Does God Exist?
(Part Two)
Introduction.
This
morning we began our consideration of (what is unquestionably) the most
important question each of us must ever consider—Does God exist? This
morning we looked at four arguments: The Ontological Argument (the
argument that the concept of God is an evidence of God’s existence); The
Cosmological Argument (the argument that God is the first cause of all
causes); The Argument from Natural Law (the argument that laws of nature
attest to a lawgiver) and finally The Argument from Morality (the
argument that man’s moral nature, demands a moral source). Tonight we end our
study by considering four final arguments for the existence of God.
V.
Argument from Reason. This argument contends that reason,
by its very nature is immaterial, and could not result from a mere material,
naturalistic cause.
A. The
essence of the argument.
1. If
I held up a handful of dirt, would any of us imagine that matter thinks and
reasons? Could it ponder the meaning of its own existence?
2. If
there is no God, all that we are is simply the culmination of countless
processes of natural changes, and development (as the theory of evolution
claims). Essentially we are just “stuff” and nothing more than stuff.
3. Yet,
we can reason. Why? There must be a source of reason.
B. Advocate
of this position.
1. C.S.
Lewis. “One absolutely central inconsistency ruins [the popular
scientific philosophy]. The whole picture professes to depend on inferences
from observed facts. Unless inference is valid, the whole picture
disappears... unless Reason is an absolute, all is in ruins. Yet those who ask
me to believe this world picture also ask me to believe that Reason is simply
the unforeseen and unintended by-product of mindless matter at one stage of its
endless and aimless becoming. Here is flat contradiction. They ask me at the
same moment to accept a conclusion and to discredit the only testimony on
which that conclusion can be based.”
2. If
we are nothing more that matter, how can we even ask the question “Does God
Exist”?
C. Some
argue that reason is just a product of a multiplication of enough information.
We often here that there can be “Artificial Intelligence.”
1. This
makes good science fiction stories, but it is fantasy, not reality. It boils
down to this question…
2. Will
my computer one day start to reason? If I give it enough
time, will it think? [Note: That is the essence of a materialistic view
of life—we are just matter that began one day to think!] What is the
answer? No. Because it is the product of intelligence. Just as we are
the product of intelligence.
3. Why
are we capable of reason?
D. The
Biblical Answer.
1. “There
is a spirit in man and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding” (Job
32:8). Reason is immaterial in nature. We have an inner man that is more than
just synapses and stored data.
2. We
are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27-28).
3. “He
fashions their hearts” (Psalm 33:13-15). That is why God can say…
4. “‘Come
now, and let us reason together,’ Says the LORD” (Isaiah 1:18). Our very
minds attest to the existence of God!
VI.
Teleological Argument. The
argument is that everything which shows evidence of design attests to a designer.
A. Advocates
of this position.
1. Cicero.
“When
you see a sundial or a water-clock, you see that it tells the time by design
and not by chance. How then can you imagine that the universe as a whole is
devoid of purpose and intelligence, when it embraces everything, including
these artifacts themselves and their artificers?”
2. William
Paley. “In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot
against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there; I might
possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there
forever: nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the absurdity of this
answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be
inquired how the watch happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of
the answer I had before given, that for anything I knew, the watch might have
always been there….There must have existed, at some time, and at some place or
other, an artificer or artificers who formed [the watch] for the purpose which
we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed
its use. Every indication of contrivance, every manifestation of design which
existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature; with the difference, on
the side of nature, of being greater or more, and that in a degree which
exceeds all computation.”
3. Is
there a Divine “watchmaker”?
B. Evidence
of design.
1. The
Bacterial Flagellum. I want introduce you to one of the most fascinating
mechanism in the entire universe. My daughter had to take a microbiology class
and she wasn’t too excited when I told her we were going to talk about this
little creature. But, I want to assure you that if you have never before heard
of the little mechanism called the “bacterial flagellum” you will leave here
glad that you did!
a. The
bacterial flagellum is a little tail device on microscopic bacteria that
facilitate their motion in water.
b. This
is a highly complex little mechanism that functions exactly like an outboard
motor. When magnified 50,000 times with an electron micrograph we find that it
has all of the features of a motor.
c. It
runs at 100,000 rpm per second, yet it can reverse itself with only one quarter
turn. How was this nano-machine formed? We may not be able to prove who
formed this but we can answer how it is formed—like all cellular
mechanisms…
2. DNA
(deoxyribonucleic acid). DNA contains four nucleotides which act as characters
in a programming language. Much like a computer language, DNA in humans
composes the 3 billion character code which forms an individual person.
a. DNA
sends instructions which form complex proteins that comprise various structures
within a cell.
b. These
protein structures form individual parts of cells. These are highly complex
structures which follow the programming of DNA.
c. Such
as the “hook” of the bacterial flagellum. This is a precisely designed
mechanism, for this complex nano-machine.
d. Is
this just a fluke—Is this the only highly specialized design in cells?
3. The
cell.
a. Even
the most simple cell is a miniature “factory” which carries out manufacture,
reproduction, energy production, repair and security.
b. Human
life begins from two cells which blend ½ the DNA from the mother and father
into one cell.
c. Within
the nucleus of every cell in higher life forms is 1 gigabyte of coded
information.
d. The
human body is made up of 75 trillion cells (75,000,000,000,000).
e. Every
three seconds 50,000 cells in our bodies die and are replaced by 50,000 more
cells.
f. All
of this happens in accordance with the programmed instructions of the DNA code.
This leads to one of the most important questions of life…
4. Who
wrote the program? Dr. Stephen Meyer.
“Based on our uniform and repeated experience, which is the basis
of all scientific reasoning about the past, there is only one known cause for
the origin of information, and that cause is intelligence” (Stephen Meyer).
C. The
Biblical Answer.
1. “I
am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:13-16).
2. “The
LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground” (Genesis 2:7).
3. “The
hairs of your head are all numbered” (Matthew 10:29-31).
4. Every
cell of our bodies is a testament to the existence, and mind of God!
VII.
Anthropic Argument. Before
the time of Copernicus, man misunderstood his place in the universe. He
imagined that earth was the center of the universe. Copernicus allowed us to
see that we are a part of the whole. However, the anthropic argument considers
the numerous unique features which demonstrate that the universe as a whole,
appears to be “fine-tuned” for life. Someone carried out this tuning!
A. The
essence of the argument.
1. Natural
Laws required for a universe: Gravity for stars, galaxies, &
habitable planets. Strong nuclear force for chemistry. If it were
reduced only slightly the only element left in the universe would be hydrogen. Electromagnetic
force for chemical bonding. In addition to these there is something called
the cosmological constant (the speed at which the universe is expanding)
if this was any faster objects could not form.
a. If
any of these forces were even slightly weaker or stronger the universe (and especially
life) could not exist. If gravity was slightly stronger all life (except
bacteria would be crushed).
B. Factors
necessary for complex life.
1. Magnetic
fields (caused by liquid iron in core) to protect against
solar wind.
2. Nitrogen/Oxygen
atmosphere (for water & life).
3. Large
moon
(to stabilize rotation to provide stable seasons and moderate climate).
4. Dwarf
star
(too small, smaller habitable zone, closer, no rotation).
5. Right
location in galaxy (the galactic habitable zone: too close
to center, super novas, black holes—too far not enough heavy elements for allow
for complex life; not too close to a spiral arm to avoid super novas).
6. System
with larger planets to shield other planets from impact
objects.
C. Importance
of Earth’s Location.
1. 5%
closer to sun would create a runaway “green house” effect such as we see on
Venus and all liquid water would evaporate.
2. 20%
farther away and all water would freeze as we see on Mars.
3. Probability
of all factors necessary for life 1/115 (1/1,000,000,000,000,000).
Is that special? You better believe it! This improbability is so remote that
the chances of it happening by accident are essentially impossible! This is
not only true on a large scale but let’s consider something much closer to our
individual lives…
4. The
Wonder of the Development of the Eye. When you and I were developing in the
womb, 1,000,000 nerve endings left our brain, looking for 1,000,000 optic nerve
in the developing eye!
5. God
has been fine-tuning your life from the moment of your conception!
D. The
Biblical Revelation.
1. “Tell
me if you know all this” (Job 38:16-38).
2. This
entire universe is specially designed to allow and preserve life. The earth is
uniquely positioned to allow and preserve life. Even the process of human
development is a wondrous evidence of God’s existence!
VIII.
Argument from Revelation. We
have seen a number of arguments for the existence of God. We end by
considering an argument that we have actually been asserting throughout our
entine study—the contention that we can accept the existence of God because of
evidence that He has revealed Himself. This is true in at least three ways…
A. He
has revealed Himself through His creation (Rom. 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1-6).
1. Example:
Canis Majoris is currently the largest star that has ever been
discovered at 1.7 billion miles across. When compared to the size of our own
sun it is just a speck! Canis Majoris could hold 7 quadrillion (7,000,000,000,000,000)
earths inside it.
a. If
the earth was a golf ball you could fill the entire state of Texas with golf
balls 22 inches deep!
2. “By
the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the
breath of His mouth” (Psalm 33:6). We serve a God who is a “star breather!” A
“star-breather” who programmed every DNA code in every cell in your body!
a. What
should our reaction be to such a being? We have a tendency to try
and negotiate with God. We say to Him, if you’ll do these things in my life—if
you create situations that please me, I will serve you.
b. Before
a God who can breath out STARS we should fall on our faces and summon the
power to utter humbly, “Yes Sir! What ever you say!”
3. “Sin
has a way of shrinking God down in our minds, and puffing us up in our own
estimation. But just a glance into the universe that God has made resizes
everything in a heartbeat” (Louie Giglio).
B. He
has revealed Himself through His word (Psalms 19:7-8; Deuteronomy 29:29).
1. The
Bible was written by about 40 hands, from different backgrounds and levels of
education. Over a span of some 1500 years. Yet, it contains a unity of purpose
and message unequalled in any human literature.
C. He
has revealed Himself through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-4; 2 Timothy 1:8-10).
1. Jesus
Fulfilled over 300 OT prophesies about his birth, life, death, and teaching. His
life is attested by religious and secular historical writers.His life has
changed, laws, cultures, and individual lives more than anyone who has ever
lived!
Conclusion.
We
ended our lesson this morning by considering a statement Paul made to
philosophers in ancient Athens. I would like for us to end our study with this
text again, but look a little further at his words:
“God, who made the
world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not
dwell in temples made with hands. Nor is He worshiped with men's hands, as
though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of
the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of
their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might
grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us. For in
Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have
said, 'For we are also His offspring.' Therefore, since we are the offspring of
God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or
stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. Truly, these times of
ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in
righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this
to all by raising Him from the dead” (Acts 17:24-31).
We
have seen in our study, what Paul declares here, that God made us, and
everything in this universe. We noted this morning that He made us so that we
would seek Him. But we must also note one final thing. We can reject faith in
God (in spite of all the reasons we have to believe). But, whether we do or
not, one thing is sure—God will judge us through Jesus Christ, His Son.
Kyle Pope 2010