God - The Reality

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By Dr. J. Rodman Williams
Theologian

I. The Reality of God

The first article of Christian faith, according to the Apostles’ Creed, is "I believe in God the Father Almighty." What reasons may be given for this belief?

First, there is the witness of the Bible. From Genesis to Revelation the fact of God’s existence is never questioned. The Bible purports to be a record of the acts of God: it is not man's story so much as God's story. Christian faith accepts the biblical witness to the reality of God and proclaims His existence with assurance.

Could the Bible be wrong on this major point? Such is theoretically conceivable; however, since the Bible's credibility as a faithful guide to life is generally accepted, it is hard to imagine error on the belief that undergirds all other teaching. In other words, if one accepts the moral and ethical principles of the Bible as valid, the actuality of God must likewise be admitted. His existence is presupposed in every instance as their ground and basis, and furthermore, the teachings of the Bible cannot really be carried out except in His wisdom and strength.

Second, there is the evidence of God in nature. The Psalmist cries, "The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork" (Psalm 19:1), and the Apostle writes, "Ever since the beginning of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things he has made" (Romans 1:20). God’s glory and handiwork, His power and deity are unmistakably revealed through His creation. That God is, is there for all to behold. Only the willfully blind can deny His existence and His vast power and wisdom.

One may note more specifically the design, the pattern, the purpose at work everywhere. The world is "on the move": the earth in its development of plant, animal, and human life from one stage to another evidences some great intelligence guiding and directing. The beauty of sunsets, mountains and valleys, skies and trees is inexplicable if there be no God who so creates and enjoys. The order of the universe, the laws of light, of gravity, the fact that all is cosmos rather than chaos, the regular movements of stars and planets, and on the earth of days and seasons, bespeak One who creates and sustains "by the word of his power" (Hebrews 1:3). Joseph Addison put it memorably—

The spacious firmament on high,

With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens, a shining frame,

Their great Original proclaim:

The unwearied sun, from day to day,

Does His creator’s power display,

And publishes to every land

The work of an almighty hand.

Third, there is the testimony of inner experience. "As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God" (Psalm 42:1). The hunger of the heart for God, the deep yearning of the soul for fulfillment in another, points toward one who has made man for Himself. Could there be this universal longing without a true answer? Man hungers and thirsts physically for food and drink, and there is food and drink to satisfy; could this be less true of the far deeper hunger and thirst of the soul for God? The answer of Christian experience is unmistakable: "O taste and see that the Lord is good!" (Psalm 34:8).

Inner experience of desire for God is also supplemented by an assurance of His presence. Who has not known moments of awe when some place—be it mountainside, star-studded heaven at night, stately cathedral, or humble room—has seemed filled with the presence of Another? Like Jacob at Bethel we may have cried, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven" (Genesis 28:17).

Moreover, belief in God "works." Countless people testify that until they believed in His existence, life never really seemed right; but once having unquestionably affirmed God's reality and acted thereupon, life has become fuller and more abundant. "For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). Such true believers, men and women of faith, have been people of destiny, their lives often changing the course of history. Fearing God, they feared no one else; believing in Him, they could believe in all things. Could this belief have been an illusion, when it made for stronger, better, wiser people?

Now let us hasten to add that none of the reasons suggested for belief in the reality of God—the witness of Scripture, the evidence in nature, the testimony of inner experience—is final proof. Nor is the total—even if one should add many other reasons. In the last analysis, the reality of God is based on faith. In this world we walk by faith and not by sight—"now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face" (1 Corinthians 13:12). But for those who so walk, who so believe, God does become ever more meaningful in their lives.

One further word might be added: belief in God and action thereupon is basically no different than one’s procedure in relation to the objective world. Through our physical senses we are convinced that there is a world of people and things around us, and we act accordingly. The more we act the more unshakable our conviction becomes that there is much else besides ourselves. So with God. There is indirect evidence through our physical senses—God in nature—and direct evidence through our spiritual perceptions. When we act on this evidence, the conviction of God’s reality, as with the world and other persons, becomes increasingly certain.

Why then are there some people who call themselves atheists? The answer would seem to be twofold: first, there are many who willfully disbelieve in God’s existence because of guilty consciences. They would prefer that He didn’t exist so that they would not have to face His demands. To believe in His reality would mean a different kind of living—and that they do not want. Hence, they prefer to delude themselves into unbelief. Second, and perhaps more often, some do not believe because they become so preoccupied with the things of sense that spiritual awareness tends to die away. Little reading of the Bible and prayer, little attention to the "glory of God" in the heavens, little heed to the hunger of the soul—and making earthly substitutes for all these—lead inevitably to atrophy of soul as surely as little use of a member of the body (a hand, a foot, an eye) leads to gradual disability. If one replaces God with lesser devotions, He cannot become or remain real.

The concept of God begins with the whole-hearted affirmation of His reality.