Home > Appendixes to VKICG > Proving God Exists

The Controversy

The perception of the Bible can be varied, even from one extreme to the other. Through time, some have claimed it as the inspired message from God, while others have relegated it to merely made-up fables from men's imaginations. But before an individual believes the Bible to be factual, establishing the understanding that God exists must first be proven.

In my studies, I have discovered that some convey the proof of God's existence to be impossible. On the contrary, it is manifested all around us.

The Proofs of God's Existence

Paul brings this issue to light in the book of Romans.

Romans 1:18-20 - AFV

18.   Indeed, the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness;
19.   Because that which may be known of God is manifest among them, for God has manifested it to them;
20.   For the invisible things of Him are perceived from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that were made — both His eternal power and Godhead — so that they are without excuse;

Described by the late Garner Ted Armstrong in his book The Answer to Unanswered Prayer are seven proofs that God exists. They are summarized as follows:

1. Creation

Creation demands a Creator. The totality of the universe around us, from inanimate objects to forms of life, did not develop into existence from emptiness. Even the theory of evolution cannot thoroughly or accurately explain the structure, purpose, and behavior of atomic matter and life. Everything around us, whether particles of matter or simple and complex forms of life, has to have a Creator.

2. Law

Law demands a Lawgiver. Laws of nature that act upon the creation and universe around us do not exist because of unknown reasons. Though science has identified and proven a variety of immutable laws around us, why some act as they do still elude understanding. Despite our comprehension, these laws cannot be altered or neglected, but instead must be obeyed in their conclusion to provide sufficient benefits. All of the laws governing the world and the universe in which we live must originate from a Lawgiver.

3. Life

Life demands a Lifegiver. Everyone understands that cows do not produce horses, and dogs do not produce dandelions. Life originates only from pre-existing life, or more specifically, from life of its own kind. Because life does not develop from nonexistence, every living entity on earth has to have an originating life source, even your own. All life has to have originated from a Lifegiver.

4. Design

Design demands a Designer. The complexities of the creation around us are so abundant that it is mind-boggling to understand how such design came into existence without a guiding hand. The intricacies of the human eye alone are evidence enough to put one in a state of awe. Regardless if you examine physical material or life, the design throughout the universe has to have a Designer.

5. Sustainer

Creation, Law, Life, and Design demands a Sustainer. The creation surrounding us, the law that governs it, the design of how it works, and the life within exist in a relative state of harmony. If something goes disarray, then one or more aspects of it have to give way to the discord. But in the grand scheme of it all, who sustains the creation and its laws surrounding it? Of a certainty, all life and matter have to have a Sustainer.

6. Fulfilled Prophecy

Prophecy fulfilled proves a Higher Power. Throughout man's existence, man has tried to predict events in the world before they happen. With scant details or questionable accuracy, only a rare few have ever achieved that level of notoriety. In contrast, only in the Bible have prophecies been predicted hundreds, even thousands, of years before their time by God. Not only have prophecied events come to pass, but they have even been predicted to occur to the exact day with blinding accuracy! No individual or any other book in man's existence has consistently brought forth fulfilled prophecies proven by the spade of the archaeologist over the span of thousands of years. A fulfilled prophecy from the Bible has to prove the existence of God.

7. Answered Prayer

Unexplained answers to prayers prove God's existence. While millions of people pray to God each day, some receive relief in the form of an answer. Little situational changes attributed to prayer may not be substantial proof of God's existence, but the answering of a person's prayer that results in uncontroversial, unexplained change does. Individuals miraculously healed from sickness or injuries unexplained by science or medicine, but only through prayer, are just some examples of how answered prayer has to prove that God exists.

Fred R. Coulter of the Christian Biblical Church of God offers two more aspects as to the proof of God's existence.

8. Intelligence

The intelligence of man demands an Intelligent Source. The thought processes, creativity, emotions, and other aspects of the mind of man is much higher than the instinct of any animal. Man's intelligence has not been developed by accident or through evolution but comes from his Creator.

9. The Bible Itself

The Bible and how it was given demands an Ever-living Author. The existence of the Bible itself shows that it is the most unique book in all the world, not only in how it was written, but also in that it is an Ever-Living document. The Scriptures are God-breathed and can only come from the One who breathed them.