Beginning with this sermon we are getting back to the basics. We are going to see what the Bible affirms about all sorts of subjects beginning with God Himself. In this sermon series we will attempt to call Bible things by Bible names, and we will be sure to check the foundation that is under us. Through the next several weeks we are going to go on a tour of the core doctrines of the Christian faith. We will look at a variety of Scriptures along the way. Let’s pray as we begin.
The Existence and Knowability of God
The existence and knowability of God are things that are common nature for us. We have believed that there is a God, and we have believed that He is personally involved with the world. The unbelieving world questions even the existence of God, and if they do believe that there is a “higher power,” they say that God cannot be known. Let us first talk about God-consciousness and let’s begin by looking at (Rom 1:19-21). Everyone has God-consciousness to some degree, it is just that Christians know and understand Him better because we have believed on the One whom God the Father has sent (John 1:18).
Let us secondly consider the evidence for God’s existence and knowability that is found in Scripture and nature. The entire Bible assumes that God exists, and not only that, but it goes much farther by declaring His mighty works in history. From the get-go the Bible tells us what God has done. “In the beginning God created . . .” (Gen 1:1). If the world would take the Bible alone as its sole authority in all things concerning life and salvation, then there would be an overwhelming amount of evidence for God’s existence. Yet, most people will not initially believe the Bible for what it says.
Therefore, God has shown proof of His existence even in creation. First, all people, whether they are male or female, black or white, speak English or Spanish, all people are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27). The brilliance that is humanity reveals that there is a Creator God. Each and every person, whether they are a Christian or not, announces that there is a God simply by their existence. Nature, too, proclaims the existence of God (Psalm 19:1).
Four Proofs for God’s Existence based on the evidence:
1) There must be a cause for the universe: God has caused all things.
2) The universe shows evidence of a purposeful design: God is the intelligent designer.
3) There is no greater being that can be imagined than God, therefore He must exist because it is greater to exist than to not exist.
4) All people feel a sense of right and wrong. There must be a God who is the standard bearer and who will ensure justice.
“Thus, for those who are correctly evaluating the evidence, everything in Scripture and everything in nature proves clearly that God exists . . .” (Grudem, 143).
The evidence for God’s existence may not be enough to bring someone to a saving faith, but it is enough to declare someone guilty before God. Ultimately, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. People need to hear and believe the Gospel of Christ to be saved.
The Eternality and Tri-unity of God
The Bible does not begin by telling us how God came to be or by answering questions about His existence. It simply assumes that He has always been; that He is eternal. God’s personal name revealed to the Old Testament saints was “Yahweh,” meaning “I AM WHO I AM” (Exod 3:14). He is the One who was, who is, and who is to come. He is the beginning and the end. He has no beginning; there was none before Him; and He has no end. Of all the people that may be trusted, God Almighty is the One that I would trust. He alone is God forever and ever.
The Bible never uses the word “Trinity,” yet the doctrine is found all over Scripture. Christians proclaim the great shema with ancient Israel, (Deut 6:4) “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one![” There is one God, and the Bible reveals that He is three persons in one. From the beginning of the Bible (Gen 1:26), God uses the plural for Himself. He says, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; . . . .”
Of course, the revelation of the Trinity becomes that much clearer in the New Testament. I have always thought that there were only a couple verses that referred to all three persons of the Trinity at once, but in my study I found that I was wrong. There are still only a few Trinitarian verses, but there are more than I first thought. Let’s take a look at some of these: (Matt 3:16-17), (Matt 28:19), (1 Cor 12:4-6), (2 Cor 13:14), and many more. You see, we may not be able to perfectly understand the three-in-oneness of God, but that does not change the fact. God is so complex, that it will take an eternity to figure Him out. Did you catch that? It will take an eternity to understand our God. If that were not so, I’m not sure that He could be God!
God is the Sovereign Creator
God created all things out of nothing in the beginning by the word of His mouth. He created the things we can see and even the things we cannot see. He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. There is nothing that exists that is outside God’s will and purposes (Rev 4:11). It is by faith that we believe these things (Heb 11:3). Yet, our faith is not blind. We have believed that God is the Creator because of all sorts of evidences. One case that I uphold is based on our faith that centers on Jesus Christ. I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that He is Lord and Savior, and therefore I believe the whole of the Scripture because it is the Bible that declares to me the things of Christ. His story is told in the pages of Holy Scripture. That canon of Scripture also includes the doctrine of creation. “In the beginning God created . . . .” You cannot trust in Christ and not believe that God is the Sovereign Creator.
Because He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, we are dependent upon God for everything. God knows the past, present, and future perfectly. He purposes all the days of our lives, and is intimately involved in history. In Him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28). There is no greater example of God’s involvement in the world than the sending of His Son.
Conclusion
There is a God. He is eternal. He is Tri-une. He is the Soveriegn Creator. And He loves you and cares about you. He is involved with this world. He has done mighty acts in history, chief among them being the sending of His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for the sins of many. Jesus has taken our sins upon Himself on the cross, and He has been raised from the dead to secure what He has accomplished for us.