My Favorite Argument for the Existence of God

God’s existence is one of the most important questions human beings must answer — does God really exist? For a logical answer to this pertinent question, I like the Cosmological Argument. It goes like this:


            1. Everything that begins to exist has a cause.[1]
                        

            2. The Universe began to exist.
                        

            3. Therefore, the Universe has a Cause.


Prior to Einstein and the discovery of a galactic redshift under Edwin Hubble (which the Hubble Telescope is named after), scientists used to think that the universe was eternal. They called this the “Steady State Theory.” 

But because of recent scientific discoveries, like Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, which is about the geometry of space-time, one consequence of this theory is that it was possible for the universe to be expanding. Einstein’s equations could be seen as opening up the possibility that the universe was not steady after all. Since this discovery, the Big Bang model is now overwhelmingly supported by scientists. Einstein’s theory also demonstrates philosophically that time is linked, or related, to matter and space. Time itself cannot exist in the absence of matter and space. So, the dimensions of time, space, and matter constitute what we would call a continuum. They must come into being at precisely the same instant. 

Telescopic power also showed that the universe is expanding – providing us with physical pictures that the universe must have begun a finite time ago. An expansion requires a push, and in this case, a really BIG push.    

And because of the discovery of the 2ndlaw of thermodynamics, this shows that the amount of usable energy in the universe decreases over time. Had the universe been eternal, there would be no usable energy at this present moment. Since there is usable energy, the universe can’t be eternal.

All of these things add up to the inference that the universe had a beginning. 

Given what came into existence at the Big Bang (matter, space and time), whatever caused it to happen must exist outside of time, space and matter. When you think of what could be space-less, timeless and immaterial, what first comes to mind? I mean, what has the best explanatory power[2]for this first cause – mind or matter?

The evidence surely points to an intelligent mind. That’s common sense. Yet for those who dislike the obvious conclusion to this argument, they will come up with other possibilities for that first cause. I had a university student, a professed atheist, once ask me why this first-cause couldn’t be, say… a huge flying rock (picture the stone rectangle in the sci-fi classic 2,001: A Space Odyssey)!

Artwork: Sakke Soini

To that, I responded, “What makes best sense – that Mind created Matter, or that Matter created Mind?” I mean, a rock can’t create squat. Creating takes intention. How does matter have intentional thought to make something? It doesn’t. It just is. You can believe that matter somehow got smart or you can base your decision on the knowledge[3]that intelligence (mind) trumps a rock (matter).

Others love to cite the Multi-Verse theory: that we’re not a “uni” (one) verse, but we are one of a ‘string’ of other universes. Or due to how quantum physics is interpreted, some expect a variety of mixed parameters for basic physical factors to show up in endless combinations. So, our universe just got the right amount of ‘dice-rolling’ perfectly to begin the conditions necessary for life on Earth.

Yet, there is no hard evidence to prove this theory. Even if scientists eventually can prove that it’s plausible for other universes to exist, some sort of overarching-multiverse mechanism would be required to regularly spit out new universes, and such a mechanism would need to be fine tuned to create universes with constants, energy, matter, etc. This mechanism would still require the necessity of a first cause. We’d still need a Prime Mover[4]for all those universes! I personally don’t believe that theory, but I do think it makes for great plots in sci-fi movies.

Nonetheless, this argument still doesn’t show why the Christian religion, in particular, is the true one. The Cosmological Argument merely shows that ‘God’ is the best possible answer for why anything exists at all. Once you get that settled in the skeptic’s mind, then you can ask them to look at the reality around us and show what religion has the best solution for the way we live? Let’s be frank—most of us are messed up. We’re selfish, sometimes entitled, major pleasure-seekers; which drives some of us to lie, steal and even murder. As a species, we can’t seem to get it right. Why? The Christian religion has the answer — it’s called sin.

Sin is not a popular subject in today’s self-centered culture. People who reject the Christian faith by living outside its traditional cultural boundaries, have done a decent job convincing others that their actions aren’t wrong. It’s a cunning way to justify one’s own “personal right” by cultivating the idea that everyone is right. No one is a sinner! We’re all good, and deserve our own personal happiness—to create our own truth.

Here’s what is blatantly wrong with that idea. Truth is exclusive. You can attempt to create your own truth, but if it doesn’t line up with reality, it is simply not true. Sorry. What you believe must line up with reality.

Here’s reality in the Christian worldview: because God made human beings in His image, we have free will. This means we can choose to believe in God or not. For those who struggle with whether we can even know this intelligent “First Cause,” God had a plan for that. He sent Jesus to earth as the “God-man,” not only to provide the bridge back into relationship with the Holy Father (by taking the penalty of sin on Himself as a sacrifice for all humanity), but to show us who God is: His character, His love and His plans for us.  

Was Jesus Christ God incarnate? Well, of all the religious leaders through history, only one rose from the dead and showed Himself in a new, resurrected body, creating one new man from two (Eph. 2:15); not only reconciling the flesh and the spirit, but the Jew and the Gentile (non-Jewish people), resulting in peace. Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t just proof of eternal life, it was also to show that the flesh (body) and spirit will attain peace, restoring what was previously at war with each other. Jesus, in His resurrected body, gives us the hope that someday, when we too inherit a resurrected body, that we’ll no longer struggle between our fleshly desires (that sinful nature) and our spiritual ones. Our flesh and spirit will be fully redeemed.

How do we know this really happened? There is ample evidence on this historical event of the resurrection. We can trust this happened in history. And because of that, we can trust the promises Jesus’ resurrection holds. 

So, if you’re a non-believer, who would you rather believe, a dead Buddha (as an example of one religious leader) or a Resurrected Christ?

As a Christian, your answer is solid. You can have confidence that what you believe is not based on what critics call “blind faith,” as there is plenty of convincing proofs that not only God exists, but that He came to reveal Himself to humanity in the person of Jesus Christ – no “argument” about it. 


[1]Note: this argument states: “begins” to exist. This is different from the understanding of God, which is a natural conclusion some jump to by asking, “Then who created God?” God, by definition, is uncreated.

[2]Explanatory power is the ability of a hypothesis or theory to effectively explain the subject matter it pertains to. 

[3]Knowledge is properly justified true belief. Truth can be known adequately (or enough) to be satisfied and certain that you have arrived at a reasonable conclusion.

[4]The self-moved being that is the source of all motion

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