Answers Bible Curriculum Lesson 3: We Can Know That God Exists

Scriptural Background
“How do I know God exists?” This is a question that has been and will be debated as long as sinners occupy the earth. First of all, as Christians who walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), we do not need to prove the existence of God. The Bible says that we accept God by faith—that we believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Because the Bible is our basis for all we believe, we believe in God as presented in the Bible.

God’s Word begins with the proclamation that he and he alone existed from eternity past: “In the beginning, God . . .” (Genesis 1:1). If he had wanted to prove himself to the world in a way our minds could grasp, he could have done that. God saw no need to explain further. Belief in him as the one true God comes by faith and trust in him and his Word.

Genesis 1 continues to describe this God who spoke the entire universe into existence. The order we see in creation—from the stars, solar systems, animal and plant life, to the natural laws of gravity, motion, and thermodynamics—gives evidence of an omnipotent Creator. There is no other explanation. The universe is not a result of random chance. It was created by one who was not created. There had to be someone who never came into being. There had to be a Creator. God—the one true God—is that Creator, who was and is and is to come (Revelation 4:8).

As we look to the Scriptures, we see that God described himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM,” which essentially means the one who is and will be (Exodus 3:13–14). The eternal, self-existent nature of God is revealed through his Word and simply assumed. Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John records that the Lord is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8). What more do we need? This describes the only holy, omnipotent, omniscient God of the universe— who was and is and always will be. He is not bound by time as we know it. He created time in the beginning (Genesis 1:1).

God in his mercy has also specifically revealed himself through his incredible creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). And the Apostle Paul tells us that since the creation of the world, God’s invisible attributes have been seen through creation, revealing his eternal power and Godhead— leaving those who do not believe in him without excuse (Romans 1:18–21). God does indeed exist. His existence is confirmed in Scripture and through his creation—and the wrath of God will be revealed from heaven against all who suppress the truth of his existence in unrighteousness.

 

Historical/Apologetics Background
Look around you; what do you see? An amazingly designed universe—from the single cell to the vast and immeasurable solar system. And yet the debate for a Creator of such things rages. We can rest in God’s Word, “In the beginning, God . . .” (Genesis 1:1). We know that if something exists, it was somehow created into being. And as Christians we know who that Creator was. But what of folks who state there was no Creator—it all began with a bang, a very “big bang,” one that allegedly occurred billions of years ago in one tiny speck of mass and energy, a speck that would one day become everything we see today?

This story of the big bang originated with an attempt to completely discount the Bible and its account of our Creator God. Christians who buy into it need to understand the atheistic beginnings of this secular story and why it cannot be “added” to the biblical account of Genesis 1 without destroying the Bible’s integrity.

From a practical standpoint, have you ever blown something up and then observed the pieces reassembling into a complex . . . anything? No, when buildings are demolished, they pretty much end up in a heap of debris with no order or design. And yet, the big bang proposed by some has produced intricate life and more. In fact, this notion claims that out of a random explosion and expansion of matter billions of years ago, life in its complexity and beauty—from the human body to the ant, from the wonder of the solar system to the universe beyond—has been organized and arranged into the complex world we live in today by nothing more than random, natural processes.

But, we know that the very existence of design, order, natural laws, and principles in the universe demands that there was a Creator—an organizer, a designer—not a big bang. That Creator can only be the one true Creator God. The only one who has declared himself the Creator (Genesis 1), and the only one who proclaims that he himself is sustaining the universe—personally maintaining life and upholding all things by the word of his power (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). This Creator, our God, is truly worthy to receive glory and honor and power—for he created all things, and by his will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:11)!

However, from the very beginning, people have wanted to be their own gods—and Satan is the primary encourager of this. The God of the Bible demands obedience, reverence, and accountability. The serpent asked Adam and Eve, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1). Adam and Eve listened to the serpent, disregarding God’s Word, and sin, deceit, pride, evil, hatred, death, and suffering entered the world. God will one day judge the sin of the world in righteousness (Psalm 96:13). Those who believe God’s Word know this to be true. However, many doubt the very existence of God and do not fear his judgment. These atheists boldly turn from the greatest commandment—“You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3)—to pursue the imaginings of their own minds.

In many ways, our culture has been shaped by these people who claim there is no God. We’ll look at a few of them here.

Charles Darwin, the father of evolution, although not a proclaimed atheist, was influenced immensely by his atheist grandfather Erasmus. Darwin’s idea ofevolution has changed the course of human history and is one of the greatest attacks on the Word of God in our modern time.

Karl Marx, referred to by some as the greatest thinker in all of history, once stated that religion is the opiate of the masses—impotence of the human mind to deal with occurrences it cannot understand.

Sigmund Freud, considered by some as psychology’s most famous figure, believed that religion was nothing more than an expression of underlying psychological neuroses and distress.

More recently, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was instrumental in removing prayer from the public schools in 1963. She believed that religion has caused more misery to all of mankind in every stage of human history than any other single idea.

And today we have those who are referred to as the “new atheists”—men such as Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Christopher Hitchens (now deceased)—and they are aggressively going after your children, your liberties, and your faith! Dawkins, a scientist and an active leader in this movement, believes that one of the things wrong with religion is that it teaches us to be satisfied with answers which are not answers at all. These men and others have accused Christians of “child abuse” for teaching their children the Bible and passing on their faith.

The worldview of these atheists is dangerous to our culture. However, as Christians we are confident in the promises of the Word of God. We must not lose heart. We must be committed to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and enthused about keeping God on his throne as Sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all (Colossians 1:17). God has assured us that his Word is settled forever and his faithfulness will endure to all generations (Psalm 119:89 –90).

 

Studying God’s Word

Introduction
? In our last lesson we talked about the attributes of God. What were some
of God’s attributes we discussed?

(MULTILINE)

Today, we’re going to be discussing how we can answer the question,
“How do we know God exists?

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God Is Eternal
Let’s start with the very first verses of the Bible.

Genesis 1:1–2
Let’s take some time to observe what it is saying to us. Remember that we want to make sure we draw truth out of
the Bible, not bring our own ideas into our understanding of the text.
? Who are the characters?

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? What are the action words (key verbs) in this passage?

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? Are any phrases or words repeated?

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? What type of literature is this passage?

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? Are any figures of speech used in the text?

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? What is the historical context of the passage?

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? What is the main point of the passage?

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? What does the passage tell us about God?

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Exodus 3:13–15

? What name does God declare to Moses?

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? How long has this been God’s name?

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? What does God intend to communicate with this name?

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John 18:1–6
Now let’s look at John 18:1–6 to see how it relates to God’s existence.

? What is the biblical context of this passage?

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? Who is present in this scene?

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? What was the goal of the soldiers?

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? How did Jesus respond to them approaching?

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? What fact about Jesus is revealed in verse 4?

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? What attribute of God does this reflect?

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? After asking them whom they were seeking, how did Jesus identify
himself?

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? How did the soldiers respond to Jesus’ statement?

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? What would explain this response?

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? What was Jesus claiming by saying “I am”?

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Discover the Truth
Now that we have asked questions about the text to draw out the ideas, let’s look for the main point of these verses in light of today’s lesson topic.

? What truth about God’s existence do we draw from these passages?

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? What do we learn about the nature of God from these passages?

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     God is eternal. He has always existed and is the Creator of everything
that exists in the physical and spiritual realms. If he created everything,
then he existed before time—he created time. That is something we
really can’t comprehend since our only experience is one within the
bounds of time.
      If God did not exist outside of time, he could not be the Creator. Indeed,
if God did not exist, we could not exist since there would be no cause for
all things. God is the I AM—the one who causes all things to exist and
without whom we would not be here talking about him.

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God Doesn’t Believe in Atheists
      The opening words of the Bible assume God’s existence, and there is really no place in Scripture that tries to present some brilliant philosophical argument for God’s existence. We are going to look next at a passage that will help us directly answer the question about how we
know God exists.

Romans 1:18–23

? How does God act toward unrighteous people?

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? How do people know that God exists?

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? Is God’s existence clearly evident or hard to find?

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? Who has made this truth evident?

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? What attributes of God are evident in his creation?

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? According to verse 18, how do people respond to the knowledge of God’s
existence?

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? Do people have an excuse for not acknowledging God?

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? How does verse 21 confirm that all men know God?

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? What characterizes the behavior of people who deny God’s existence?

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? Whom do they worship rather than God?

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? Do these God-deniers think they are wise or foolish?

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Psalm 19:1–4

? What does Psalm 19:1–4 confirm about Romans 1?

(MULTILINE)

 

Discover the Truth
      Despite the claims of many who deny they believe in God, everyone knows that he exists. The fact is, God doesn’t believe in atheists! There are no true atheists, only those who claim to be atheists. These texts make it clear that they know there is a divine Creator, but they suppress the truth of his existence in an attempt to deny his claim as Lord over all. As the Creator, he has the right to direct his creatures to obey him. Because of our sinful nature, our tendency is to rebel against that authority.
      As we interact with people in an evangelistic sense, we need to keep in mind that God has made his existence apparent to all people—whether they deny it or not. We don’t need to prove his existence to them. In fact,
if God did not exist, we would have no foundation for our reasoning, our morals, our sense of the uniformity of nature—no foundation to even think knowledge is possible.
      Using any other worldview other than the biblical worldview, there is no firm foundation. Evolutionary worldviews have random chance over billions of years as their foundation. Humanistic worldviews have
human reasoning as the foundation. Other religions have multiple gods as their foundation. None of these worldviews can provide a consistent foundation—God alone is that foundation.

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Worldly Wisdom Activity
In light of the truths recorded in 1 Corinthians 1:18–31, 1)

? How is the wisdom of the world described in this passage?

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? Why has God chosen to communicate the gospel in the way he has?

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Connect to the Truth

? What does this passage teach us about the wisdom of the world?

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? Why did God choose to proclaim a gospel message that the world would
see as foolish and weak?

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? How do these truths influence the way that we relate to people who
deny that God exists?

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Application
We have seen from several Bible passages that God’s existence as the self-sufficient and eternal Creator of the universe is presupposed from the very first verse of the Bible. God has not instructed his followers to spend time presenting physical evidences in an attempt to convince unbelievers of his existence. For example, Romans 10:17 does not say, “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through amazing scientific evidences that prove God exists and that the Bible is true.” On the contrary, the passage states: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” No amount of physical evidence can convert a sinner into a child of God. Thankfully, this responsibility belongs
to the Holy Spirit and does not depend on our clever arguments. We are called to proclaim the truths of God’s existence and his message of salvation. As Christians, we know that God exists and have the testimony of the Spirit to assure us of that.

? What does Scripture have to say about believers’ responsibility for sharing
their faith?

(MULTILINE)

 There are no passages of Scripture, in the Old or New Testaments, where God truly holds a believer accountable for causing a non-believer to reject his message of salvation when it has been presented in accordance with his Word (1 Peter 3:15). Therefore, we should never be afraid that we will “turn someone off” by showing them God’s Word. But this is,
perhaps, one of the main reasons Christians are fearful to share their faith. On the other hand, numerous passages encourage believers to proclaim God’s Word to everyone as often as possible. Therefore, we
should never be fearful or ashamed to communicate God’s Word to any
unbeliever.

? If someone asks you how you know God exists, how would you respond?

(MULTILINE)

? What is the proper role of evidence in our apologetics?

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? Does Romans 1:20 teach us to use physical evidences before Scripture?

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? Does Psalm 19:1 teach us to use physical evidences (“the heavens”) before
Scripture?

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? Are Christians sometimes more comfortable explaining scientific
evidences rather than Scripture when speaking with skeptics about God’s
existence?

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? Is an evidence-first approach to evangelism/apologetics ever useful?

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The following are two confirming evidences for the existence of the biblical God. These can be used to help people see what they may be missing or suppressing and how only the God of the Bible can make sense of what we see in the world around us.

Information Science: We can define information as a coded message containing an expected action and intended purpose. We find this kind of information in the DNA in the cells of every living organism, in quantities of almost unimaginable proportions. The theorems of information science demonstrate that creative information cannot arise spontaneously in matter by chance process. Information always results from an intelligent source. The discovery of such vast amounts of information in living things supports what we read in the Bible concerning the creative acts of an all-powerful God. God was the intelligence behind the message we find in the DNA of living things. No other explanation can account for this information, so the necessity of God’s existence is clear through what he has created.

Irreducible Complexity: Many systems found in living organisms are interdependent. For example, in order for our blood to clot when we are injured, a host of chemical reactions must take place in a highly specific order. If any of these parts is missing, the entire process fails. Hemophilia is an example of a disorder where one or more of these interdependent parts are missing or non-functional. Systems such as this pose an enormous problem for molecules-to
man evolution as they require all of their component parts from the very outset or the system cannot function. This complexity is explained only by the Creator we read of in the Bible—the systems were made to function when God created them. Using such evidences to confirm God’s existence is a great way to answer the questions of skeptics. But we have to be careful not to elevate the evidences in nature above the truths of the Bible. If our interpretation of the evidence from nature can prove the Bible is true, then our interpretation becomes the authority over Scripture. That is
the difference between thinking in an evidential way as opposed to a presuppositional way. The Bible should be our ultimate authority—our basic presupposition.

? Have you ever had a skeptic question why you believe in God?

(MULTILINE)

? How did you handle his or her questions? Are there things you would
like to do differently?

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Prayer Time

• Pray for the ability to retain the information and for opportunities to
share what has been learned in class.
• Praise God that he has revealed himself to us and that we can trust
him in all things.