Three basic arguments for God's existence
When we approach the subject of arguing for the existence of God, we tread on familiar, hallowed ground. It was the Apostle Peter who said, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect(1Pet 3:15)." It is the responsibility of every believer to at least be familiar with a few good arguments for the existence of God. You don't need to be a professor or a paid teacher or pastor to be able to give that answer of the hope within you. And it does help to remember the last part of that verse I mentioned before, the part about being gentle and respectful. I am guilty in the past of winning an argument against someone instead of helping them with the answer to their needs. So with this in mind, let's look at the three classic arguments for God's existence.
The Cosmological Argument
The first one is called the Cosmological argument, and it goes like this: The universe had a beginning, and therefore the universe must have had a Beginner. This one has had a lot of help in the last few years from the scientific community, particularly those who have studied the red shift effect in the cosmos, and the studies of the discovery of the Big Bang theory. Both of these point to a singularity that started off all of the things we call the universe. But of course, it is really a logical argument more than a scientific finding. But, if you look into the creation with this view in mind, you will find that the creation itself points to a single point of origin, which implies a single Originator, which is the Supernatural Power behind the universe.
The Teleological Argument
The second classic argument for the existence of God is really pretentiously called the Teleological argument. This word comes from the Greek word telos, which just means design. This is the argument that holds that the apparent design of the universe points to a Designer. The first letter of Paul in the Bible, the book of Romans, says, " For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.(Romans 1:20) If you were lost in the desert and suddenly found a perfectly good, working GPS unit sitting in the sand, you would not conclude that it sprang up from the rocks and cactus, rather you would look at the immense complexity of an instrument like a GPS device and conclude that a person had made this, and then be really thankful that you had found it. It is the same with the Creation itself. With all of the beauty and such awesome intricacy and detail there must a great Designer, an intelligent being behind it all.
The Moral Argument
The final classic argument for the existence of God we are going to look at is called the Moral Argument. I briefly presented this argument in the section on worldview and truth. The Moral Argument states that every moral law has a moral law giver, and therefore every absolute law must have an Absolute Law Giver. This stance holds that behind the absolute, non-material realities and principles and laws of the universe, there is One that, in His own being encompasses Truth, with a capital "T."
It's Called Apologetics
The subject of defending the beliefs of the Christian world and life view is a subset of theology called apologetics. It is a huge subject matter, with many different belief systems within itself. I recommend taking a class or reading some material in apologetics as a worthy goal for the furtherance of your own mind and heart and life of faith. I also feel that there is a reason that Peter says to us to defend our faith with gentleness and respect. The danger of being an expert in apologetics is that you would forget the real reason for your intense pursuit of study and knowledge, which is that you be established in your own understanding and that you may help others be encouraged at whatever level or place of faith or understanding they may be in at the time.
These above arguments are positive arguments, because they affirmatively argue for the existence of a Supreme Being. Another often used approach is to affirmatively argue and then negatively argue against the particular view you are dealing with. Often in the negative argumentative approach you will deal in the area called presuppositions. We mentioned this also briefly in the section on worldviews. People are often blinded by or controlled by things they believe to be true which in fact are not so. Intellectual factors, cultural conditioning, and just plain old spiritual blindness are some of the factors that are major parts of this activity of uncovering false presuppositions.
Humility and the cumulative case
I can't say enough about the need to be loving and humble when telling people about the failure of their long held beliefs, and the possibilities of a life lived in God's power, presence, favor and love. And just in case you would be tempted to be harsh with people, remember that first of all God was really, really patient with you, and that God is the one that promises to convince "the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment(John 16:8)." So it is God's job to do the convicting and convincing work, and not ours. You can be sure that God is always working. In John 5:17 Jesus says “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” He is always reaching out to people who need to hear from Him clearly.
Most people have a unique path to God, and you have intersected with them on that path for a reason. It usually takes a few witnesses on the stand before the case is completely closed. You and I are only called to be witnesses in the case, and not the lawyer. God will do the convincing work. It is also important to know that the cumulative case will work much better than just one good argument. Be available to those seeking the truth and when you don't have an answer to their particular question, don't feel like you've failed somehow. Just offer to help them find the answer with them, and then follow through on your promise. Your interest in them and care for them will do just as much as any information you may help them find.
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