Evidences and Pride
     The Proud Reject the Proof of God's Existence  by Dave Brown
     No Scientific Proof that God Exists?  by Dave Brown
     Evidence in Support of the New Testament  by Dave Brown

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The Proud Reject the Proof of God’s Existence
by Dave Brown
 
Generally scholars and philosophers who are concerned with the existence of God claim that they can neither prove nor disprove God’s existence.  If God’s existence could be proven mathematically it would probably be quite complex so that only a few scholars would be able to understand it.  Then, they would become the de facto priesthood.  Does it seem reasonable to you that God would place your faith in their hands?  But to many people that is what the scientists have become.
 
Other than the observation of God’s creation, the only thing that we know about God is what He has revealed about Himself.  The creation does not tell us about spiritual things, but God’s word does.  Knowledge of spiritual truth is as close as the nearest bible, which makes it clear …
 
Psalms 14:1: “The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God.”
 
This infers that the evidence supporting the existence of God must be fairly obvious, and thus, not something that would require an advanced degree to “prove.”  The problem is one of definition.  God cannot be defined in terms of any naturally observed creature.  The Bible definition of God is given in the very first verse Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
 
This defines God to be the Creator, thus necessarily implying that He is Eternal, All Powerful, and the First Cause of all that we see and know.  Interestingly, the Bible makes not further attempts to prove that God exists.  This was because the God-given common sense of ancient men required no such proof.  They might not worship and serve the true God, but they had enough sense to realize that they were not God/gods themselves in their obvious mortality.  There was a power/powers and an intelligence that was superior to that of mankind.  It is only in modern times that mankind has had a relatively large proportion of those who deny the existence of God altogether, largely in favor of atheism and skepticism.
 
How would these deniers of God measure up to primitive man?  Take them out of their cities and suburbs where food, shelter and clothing is almost freely provided to them, and put them into the situation of the primitives.  We would see quite readily which of them had/has the better reasoning abilities.  Survival skills would be one indication, but perhaps a greater one would be the ability to know their own limitations.  Humanists state that mankind has no limitation, and that we can essentially evolve our way out of anything.  The primitive man knew that he could only do so much, and that there were questions that even the wisest among them could not answer without the help of God’s revelation.  They most often made up gods for themselves that were useless, but at least they did not have the arrogance to believe that they were the ultimate in the creation.
 
Scientific thought gives us an obvious truism: for every effect there is a cause.  Generally the evolutionists will cite the “big bang” as the event that placed evolution in motion.  But they cannot answer the question of “What caused the big bang?”  Their circular reasoning is that it just had to have happened because there is no other natural explanation.  But they have no natural explanation for the big bang … there is no way that things just suddenly blow up.  There had to be some cause of it.  There is no alternative to the first cause being a higher order being for which the cause and effect law did not apply.  There never was a time when God did not exist, so there need not be a first cause for God.  This is the God as defined in the bible, and the conclusion that He must exist is one of logical deduction.
 
The bible states that God was not only the first cause of all things, but the total cause of all of creation, and also the one that maintains things in their current state.  Colossians  1:16-17: “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things subsist.”
 
The atheist will try to turn the tables by asking “what caused/created God?”  But the very definition of God is that He alone needs no previous cause.  By definition, He is the first cause and thus would have no need to be created Himself.
 
Scholars refuse to come to this conclusion because they reason under the uniformity assumption that all things can be explained by observable natural processes that have always been and always will be.  This excludes God from consideration since the creation was not a natural event—it was supernatural and miraculous.  They assume away God from the outset
 
True, it is difficult for us to conceive of an Eternal Being.  But there are many things that we as creatures cannot understand.  It is difficult for us to conceive of a universe/space without end.  And yet, it must be.  And a First Cause must also be.  God, and not the scholars, has revealed Himself exactly as He is when he said that His name was "I AM" (Exodus 3:14).
 
Recognizing our own limitations, in our humility we must confess our inability to reason this out by natural processes.  This and all other spiritual truths are only revealed by God.  But in recognition of a Higher Power that had to have been the first cause, we bow ourselves before the Creator and accept the revelation that He has provided for us.  It is humility that is the key to wisdom, for our pride prevents us from recognizing our needs and accepting His revelation.  As Psalm 14:1 states so well, it is the fool who refuses to humble himself to the inescapable reality of God’s existence.  The Bible repeatedly warns against pride, and for good reason.  It is a common problem, and it will be the very reason why many people will lose their souls. The following is a short summary of New Testament teaching on the subject of pride.
 
Pride is a sin.
 

• Pride is listed among the evil things that come from the heart and defile a man (Mark 7:21-23).
• Pride is listed among those things of which God says, “those who practice such things are worthy of death” (Romans 1:28-32).
• Selfish ambition is listed among the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21).
• The proud, the haughty, and lovers of self are listed among the kind of people from whom Timothy was to turn away (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
• The pride of life is not of the Father, but of the world (1 John 2:15-17; James 3:14-16).

 
Proud people will be punished.
 

• Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, will come to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth (Romans 2:8-9).
• Those who are puffed up with pride will fall into the same condemnation as the devil (1 Timothy 3:6).

 
Pride leads to other sins.
 

• Wherever you find pride, you will find many other evil things (James 3:14-16), including envy and strife (Galatians 5:26).
• Pride is often associated with those who teach false doctrine (1 Timothy 6:3-5), for their purposes are self-aggrandizement.

 
Humble people will be rewarded.
 

• He who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Matthew 23:12; Luke 14:11; Luke 18:14; 1 Peter 5:6).
• God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5).
• “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).
• Its greatest reward in this world is an improved ability to perceive of reality.

 
The proper attitude
 

• Rather than seeking honor or praise from others, we should seek the honor or praise that comes from God (John 8:50, 54; Romans 2:7; 1 Peter 1:6-7; John 12:42-43; 1 Thessalonians 2:6; Romans 2:29).
• Instead of esteeming ourselves too highly, we should esteem others better than ourselves (Philippians 2:3; Romans 12:10).
• We should never boast in our salvation, because without the grace of God, we would be hopelessly lost (Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Corinthians 15:10).
• If we’re going to boast about anything, let it be the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14).
• We should learn to “rejoice” in infirmities, because they can keep us from being exalted above measure; they can make us depend even more on the power of God (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
• Those who are rich should not become haughty, because everything they have comes from God (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Or, to put it in the words of James 1:17: “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.”
• “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).

 
 
 
No Scientific Proof that God Exists?
by Dave Brown
 
Like the deer on a snowy day, God has left tracks.  We cannot see the deer, but we know it has been there because of the tracks.  So, the invisible deer provides us with conclusive evidence of its existence.  And so with God: “For the invisible things of him [God] since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they might be without excuse…” (Romans 1:20)
 
The invisible things of God are those things that mankind has not witnessed, and they cannot be witnessed today (e.g., the creation).  These are both physical and spiritual in nature (even His everlasting power and divinity).  God has revealed himself to us through the things that are made, so that we can have sure and certain knowledge of both.
 
We did not see God create the world, nor any of the things herein.  However, the evidence of God’s activity is in the perfect harmony and balance not only of our natural world, but the universe in general. David said: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork (Ps. 19:1).
 
This evidence within the physical world can take us only so far, however.  The spiritual knowledge that we need for eternal life—the power of God unto salvation—is obtained only through the gospel (Romans 1:16).  This revelation of God is further evidence of His existence to those who get into it deeply and study it from a spiritual point of view, and otherwise, it cannot be understood at all (see 1 Corinthians 2).  We see the sublime nature of God’s word and it amazes us to the point where we proclaim that it is impossible for such to be a creation of mankind.
 
The atheist will proclaim that we are no different in our composition than the animals, but the Genesis account makes a major distinction (Gen. 2:7): “Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”  Any reasonable person can see the difference between the reasoning ability of humans, which extends even into the spiritual realms, and those of animals, which in most cases are merely instinct-driven.
 
The creation of the first man and women were unique and different creations than that of the animals.  Gen 1:27 states: “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him ...” These statements are not made with regard to any of the animals, nor is ever implied that God used the animals as a means for creating man.  Only humans have free will as the animals are restricted to what their instincts drive them to do, and the idea of anything being right or wrong cannot enter into their minds.
 
Evolution is anti-God in that it makes no distinction between mankind and the animals—how could there be if we evolved from them?  Is it any wonder that many today will oppose hunting and the raising of livestock for food while at the very same time favoring the slaughter of unborn and partially born babies?  These are some logical conclusions of faith in evolution.
 
What is worldly about evolution?  Everything.  It is a teaching of man; it goes counter to God-given common sense (Romans 1:18f); it makes assumptions that are incapable of being validated; it degrades mankind; and, it denies the necessity for there even being a God.  It is worldly because without worldly inclinations, no one would have ever dreamed it up, nor would they have given it any credibility.  It appeals to those who would be free from God and the influences of what He has revealed in His holy word.  Let us not be deceived by it, or by the priesthood of scientists who covet the control of our minds.
 
 
 
Evidence in Support of the New Testament?
by Dave Brown
 
Consider the alternatives. There are really only two. Either (1) the New Testament writers conspired with each other to create the biggest fraud ever, or (2) they were what they claimed to be—inspired of God (1 Corinthians 2:13: “which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit…”).
 
We must pause to consider a third alternative posed by enemies of the Bible and even some of our religious friends.  They would have us believe that some of the New Testament is true but other parts are false.  At one recent conference, scholars sat around and voted on which of the sayings of Jesus in the gospels were actually those of Jesus and which were not.  (It is difficult to imagine such arrogance without witnessing it.)
 
But of all of the alternatives, the idea that the New Testament writers were basically good men who were overzealous and made a lot of mistakes is the least credible.  Can you imagine, for example, Matthew being totally meticulous in documenting the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6 and 7 and then turning around and making up the miracles of Jesus in Matthew 8 and 9? But this is the type of thing some would have us believe.
 
The reason that they push this idea is that they are not willing to declare the obvious: if we cannot depend on the New Testament writers being totally under the influence of the Holy Spirit and writing exactly what God would have them to write (2 Timothy 3:16f), then we must declare them to be liars and deceivers, for they declared themselves to be writing the truth and nothing but the truth.  As an example, John 20:31: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” If we believe this and it is not true, then we are of all men most pitiable (1 Corinthians 15:19).
 
So that reduces the number of alternatives back to two, which makes it easy.  Just ask yourself: were Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul, Peter, James and Jude liars or good men?  Are they reliable witnesses?  If they were called upon to testify in a court of law today and you were on the jury, would you believe them?  Did they not see Jesus?  Is the following not true, from 1 John 1:1-3: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
 
The only alternative to this is that they conspired to produce a fraud.  But we know they worked quite independently (e.g., Gal. 1:15f), making conspiracy to write a farce very unlikely.  And the lack of communication from the most-often separated apostles and first-century prophets made their making it all up all but impossible.  Had each one of them made things up independently we would have a very highly contradictory set of books and letters, which would be obviously bogus.  The fact that there is harmony, not only in the New Testament, but throughout the Bible is an obvious miracle in and of itself, since the single author that pulled it all together was the Holy Spirit.
 
And what could have been their possible motivation?  For most of these men died for their beliefs, unlike the many self-serving religious “prophets” of our day.  In reading it we can see their concern for us, for our souls, and their desire to have us join them some day in being welcomed into heaven.
 
No, the only alternative left is that these good men wrote the truth, and that being the case, our eternal destiny depends on our learning it and conforming our lives to it (John 6:45).  Evil men working independently from one another could never have written such a sublime, morally righteous and consistent document.  This extends to the Old Testament, which is also the word of God.  While the New Testament teaches clearly (e.g., in the book of Hebrews and many of Paul’s letters) that we are no longer subject to the laws of the Old Testament that have not been incorporated into the New Testament, the NT writers and Jesus (e.g., Matthew 5:17-18) fully regarded it to be the word of God that pointed to the Christ (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:11).  So, the evidence of the New Testament requires us to regard the Old Testament to be of God as well.
 



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