How do you prove God?

One of the big tests for religion, particularly Christianity, is the ability to prove that God exists.

As interesting as it seems, the Bible does not "prove" the existence of God -- rather, it assumes it.  Genesis starts of with "In the beginning, God..." and it provides no explanation or apology for God's existence.

There are many who would seek to prove God's existence through science.  Science definitely confirms the existence of God -- if you believe in God, then you can see His handiwork throughout nature and space -- but it cannot be easily used to prove God's existence.  God is the Creator of science, and while He honors those laws He has created, He is by no means subject to them.  (A primary example would be time, which is a construct that God specifically created for us, but has no other meaning for Him.)

So, where does this leave us?  Is there no way to prove the existence of God?

Just as we are able to prove the existence of the wind (or gravity or magnetism) by its effects on the things it comes in contact with, God has given up opportunities to prove Him in our own lives.  If you want to see God move in your life, you have to be willing to take at least ONE step in faith.   And it doesn't have to be a huge step either.  God has promised to reward those that earnestly seek Him.

(Heb 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

(Jer 29:13) And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

While it is true that a Christian views the Word of God as the infallible revelation of God's will, it is also true that the Bible leads us to Jesus Christ, who is both our Creator and Savior.  Salvation only comes through Jesus, and the purpose of the Bible is to lead us to enter a personal relationship with Jesus.

If we view the Bible (which is the Written Word) as some magical tome that has power outside of Jesus Christ (who is the Spoken Word), then we will be just as far from salvation as if we didn't believe the Bible, because the job of the Bible is to point us to Christ, because it is only through Jesus that we are saved.

Our understanding of scriptures is facilitated by the Holy Spirit.  We can attempt to pursue purely intellectual study of the Bible, and may even come to have an impressive grasp of facts and figures, and become knowledgeable about the history of the Bible and the prophecy of the Bible, but salvation is not a by-product of knowledge -- it is a result of a saving relationship with Jesus.  This transcends the mere attainment of information.

Now, if you want to see how real God is for yourself (don't rely solely on any 3rd party accounts), then take the following steps so you can taste and see how good God is:

1. God has reached out to you, so reach back to Him in faith.
2. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins.
3. Ask Him to help you understand the Bible because you want to have Him revealed to you personally.  (Spiritual things are discerned spiritually.)
4. Start studying the Gospels.  Mark is a good book to start with, given its size.
5. Start to take God up on some of His many promises:
   • He will help us with even our unbelief.
   • He will supply every need we have.
   • We cannot out-give God, no matter how hard we try.
   • He will give us what we ask for in His name.
   • He will provide a way of escape for every temptation.
   • He will protect us.
   • He will forgive us our sins.
   • All things will work together for good to those who love Him.
   • His grace will be sufficient for us.
   • He will never leave us nor forsake us.
   • He will send us the Comforter: the Holy Spirit.
   • He will give us the message we need to speak. 
   • We will be rewarded based on how we have lived.
   • He will reward those who honor Him.
   • Those who are faithful and believe on Jesus Christ will have eternal life.
   • He is coming again for us.
6. In particular, ask God to show you His will for your life.

Sometimes God speaks to us audibly, often times through the scriptures, often through the things around us (people, nature, media, etc), and sometimes it is by His still, small voice.  In my own experience, I find that the more urgent or critical the message, the more sources that proclaim it to me.  For instance, this past week, my wife and I presented a week-long seminar on the spiritual growth and education of our children, entitled Kids in Discipleship.  I had been impressed to focus on this topic, even though I initially was going to go in a different direction.

We closed out the week with Children's Day, and our Children's Ministry leader invited a guest speaker to come and preach for the day.  She came and essentially preached the same thing we had been addressing all week.  She used many of the same texts -- especially Deuteronomy 6:6-12 -- and some of the same Bible stories.  It was incredible, but only validated the extreme need for the message that was presented.  Mind you, we didn't communicate to her the theme that we were going with, and if anything, she probably prepared her sermon before I finished preparing my seminar materials. 

I won't be surprised when I listen to the religious programs I recorded over the weekend, if I find out that any of them were also on this topic.

Be sure to set aside some period where you're going to allow God to reveal Himself to you.  It can be as short as a week, or as long as a month, depending on how deep you want to go, and how much proof you want to get.  And it doesn't have to be a dedicated block of time, although that helps tremendously.  Take some time each day, perhaps 15 minutes, to read a verse or chapter of the Bible.  God is not a genie, and while He is capable of doing anything, He's not simply going to give us the proverbial "three wishes" to satisfy our curiosity.  If we want to truly know Him, He will reveal Himself to us more and more.  (It's not as if He hasn't revealed Himself already through nature and the Bible, but there's lots more for us to grasp.)

You'll be amazed at the various ways that God will manifest Himself to you, but you have to want it, and you have to make the first step.  (Really, it's the second step, because God has already reached out to each of us.)  This is because God truly values our freedom of choice.  If we want to know Him, He as provided many avenues for us to come to a more complete understanding of His will.  The ball is in our court.

In closing, here are some thought provoking quotations which indicate the role that faith plays in relation to us and God...

“Unbelief will always find an excuse for its existence. If men could criticise and condemn the Saviour’s work, when they had such evidence of divine power as the miracle at Bethesda, can we wonder that they criticize and condemn today? God would have men believe, not because there is no possibility of doubt, but because there is abundant evidence upon which to base an intelligent faith.” 

Not even the most amazing display of power and glory, the most dramatic demonstration of God to humanity, can be the basis for faith. As exemplified by Israel, the overwhelming display of divine majesty brought tacit compliance for a while, such as their experience at Mount Sinai. Their response was “everything the Lord says we will do.” But once the scene of glorious power and might faded from their minds, they bowed down to worship the golden calf. Demonstration of power does not bring lasting faith, only temporary conformity. 

Share Post: