“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1
Faith is believing in something that you cannot physically see. I think it is safe to say that we have “faith” that George Washington was our first president. Yes, there is evidence….but there is no one alive today who physically saw George Washington’s presidential term. Our “faith” comes from written evidence. Just like there are documents supporting American history, there is also written evidence of Creation and the resurrection.
1) God Makes Sense of the Universe’s Origin
“ In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen 1:1)
“ He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea” (Job 9:8 NIV)
“ Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.” (Heb 11:3 KJV)
A theory of origins may also agree with Genesis. The big bang theory acknowledges that the universe had a beginning. Something cannot just come out of nothing, there has to be a transcendent cause beyond space and time that brought the world into existence. Meaning, whatever begins to exist must have a cause. The universe, at one point, began to exist and therefore there must be a cause. In the second chapter of The Case for Faith, Craig explains that only things that at some point “begin to exist” must have a cause. God never began to exist and thus does not require a cause. He never came into being because He is eternal.
2) God Makes Sense of the Universe’s Complexity
It is far more probable for a lifeless universe to exist than a life filled one. “If the rate of the universe’s expansion one second after the big bang had been smaller by even one part in a hundred thousand million million, the universe would have collapsed into a fireball.” –Hawking
The complexity of the universe suggests that there is a purposeful Designer who created our universe and maintains it today.
3) God Makes Sense of Objective Moral Values
If God doesn’t exist, then objective moral values do not exist. Lee Strobel explains it like this:
“If there is no God, then moral values are merely the products of socio-biological evolution. Moralities are a biological adoption no less than are hands and feet and teeth, and morality is just an aid to survival and reproduction. If there is no God, then morality is a matter of personal taste. After all, if there is no God, then what’s so special about human beings? The are just accidental byproducts of nature that have only recently evolved on a tiny speck of dust and are doomed to perish forever in a relatively short time.
However, we all know that objective moral values do exist! Actions like rape and child abuse aren’t just behaviors that happen to be socially unacceptable- they are clearly moral abominations. They are objectively wrong! Since objective moral values cannot exist without God, it is logical to believe that God does exist!”
4) God Makes Sense of the Resurrection
In my earlier posts, I talked about miracles. If we have good reason to believe in a God, then we can also believe in these miracles. Miracles themselves are also an argument towards God’s existence. If Jesus Christ really did come back from the dead, then we have a divine miracle pointing to the Father God.
There are several facts about Jesus’ fate that are widely accepted by New Testament historians:
a) Jesus was crucified and buried by Joseph of Arimathea
· This proves that the location of the tomb was known to all
· It was recorded by Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth less than 5 years after the resurrection (meaning it was not a” legendary” tale)
· It would be strange for anyone to make up Joseph’s involvement because he was apart of the Sanhedrin (the group who condemned Jesus)
b) The tomb was found empty by Women.
· In those days, it was embarrassing to admit that Women found the tomb empty because women were not allowed to testify in the Jewish Court. A women’s testimony was not evidence of a first hand witness. The fact that all the gospel writers were faithful to the truth “women found the empty tomb” proves that they were giving an accurate account.
c) Other Evidence to read:
5) God Can Immediately Be Experienced
“Ultimately, the way a Christian really knows that Christ exists is through the presence of God’s spirit.” Jesus is the only savior that not only claims to be God, but who asks for a personal relationship with his children. (Believers)
Of all the spiritual figures, for example: Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Krishna, Gautama, Confucius, or Gandhi…. Jesus Christ was the only one who claimed TO BE GOD. All these other figures claimed to be religious leaders or figures. And only Jesus/ Christianity asks for a personal relationship with Him. Christianity is not only about evaluating evidence or proving ourselves worthy (Because none of us are worthy!) It is about a life changing experience and surrendering. Our religion does not have a book of rules that you must follow to be saved. The only thing you have to do for salvation is accept Jesus Christ as your personal savior and live your life for/with Him! Jesus wants to be your friend…. WOW!
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. John 15:12-15
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