The final step in wrapping a special Christmas gift involves tying a bow around it. That’s what we’re doing with this essay. We’re tying a bow around this 12-part series detailing the case for God’s existence through science, reason, logic, as well as history, philosophy, and theology. This exploration of the reasons we can believe allows us to further consider who we are in relation to each other and to our Creator.
To summarize, our 11 essays addressed…
The Big Bang: Whatever begins to exist has a cause (a beginner). The Universe began to exist (via the Big Bang), therefore, the Universe had a cause (the Beginner, a.k.a. the Uncaused First Cause). Our universe had a beginning and therefore a Beginner. It emerged from absolute nothing by an uncreated Creator who created space, time, and matter, and thus must be spaceless, timeless, immaterial, and all-powerful.
The Cosmos: Our astonishingly complex and fine-tuned cosmos reveals the work of a Fine-Tuner (a Mind, an Author, a Creator). It takes irrational faith to believe that such extraordinary complexity appeared on its own and from nothing.
Biology: DNA, various biological systems in our bodies, and even microscopic organisms show, again, astonishing complexity and fine-tuning that demonstrate a Fine-Tuner.
Beauty: Humans all agree on basic forms of universal beauty. This can only be because a standard of beauty exists outside of ourselves – that is, God.
Morality: Similarly, humans also concur on basic forms of morality. Despite our ability to override or deny this morality, such universal beliefs again argue for a standard outside of ourselves – that is, God.
Personal Experience: Intense spiritual moments such as near-death experiences exhibit the truth of a spirit realm beyond our physical existence - a different kind of consciousness.
The Bible: Comprehensive historical understanding and disciplined Bible interpretation confirm that the Bible remains the trustworthy source about God and faith.
The Resurrection of Christ: Bible passages and historical accounts of Jesus’ first followers present a reliable and convincing case that Christ, God in flesh, did indeed physically rise from the dead as the New Testament asserts.
The Church: The fashionable insistence that one can be “spiritual but not religious” denies the truth that Christ gave His followers The Church as a critical institution for supporting, growing, and guiding every believer throughout their faith journey.
Immanence & Transcendence: Christ is both our close friend and supporter (immanent), as well as the Christ of the universe: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things (transcendent). Believers must hold both in balance without overemphasis on either.
Evil & Suffering: God allows evil and suffering for a greater good, for expressing virtues that we otherwise could not, and for us to better understand and appreciate joy that we cannot without the alternative. In addition, our human expectations of “shoulds,” “oughts,” and “betters” indicates a mysterious universal human ideal of goodness that only makes sense within the context of God, the Author and example of that ideal toward which we strive.
The Christian worldview (an overall conception of reality) is, in the deepest sense, a system of truth assertions about reality. All of these topics are wonderfully rich and profound, which makes them difficult to condense into short essays. We encourage you to review this series, read source materials, watch online debates, discuss with others, ask questions, and seek further answers. As Philip Yancey observed, “When I am tempted to complain about God's lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence.”
The bumper sticker, “God Is Love,” remains only partially accurate. God is love as demonstrated through His good creation, His extensive mercy, and especially His self-sacrificial Crucifixion and Resurrection. In addition to His love, God expresses expectations and standards for His ultimate creation. God expects us to seek Him and find Him, to think as well as feel, and to live morally according to the life of Jesus Christ. God is perfect, we are not. Perfection cannot accept even the tiniest amount of imperfection, otherwise perfection ceases to exist. As a result, we need a perfect Savior to bridge the gap between our human flaws and our ultimate communion with our perfect Creator. Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, God in flesh, is that unique and authoritative bridge.
As Douglas Groothuis asserted, “God is the Creator of the universe…God is not some subtle aspect of nature, nor does God emerge over time through natural processes…Rather, God is metaphysically distinct from creation eternally and inexorably. God, the Creator, is personal. The act of creation was not an automatic effect of an impersonal being or system, but it flowed from the will of an intelligent and active Creator. God initiated and was pleased with creation (Genesis 1) and even delighted in His handiwork (Proverbs 8)…It is in human beings that heaven and earth meet in thought. Made in God’s image, we are also personal beings who can detect God’s fingerprints in creation and His voice in conscience and through Scripture.”
God gifted us with extraordinary minds with which to ponder and wonder. We humans endlessly ask questions about ourselves, our place in the universe, and whether there is anything beyond it. Only God holds all the answers, yet in His personal connection to us, God offers extensive evidence of His presence, His character, and His purpose for humanity — if we are willing to think, pursue, and believe.
To summarize, our 11 essays addressed…
The Big Bang: Whatever begins to exist has a cause (a beginner). The Universe began to exist (via the Big Bang), therefore, the Universe had a cause (the Beginner, a.k.a. the Uncaused First Cause). Our universe had a beginning and therefore a Beginner. It emerged from absolute nothing by an uncreated Creator who created space, time, and matter, and thus must be spaceless, timeless, immaterial, and all-powerful.
The Cosmos: Our astonishingly complex and fine-tuned cosmos reveals the work of a Fine-Tuner (a Mind, an Author, a Creator). It takes irrational faith to believe that such extraordinary complexity appeared on its own and from nothing.
Biology: DNA, various biological systems in our bodies, and even microscopic organisms show, again, astonishing complexity and fine-tuning that demonstrate a Fine-Tuner.
Beauty: Humans all agree on basic forms of universal beauty. This can only be because a standard of beauty exists outside of ourselves – that is, God.
Morality: Similarly, humans also concur on basic forms of morality. Despite our ability to override or deny this morality, such universal beliefs again argue for a standard outside of ourselves – that is, God.
Personal Experience: Intense spiritual moments such as near-death experiences exhibit the truth of a spirit realm beyond our physical existence - a different kind of consciousness.
The Bible: Comprehensive historical understanding and disciplined Bible interpretation confirm that the Bible remains the trustworthy source about God and faith.
The Resurrection of Christ: Bible passages and historical accounts of Jesus’ first followers present a reliable and convincing case that Christ, God in flesh, did indeed physically rise from the dead as the New Testament asserts.
The Church: The fashionable insistence that one can be “spiritual but not religious” denies the truth that Christ gave His followers The Church as a critical institution for supporting, growing, and guiding every believer throughout their faith journey.
Immanence & Transcendence: Christ is both our close friend and supporter (immanent), as well as the Christ of the universe: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer of all things (transcendent). Believers must hold both in balance without overemphasis on either.
Evil & Suffering: God allows evil and suffering for a greater good, for expressing virtues that we otherwise could not, and for us to better understand and appreciate joy that we cannot without the alternative. In addition, our human expectations of “shoulds,” “oughts,” and “betters” indicates a mysterious universal human ideal of goodness that only makes sense within the context of God, the Author and example of that ideal toward which we strive.
The Christian worldview (an overall conception of reality) is, in the deepest sense, a system of truth assertions about reality. All of these topics are wonderfully rich and profound, which makes them difficult to condense into short essays. We encourage you to review this series, read source materials, watch online debates, discuss with others, ask questions, and seek further answers. As Philip Yancey observed, “When I am tempted to complain about God's lack of presence, I remind myself that God has much more reason to complain about my lack of presence.”
The bumper sticker, “God Is Love,” remains only partially accurate. God is love as demonstrated through His good creation, His extensive mercy, and especially His self-sacrificial Crucifixion and Resurrection. In addition to His love, God expresses expectations and standards for His ultimate creation. God expects us to seek Him and find Him, to think as well as feel, and to live morally according to the life of Jesus Christ. God is perfect, we are not. Perfection cannot accept even the tiniest amount of imperfection, otherwise perfection ceases to exist. As a result, we need a perfect Savior to bridge the gap between our human flaws and our ultimate communion with our perfect Creator. Jesus Christ, fully human and fully divine, God in flesh, is that unique and authoritative bridge.
As Douglas Groothuis asserted, “God is the Creator of the universe…God is not some subtle aspect of nature, nor does God emerge over time through natural processes…Rather, God is metaphysically distinct from creation eternally and inexorably. God, the Creator, is personal. The act of creation was not an automatic effect of an impersonal being or system, but it flowed from the will of an intelligent and active Creator. God initiated and was pleased with creation (Genesis 1) and even delighted in His handiwork (Proverbs 8)…It is in human beings that heaven and earth meet in thought. Made in God’s image, we are also personal beings who can detect God’s fingerprints in creation and His voice in conscience and through Scripture.”
God gifted us with extraordinary minds with which to ponder and wonder. We humans endlessly ask questions about ourselves, our place in the universe, and whether there is anything beyond it. Only God holds all the answers, yet in His personal connection to us, God offers extensive evidence of His presence, His character, and His purpose for humanity — if we are willing to think, pursue, and believe.
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