Can we be certain God exists?

The great coaches focus on fundamentals. In 1961 Vince Lombardi the great coach of the Green Bay Packers began training camp by saying, “Gentlemen, this is a football!” Max McGee, the All Pro wide receiver said, “Slow down, coach. You’re going too fast for us.” Six months later the Packers beat the mighty New York Giants 37-0 in the NFL Championship.

The beginning of a new year is a good time for us to focus on the fundamentals. Can we be certain God exists? Has God provided evidence to prove His existence? The answer is yes! God has provided more than enough evidence to prove His existence. In fact, God says, “The fool says in his heart, ‘No God’” (Psalm 14:1, 53:1). God says that there is so much evidence for His existence it is foolish to reject Him. There are three great lines of evidence for the existence of God.

The first line of evidence is creation. Psalm 19 begins, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.” If there is a building, there must be a builder. If there is a painting, there must be a painter. If there is a creation, there must be a Creator.

New Year’s day the temperature was 43 degrees above zero. We celebrated that night as a church family. The snow began falling. The wind was howling. We woke up the next morning and it was cold! Creation demonstrates the existence of God.

Romans 1 says that when we look at the world around us we can understand that God exists and He is very powerful. It is very difficult to live in Alaska and ignore the evidence for God’s existence. Alaska has more than 3,000 rivers and 3,000,000 lakes and 100,000 glaciers. The heavens declare the glory of God!

The second line of evidence is God’s providence. The apostle Paul said, “Yet He (God) did not leave Himself without witness, for He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). God’s provision is evidence of His goodness. When God provides rain and food and spring and harvest it is evidence He exists.

I woke up this morning to discover I missed a road kill call last night. At 2 AM the troopers called. God provides the moose for us. As a loving Father, God’s goodness is demonstrated through His providential care. I was saddened to miss the call but it is -23 this morning!

The third great evidence is Scripture. The first half of Psalm 19 focuses on creation. The second half focuses on the Word of God. “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart….” (verses 7-8).

There is no Book like the Bible. God inspired or breathed out the Bible through forty different authors on three different continents in three languages. God’s revelation is progressive. The giving of God’s Word took 1,500 years. There are no errors and no contradictions in the Bible. Scripture is evidence for God’s existence.

There is an old saying, “If your Bible is falling apart your life won’t be.” It’s been said, “Show me the books you’re reading and the friends you’re spending time with and I’ll show you your future.” As a nation we need to return to the Word of God. God speaks through the Bible. When we open our Bibles, God is speaking. When we close our Bibles, God stops speaking.

The message of the Bible is Jesus. Jesus is not a Man we could create neither is He a Man we would create if we could. Jesus is not like us. He is the God-Man. He is holy and righteous. He came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).

God made us to demonstrate His glory. Even though humanity chose sin God sent His Son Jesus on the greatest rescue mission of all time. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection demonstrate God’s character. God is good and loving and merciful and kind and holy. He is a God worth serving! Let’s serve Him today!

Ethan Hansen is a pastor at Faith Bible Fellowship in Big Lake.