Why Should I Believe God Exists?

Notes from the message of Dr. Bill Waltz at Cinnaminson Baptist on Sunday, July 9, 2017

I. The argument from religion. Every tribe and nation has a religion; are all men otherwise delusional?

II. The argument from creation. The cosmological argument. An effect requires a cause. Nothing comes about by itself; scientists even say matter is not eternal. Its existence requires an uncaused cause. An intelligent eternal being is more logical than nothing as the first cause. In Paul's letter to the Romans, chapter 1, he says, "For the invisible things of him [God] 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 [men] are without excuse".

III. The argument from design and purpose. The teleological argument. The intricate nature of the universe demands a purposeful designer.

Paul has this in mind when he tells the people of Lystra about the "...living God, which made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein...[who] left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness"--Acts of the Apostles, chapter 14.

IV. The argument from the nature of man. Man is the superior creature in his intelligence, language, emotion, abstract thought, moral nature, creativity, concept of goodness. In his letter to the Romans, in chapter 2, St. Paul compares those who know law with those who do not, concluding that when those that "...have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness..."

V. The argument from being. The ontological argument. God is the greatest. We can compare one degree of perfection with another only if there is an ultimate standard. The ultimate standard must be God. Anselm of Canterbury.

VI. The argument from logic. Pascal's wager on the existence of God.

Stakes: My finite life (70 years)

Gain: Eternity

Odds: 50/50

If He Is If He Is Not

Wager: God IS: Infinite Gain Finite Loss

Wager: God IS NOT: Infinite Loss Finite Gain

Only a fool would wager that God doesn't exist. "The fool has said in his heart, There is not God."--Psalm 53:1

VII. The argument from personal experience. Testimony. Look in the Bible. God loved us and provided for our redemption. Letter to the Hebrews, 11:6, "But without faith it is impossible to please him [God]: for he that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."