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Have You Ever Questioned God’s Existence?
By James Papke
Presented to:
Professor, Christopher Gornold-Smith
On November 19, 2002
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for:
THE 3213, Biblical Apologetics
Southwestern Assemblies of God University
1200 Sycamore
Waxahachie, TX 75165
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Every truth claim that is believed must be grounded in evidences that affirm that truth
claim’s appeal. Around the world there are hundreds, if not thousands of truth claims that often
directly oppose other claims concerning the unseen or unknown. Either one is right, or none are
right. Every belief about the unknown must be validated and weighed carefully. After a careful
and intellectual study of the various views of super-dimensional, ontological truth I completely
affirm the truth claims of the Bible and Jesus Christ.
My study digs into philosophical evidences, the proof that there is a being beyond
realities that can be empirically tested; cosmological evidences, proving the existence of a
necessary being beyond creation, namely God; reliability evidences, proving that this God is the
God of the Bible because of the miraculous reliability of Biblical text; prophetic evidences,
proving that the truth claims of the New Testament are based on detailed predictions hundreds of
years before they happened; and experiential evidence, demonstrating that the miraculous work
of God in the Christian church today proves the resurrection of Christ and is God’s signature of
approval on the beliefs of the Christian faith. On each of these evidences, I will briefly give an
impacting explanation to which I implore you to study at length on your own. If God is real,
then it is your duty to believe in Him and in what He says.
Because this is a short essay, it will not allow for a complete, detailed description and
refutation of every world view. However, we will proceed on the assumption that only one
worldview can be correct, and thus prove the correctness of the Christian worldview. If the
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Christian worldview is correct, then it necessarily must be the only correct perception of the
unknown.
Philosophical Evidences
Norman Geisler, in his Christian Apologetics, argues a philosophical idea that proves
God’s existence in a convincing way.1 Let’s begin with an axiom in which every person reading
this will agree with: you exist. If you exist, then it would be possible for you to not exist.
Whatever has the possibility to not exist is necessarily caused to exist by another. For example,
every design has a creator. You and I are caused to exist by our parents; however there cannot
be an infinite number of causes. Therefore, a first uncaused cause must necessarily exist and
must be infinite, unchanging, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-perfect. This uncaused cause we
will call God because God is the only term which we have to describe a being with such
attributes. Given this line of argument, it is necessary to assume that there is only one God who
is infinite and all powerful.
Many philosophies of thought believe in a divine, all-powerful being; but all have
different views of the attributes of that being. What is to say which view is correct? Do the
Hindus have a sound view of the Almighty or the Muslims, or Christians? It is obvious that they
all contradict each other. If God is real, then only one position of faith concerning Him is the
right one. God cannot contradict himself otherwise he could not be God. If God is not
contradictory of himself, then it serves to reason that the view of God that is correct must be
completely free from error. It must have evidence of God’s hand in its revelation. It must not
contradict laws of nature that can be empirically proved. If God actively and miraculously
affirms its truth in today’s time, then it is necessary to assume that the view of Him which He
affirms is the one and only accurate view.
1
Norman Geisler, Christian Apologetics, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), p. 238.
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Cosmological Evidence
Recently I had the opportunity to hear a debate on the existence of God between two
highly influential people in their arena of thought concerning the subject. The two debaters were
Dr. Michael Shermer, director of the Skeptic Society, and Dr. Douglass Geivett, President of
Viola Theological Seminary. Dr. Geivett assumed the pro-God or Theistic stance. One of his
arguments dealt with the Cosmological Evidence of a creator.
It is a known fact that the universe is rapidly expanding. According to Dr. Geivett, this
fact is a signature for the origin of the universe as a result of the Big Bang, also signifying that
the universe had a beginning; and necessarily a first cause. We also know that though the
universe is constantly changing, it still maintains order and supports life. Given that the intensity
of the Big Bang would have been enormous, it still maintained order. What explosion has ever
occurred that resulted in order except in the origin of the Universe? If the Big Bang had been too
small, it would draw everything together upon itself because of gravitational forces. If the Big
Bang had been too large, the planets would be gaining distance from the sun with time and not
be able to sustain life. Not only did the origin of the universe contain order, but also the order is
unexplainably maintained while the universe is expanding. This is an unmistakable mark of an
all-powerful maker, and miracles are a necessary, ongoing reality.2
God was not only the creator, but the universe shows evidence of His design in the very
beings that inhabit it. A creation does not necessarily have a purpose. Some create art for no
other purpose than to be “art”. If God had simply been creator only but not a designer, then the
universe would have been the extent of creation. Instead, God created a living planet to support
the life of mankind. Man is not simply an animal. He has an intellect, a will, an imagination,
Douglass Geivett and Michael Shermer, “The Existence of God” (Debate at University of Texas in Arlington,
Monday, November 11, 2002: Presented by EX.C.E.L Campus Activities).
2
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and ultimately a capacity to know things beyond himself. Animals could also be a form of
creative power and “art”, but without man, they would have no purpose other than a testimony to
the ingenious power of a creator. Because animals have a purpose in man, then man has purpose
in God. If man has purpose, then God is necessarily a designer, for a design must have a
purpose. What then is the purpose of the universe and mankind which were not formed by
chance, but by God?
When a designer designs a tool such as a computer, he ingrains into the machine the
purpose for which it was formed. He tells the design the purpose for its creation. If God
designed mankind for a purpose, then God is necessarily, eternally involved in the design and
has revealed his purpose to the design of mankind. As humans, we find our purpose in God for
our life on this planet. We must examine the claims of God’s involvement with mankind in a
necessarily miraculous manner. The account of God’s involvement must be free from error and
must represent God as the Creator, Sustainer, and Designer of mankind.
I will submit to you that the Christian Bible is the only source of the truth about God
which God has revealed to mankind. True, there are many religious documents that claim they
are the revelation of God. Some of these documents do not represent the necessary attributes of
God such as Creator, Sustainer, and Designer. The God of the Bible does. In addition, the Bible
is the only religious document that is written by many writers at different time periods, yet is free
from error and contains provable and undeniable miraculous events illustrating God’s revelation
of himself to mankind, further embracing necessary attributes of God being all-powerful and allknowing.
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Reliability of the Bible
As we have stated before, the revelation of God must necessarily be free from error, noncontradictory, and must have an element of supernatural power to indicate that it is God’s
revelation to mankind of His purpose. Lee Strobel, former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune,
approached the biblical text skeptical of its validity. Upon careful examination of its claims, he
found the Bible to be accurate, inerrant, non-contradictory, and supernatural. Supernatural
accounts in the Bible can be proven. It is still unanimously considered the most accurate
document of ancient, recorded history that we have today.
What is the Bible? It is a record of God’s purpose for mankind that is miraculous in its
revelation. The Bible begins with an account of creation and purpose for mankind. His purpose
is to be worshipped and have relationship with mankind in spite of man’s free will to choose not
to (Deuteronomy 4:24-40). Because of sin, man is separated from God’s purpose. The Old
Testament is the historical, miraculous, and prophetic record of God’s intervention with mankind
to maintain a string of people that believed in His purpose so that redemption could be brought to
the world and draw mankind back to the purpose for which he was created. The New Testament
is the fulfillment of promises and prophecies contained in the Old Testament to bring salvation to
all of mankind through one mediator for sin, referred to as the Messiah. The messiah was Jesus
Christ, who fulfilled all of the prophecies about him written hundreds of years before he came.
He was raised from the dead to be an ongoing propitiation for the sins of mankind. This
miraculous resurrection is a historical fact that cannot be denied.
How do we know the Bible is true? The Bible was written by many different authors at
different periods of time throughout the history of the world. Its contents span thousands of
years of God’s revelation to mankind through miraculous events, yet is never contradictory and
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never in error. Every geographical area, war, and ruler actually existed. Ancient history
uncovered through archaeology only proves the truths of the Bible. Nothing has ever been
discovered that has contradicted events in the Bible.
The Old Testament records dozens of events at a location called, Mount Sinai.
According to a video documentary on this subject, “The Search for the Real Mount Sinai”, a
search for Mount Sinai revealed fourteen evidences of miraculous events recorded in the Bible.3
The Bible mentions that God descended on the top of the mountain with fire. This documented
mountain-top contains granite rock that has been melted on the outside, yet is pure, non-melted
granite on the inside, not volcanic. In addition, the Bible mentions altars, and boundary markers
around the mountain which have also been discovered. The locations for the miraculous Red Sea
Crossing and the split rock at Horeb, from which God allowed water to flow from a rock to
quench the thirst of millions of people and animals; has been discovered. Every archaeological
find confirms the claims of the Bible and does not deny its truth. The Bible can be empirically
tested.
What about the New Testament, was it tampered with or a hoax made up to prove
Christianity? The events that formed Christianity, a faith that was controversial in its time,
would have been refuted by Romans or Jews if it were in error. No ancient documents of its time
deny the miracles of Christ, or his resurrection, but rather they confirm that the events did take
place. In Acts 2:14-37, Peter addresses those who violently opposed Jesus Christ and spoke in
language that suggests they knew that Jesus was raised from the dead and did the miracles
recorded in the New Testament. This series of events recorded in the New Testament was the
undeniable national news of the time. Many of the early Christians died horrendous deaths for
their beliefs. It would be unrealistic for all of them to die for a hoax given that they had the
3
Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams, “The Search for the Real Mount Sinai,” (Monument Pictures).
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opportunity to reject their testimony or die. On numerous occasions, they chose to die for
something they really did believe in. Also, the New Testament is the only religious document
written by more than one acclaimed eye witness. Each eyewitness affirms with accuracy the
events recorded, sometimes without having met each other.
The story of the New Testament’s survival disarms any argument that says it had been
tampered with. When a New Testament’s letter was written, it was sent to another city, copied
by scribes then sent to multiple other cities around the world. Today, we have ancient
manuscripts and fragments of ancient manuscripts numbering up to nearly twenty-four thousand,
all of which do not contradict each other and say the exact same thing. This far exceeds that of
any other ancient historical document. The Jewish War, written by 1st-century historian,
Josephus, has only nine manuscripts. Of all of Plato’s writings, we have only thirty manuscripts.
The closest to the New Testament is the Iliad by Homer, which has only six-hundred and fifty
ancient manuscripts.4 Other contemporary writings of the time include; The Gallic War by
Julius Caesar and The Annals of Imperial Rome by Tacitus. Today we have only nine
manuscripts of Caesar’s work and only two of Tacitus’ work.5 Which ancient document contains
the least amount of error? Because the events recorded in the Bible are not refuted by ancient
contemporaries of biblical writers but rather confirmed, it proves that these events really did take
place.
The above arguments have only served to support the validity of the Biblical record, but
have not yet proved that Jesus was actually the Messiah or was even raised from the dead. In the
Bible, we find miraculous foretelling called prophecy which was written hundreds, even
thousands of years before the events, described in detail, ever took place. The difference
4
Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), p. 61.
Christopher Gornold-Smith, “Apologetics Class Notes”, (Waxahachie: Southwestern Assemblies of God
University, 2002).
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between the prophecies of the Bible and that of other books is that the prophecies in the Bible
actually came true. Fulfillment of prophecy affirms the hand of the Designer in writing the
pages of the Bible as well as being involved in helping mankind to identify the purpose for
which he was designed. This also introduces another attribute of God: that he is actively
involved in our existence eternally and still is today. His purpose for us is also valid for today
and he desires to have a relationship with us today.
Prophetic Evidence
Without prophecy and fulfillment of prophecy, the Bible would be simply another
collection of religious ideas instead of the source of truth. Instead, it contains an empirically
testable, supernatural element by the God of the universe whose existence is necessary to sustain
that universe. If the fulfillment of prophecy can be proved in the Bible then the one worldview
that must necessarily be true is that of the Christian Bible, which is God’s revelation of purpose
to His design.
In the Jewish Scriptures, which Christians call the Old Testament, there are several dozen
prophecies concerning the Messiah who would come to save the world of sins and reunite them
with their purpose in relation to God. These prophecies provide a way for the Israelites to rule
out any who falsely claim to be the Messiah as well as check the credentials of the authentic
Messiah.6
Jesus fulfilled every one of the prophecies. The probability of fulfilling only eight of
these prophecies would be one chance in a hundred million billion.7 The Bible describes through
Jesus a redemption of mankind which comes in placing their trust in Him to forgive them of their
sins (1 John 1:9). This reunites mankind with God and allows them to fulfill the necessary
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7
Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), p. 39.
Ibid. p. 47.
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purpose for which they were designed which involves living a life of worship to the Designer of
the Universe.
What about the Book of Mormon, doesn’t it claim to be another testament of Jesus
Christ? If we measure the Book of Mormon with the same measuring stick used to measure the
claims of the Bible, we can identify several reasons that the Book of Mormon is a collection of
religious writings, but not the truth of God. No one has uncovered any of the cities mentioned in
the Book of Mormon. No one has uncovered any artifacts related to the Book of Mormon. No
one has found any inscriptions confirming the Book of Mormon. No one has identified any
person, place, nation, or name mentioned in the Book of Mormon. No prediction presented in
the Book of Mormon has ever been fulfilled. All evidences examined, the Book of Mormon is
man’s book, not God’s revelation.8
Conclusion
I believe in Jesus Christ because he is God revealed to mankind and cannot be denied.
He is the one that forgives sins and reunites me with my purpose, which the Designer of the
universe created me for. I, in spite of my free will, choose to serve and worship God and more
specifically, Jesus Christ. More evidence can be found to sustain the claims of the Bible than
can be found to refute it. The Word of God is the Bible and is God’s revelation to mankind of
His purpose and involvement with mankind. God has been miraculously involved in my life in
many ways which also attest to His truths identified in the Bible. God is just as real today as he
was when he created this universe. I implore you to further examine the truths of the Bible and
of Jesus Christ. Your only true and eternal purpose can be found in Him alone.
8
Ibid. p. 71.
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Bibliography
Geisler, Norman. Christian Apologetics, (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1976), p. 238.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), p. 61.
Gornold-Smith, Christopher. “Apologetics Class Notes”, (Waxahachie: Southwestern
Assemblies of God University, 2002).
Cornuke, Bob and Larry Williams. “The Search for the Real Mount Sinai,” (Monument
Pictures). Video Documentary.