Why Believe there is God – By Tom Buckle

Primarily, theology is the study of God and the relations between God and the universe. It is the study of religious doctrines and matters of divinity. It can also refer to a specific form or system of study such as that of a particular religion or denomination.

The common philosophical and theological arguments for the existence of theism in studying systematic theology (God) are the following: (1) the First-cause, or Cosmological; (2) the Design, or Teleological; (3) the Human-nature, or Anthropological; (4) the A Priori, or Ontological. Some scholars will add a fifth; (5) the Biblical, or Revelation argument which could cover all of the first four arguments and more. Other religious fundamentalist will favor adding a “moral argument.”

We will not go into an in-depth study of these arguments for God’s existence in this article but we may briefly make some reference to most of them in our subject: God.

The first sentence in the Bible declares, “In the beginning God. . .” (Genesis 1:1Genesis 1:1
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Genesis ^{1 1} In the beginning God After “God,” the Hebrew has the two letters “Aleph Tav” as a grammatical marker. created the heavens and the earth.

WP-Bible plugin) This statement declares that God is and that He revealed himself as the first cause of all creation. Before anything came into being God existed. He is the first cause of all things in heaven and on earth. He is the beginning and the end. He is the first and last. He is the eternal Supreme Being. Human kind believes that every event must have a cause. It is irrational to believe otherwise.

In his book, “This We Believe … This We Proclaim”, Theologian Dr. Earl L. Martin, writing about God states (page 8), “He is the irreducible minimum if man is to find God.” The Bible assumes the fact of the existence of God and does not attempt to prove His existence. He is not a mythical being that one person dreamed up but the Creator who created man in His own image and likeness. (Genesis 1:26Genesis 1:26
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26 God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

WP-Bible plugin) The first and second chapter of Genesis tells how God created the heavens and the earth. He is the Creator of all things.

Few would deny that man is a believing being. That is the way man was created. He was born with an intuitive thought in a higher power. He is capable of believing in a higher power and beyond the power of mankind. Someone said, “Man did not originate the idea of God, he just came upon it.” Traditional theologians believe that God’s existence resides in man’s mind intuitively. Under the right circumstances, such as crises, he will usually call out to God.

Reason by itself does not prove God, but we can readily grasp that there are many reasons for believing in God. Man was created with a capacity to believe in a higher power, a higher Being. The evidences are all around us and they cry out for us to believe in a Supreme Being that intricately designed the universe and terrestrial life.

God’s very nature is to make himself known to mankind. King David, the former shepherd boy wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament show His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveal knowledge.” Psalm 19:1-2Psalm 19:1-2
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19 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. ¹Â The heavens declare the glory of God. The expanse shows his handiwork. ²Â Day after day they pour forth speech, And night after night they display knowledge.

WP-Bible plugin Notice the underlined words describing how God reveals himself in nature.

The history of God revealing himself to man is a continuous story throughout the Bible. Man’s fallen nature, struggles and rebellions are never covered over but exposed. In them we see a history of God exercising mercy and offering redemption to man if he will turn to Him. Tracing history we can see God’s great love for mankind, in coming to earth as an example and to offer mankind eternal life through His perfect sacrifice, Jesus.

The Bible is a record of God dealing with His people. The Bible is a special part of history but it is not all the story. All of history is His story. God is!

“…He that comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6Hebrews 11:6
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6 Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

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 If you would like to contact Tom with questions or comments, email tom@journeykc.com.