Sweet, sweet word of God.
Are people now so brilliant that we must convince them of God’s existence before we ever show them His word?
Where in the Bible does a preacher try to convince a person of God’s existence using philosophical arguments? Yet, today, many Christians first delve into human philosophy to try to prove God’s existence before trying to convince them of the God of the Bible.
Four Philosophical Arguments for God’s Existence
Anselm of Canterbury introduced the Ontological Argument, which, I freely confess, seems like a complete mess to me. At least Immanuel Kant agrees with me (that is, he argued against it in a much more studied and brilliant fashion than I ever could hope to!).
Thomas Aquinas introduced the Cosmological Argument, which, in simple terms, argues that everything we can sense in the universe has a cause. If we reach back far enough, there must be Someone who is the original causer of all things, and that Someone must be outside the cause-and-effect system. He does not have a cause; He is self-existent.
Aquinas also introduced the Teleological Argument, which, again in simple terms, argues that we see design everywhere. There are things that have no intelligence yet have purpose. If they have purpose, there must be Someone who made them for a purpose. If there is design, there must be a Designer.
C. S. Lewis began Mere Christianity arguing for a law inherent among men he called “the law of human nature.” He said, basically, that we all recognize a certain standard of morality. We argue that a person should not have taken our place in line. Why not? Because we all recognize it not to be fair–it’s just wrong. Obviously, no society could every work if people just up and killed one another for no reason. Every society has a moral problem with murder. The Moral Argument basically postulates: If there is, truly, a law of nature within humanity, there must be a Law Giver. If there is inherent right and wrong, there must be a Final Authority.
You might like some of those philosophical arguments above. Certainly there is some merit to thinking about them. But I again ask, where in the Bible does a preacher use these kinds of arguments to prove God’s existence?
In Scripture, God’s Existence Is Always Assumed
When Paul preached to the Athenians, he did not try to prove God’s existence; he dived right in and described Him,
Acts 17.23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. 26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, 27 that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him.
In Lystra, Paul and Barnabas cried out, “We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them” (Acts 14.15).
“But,” you argue, “those were people who were already religious. They at least believed in some kind of gods. What about those who say they don’t believe in any god? What about Romans 1.19-20?”
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Does Romans 1 mean that we should teach God’s existence from creation? I think not. The passage proves too much, because the point of those verses is that all men do know inherently within themselves that God exists, and they suppress that truth. They don’t need to be convinced of His existence; they need to come to terms with it.
So how should we preach the gospel? Very simply! Just tell your neighbors about God, about Jesus Christ, and about the Holy Spirit. Tell them what God has done for the world through Jesus Christ. Tell them God is calling all men to repentance because one day He will judge the world through Jesus Christ.
Don’t get bogged down in deep, philosophical arguments. Those are man-made arguments, fraught with problems and difficulties. No human argument can ever lead a person to Christ, show God’s character, or teach men what salvation is all about. Just use the Bible. Don’t be ashamed to use the Scriptures alone. People will try to shame you and make you feel small for being narrow minded–but how can you go wrong teaching them the words of the Creator Himself?
God bless you as you minister to your neighbors and friends the simple gospel of Jesus Christ!
The sweet, sweet word of God.