Apologetics Friday----The Existence of God

The Existence of God 1. The Law of Inertia (first cause) 2. The Ordering of Creation 3. Incurably religious Human Beings 4. Moral Laws Objections to the Existence of God 1. Christianity is just a crutch 2. Paradox of the Stone 3. Christianity is exclusive 1. The Law of Inertia The law of inertia states that “An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force”. This is the first of Newton’s Laws. If this law is true, then there must be a first cause. There must be something that starts things off. Why does the earth rotate around the sun while spinning itself? The plates beneath the earth shift and stars fly through the universe. Comets and asteroids fly through our universe….what sends them flying? There has to be a first cause and that first cause is God. 2. The ordering of Creation Every building you see in your town was designed by someone. Buildings do not evolve on their own. They do not just pop out of the ground with 2x4 studs and trusses. Someone designs them and someone builds them. They have an order to them. So does every “natural” thing. Trees function a certain way. They take in carbon dioxide and release oxygen. It is the same oxygen that we breath. Is that just a fluke? The human eye is so complex that all parts of it are dependant upon the others for their existence. So it is impossible for the eye to evolve. All parts must be present or it cannot exist. 3. Incurably religious human beings Have you ever noticed that almost everyone believes in a god of some form? Don’t confuse this with faith but this is just a simple belief that “a god” exists. Why is that? I think it is because of Romans 1:19,20. Your conscience can’t deny it. During times of disaster such as tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc… you can’t find an atheist! Everyone believes in a god when they are about to die. Not necessarily faith, just belief. Even atheists have beliefs. 4. Moral Law Even those who deny the existence of a God have a sense of right and wrong. What sets that standard for them? If there is no supreme being that sets the standards, how do they know what is right? How can they say that rape and murder are wrong? By what standard are they measuring those things? The staunchest atheist will tell you that murdering innocent children is wrong. When they tell you this, ask them how they come to that conclusion. Objections to the Existence of God 1. Christianity is just a crutch for weak people. When one considers the fact that over 500 people saw the resurrected Christ, I am not so sure that this faith is a crutch. If anyone ever knew how to effectively kill a person, it was the Romans. Jesus died. The Romans would not have messed this up. They were the best at killing people. The “swoon theory” is full of holes. Had Jesus remained dead, Christians should be the most pitied of all people on the earth. But he didn’t remain dead. He is alive! That is not a leap into the dark, it is a step into the light. 2. The paradox of the Stone The paradox of the stone is the question of God’s omnipotence. It goes like this, “Is it possible for God to create a stone so heavy that he could not lift it?” If you answer “no”, then God cannot do everything and if you answer “yes”, then God still cannot do everything. At first glance you may think that this is a valid question but let’s look a little deeper at it. First of all, the atheist (or whoever) is posing a question that they wish for you to answer logically but the question is not logical. The “Law of Non-Contradiction” states that two truths cannot be opposed to each other. God’s omnipotence is defined by Thomas Aquinas as saying that God can do anything that is possible. This would include things that are impossible to you and me. God could take the earth and cast it into another galaxy. You and I could not do that. But for God to contradict himself or oppose himself can never be an option. That option is non-existent. The question cannot be answered without a little understanding of term “omnipotent” and all sides using logic. Some have said that God could indeed do both of these even though it is a contradiction. The problem with that is that it denies the orderly ways that we see God revealed in scripture. This paints a picture of a God who does things arbitrarily. This is not the God of the bible. 3. Christianity is exclusive. Some say our God cannot exist if it denies all other forms of religion. This argument will get nowhere. If a God exists, and he is really God, then he can be as exclusive as he wants. The reality is that God has commanded all men everywhere to repent and believe. He is not excluding you, he is inviting you. If you choose another way, then you have excluded yourself. To be God means to be Sovereign. Something has to be ultimately sovereign. If God is not sovereign, then whatever denies him is sovereign over him. God is real and he is Sovereign.