Basic Bible Doctrine (Part 01) - Existence of God

Basic Bible Doctrine I. The Existence and Nature of God 1. The Bible declares that there is only one God (Isa 44:6-8; 1Co 8:6). 2. Even without the revelation of God, man can reason from the creation and know that there is an eternal and omnipotent God who created all things. A. The visible things that are seen prove the existence of the invisible God who is not seen (Rom 1:20). B. The heavens declare the glory of God (Psa 19:1). C. The heavens declare His righteousness (Psa 50:6; Psa 97:6). D. The creation teaches us that God created it (Job 12:7-10). 3. A creation demands the existence of a creator. A. No sane person would look at an iPhone and deduce that it was the product of an explosion in an Apple factory. B. Just as the complexity of an iPhone demands that it was designed and made by an intelligent creator, so likewise does the universe. 4. There are four explanations for the existence of the universe: A. It doesn't exist. i. This idea is as dumb as those who promote it. ii. If the universe doesn't exist, than neither do the ignoramuses that argue that it doesn't. iii. Arguing with nobody is an exercise in futility, so we move on. B. It has always existed; it's eternal. i. The second law of thermodynamics: "The second law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system never decreases, because isolated systems spontaneously evolve towards thermodynamic equilibrium—the state of maximum entropy. Equivalently, perpetual motion machines of the second kind are impossible." - Wikipedia ii. In other words, the universe is in a constant state of decay towards equilibrium where all motion will cease. iii. The Bible affirms this (Psa 102:25-27). iv. If the universe is eternal, then all processes would have already ceased by now. v. This is the case because no matter what point in time is picked, there was an infinite amount of time before it, and in an infinite amount of time, the universe would be at a state of equilibrium. vi. Furthermore, if the universe is eternal and self-subsisting, would it not be God by definition? C. It spontaneously popped into existence. i. The first law of thermodynamics states that matter is neither created nor destroyed. ii. The Bible affirms this (Heb 11:3). iii. No one has ever observed matter spontaneously coming into existence. iv. No experiment has ever been conducted which validates such a theory. v. This theory is therefore not scientific and, with a complete lack of evidence, it is blind unreasonable faith. D. It was created by an intelligent being more powerful than itself. i. This is the only reasonable and logical explanation. ii. This is what the Bible plainly declares (Gen 1:1). 5. Arguments for the existence of God. A. The creation itself is one of the simplest and most profound arguments for the existence of God, as was shown in the above points. i. The theory of macro evolution is wholly inadequate to explain the existence of life. ii. The sheer complexity of life, the cell, the eye, the brain, etc. should be glaring evidence to any honest person that they could not have evolved over long periods of time by random chance, but rather that there must be an infinitely intelligent and powerful God who created it. iii. Those who deny this are fools (Psa 14:1). iv. They are without excuse (Rom 1:20). v. They are willingly ignorant (2Pe 3:5). vi. "Sometimes I don't believe that there is any heaven or hell or that there is a God, but then I think, 'If there is no God, how did we get here?'" - Sarah Broyles (6 years old) B. The argument of the first cause. i. We live in a world of cause and effect. Everything that happens was caused to happen by something else. ii. The example of the human life is a good example. a. Your life was caused by your parents. b. Their lives were caused by their parents. c. If the causes are traced back far enough we come to the first humans, which would be the first cause in this example. iii. In a material universe bound by time, there must be a first cause. iv. There cannot be an infinite number of causes because an actual infinite number of anything doesn't exist in a material universe. v. If there be no first cause, there cannot be a second cause. If there be no second cause, there can be no third cause, etc. vi. There therefore must be a first uncaused cause, which we call God. 6. The nature of the true God. A. Bible declares that God is a trinity, or a triune God, consisting of the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost (1Jo 5:7). i. These are not three offices or personalities of God, but rather three persons which bear record (Joh 8:14-18 c/w 1Jo 5:7). a. Record - I. 1. Law. a. The fact or attribute of being, or of having been, committed to writing as authentic evidence of a matter having legal importance, spec. as evidence of the proceedings or verdict of a court of justice; evidence which is thus preserved, and may be appealed to in case of dispute. b. Witness - 1. Knowledge, understanding, wisdom. Obs. (not used after 1482). 2. a. Attestation of a fact, event, or statement; testimony, evidence; †evidence given in a court of justice. ii. All three persons of the Godhead took part in the creation of the universe (Gen 1:1-3; Psa 33:6 c/w Joh 20:22). iii. The Trinity is shown plainly in Isa 48:16. B. All three persons of the Trinity are declared to be God in the scripture. i. The Father is God (2Th 2:16). ii. The Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, is God (Joh 1:1-3,14; Heb 1:3; Joh 8:58 c/w Exo 3:14). iii. The Holy Ghost is God (Act 5:3-4; Heb 3:7-11 c/w Psa 95:7-11; Heb 10:15-17 c/w Jer 31:33-34). iv. Jesus and the Father are one (Joh 10:30; Joh 14:9). v. Jesus and the Holy Ghost are one (Joh 14:16-18; Rom 8:26-27 c/w Rom 8:34; Rev 1:1 c/w Rev 2:29; Rev 3:22). C. A trinity is not an incomprehensible idea. i. The universe is a trinity made of matter, space, and time. a. The universe can't exist without all three elements. b. Matter can’t move without space and as it moves, time occurs. ii. Space is a trinity made of length, width, and height. a. Space can't exist without all three. b. Yet, length is not width and width is not height. iii. Matter is a trinity made of energy, motion, and phenomena. a. Matter is energy in motion that causes a phenomena (light, sound, etc). b. Energy, motion, and phenomena are not what matter does, they are what matter is. iv. Time is a trinity made of past, present, and future. a. They are not the same, yet if any of them are missing, there is no time. b. All time was future, is, was, or will be present, and is or will be past. v. Human beings are likewise trinities made of body, soul, and spirit (1Th 5:23). 7. Some attributes of God. A. His name is Jehovah (Exo 6:3; Psa 83:18). B. God is eternal (Gen 1:1; Psa 90:2; Mic 5:2; 1Ti 1:17). C. God is omnipotent (Rev 19:6; 1Ti 6:15). D. Omnipotent - 1. Strictly said of God (or of a deity) or His attributes: Almighty, infinite in power. E. God is omnipresent (2Ch 16:9; Pro 15:3). F. God is omniscient (Rom 11:33-36; Isa 40:12-14, 28; Psa 147:4-5). G. God is holy (Isa 6:3; Psa 5:4-5).