Can Christians Be MEGA SURE of God's Existence - Part 2

In the last blog, we asked the question "Why is there something rather than nothing." Many atheists would say it just is. It's a brute fact. Christians say, "God" is the reason there is something rather than nothing. Regardless of the answer as to why there is something (us, the earth, the universe), we all should ask the question "is our answer reasonable?" 

As I just stated Christians claim God is the reason there is something. Last week began to laid out 1 of 2 lines of evidence that show Christians can be MEGA SURE that God exists. We looked at the acronym MEGA to provide scientific rationale for our belief in God. In this blog, I will look at how we can be SURE in our second line of evidence.

The second line of evidence for God’s existence is called the Cosmological Argument. Simply put, the cosmological argument is the argument for causation. In other words, every effect must have a cause.Professor and apologist, William Lane Craig has championed this defense in three parts:

1. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
3. Therefore the universe has a cause.

Let’s look briefly at each premise of the cosmological argument. Premise 1 is whatever begins to exist has a cause. That’s a no brainer. You are here today not by chance. You didn’t just appear in your seats out of nowhere. No, you are here in existence because your mom and dead engaged in a cause and effect equation. The device you are using to read this blog did not just pop into existence. Someone created it and you purchased it.

When you want a pizza, do you simply wait for one to appear out of thin air or do you call the pizza guy? You call the pizza guy because created things don’t just come into existence out of nothing. If things randomly came into existence out of nothing, we’d see hippos, Jeeps, pizzas and other created things just appear. But this never happens. So premise 1 is solid. Whatever begins to exist has a cause.

Premise 2 states that the universe began to exist. Does the Bible confirm this or deny this premise?

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” In the beginning there was the tri-une God coexisting eternally. And He existed outside of space and time. So before time began, there was nothing and then God spoke it into existence. In an instant there was time, space, and matter.

Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” The universe, according to Paul, has God’s thumbprint on it. If we think of it as a crime scene and the detective asks the question “Who done it?” The thumbprint found is God’s. And people know it, but they suppress the truth.

The Bible clearly teaches that God created the earth, its inhabitants, the stars, the moon, the planets, the galaxies, and the universe.

But this is not what all scientists believe today. And we shouldn’t be surprised. Paul said that mankind would suppress the truth of God. One example is Professor of Physics Edward Tryton. He said this “Our universe is simply one of those things which happen from time to time.” Tryton may bet on chance being the cause of the universe, but the argument for the universe’s cause has been defended ever since Moses wrote Genesis.

Again, premise 2 is that the universe began to exist. How do we know? There are two main areas of evidence for the universe having a beginning: first is science. Second is mathematics.

You can remember the scientific proof by remembering the acronym: SURE. 

The S stands for the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Thermodynamics is the study of matter and energy, and the Second Law states, among other things that the universes is running out of usable energy. Each day, the amount of usable energy in the universe grows smaller. The conclusion from scientists is that one day the usable energy will be gone and the universe will die. Like a battery powered radio, the radio is turned on and will slowly deplete the battery. Eventually the battery is empty and the radio shuts off. This is true for the universe. Why does this matter? If the universe were eternal, the usable energy would be gone. But instead, we still have usable energy which tells us the universe had a beginning.

The U stands for the Universe is Expanding. In the 1920’s the mathematician Alexander Friedman and astronomer George Lamaitre developed new models based on Einstein’s theory of relativity. The determination was that the universe was expanding, but this meant that there was a beginning point. It was Astronomer Fred Hoyle who gave this beginning the name “the Big Bang.”

There was nothing and then God spoke it into existence “Bang!” And then each day he spoke and added more. And now the universe continues to expand. Psalm 104:2 says this about God and the heavens, “Covering Yourself with light as with a cloak, Stretching out heaven like a tent curtain.” Job 9:8 says “Who alone stretches out the heavens and tramples down the waves of the sea”. The Universe is Expanding and God is the one expanding it.

The R stands for Red Shifts in the Universe. In 1929 Edwin Hubble confirmed Astronomger Vesto Slipher’s proposal that objects shifting away from earth left a red glow. Hubble’s “law of red shifts” suggested the red light coming from other galaxies was redder than it should be, because the galaxies were moving away from us. This again confirmed the universe is expanding, therefore the universe had a beginning.

Last is E. E stands for Einstein’s General Law of Relativity. In 1915 Einstein provided us meaningful discussion about the past history of the universe. Einstein’s theory demands an absolute beginning for time, space, and matter. His theory shows that time, space, and matter are co-relative. They are interdependent and necessary for each other. His theory provided other scientific discoveries that confirm a beginning for the universe.

That’s just a tasting of the scientific proof. But there’s also mathematical proof.

According to mathematics, it is impossible to have an actual infinite number of something – including an infinite past. Infinity a concept we can sort of imagine, but we cannot make it real. Apologist and Philosopher William Lane Craig confirms “an infinite past would involve an actually infinite number of events, then the past simply can’t be infinite.”

For example supposed you had an infinite number of seats in this church. You had them numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and up to infinity. You also had them labeled others -1, -2, -3, on down to negative infinity. If I asked you to remove all odd number of seats, how many seats would be left? Infinity. If I asked you to double the about of chairs in the church, how many would there be? Infinity! But this is not actually possible.

The same is true for time. There must be a beginning, because an infinite number of events in the past are not possible. For you and I to be here today, we’d have to cross infinity and that simply is not reality. Therefore, the universe and time itself had to have a beginning.

Theoretical physicist Alexander Vilenkin said this, “With the proof now in place, cosmologists can no longer hide behind the possibility of a past-eternal universe. There is no escape, they have to face the problem of a cosmic beginning.” So premise 2” The universe began to exist” is more than reasonable.

The logical conclusion is the universe has a cause. What caused the universe? Well out of nothing nothing comes. What’s nothing? It’s not what Richard Dawkins or Lawrence Krauss thinks. They say nothing is just very tiny something. No, nothing is the stuff rocks dream about. So the universe can’t cause itself. The cause must be spaceless, timeless, immaterial, powerful, uncaused, and personal. This sounds a lot like God.

In just two lines of evidence that was lightly covered has show that we can be MEGA SURE of God's existence. Now the question is what will you do with this evidence? Knowing God exists is never enough. What will you do with this knowledge? I pray it leads you to Jesus. Because it is in Jesus Christ you can experience forgiveness of your sins through His death, burial, and resurrection. Don't believe in that? Read this blog I wrote: Isn't it time to stop believing in a physical resurrection?

Again, I ask, what will you do with this knowledge? I pray you'll follow it to the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).