God Is!
“In the beginning God…” (Genesis 1:1). The Bible opens with this very simple yet dynamic statement. In the present day society many doubt this declaration and many others outright deny it. Is there evidence for the existence of God? Consider three areas of proof for the existence of Jehovah God of the Bible.
The World in Which We Live
Observing the world in which we live, we are amazed at its beauty, productivity, and order. All the planets move in their respective orbits, nights follow days, seasons come and go in their order.
What is far more amazing than the earth on which we live are the various theories concerning the origin of earth. Many maintain the solar system, which includes the earth upon which we live, came into existence from:
1. An eruption of the sun.
2. No record exists of the earth’s first billion years, but scientists generally agree that the planet originated by the accretion of innumerable small particles (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 22, p. 522).
3. Huge clouds of hot gases.
4. Nitrogen gas.
5. Vast clouds of cosmic matter.
By total accident without the benefit of intelligence it just went “BANG” and appeared.
Two very important questions:
1. Where, when, and how did the gases, nitrogen, sun, small particles, or cosmic matter come into being?
2. Also, where did the force which caused the explosion, eruption, or bang originate?
The planet Mars goes around the sun once every 686.98 days in an eccentric orbit. Because of this eccentricity in Mars’ orbit, the minimum distance between Mars and the earth as they pass each other in orbit changes with successive passes. The closest approach of Mars to the earth is 34,600,000 miles. As the planet’s orbit moves away from the earth it moves to a position which is 62,900,000 miles from the earth. With all of this movement the scientists of NASA launched two unmanned U.S. space crafts, Viking I and Viking II, on August 20 and September 9, 1975. After ten months, Vikings I and II entered orbits around Mars and released landers that touched down at sites Chryse and Utopia about 4,000 miles (6,5000 km) apart on July 20 and September 3, 1976. Because of the orderliness of the universe the scientists were able to know EXACTLY where Mars would be when the spacecraft arrived, AND we are told that this order and predictability came by BLIND CHANCE!!!
The story is that Sir Isaac Newton, a British scientist, once had a skilled craftsman to make him a replica of our solar system. It was constructed with balls representing the planets which were geared together by cogs and belts so as to move in harmony when cranked. One day Newton was visited by a scientist friend who did not believe in God. The following conversation is said to have taken place.
“One day as Newton was reading in his study with his mechanism on a large table near him, his infidel friend stepped in. Scientist that he was, he recognized at a glance what was before him. Stepping up to it, he slowly turned the crank, and with undisguised admiration watched the heavenly bodies all move in their relative speed in their orbits. Standing off a few feet he exclaimed, ‘My! What an exquisite thing this is. Who made it?’ Without looking up from his book, Newton answered, ‘Nobody!’ Quickly turning to Newton, the infidel said, ‘Evidently you did not understand my question. I asked who made this?’ Looking up now, Newton solemnly assured him that nobody made it, but that the aggregation of matter so much admired had just happened to assume the form it was in. But the astonished infidel replied with some heat, ‘You must think I am a fool! Of course someone made it, and he is a genius, and I’d like to know who he is.’ Laying his book aside, Newton arose and laid a hand on his friend’s shoulder. ‘This thing is but a puny imitation of a much grander system whose laws you know, and I am not able to convince you that this mere toy is without designer and maker; yet you profess to believe that the greatest original from which the design is taken has come into being without either designer or maker! Now tell me by what sort of reasoning do you reach such an incongruous conclusion?’” (Quoted from, Did Man Get Here By Evolution Or By Creation? Published by the Watchtower).
Man has the power to recognize that every effect has a cause and design implies a designer, until it comes to that which requires a supreme being.
The order which is observable in our universe is causing some to rethink the theory of Charles Darwin.
“Darwinism is on the way out. At least, that’s what Irving Kristol announced to a gathering at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington not long ago. Darwinian evolution, according to the god-father of neo-conservatism ‘is really no longer accepted so easily by (many) biologists and scientists.’ Why? Because, Kristol explained, scientifically minded Darwin doubters are once again focusing on the old-fashioned argument from design. That is to say, life in all its apparently ordered complexity cannot be understood in terms of chance mutation and the competition for survival. There must, after all, be a designer. So exit Darwin; enter or re-enter God.” (Ronald Bailey, article entitled Origin of the Specious, subtitled, Why Do Neoconservatives Doubt Darwin? Reason, July 1997, p.22).
This God is:
1. All powerful (Omnipotent) (Genesis 17:1).
2. Present everywhere (Omnipresent) (Jeremiah 23:4).
3. All knowing (Omniscient) (Hebrews 4:13).
4. All loving (Omnibenevolent) (1 John 4:16).
He created the world and all that is in it (Genesis 1-3; Hebrews 3:4). Furthermore, His creation declares His glory (Psalms 19:1) and divinity (Romans 1:20).
All belongs to God by right of creation (Psalms 24:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:26-28), and is held together by Him (Colossians 1:17).
The Human Race
A theory of evolution was proposed by Chevalier deLamarak, a French naturalist, in 1809. This theory did not receive widespread consideration in the scientific community until Charles R. Darwin, and English naturalist, published his Origin of the Species in 1858.
Basically, the evolutionary theory holds that all species probably evolved from a single form of life which lived about 3 ½ billion years ago. The most difficult step for the evolutionist is from the beginning to the single form of life from which mankind developed. From this problem comes the concept of spontaneous generation, i.e. the generation of living from non-living matter.
“Earlier theories. Perhaps the first scientific theory of the origin of life was that of ‘spontaneous generation.’ It was common observation that all sorts of insect life seemed to arise from, for example, a mud bank or a decaying mass of organic material. There was no satisfactory explanation of the process. Bits of matter just seemed to get together, somehow leading to the assembly of new insects.” (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 17, p. 420).
“Life - particularly simple forms – spontaneously and readily arises from nonliving matter in short periods of time, today as in the past.” (The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 22, p. 971).
“Franacesco Redi (1626-1697) is famous for experiments that partially disproved the long-held belief that certain lower animals, such as worms and insects, could arise spontaneously from mud or decaying matter.” (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 23, p. 308).
“By the 18th century it has become obvious that higher organisms could not be produced by nonliving material. The origin of microorganisms, such as bacteria, however, was not fully determined until Pasteur proved in the 19th century that microorganisms reproduced.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol. 11, p. 110).
“Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) demonstrated that in reality each microbe is derived from a similar preexisting microbe, and that spontaneous generation does not occur.” (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 21, p. 517).
Modern day scientists are mostly in agreement that spontaneous generation is a belief now abandoned. The problem with abandoning the concept is that there can be no evolution without it. Realizing this, some who insist on the evolutionary process state, “But the studies of the geologist, the chemist, and the paleontologist leave no doubt that life did develop on our planet from non-living matter.” (Encyclopedia Americana, Vol. 17, p. 421). But if one accepts the theory of spontaneous generation, which has been proven false, it still does not answer the question as to where the non-living matter (from which living matter came into existence by spontaneous generation) came from!
For years evolutionists have denied and laughed at the accusation made by the general public that evolution teaches that man descended from monkeys or apes. In the sixth chapter of Darwin’s The Descent of Man (Great Books from the Western World, Vol. 49, Chapter 6, p. 341) he stated,
“The Simiadae then branched off into two great stems, the New World (western hemisphere) and Old World (eastern hemisphere) monkeys; and from the latter, at a remote period, Man, the wonder and glory of the Universe proceeded.”
George Gaylord Simpson, an outstanding evolutionist, stated, “Since the terms apes and monkey are defined by popular usage, man’s ancestors were apes or monkeys (or successively both). It is pusillanimous if not dishonest for an informed investigator to say otherwise” (Evolution and Christian Faith, Bolton Davidheiser, p. 27).
If the human body came from non-intelligent matter by billions of years of evolving, why is it that man with all of his wisdom cannot create a camera lens at least equal to the human eye which evolved from non-living, non-intelligent matter?
It is a fact that each human is evidence that an all-powerful, intelligent being exists and did in fact create ALL!
The Standard of Morality
Morality has to do with right and wrong. In our society some acts are right while others are wrong. It is right to live in harmony with the laws of the land and it is wrong to murder, life, steal, etc. What makes certain things in our society wrong? What is the origin of this standard of morality? Was it present before man arrived on the scene or did it originate with man?
If it was present before man’s appearance then it was established by one who existed before man and is superior to man.
On the other hand, if the standard came in existence with man, then each man becomes his own authority and can do anything he is capable of accomplishing. Adolph Hitler and his Nazi Party maintained that they were right in exterminating six million Jews. If there is no higher moral standard that that which originates with man then Hitler was right (moral) in his murderous actions, for right and wrong becomes what man decrees. Furthermore, if man is the product of the animal world then there is no difference in killing a deer or man – if man decrees that is the right action.
If Jehovah God does not exist, the following cannot be denied.
1. The world and human beings came into existence from non-living matter by means of spontaneous generation (which has been disproved). Intelligence came from non-intelligence, order came from disorder by blind chance from non-living matter (the origin of which has not been explained by those who claim that there is no God).
2. A standard of morality came into existence from man which allowed him to murder six million human beings, and be moral in so doing, because he and a nation said it was right to exterminate them.
GOD IS! Because He is, man is most blessed. Mankind, God’s creation, receives many good gifts from Jehovah God (James 1:17; Matthew 6:33; Matthew 6:26-30) that he might enjoy abundant life on earth (John 10:10).
GOD IS! Because He is, man is blessed with the opportunity to obtain the remission of sins and live eternally with God (Matthew 25:46). God loved man while he was in sin (Romans 5:8-9) and sent His Son (John 3:16) to die on the cross to provide sinful man with an opportunity to be saved (Romans 3:21-27). Mankind is invited to give his life to God through his obedience (Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 6:17-18) that he might be cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 9:22; Revelation 1:5), and enjoy eternal life with God (Revelation 21).