Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Can you give me any proof that God exists? While I am a biblical scholar by trade, and not a philosopher, I’ve had this question asked to me a good number of times by those who learn that I not only teach and research this stuff, I actually believe it.

Strictly speaking, as a Christian I don’t understand it as my responsibility to provide proofs for whether there really is a God. In my view, the creation itself is all the “proof” that someone should need. Indeed, I’ve never “won” an argument over this question and then had my conversation partner say, “okay, I guess I’ll believe in God now.”

Nevertheless, I suppose that arguments for God’s existence may invite serious thinking on the question, address initial obstacles for a person who might be considering a life of faithfulness to God, or, minimally, contribute to mutual understanding between people of differing perspectives on the matter.

As such, I wish to provide here not an argument for God, but rather an introductory consideration that should be understood before any discussion concerning God’s existence is had at all. This consideration is, namely, that everyone has “faith” in something. You might rightfully ask here how this is the case, and/or why it is an important consideration even if it were. Thus, the following will attempt to explain both how this is so and why it is important.

First, we should recognize that every person or group possesses a worldview that addresses on some level fundamental questions of human existence, such as: (1) Who are we—what does it mean to be a human being (individually, collectively)? (2) Where are we—what is the nature of the world in which we live? (3) What’s the problem—what is the nature of the brokenness that all people experience in some fashion? (4) What’s the solution—how can people move through this brokenness and find wholeness?

A Christian might answer these worldview questions by affirming that all human beings are image-bearers of God, living within and as an integral part of God’s creation. Though image-bearers of God, human beings have collectively abused the power that God had given them, distorting this image, to the detriment of each other and the rest of creation. But God has provided in Jesus Christ the means through which the entire created order, including humans’ proper role within it, will be fully restored.

Second, worldviews are humanly inescapable and will always make absolute claims about the world in which we live—that is, claims that are true for everyone without exception. Even the claim that there is no absolute truth, and therefore that everything is purely relative to each person or group—i.e., what’s true for me may not be true for you—is itself an absolute claim. In other words, it absolutely claims that everything simply depends upon the perspective and preferences of the person or group, nothing more!

Third, all worldviews require certain allegiances or commitments that ultimately impact one’s life. We call this “faith.” Further, we will have this faith without the benefit of certainty. That is, while we possess varying levels of certainty regarding a host of different things in life, we can never truly be 100% certain about anything.

For example, right now I may be sitting in my office typing on a computer, or I may be a disembodied brain being experimented upon by an alien race. Who could say for sure? In any case, all worldviews will inevitably possess certain elements for which no completely verifiable evidence for them is available.

Thus, if my worldview entails a belief that there is no God, I am exhibiting faith. My faith will shape the way I live my life. I have made such a commitment without the benefit of certainty, because I could never prove my belief that there is no God is true in any sort of absolute, objective fashion.

Or, if I do not believe that a judgment can even be made one way or another concerning God’s existence, I am still exhibiting faith. That is, I have committed myself to the belief that a decision cannot justifiably be had on the question of God, and this will surely inform the way I live my life. Once again, though I may believe it to be the case, I could never prove this assertion to be true in any sort of absolute, objective fashion.

Fourth, even things I may observe with one or more of my five senses and that therefore seem relatively certain, assumes faith in my powers of observation. In other words, when I examine the evidence, I choose to believe that what my “eyes” are telling me is in fact true. But even here, while my observations may inform the way I live my life, I could never really prove without any doubt whatsoever that the things I observe are in fact the way I see them.

Fifth, taking all these points together, we are rationally compelled to conclude that in subscribing to any worldview, whatever it may be, we are all engaged in the activity of faith. In this respect, people who believe in God are not doing anything different than the atheist or agnostic. There is simply no privileged “neutral turf” where some can stand without exercising faith, while the theist, by contrast, takes the “leap.”

Of course, this does not mean that all worldviews are therefore equally valid. It simply means that in affirming one or another, all we can possibly do is weigh the relative merits of each, in consideration of the available evidence, and make the best judgement we can. We must realize that we will necessarily place our faith in something, and this decision will have real consequences for our life.

So, does God’s existence offer more explanatory power than, say, a meaningless universe that just is? I think so. But that is for you to decide.