Hey Drew,

I appreciate the way you put things, Drew, but I’m not sure I always understand them. I am willing to concede that that’s my fault, not yours.

I agree that either God exists or he doesn’t. I think that truth is true. There are no shades of truth. If it is not true it is not truth. It is false. How can I be sure that God exists, though. The betting analogy is good. If I were a betting man I would put my shirt on the existence of God. But wouldn’t God, if he existed, know that it was just an “insurance policy” and not true belief? There is part of me that wants to believe in God because it sounds like a good thing, but the rest of me is saying, “don’t be a sucker”, “you are being taken for a ride and the world always laughs at the gullible”,”they only want your money”. If you could definitively prove that God exists then I would believe in him like a shot. As you say, Martin Buber asks “can you be sure there is no God”. I cannot, but that leaves me stranded in the middle, sitting on the fence. I think they call it being an “agnostic”? Not sure one way or the other.

Yeah, I buy that bit about God not being Santa Claus. I never believed in Santa anyway, well not after I saw him fall into the Christmas tree with a bottle of brandy in his hand.

I suppose I have two questions: can you prove that God exists, and, if so, which one should I believe in? The Christian God, the muslims’ God, Hindu gods, Buddah etc? There are so many of them. It’s like going into a shop and not knowing which bag of candy to buy. Do you see my problem?

Jack

Jack,

Can I prove that God exists? No, but I think he can and does gives convincing proof that he exists. The Bible in the book of Psalms says that “the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19). What this is saying is that the world around us–the creation, the heavens and the sky above–declare how awesome God is. Notice the presupposing of God. The beauty of creation shows that there is a great mastermind creator behind it all. The sky screams, “I was made beautiful. I didn’t just happen.” I once made a wooden box to put random junk in. I consider this handiwork (it’s about the best I can do). But does my rinky-dink wooden box compare to the handiwork that is the stars and the sky? In the match up of sunset and my wooden box, the wooden box is knocked out in the first round I’m afraid. My “handiwork” is a joke compared to nature and insects and watermelons and salmon. I think you get the point: creation shows creator.

Can I prove that God exists? If I could, would I have to say where he is? Because he’s immaterial and everywhere at once (omnipresent). Lucky, for us, God has made himself directly visible to us in history and that was through Jesus Christ. The whole of Christianity hinges on this Jesus. This Jesus divides time: B.C. (Before Christ) and A.D. (anno domini = the year of the Lord (Jesus)). I think a little survey of Jesus will help answer the question, Which religion should I believe in?

Jesus once asked the people that hung out with him, “Who do people say that I am?” One of the guys present, Peter, told him, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” John the Baptist, Elijah, and Jeremiah were all Jewish prophets that the Jews were familiar with. People thought that Jesus was possibly just another Jewish prophet. Jesus next asked Peter who he says that he is and Peter responded with a stunning declaration: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” “The Christ” means “chosen one” (the Jews were expecting a “chosen one” from God). And Jesus’ response to Peter after his declaration is equally as stunning, “Blessed are you Peter because you didn’t learn this from people but from God.” [This dialogue is found in Matthew 16].

You see, Jack, what is so stunning about this dialogue is that Peter had hung out with Jesus a lot and knew from all his miracles that there was no way he was just another man, or even just another prophet. You see, Jesus made claims about himself that make him one of three things: a liar, a lunatic, or lord. With the statements like he made, it’s not possible for him to just be another “good teacher” or merely a prophet because, if what he said didn’t come true, than he’s just another liar (or a lunatic because he thought he was God). He predicted his death and resurrection. He made claims to deity. He performed outstanding miracles over and over again. But aren’t there tons of stories like these about other people, too? There might be, but has anyone else backed up what was said by it actually coming true? I believe not. I think Jesus stands unique in history not because of his claims but because what he claimed and predicted actually came true. His friends, who, at first, weren’t too sure if Jesus knew what he was talking about, later wrote that everything he said and predicted actually came true. Even people that weren’t in Jesus’ little posse admitted that there was something to this Jesus.

Liar, lunatic or lord. I think the historical evidence shows that Jesus was God and way more than just a prophet or good teacher; therefore Lord. Jesus made a claim to being not just “a truth” but “the truth” and I think its a fair assessment to say that anyone that makes such claims and then backs them up, deserves honest consideration. After honest consideration–believe me, I’ve wrestled with this in a world of “truths”–after honest consideration, I believe Jesus shows himself to be God and therefore should be taken seriously and that entails following him.

Thanks for you ongoing emails, Jack. Hopefully, I don’t come across overly dogmatic in what I say, but I feel confident in my beliefs and whole-heartedly commend you to The Christ. =)

–drew