Now, the Christian reader might wonder where I’m going with this title. After all, followers of Jesus could possibly be thinking that there are many ways to prove that God exists. Look at C.S. Lewis and Lee Strobel, two of many people who have come up with good arguments for God’s existence and Jesus Christ’s supremacy. But if there are such closed arguments as it seems with men of this caliber, then why is it there are so many intelligent non-believers out there? Is all that effort to reason and prove scientifically God’s existence a waste? I will state no. But I think that we as Christians can put far too much emphasis on God’s existence. We argue and haggle this point as if solving the problem of a gods’ existence will end all unbelief. Let me put it this way. Why were people drawn and awed by Jesus? It wasn’t because he was God, though he was that. Many people who were amazed by Jesus did not really believe he was God. They were drawn to him because of the incredible love he displayed, the wisdom he poured out, the compassion, the mercy, the….etc. That’s what people saw and needed and wanted, and because of that they wanted more of Jesus. Jesus could give them all that they needed because he was God. So people want God (or at least God’s good qualities) but they don’t necessarily want him just because he exists. So why is it that we as Christians refuse to demonstrate many of these Jesus -like qualities to people until AFTER they admit in believing God? Why are we so hung up on proving that he’s there up in the sky instead of here working among us and breathing life into us? But if you still think I’m spouting nonsense, let’s see if I can explain more clearly.
Let’s say that you could in fact prove the existence of God. That reason and logic and science unanimously led to the truth that yes, God does exist because we have PROVED it. Atheists are hanging up their caps and agnostics throw out their tepid beliefs (no intention of insult). With that victory, finally all of the Christians can celebrate! As well as the Buddhists, Islam’s, Hindus, and even that one weird dude who is pretty sure Zeus is an active force in this world. My first point here is this, even if humans proved that a god existed through science and reason and logic, there would still be no reason why the Christian god and Jesus Christ would ever step into people’s lives. This is (my belief) because god’s existence alone really isn’t the root of why people eventually do or do not commit their lives to Christ. My proof of this begins when one takes an honest look around our earth and at the way god reveals himself.
There are many persuasive arguments that are for God’s existence and not. Let’s just throw that out there. People who look at Christians and think we’re idiots do so because there are very intelligent people out there who have reasoned out why God can’t possibly exist and they can’t comprehend how a sane person can’t understand that. Christians look at those who question the existence of God and wonder how their reason could possibly have led them to this conclusion as the Christian sees the proof of why there is a god. As a Christian who has taken that step of faith and decided to trust in God. I look at arguments that are for the existence of god with much smiling and nodding of my head. It all makes sense to me, but ONLY because I am looking back with hindsight vision. I’ve made the leap off the cliff and of course the bottom is in much clearer focus then it was when I was leaning over the side. Without that step of faith, I could never look at a formidable atheist’s argument and a formidable Christians and think to myself ‘wow, that guy has made me believe without a doubt etc...,”.
Here is a short example. C.S. Lewis is a formidable Christian. I look at his work and think with all my sinful little heart that people who don’t convert after reading his (in my opinion) Opus Magnum Mere Christianity may or may not have some screws loose. On the other hand, Richard Dawkins is considered a formidable atheist by many and I’m sure the atheist thinks the same about me after reading Dawkins the God Delusion. So what then? It seems as if human logic alone can’t prove god one way or the other. What about science? Well, I’ll keep this short for now. Or short compared to how long it could be… Though evolution is a fact when it comes to microevolution, macroevolution is still up for grabs. And it probably won’t be solved for a long time, if ever. Since microevolution hasn’t stopped God from existing, we must turn to macroevolution as the scientific discovery to verify God’s existence or not.
Let’s see the reasons for the universe and life’s existence that I’ve heard from scientists, teachers, and the average joe. For the universe, the most popular theory of the moment is the Big Bang. We have the Big Bang caused by God and the Big Bang for no reason we can fathom as of yet. But whatever may have brought the universe into existence still hasn’t guaranteed us people, so let us look at the theories of why humans might have come into existence. I’ve heard the backs of crystals (I didn’t get this one to be honest), primordial ooze from who knows where and as I’ve heard from an actual scientist, supreme beings a.k.a. aliens….but that wouldn’t count as macroevolution because what would have created the aliens? Just saying… We also have God created us and helped us evolve into what he wanted and we have God created us as we are now instantly. There are others I’m sure but I’m not going to list EVERY theory.
Interestingly enough, not one of these theories rules out God. Some blatantly include him but the ones that don’t do not eliminate the possibility of a God. So what if science proves that we came about from super scum heated in the center of a volcano? That the tiniest blocks of matter formed itself into the most basic building blocks of life and that led over a plethora of time to us Homo sapiens. That process wouldn’t rule out the direction and intervention of a god even if he didn’t poof us directly from dirt.
If you think about it, it would make sense that God could not be proven directly from a scientific experiment. No matter how sophisticated. Because if there’s a god then he would be outside of everything he created. But let me make that more clear using an analogy from C.S. Lewis. It would be like an architect and a house. The architect can build the house but he can’t be the floor boards and the chimney. We can’t look at and evaluate the architect in a physical sense because of the house. But we CAN receive hints of the nature of the architect if we look close enough. The style and precision, the order and unique qualities of the house can give us a look into what the architect is like. So earth can’t give us physical hard proof of God, but we can notice his effect on everything around us. We can see the nature of the design and then from that believe that there is a designer himself. Many scientists have come to a belief in God this way, though it certainly isn’t the only way.
So here it seems as if God cannot be proven with science alone… wait… hold it. There’s one of the main point’s people, take note of it. Reiterating back to what I said earlier. What inhibits people from believing in God is not in fact the science and reason alone. There are personal reasons involved. They may not want to change their lifestyle, their mom is dying and if she dies then that proves that god can’t exist because if he did than he sucks. (That seemed callous because it was said in a tough love sort of way; I actually sympathize with people struggling with that.) In essence, it is their own unwillingness, for whatever reason, that prevents them from believing or taking that step of faith. They are forever at the top of the cliff wondering and peering over the edge or they have their backs to it and are certain of its inexistence even if turning around might give them the first glimpse towards what they’re looking for.
And what are they looking for? Most people are looking for the good gifts that God can give like love and wisdom and joy and safety and happiness. Sometimes people look for the perversions of these gifts but that’s not the end all because I’m obviously here writing this to you. I’m going to infer that if we as Christians demonstrated these gifts to the best of our ability then people would be more interested in why we have them. When we give the credit to God, then they truly see God for what he can do and be in this world. They can see that bit of God and then they want more of him. Reasoning and science helps justify or soften their hearts.
Now here comes the title point. All of what I’ve said is why there is not a very good reason for desperately trying to convince people of God’s existence to the point of frustration and anger. If a person does not want a God to exist in his universe then he can come up with reasons and some of what we know of science to justify himself. The person who is convinced that God exists might be led towards any one of many religions with one or more deities. Both these people have missed the mark with their use of logic and science. But we don’t judge them. We don’t look at them with scorn or smugness or pride in our own brilliance. Why you may wonder? (Aside from the fact God says no.)
And what are they looking for? Most people are looking for the good gifts that God can give like love and wisdom and joy and safety and happiness. Sometimes people look for the perversions of these gifts but that’s not the end all because I’m obviously here writing this to you. I’m going to infer that if we as Christians demonstrated these gifts to the best of our ability then people would be more interested in why we have them. When we give the credit to God, then they truly see God for what he can do and be in this world. They can see that bit of God and then they want more of him. Reasoning and science helps justify or soften their hearts.
Now here comes the title point. All of what I’ve said is why there is not a very good reason for desperately trying to convince people of God’s existence to the point of frustration and anger. If a person does not want a God to exist in his universe then he can come up with reasons and some of what we know of science to justify himself. The person who is convinced that God exists might be led towards any one of many religions with one or more deities. Both these people have missed the mark with their use of logic and science. But we don’t judge them. We don’t look at them with scorn or smugness or pride in our own brilliance. Why you may wonder? (Aside from the fact God says no.)
Well, these people, some brilliant and some not, have used the best that the human mind can offer and still come up with the wrong answer. But it’s not because I’m more intelligent. I bet Mr. Dawkins is far more intelligent then myself. I wince at Sudoku problems for heaven’s sake. It’s because they have come to the end of the rope as far as this topic is concerned and they can’t take that leap of faith. That’s it people. They can’t make the jump. They don’t want to make the jump. They have their answers and their reasons and we have ours neutralizing every one of their answers and the score board is even and they don’t want to make the jump from there. That faith which they lack is what they need for that final decision. Without it they can never move forward. They have to want something that fills them like Jesus Christ can. They can’t want anything else as a substitute. They have to want what Jesus Christ offers them to be able to make the leap into believing in Jesus Christ. Nothing else is going to be worth it to them to make that step of faith. They have to want God.
And who my friend’s gives us that desire to want God, that faith to make the jump? GOD gives it to us. God provides the faith and desire to want God. We can’t give it to these people. We can’t make them want God. So if you’re the Christian like I’ve been who feels if they just read that extra science book that helps bring faith and Christianity together, or that wonderful book that reasons out why God MUST exist then that will be the way to help people SEE God and Jesus Christ, you are trying to do right but you are wrong. You can’t do ANYTHING with your own reasoning or with another’s science. It is God who makes people see God. You are the salt and maybe the pepper but you certainly aren’t the main ingredient. And no person is. “Since what may be known about God is plain to them because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20).”
God is seen by those who want to see just the same as a person looks at a house. When the person wants to admit someone built it, the evidence they gather makes it obvious that an architect built it. That is the key, the person wants to see and trusts in God and then faith rewards him and he truly does see. So really, you the third person in the “trying to bring people to God” quest can be taken out of the equation all together. I mean, what people actually want is God not you. It is because of God’s desire to make it plain and the person’s desire to want to see that makes a person put their faith in God. God is more than capable of doing all the work. “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limits (Psalm 147:5).”
So then what the heck are you there for? Why not just throw in the evangelical towel and say to God, ‘God you’re good (and clearly way more cool) why don’t I just sit this one out, sip my lemonade over here, and let you in there and take the reins on this one….’ (I actually smiled when I wrote this because technically we should always be giving the reins to God, what an earth shattering technicality!) But for some inexplicable reason God actually chooses to use us in his work. He chose to use Paul, and Peter, and he chooses you. He doesn’t have to, he wants to. He wants you to be his messenger. The way you truly bring the message is to display who God is with what he’s given us. Then what people see in us they will want more of and so we can give them God. It’s not our smooth arguments and science. And that’s how God wants it to work.
But have caution, there are clearly God-exalting ways to go about the telling and there are self-exalting ways. Self exalting is when you try to use your own smooth words and intelligence to convince someone. It’s all on you to prove God’s real, prove the Christian god is the “right one” and then finish the deal by praying the prayer and BAM another one bites the dust. Then afterwards the inner dialogue goes like this…’aren’t I awesome?!? Oh hey and God you’re good and awesome too but man that was an awesome analogy I said. Did you see that God? Did you see what I did? Good thing I read that one book and talked to that one person and drank that energy drink beforehand….’
Okay, that was heavy with sarcasm, but if you can actually see yourself reflected in my silly dialogue then you have some control issues to work out with God. No matter, everyone has them, but it’s what we choose to do with them that counts. In any case, the God exalting path is when we trust God to work in the hearts of those we want to share the Gospel with. We let him speak to the person and touch their lives. Then we let him guide us in what we say and how we act around the person. And then we finally end whatever conversation and whatever outcome whether it seems good or bad with the surrendering of it over to God and letting him use it for his glory. When you exalt God you don’t get anything yourself, if you do get something, its sharing in god’s glory because he DOES love us and he will bless us with seeing his good works in the world. But doesn’t that also glorify God? Us seeing his glory! All right, now I’m excited!
So this flaw with proving God’s supremacy is the mentality that we can actually do that without God involved. By making him that thing we point at in the sky instead of the being that gives us life and changes our lives. People who approach others with all the science and reason in the world obviously can’t do a darn thing as I tried ineptly to point out earlier. It’s letting God reveal all that he is (and as we see from the cliff jumpers point of view it’s quite a lot) and working in the heart of people so that they will desire him.
Well then, what’s our mission? Well here it is folks, “Go out into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16).” But remember you are the messenger. You did not create the good news, nor write the letter. You didn’t even stick it in the envelope. God’s just given you the great opportunity to carry it around. And remember to breathe life into what you do. We’re called to be like Jesus. Not just talk about him.
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself will be in them (John 17:25-26).”
“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself will be in them (John 17:25-26).”
