3 Reasons to Believe there is a God

In the Bible, it is frequently stated (overstated actually) that God is with us, that God is real, and that God wants to redeem humanity to its original condition. It's stated that there's a powerful, almighty, all loving God that looks after us. The "problem with God", if you may, is that modern science has taught us to believe in that for which we have evidence and, as far as science goes, there's not much concrete evidence to prove the existence of a Creator. But, is this an accurate statement? Can the existence of God be debated based on scientific evidence grounds and not just on the beliefs and experiences of certain individuals? I believe so. In this post I share 3 of the main reasons why I believe God exists with evidence other than personal experience.

The 3 reasons we'll be going over this post are:

1. The case for the origin of the universe

2. The case for the origin of life

3. The case for humanity's moral compass

Before fully entering into our discussion, I do have to point out that the Bible depicts a God that it's personal and relatable. Presents a God that reveals Himself to those that search Him with all their hearts. With this comes the obvious conclusion that no amount of scientific evidence will ever come as close to prove His existence as your own personal relationship with God. God can be proven in a million ways, but until you don't voluntarily decide to build a relationship with Him, God will remain just an abstract "concept". Here's an example: science can say and prove that fire is hot and burns, but it is not until we get close to it and perhaps even stick our hands and burn ourselves, that we actually believe it. Same with the concept of love; we can see it, we can talk about, we can try and show how it works, but until someone actually feels it, it'll be as if "love" doesn't exist.

In my personal life, God has made miracles and has blessed me an unbelievable amount of times. Yes, I've had many hardships and obstacles in life, but I know for a fact that I have seen the hand of God intervening in most Chapters of my life. Just to give you an example, I will share a personal story...

I come from a home with limited financial resources and I got accepted into an engineering program at a University that was about 2 hours from my home. This put me in a situation where I had to find housing and pay for it. I didn't had money, didn't had a job, just a scholarship that didn't pay much and some few dollars my family would give me monthly. Long story short, and given some situations outside my control, during my 3rd year of college I ran out of money to pay for housing. Without housing I would've probably have to quit college as I could not do a 4 hour commute each day from home to school. At that time, I prayed and asked God to please help me find a"cheap enough" place where I could just stay and finish school. One day, out of nowhere, one of my college Professors, being aware of my situation, offered me to stay at his home for only $0.00 dollars. This blew my mind. The Professor, which I consider my dad and will keep his name confidential out of respect, allowed me to stay in his home for about 2 years without expecting me to pay for rent. I will forever be eternally grateful, first to God, and to my Professor who was the instrument God used. Needless to say, I was able to successfully finish my degree and continue the journey of life.

So, yes. I do believe personal experiences really help drive home the fact that there is a living God that watches over us... but this post is directed to discuss the existence of God outside the realm of personal experiences. Let's do that.

Reason #1: The Origin of the Universe and the Bible

Everything that comes to exist has a cause; things don't just come into existence out of nowhere. There's enough scientific and common sense knowledge to know this as a fact. Although not in complete agreement, the vast majority of astronomers and scientists concur that the Universe had a beginning and it is not eternal. This, after Edwin Hubble and astronomers using telescopes in the 1900's notice the "red shift" of galaxies which was determined to be a phenomenon that occur when galaxies are moving away from us. The idea was simple: if at that present time the galaxies were moving away, going back in time the galaxies would be close to each other - move back for a long long time, and you have a very dense 'cluster' of mass. As they came to conclude, some event of humongous magnitude must have happened in the past, which released a lot of energy, in order to 'push' or move these galaxies away from each other. We now know this as the famous "Big Bang Theory"; the scientific theory, not the TV show (haha!). So, at that point it was not hard to conclude that the Universe had a beginning; after all, we had valid and reliable scientific data that proved this as being the case. Interestingly, it took much study to prove something the Bible had well stated many years ahead... the Universe was not eternal but had a definite beginning.

With the "problem" of having a Universe that had an origin comes the problem of asking how did it came to be. As stated, things don't just come into existence without a cause so, what (or Who) caused the Universe to exist? It is at this point when science ceases to be helpful and to provide logical responses. The 'cause' for the origin of the Universe did not, and does not, have a rational scientific explanation. If the universe had a beginning, then before there must've been... nothing (!!!), so the known laws of physics and thermodynamics must not have applied then. What happened? How did it happened? I love how Professor and Astronomer Robert Jastrow put it in his book "God and the Astronomers":

Science could not / cannot provide us with an answer. The Bible on the other hand, which was right about the Universe having an origin, provides a simple and direct statement that may solve the riddle: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth..." (Gen. 1:1). The very first verse in the Bible claims to answer the two crucial questions: 'what began?' and 'how it began?'. Now, are we to believe the Bible just because it was right about the Universe having a beginning? Are we to believe that some Superior Being created the Universe? Well, the evidence is all around us and King David, in the book of Psalms, registers part of it: "The heavens declare the Glory of God..." (Psalms 19:1)

It doesn't take much to look into the sky with bare eyes or with a telescope, with a phone app or at the Nasa website, to be awed by the wonderfulness and beautifulness in the Universe. Beyond the physical appeal, the order that exists in it and the laws that rule it all (gravity, thermodynamics...etc.) just strikes the mind with awe; the thought that we're but an 'electron' in space (in terms of size) in such a 'infinite' sort of speak space. The universe is so big that our units of measurement, inch-mm-feet, don't work in the space neighborhood. In space we use a "light year" measure which is the distance the light travels in a year; 1 light year is equal to about 6 trillion (12 zeros after the 6) miles. Our closest galaxy neighbor, the Andromeda galaxy, is about 2.5 million light years away so... do the math. A glance at out space is truly a glance at a work or art - almost impossible to believe that all that is out there just came to be out of nothing for no reason at all. It definitely takes more faith to believe that all came from nothing, than believing that the cause for the existence of the universe is... God. Thousands of years ago the Bible registered a scientific fact that came to be proven almost 6,000 years later by science.

Reason #2: The Origin of Life and the Bible

Not too long ago I came across a documentary film that I found very interesting and fascinating titled: "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed". Although it has received much negative criticism, it does portray a reality that many of us wouldn't see otherwise. Simply put, the documentary deals with interviewing scientists and college Professors who have faced serious situations, including losing their jobs and career reputations, for considering or bringing into light the possibility of "intelligent design". Many scientists and people in general just can't take the fact that at the very least, the concept of an intelligent designer - God, should never be ruled out as a viable hypothesis. Science is about formulating questions, finding answers and taking into consideration all possibilities; for instance, the idea that the world was flat was never completely ruled out until science came forward and proved it wrong. The idea that there were sub-atomic particles was never ruled out until proven right. Even the theory of evolution proposed in 1859 by Darwin, 162 years ago, is still considered the most compelling theory explaining the origins of life, even when it hasn't yet been proven. Don't get me wrong, evolution does happen and exists - we all evolve and adapt, within our species that is. We've yet to find a chicken in the process of becoming a dinosaur. Like these, there are many other theories and propositions that have been accepted as 'viable' possibilities for years and decades without ever having been proved to be right. If as a community we accept those, why the arrogance of many to state that there's simply no chance that there's a Creator?

Going back to the theory of evolution, it is important to state that to-date, this theory is still just that - a theory. The idea that all living beings on the planet came from a single ancestor or single-cell organism has simply failed to be accepted as valid as no solid evidence for this type of mutation/evolution exists. Furthermore, when we consider the idea that we all came from a single common ancestor or cell, the question "when/how did that ancestor or cell came to be?" poses another big problem. We have no evidence of spontaneous life generation; life comes from life, that is a known law in the science realm. So, how did life came to be in the first place?

Many scientists have considered what came to be known as the "primordial soup" or "prebiotic soup". Not going to enter into much details but, in essence, the theory states that long time ago, the right elements/compounds (hydrogen, nitrogen, ammonia, carbon dioxide, methane...) encountered each other under the right conditions at the right time and in the right place. Then with a little bit of an energy input, such as an electrical discharge, and lots of luck, these combined and form the first proteins which then turned to DNA chains which then turn into a living organism. Sounds... interesting, no? Well, of course, scientists have tried to replicate these "ideal" conditions in laboratories (see the Miller-Urey experiment) but have failed to generate life from lifeless chemicals. They have, however, proved that some amino acids, the building blocks of proteins which are essential to life, could indeed be formed with the right elements under the right conditions. Still, the formation of lifeless chemicals from lifeless chemicals doesn't say much about the origin of life, does it?. Here's the bigger problem... life doesn't just happen to be from one single protein; there are several hundreds of essential proteins for life to be possible, so for life to spontaneously occur, not one, nor two nor three, but hundreds of proteins needed to have formed simultaneously for life to just happen. A quick Google search would come to show just how complex proteins are - so a LOT of coincidence must've happened for life to have just occurred. Astrophysicist Fred Hoyle calculated the odds for spontaneous generation of about 2,000 essential proteins were of 1 in 1 followed by 40,000 zeros... so... impossible.

Frustrated by the lack of evidence to support life without the need of an intelligent designer, some scientists considered other possibilities such as 'panspermia' which basically suggests that living microbes flew through space and landed on earth but, of course, this poses the problem of 'how those microbes came to be in the first place elsewhere...?'. Now, going back to the theory of evolution, let's say for a second that we proved that spontaneous life is completely feasible... now we face the problem of the fossil record. The fossil record simply fails to provide solid evidence supporting the idea of species transformation/evolution into new ones. Furthermore, the concept itself goes against the 'survival of the fittest' statement. A half developed frog or bird wouldn't be able to survive as well as a fully developed one, would it? With this in mind, is not hard to grasp that it would've been very difficult for species to fully develop based on the timeline for species transformation. Fossil records show the consistent appearance of fully-developed organisms; not half-way transformed ones.

Of course, there is much else to say about what science has brought to the table to argue the origin of life, but having considered already the front-runner theories... I think it's safe to admit that science has no rational explanation just yet. Even more... I don't think it ever will without considering the possibility of an intelligent designer. What science presents as possibilities for an explanation without 'God' in the equation, are actually key indicators that life could not have spontaneously formed... but something or someone, must've started it all. Life comes from life... and God happens to be presented in the Bible as the living God. As with the Universe, the Bible has a very simple and direct explanation for the creation of organisms in the world... God created them. After all, there's more faith needed to believe in the theory of evolution and spontaneous life generation than believing that an intelligent designer - God - gave life to all that surrounds us. It is because of this (and much more details) that I believe that there's a God; a very powerful and awesome Intelligent Designer.

NOTE: For more on the topic of the universe, life, and God, read the booklet "Does God Exists" - available to download for free in the Apple Books store.

Reason #3: Humanity's Moral Compass & Purpose

This reason meets the boundaries of the philosophy realm as it begs to ask deep human existence questions. What is life without God? What is our purpose in life? Why there are embedded human moral and ethical standards in our inner selves? These among others are some of the questions that many have asked throughout the centuries and many arrive at the same conclusion... without God in the equation, life is simply meaningless. We are born, we live, we die; that's the picture without God in the equation. Without God in the equation in an evolution-driven world, killing would be normal... after all, we would be living in a 'survival of the fittest' environment so, any weak link or threat to humanity, would be eliminated. Without God, good deeds or bad deeds wouldn't matter - what difference would it do to live like a saint or like an evil person if the destiny of both is the same? Without God there's no hope, no drive, no goal, no sense... life would just be about us and what we can achieve in life before we turn back to dust. All these deep and intense questions, however, do find reconciliation in God.

Simply put, science and philosophy have no concrete explanation as to why the moral is, to some extent, built into our minds and society. Why it has remained constant and perhaps some core moral values have not evolved as science would suggest they should. If we think about it, truly think about it, God is the delimiting factor when determining something is right or wrong. Without God, there is no right or wrong, just opinions as to what should be and what isn't. So, what truly drives that moral in us? What is the deal with that tiny embedded voice that makes us conscious when we act or do wrong? The Bible suggests a very simple explanation:

Notice that the Bible registers that two different things went into our design: (1) God's image, and (2) God's likeness. One speaks to the physical resemblance... the other speaks to character. At this point, the reasoning for having moral standards perhaps begins to make sense. If we were indeed created by God, and have an embedded character-likeness to God, then we know that deep inside us, we'll behave in a similar way to our creator. Similar resemblance to what we see between kids and their parents. Jesus came to this world to "save what was lost" (us!) and to exemplify the true character of God. He lived like we should live and 'behave' like we should. How he lived? You may ask. Well... He lived a selfless life showing everyone, without exception, a remarkable expression of love.

The world would be a better place if everyone would live, to the dot, the life that the God in the Bible teaches we should live. Is a perfect guideline to live in peace and harmony for life with everyone. There's just something about the selfless lifestyle and the moral standards the Bible teaches that... simply feels right. When we help, it feels right. When we respond with love despite receiving hate, it feels right. When we give, it feels right. Perhaps it feels right because we were designed as such. It feels right because we're acting as we were created to act. When living according to God's law and communicating with Him, life takes shape and a sense of purpose automatically settles in. The fact that we're rational, conscious, thoughtful, and moral beings in a world where every other species abides just by natural survival laws... speaks that something was embedded in our character, that there's a special something in us... and there is. The likeness of God.

Conclusion

There's enough substantial evidence in the Universe to make a case that there is an Intelligent Designer, there is a God that made everything that surrounds us possible. the Bible so expresses it, our own characters express it, and everything between the microbiology world to the macro-universe we live in, speaks that there was a careful intelligent design that made it all possible. We are NOT a product of pure luck and change. We were all carefully designed and crafted by an Almighty God that, right now, yearns to have a relationship with you. No amount of evidence will ever compare to a personal, close experience with the Creator. Want to know if God exists? Call Him in prayer; He's always fast to respond.

As always, please feel free to reach out to us should you want to discuss more, ask something, ask for a prayer, or anything in between. I'd be happy to help anyway I can. There's much more to say on the topic for the case of the existence of God but... it's too complex and long to write on a blog post.

Until next one and God Bless you!!

#neverfarenough