The question of God’s existence and what kind of God, is ubiquitous. Everywhere and through history men have debated this and sought for evidence of their claims. And this brings up an interesting question- ‘How do we decide what evidence is reasonable and sufficient?’
We should note that we discover different things in different ways. Air pressure or temperature or wind speed isn’t something we measure by smelling or eyeballing it. Historical evidence isn’t proved with a volt meter or electrical current isn’t measured with an airflow meter or a water pressure gauge. Basically the nature of the thing to be proved determines what evidence should be sought. So the real question becomes what evidence should or should not be allowed or accepted when it comes to the existence of God.
But even further what we should notice is that what evidence you choose to accept is a product of beliefs already held or presupposed. Evidence might be defined as ‘available body of facts indicating whether a belief or proposition is true or valid’. But to begin at the beginning, if there is such a thing or entity as ‘evidence’ then there must exist logical laws. For the nature of the evidence must reasonably support and not contradict the belief. Also these laws of logic would have to be public or objective so others could arrive at the same conclusions. These laws of logic (and mathematics) aren’t physical and bound by geography as everyone can use them, even people in the past or future can accept the same evidence and logic doesn’t change from time to time or from person to person.
Plus it is also evident that your evidence is not expected to randomly and sporadically change into something else. You expect uniformity in nature and physical laws and that the laws of math and logic will consistently apply to the world. You also expect others to be able to be persuaded by your evidence. That is, you think that they have a free choice and aren’t strictly controlled by chemistry in their brains and bound to arrive at differing conclusions from you because the shape or composition of both of your brains. You are hoping they will agree with you on the same evidence (and probably hope they will say how smart they think you are).
These are just a few things that you must assume or presuppose because they are the preconditions of evidence for anything! You need an entire worldview to support an idea of ‘evidence’. For evidences to make sense these things must first be true. So ask yourself - How is it possible to have evidence for truths? What kind of world is needed in order for there to be evidence of anything?
You need a physical world of causally related events. A higher plane of abstract ideas that can shape and measure and control this physical world. Free thinking people who can apply these abstract laws of math and logic that exist independent of them. And an expectation that the future will resemble the past or uniformity in nature.
Well thankfully there is a worldview that can account for these things and without this worldview these things cannot coherently fit together. This is what Christianity supplies! Consider these ideas:
Logic is absolute, eternal, abstract (not physical), universal and unchanging; reflecting God's nature and thinking, and how we must think (Isa.1:18, Job 38:36, Prv.2:6). One cannot know truth apart from logic. Logic within the correct worldview will always lead to the truth (Prv.8:6-9). He made us in his image to reason with him (Gen. 1:26-28, Psa.33:14-5, Zec.12:1). God puts wisdom in our hearts and minds and obligates us to be rational. Sin and pride cause men to err in their thinking (Eph.2:3,4:18, Tit.1:15, Prv.13:10).
Science is based upon God upholding all things by the word of his power (Psa.119:90-1, Heb.1:3, Col.1:17, Neh.9:6, Gen.8:22, 2 Pt.3:7). This is for his purpose revealed in prophecy of the scripture and is the basis for expecting nature to be uniform (Jer.31:35-6, 33:20-26). Likewise do we find design and order in nature as God reveals his wisdom in creation (Prv.3:19, Jer.10:12, Psa.19:1, Rom.1:19-21) as well as his invariableness (Jer.31:35-6, 33:25-6). This is seen as mathematics allow predictions and calculations, indicating wisdom/logic (Ex.35:31-5, 31:3-5) governs the creation (Job.38:32-3 Psa.104:19, Gen.1:14, Prv.8:27-31).
Since God is transcendent and is the basis for the existence of all creation, we look to transcendental evidence for his existence. Now we know that most of the world will object and they have their own ideas about God (Rom.1:23) and eternity. But I think you will find that these ideas all come short of providing the logical and scientific basis for ‘evidence’ for anything whatsoever. Maybe you desire to reason with God about these things (Job 13:3, Isa.1:18). Maybe you have a problem with evil and want to let God know you don’t approve of the conditions of the world. You could be like some who reject the idea of God’s existence because of the existence of evil. But if you were lucid in your mind you would realize that unless God exists there is no such an idea as evil- and there goes your argument. For what would evil be or your rejection of it in a Godless world? But you are not content with this because your mind and conscience are defiled (Tit.1:15). And so you will conclude that your righteousness is more than God’s (Job 35:2,5) because of your pride (v12) even though his thoughts and ways are higher than ours (Isa.55:8-9).
The odds are in favor of you rejecting this basis for ‘the existence of evidence being the existence of God’, and flattering yourself and worshipping what you imagine a god to be from your own heart. But you will die one day, maybe soon. Are you willing to die in this state of rebellion against the Almighty? You don’t have to, for God is love (1 Jn.4:8,16). Where else do you imagine love came from? And God so loved all men that he paid the penalty for their pride and rebellion in the person of his Son Jesus Christ the righteous (Jn.3:16, Rom.5:8-10, 2 Cor.5:19-21). Who was made flesh in order that he might die for your sins and the sins of the world (Jn.1:1,14, Heb.2:9, 1 Jn.2:1-2, 4:2). And he overcame death by his eternal resurrection the third day (1 Cor.15:1-3, Rom.6:9, Heb.7:25).
All you need to do is repent of your rebellion (2 Cor.7:10, Act. 17:30, 20:21) and believe he will forgive you and save you from your sins as he promised (Heb.10:16-17, Rom.10:9-10,13, 1 Jn.5:13).
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