counter will get cold, the earth rotates in the same 24 hours, and the speed of light doesn’t change — on earth or in galaxies far from us.
How is it that we can identify laws of nature that never change? Why is the universe so orderly, so reliable?
“The greatest scientists have been struck by how strange this is. There is no logical necessity for a universe that obeys rules, let alone one that abides by the rules of mathematics. This astonishment springs from the recognition that the universe doesn’t have to behave this way. It is easy to imagine a universe in which conditions change unpredictably from instant to instant or even a universe in which things pop in and out of existence.”
Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner for quantum electrodynamics, said, “Why nature is mathematical is a mystery…The fact that there are rules at all is a kind of miracle.”
- Does God really exist? The DNA code informs and programs a cell’s behavior.
All instruction, all teaching, and all training come with intent. Someone who writes an instruction manual does so with purpose. Did you know that in every cell of our bodies there exists a very detailed instruction code, much like a miniature computer program? As you may know, a computer program is made up of ones and zeros, like this: 110010101011000. The way they are arranged tells the computer program what to do. The DNA code in each of our cells is very similar. It’s made up of four chemicals that scientists abbreviate as A, T, G, and C. These are arranged in the human cell like this: CGTGTGACTCGCTCCTGAT and so on. There are three billion of these letters in every human cell!!
Well, just like you can program your phone to beep for specific reasons, DNA instructs the cell. DNA is a three-billion-lettered program telling the cell to act in a certain way. It is a full instruction manual.
Why is this so amazing? One has to ask….how did this information program wind up in each human cell? These are not just chemicals. These are chemicals that instruct, that code in a very detailed way exactly how the person’s body should develop.
Natural, biological causes are completely lacking as an explanation when programmed information is involved. You cannot find instruction, precise information like this, without someone intentionally constructing it.
- Does God really exist? We know God exists because He pursues us. He is constantly initiating and seeking for us to come to him.
I was an atheist at one time. And like many atheists, the issue of people believing in God bothered me greatly. What is it about atheists that we would spend so much time, attention, and energy refuting something that we don’t believe even exists?! What causes us to do that? When I was an atheist, I attributed my intentions as caring for those poor, delusional people…to help them realize their hope was completely ill-founded. To be honest, I also had another motive. As I challenged those who believed in God, I was deeply curious to see if they could convince me otherwise. Part of my quest was to become free from the question of God. If I could conclusively prove to believers that they were wrong, then the issue is off the table, and I would be free to go about my life.
I didn’t realize that the reason the topic of God weighed so heavily on my mind, was because God was pressing the issue. I have come to find out that God wants to be known. He created us with the intention that we would know him. He has surrounded us with evidence of himself and he keeps the question of his existence squarely before us. It was as if I couldn’t escape thinking about the possibility of God. In fact, the day I chose to acknowledge God’s existence, my prayer began with, “Ok, you win…” It might be that the underlying reason atheists are bothered by people believing in God is because God is actively pursuing them.
I am not the only one who has experienced this. Malcolm Muggeridge, the socialist and philosophical author, wrote, “I had a notion that somehow, besides questing, I was being pursued.” C.S. Lewis said he remembered, “…night after night, feeling whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England.”
Lewis went on to write a book titled, “Surprised by Joy” as a result of knowing God. I too had no expectations other than rightfully admitting God’s existence. Yet over the following several months, I became amazed by his love for me.
- Does God really exist? Unlike any other revelation of God, Jesus Christ is the clearest, most specific picture of God revealing himself to us.
Why Jesus? Look throughout the major world religions and you’ll find that Buddha, Muhammad, Confucius and Moses all identified themselves as teachers or prophets. None of them ever claimed to be equal to God. Surprisingly, Jesus did. That is what sets Jesus apart from all the others. He said God exists and you’re looking at him. Though he talked about his Father in heaven, it was not from the position of separation, but of very close union, unique to all humankind. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, anyone who believed in him, believed in the Father.
He said, “I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” He claimed attributes belonging only to God: to be able to forgive people of their sins, free them from habits of sin, give people a more abundant life and give them eternal life in heaven. Unlike other teachers who focused people on their words, Jesus pointed people to himself. He did not say, “follow my words and you will find the truth.” He said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me.”
Can God’s Existence Be Disproved?
The existence of God cannot be proved or disproved. The Bible says that we must accept by faith the fact that God exists: “And without faith, it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). If God so desired, He could simply appear and prove to the whole world that He exists. But if He did that, there would be no need for faith. “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29).
That does not mean, however, that there is no evidence of God’s existence. The Bible states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4). Looking at the stars, understanding the vastness of the universe, observing the wonders of nature, seeing the beauty of a sunset—all of these things point to a Creator God. If these were not enough, there is also evidence of God in our own hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, “…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Deep within us is the recognition that there is something beyond this life and someone beyond this world. We can deny this knowledge intellectually, but God’s presence in us and all around us is still obvious. Despite this, the Bible warns that some will still deny God’s existence: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God” (Psalm 14:1). Since the vast majority of people throughout history, in all cultures, in all civilizations, and on all continents believe in the existence of some kind of God, there must be something (or someone) causing this belief.
Consider this, with over 5 billion copies of the bible having been printed there is not a single book that even comes remotely close to it. What drives so many people to believe in something we can’t see, touch, hear? Could it be that God really has put it on our hearts to innately know that He is real and to cause us to seek Him? Could it be that we all have free will to choose Him and that God won’t force us on Him? But instead, He allows us to decide to accept (or reject) Him freely. The answer, I believe with all my heart, is “yes”. This clearly explains all of the evil in the world. Non-believers will often use death, disease, and all evil acts to suggest there could not be a God, because if there were then how could all these bad things happen to good people? The answer is simple. We all have free will. We can choose God or reject Him. We can choose evil or good. God is not the author of evil (though He allows it to exist, for now). He is the author of life and love. But God seems to find it important that He not act as a puppeteer and allows all humans the freedom to choose good or evil. To choose life (through faith) or eternal punishment (through rejecting Jesus, His free gift to us).
While we currently live in a broken sin-filled world God has promised to redeem us and recover what was lost in the garden. One day there will be no more suffering, pain, and sickness. That day will not come until the last person has accepted Jesus and has been saved. That’s right, God has and will continue to allow sin to exist until that last person has chosen Him on their own free will. Our hope is in eternity, not in our current circumstances here on planet earth.
Deep down every person knows God is real, and I pray that as the scriptures say in Hebrews 3:15 “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion” and I believe that God will His promise in Romans 10:13 “whosoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” and it will not be from what we ‘do’ or what we ‘don’t do’, but rather through faith in Jesus alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
[Ephesians 2:8-9] “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves,it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast“.
Amen.
Author: Mike Cynar
Mike Cynar was raised in a church setting where he frequently noticed that many attendees would eventually drift away. The church labeled these individuals as ‘back sliders’ or ‘fake Christians’ just looking for ‘fire insurance’. However, Mike realized the issue was rarely with these individuals but instead with the church’s message itself. The teachings heavily emphasized behavior improvement and one’s flaws, with only a fleeting mention of one’s identity in Christ. It felt as though every sermon was tailored to the church of Corinth, who as we know or committing sins that even unbelievers don’t partake in. This trend was noticeable not just in one denomination, but across Baptist, Catholic, Pentecostal, and many other churches. Upon understanding the true essence of the gospel – that our righteousness comes from Jesus’ actions, not our own – Mike was inspired to liberate believers from lifeless sermons and reconnect them with the genuine teachings of Jesus. He believes that one can nurture a vibrant and growing bond with Jesus, unhindered by rigid religious practices. And thus, “Jesus Without Religion” was born.
It turns out that it is grace that leads to repentance. And if our heart is to get others to walk in the Spirit and live a godly life, then the best approach is not a beat down sermon, but rather to remind other that it is only when we understand our true identity in Christ that we will live it out. Yes, it’s true, if you’re convinced that God thinks you’re a dirty sinner, you will ultimately continue a lifestyle that mirrors that view, but if you truly believe that even on your worst day, you are called holy, sanctified, justified, and will be presented blameless in the end, well, it turns out this is the secret to living out on the outside what has been worked in to the inside.
