Team GotQuestions Blog

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Question and Answer on Proof of God / Reasons to Believe

September 15th, 2014

Got one of those questions I both love and hate. Love it because it’s right in my wheelhouse: reasons to believe from a non-believer’s perspective. Hate it because one feels the colossal pressure of being either a stepping stone aiding someone’s submission to Christ, or a stumbling block that turns them away. Wouldn’t take the world in exchange for these opportunities, though. His question and my answer below (might take a few separate comments to fit).

  • Jeff Laird Question: Hmmm, how do i word this… Well i guess i stumbled upon this site by complete accident so maybe jesus used his mystical powers to guide my mind to this site….lol So my question is, how would you prove that god and jesus exists, and i mean empyrical evidence..? how would you persuade a non- believer as myself over to the RIGHT religion out of the 1000’s of other religions that exist out their, that all have the same amount of belief and conviction in their religion as anyone else….? I’m super open minded and i am not opposed to the concept and idea of a higher power, but i just need some kind of proof before i decide to change my whole entire dynamic of reality and perception of this scary,awesome,ugly/beautiful world i live in…. Thank You!

    Profile: Male 18-30 North America
    September 13 at 10:55pm · Like
  • Jeff Laird Answer: We’re very glad you found the website, and even happier that you chose to ask a question! Even the Bible says that some things just happen by chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11), but at the same time, God’s signs to us usually come through everyday things, not magical experiences. There’s actually a Biblical passage which describes God’s voice as something different from earthquakes and fires and storms, like a whispering voice (1 Kings 19:11-13). If you’re open to what He has to say, He will communicate with you!

    You’re doing exactly the right thing by asking questions (Matthew 7:7). And, you’re doing even better by wanting to get reasons and evidence before you make a radical change in your worldview (Colossians 2:8, Acts 17:11). Hopefully, that seeking attitude has already shown you that these issues can’t be covered in a quick way. If a few emailed words could easily convince non-believers, the world would be a very different place. So, please understand that what’s below is not meant to be the best and final word on everything, it’s just an overview of the major points. There are additional reasons and facts behind each statement.

    Along with that, please realize that “proof” is a tricky word. Some things can be “proven”, in the sense that no reasonable person could ever disagree with them. That’s common in mathematics, certain aspects of basic science, or daily experience. But our spiritual lives are not as simple. The biggest reason for this is that spiritual questions are loaded questions. Questions such as whether or not 1+1=2, or whether or not ice floats or sinks have little impact on us, personally. But spiritual questions demand we think, act, or respond in certain ways.

    So, our preferences and our biases strongly affect how we view these questions, and how we interpret them. Many of these questions also deal with issues that, religious or not, simply don’t deal with “hard proof”, such as history and psychology. It would be dishonest to claim we can give absolute, inescapable “proof” or “disproof” of Christianity. Instead, we look at reason and evidence, then trust what we have good cause to believe what we can’t perfectly “prove”.

    That’s how we handle most issues in our lives, and many issues in science or history or relationships. It’s also what the word “faith” really means: reasonable trust in what can’t be perfectly proven.

    With all that said, here’s a (very) brief, step-by-step look at how a non-religious person can come to the conclusion that Christianity really is the one true faith, focusing on empirical concerns:

    First, truth exists, and it can be known. Ideas that contradict each other can’t both be true. If we have good reasons to think statement A is true, we have good reasons to think anything contradicting statement A is false. Not all religions can be true. Many reasonable, intelligent people sincerely believe in different faiths, but that sincerity does not make what they believe correct.

    Second, we have empirical evidence that the universe had a beginning, something physicists typically refer to as the Big Bang. Logically, scientifically, and philosophically, this means something un-caused and timeless had to have created our universe. We have empirical evidence that the universe is extremely complex, and finely tuned to allow for intelligent life. Even the slightest change in the independent constants of physics would make thinking, intelligent life impossible.

    We also see that humanity shares a common moral code, and that we think in terms of “should” and “should not”, not just “is” or “is not”. Only humans do this, which means morality is not part of physics or chemistry, it requires intelligence. But if this is true, then the existence of morals suggests a personal “moral lawmaker”.

    So far, these observations mean an intelligent, timeless, powerful, creative, moral being is the best fit for empirical observations of the universe.
    (cont’d)
    September 13 at 10:57pm · Like · 2
  • Jeff Laird (cont’d) Third, we have tremendous archaeological, historical, and literary evidence supporting the Bible as an accurate, trustworthy record of real people and events. Its copies are more accurate, closer to the originals, and more consistent than any other ancient work, by a long shot. Where we can verify its details, it has proven true. It has all the indications of being a faithful account, contains prophecies which have been fulfilled, and has no proven contradictions or errors. This Bible also describes a God who perfectly matches the attributes we discovered through science and observation: intelligent, powerful, moral, etc. This means we can and should trust what it says about Jesus, and about God.

    Fourth, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. This includes things He had no control over, such as the time and place of His birth, the nature of His birth, how He would be killed, and how He would be buried. He claimed to be God, which is why He was killed by local religious leaders. He performed miracles and taught the greatest moral teachings in human history. This makes Him more than just another teacher.

    Fifth, we have excellent evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead. Three days after His crucifixion, those who knew Him best claimed He’d come back from the dead. And, they were willing to suffer and die rather than change their story. The evidence of an empty tomb, the testimony of the disciples, prophecies of the Old Testament and of Jesus Himself, statements by non-Christian historians and the growth of the early Church all support the idea that He really did rise again.

    All together, this evidence means several things. First, it confirms the truth of what Jesus claimed: that He was God in human form and the only path to God. It also means other claims can’t be true. They not only don’t match the non-Biblical evidence, they contradict what we’ve strongly supported as true. So other faith systems, while they may teach individual pieces of truth, are not the ultimate truth that we find in the Bible. Biblical Christianity stands as the best possible match for logic, reason, experience, and evidence.

    Empirically, then, we have evidence of a beginning, of design, and of morality. We have real-world empirical evidence that the Biblical texts are accurate, and can be trusted. We have empirical evidence that Jesus claimed to be God, performed miracles, and was raised from the dead. No other faith system, or anti-faith claims, have the kind of scientific, archaeological, social, or historical support that Biblical Christianity does.

    Many other ideas strongly support Christianity. Only Biblical Christianity encourages investigation and truth-seeking (Proverbs 23:23, John 4:23). Secular scholars have noted that Jesus was the most powerful and influential moral teacher in history. The prophecies Jesus fulfilled simply could not have been coincidental or conspired. Only Christianity provides answers to the major questions of life without contradictions or self-deceptions. Only the Bible accurately describes what it’s like to struggle as a human being, and what our hearts are really like. Christianity uniquely says that we can’t do enough good to save ourselves, because we’re all sinful and broken on the inside: we need to be saved, not suffer or earn our way out of debt.

    But, from an empirical standpoint, the major points above are the strongest and the most basic: evidence of a beginning, evidence of design, evidence of moral law, evidence of Biblical reliability, evidence of Jesus’ words and deeds, and evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. We have these in the form of observations and data from physics, biology, astronomy, mathematics, history, archaeology, and literature. Many, many people came to believe in Christianity specifically because of these evidences.

    All of the knowledge in the world (James 2:19) isn’t the same as a personal experience with Christ. If you’re sincere in seeking God, one of the best things you can do is simply ask Him to speak to you. If He really exists, and you really are open to Him you have nothing to lose, and everything to gain (Jeremiah 29:13). There are excellent reasons and evidence to trust that what Christianity teaches about our relationship with God is true (see more details here:http://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html).

    I hope this is helpful!

    How can I be saved?

    www.gotquestions.org

    What does it mean to be saved? How can I be saved? How can I be certain that I am saved?
    September 13 at 10:57pm · Like · 4
  • NV Harder Bravo, brother, Jeff!
    September 13 at 11:53pm · Like · 3
  • Ed Chait Excellent, caring answer Jeff. If the questioner is turned away, we know God’s Word never returns void.
    September 13 at 11:58pm · Like · 3
  • Marc Weiss I agree – I love those more than hate those. I see the dilemma though! I had a similar type question on the book of John. They’re easy, but hard. How about that for vague? Nice job!
    September 13 at 11:59pm · Like · 3
  • Ed Chait I’m glad you shared your answer Jeff. Great witnessing tool.
    Yesterday at 12:01am · Like · 3
  • Joe Maxey Great answer, Jeff!
    Yesterday at 5:30am · Like · 2
  • Byron Earnheart Great answer…that “pressure” to be the conduit of the Spirit is tough and humbling. That’s why this ministry is so…humbling (for lack of a better word) to be a part of.

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