Skip to Menu

Woodstock Mountain Bike Fellowship

How can I believe in a God that I cannot see?

October 19, 2006

Like a derailleur cassette, there are some things that we can experience directly with our physical senses of vision and touch. Although some philosophers could argue the point, it's pretty easy for most folks to believe that these things exist. For those philosophers who want to argue the counterpoint, I'll be glad to hear more about your beliefs and concepts after you swallow this cassette when I've finished this study!

In the old movie "Harvey", Elwood P. Dowd centers his life around a huge, invisible rabbit. He talks with him (and listens to his responses), takes him to the local watering hole for a drink, and introduces him to everyone he meets. Some people view Christians (or other theists) a lot like Jimmy Stewart in this movie, talking to someone that isn't really there, focusing much of their attention on him and even centering their life around him. In some cases this perspective is perfectly valid, since there are people who have created an artificial god who, like an imaginary friend, may serve some psychological purpose, but who in actuality exists only in the person's imagination.

In matters such as this, you may know people that confidently asset that "I'll believe it when I see it!" On the surface, such a claim might seem reasonable. But when you dig down a little bit, you'll find that such a claim isn't a valid way to approach life. Consider some of the invisible things that even such folks must acknowledge:

Things that we can't see due to limitations of our eyes - either because they are so small, so distant, or physically obscured. Some examples to display:

  • DNA - we know this exists because of photomicrographs and the resultant character traits displayed by individuals
  • Satellites - we cannot see them, but my GPS shows that they are there
  • My heart - I saw an X-ray of it a few years ago during my echocardiogram and I know it's there because I have a pulse

Things that are offset by space/time - they exist, but not here right now. Susan was here a while ago, but has retreated to the relative security of our upstairs study. But even though you don't see her now, you know that she exists because there is your stomach contains the food she prepared for us earlier.

Things that are invisible - truly unseeable, regardless of how good your eyes are:

  • Earth's magnetic field - a compass proves its existence, but you cannot see the flux
  • An idea - we all have them, but can only see their fruit
  • Emotions - invisible, yet very powerful

Question #1: Is it reasonable to believe in a God that I cannot see?

Our first question today deals with the validity of belief in something (or someone) invisible to you. Your friends may say it like this: "I'll believe it when I see it!" On the surface, such a claim might seem reasonable. But when you dig down a little bit (as we did above), you'll find that such a boast is just that - an arrogant claim that something must not be real unless I can experience it directly with my physical senses (or completely understand it with my mind). We didn't have to work very hard to discover that there are many things that exist which we can neither see nor understand.

The Bible never tells us that we must blindly accept the existence of God. In fact, I really like the way that it defines faith:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. Hebrews 11:1,3

Understanding our limitations (from a pragmatic perspective), we often judge the reasonableness of such a belief by collecting and testing additional evidence for the existence. For instance, if my daughter claimed to be engaged to a boy in Pennsylvania, but we never saw a picture, letter, phone call, or text message, we would begin to question the reasonableness of such a claim. If, however, she had a big shiny diamond ring on her finger and was constantly receiving letters and calls, we might find it reasonable to believe in her fiancé, even though we had never seen him in person.

From the largest perspective (regardless of your perspective of origins of the universe), rational people agree that energy and time are not infinite. Although they are often reluctant to discuss a creator, all cosmologists today agree that the universe came into being at a specific point in finite time in the past. And since we observe that our universe is cooling down with time, it cannot be infinitely old. Otherwise, it would have run out of energy long ago, like an oven in an old, derelict house. Similarly, the second law of thermodynamics indicates that the universe is getting more and more disordered. If it were eternal, it would now be completely disordered, which it is not.

Philosophically, it is also impossible to reconcile infinite time with our current reality. If there were an infinite number of moments before today, we would never have reached this moment. Think about that for a moment…

All that said, we know that the universe had a beginning. And anything that has a beginning had to have a Beginner. It is unreasonable to think anything else. That is why the Bible opens with these important words:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1

Recognize that the Bible was the object of scorn and criticism for centuries because it was unique in its advocacy of a universe that is not infinitely old. Only in that last 75 years has this truth become widely accepted among scientists and philosophers.

The fact that we are here today and asking these questions is another one of the greatest evidences for the existence of God. Looking at the world around us not only confirms the existence of God, but it also clarifies some things regarding His nature:

"since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." Romans 1:19, 20

Some folks would look at a photo of a mountain range and come to the conclusion that the peaks and valleys came into existence as a result of natural processes such as plate tectonics, buckling, and faulting. But if someone showed you a picture of the carvings on the face of Stone Mountain here in Georgia and claimed that they were the result of eons of erosion, you would quickly recognize him as a fool. Whenever we see detailed designs we know that they are the work of a designer.

We live in a world that it filled with complex interdependencies, perfectly balanced and amazingly beautiful. The planet earth is unique in many ways, including the fact that it mysteriously avoids drifting to the equilibrium conditions of other planets, maintaining a high volume of free oxygen, available carbon, and an abundance of liquid water (all of which are needed to support life). We don't have to look too far before we agree with what the Bible has to say about atheists:

The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." Psalm 14:1

Which brings us to our second question:

Question #2: Is it rationally possible to be an atheist?

Many people who claim to be atheists support their position by alleging that theists have not given enough evidence to support the existence of God. But to really sustain the position that "There is no God," an atheist must provide evidence to support their own position, not just be content to argue against the theist's claims. For someone to make such a statement, they must be able to answer the following questions:

  • Why do you believe that there is no God? (people usually arrive at this conclusion based on personal preference, not logic or evidence)
  • How can you be certain that God does not exist? Do you have complete information regarding the non-existence of God? (If someone claims to have this level of understanding, he need only look in the mirror to see God. This reminds us of the first cosmonauts who returned after orbiting the earth, triumphantly proclaiming that they had not seen God.)
  • Since you obviously don't know everything, is it possible that God exists in a place/time that you do not know about? (Obviously, this is possible)

The fact is, that it is not possible to be an atheist and maintain consistency with the laws of logic. Most people who claim to atheist are actually agnostic, coming from the same root word leading to "ignorant," or those who feel that they have insufficient information to posit the existence of God.

When holding a discussion regarding the existence of God, it is not uncommon for someone to bring up our third question:

Question #3: Where did God come from?

This question wrongly assumes that "everything must have a cause." This is not true. The truth is that "everything that has a beginning must have a cause."

In our discussion about the universe, we can logically arrive at the conclusion that it must have a Beginner because we can show that it had a beginning. Since God did not have a beginning, it is reasonable that He does not need a creator.

We are very challenged by our inability to understand the grandeur and majesty of God. As I mentioned earlier, we often assume that, if we cannot understand something, it must not be true. Fortunately, God's power is not limited by our understanding:

"These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face." Psalm 50:21

We need to get real with ourselves and recognize our incredible limitations. I always like this story about Teddy Roosevelt, and feel we would do well to follow his example:

Before going to bed one night, Teddy Roosevelt joined the noted naturalist William Beebe for a bit of star-gazing. "That is the Spiral Galaxy in Andromeda," Roosevelt declared, indicating a small patch of light near the constellation of Pegasus. "It is as large as our Milky Way. It is one of a hundred million galaxies. It consists of one hundred billion suns, each larger than our sun." The president then turned to Beebe. "Now I think we are small enough," he declared. "Let's go to bed."

As we draw to a close, we must consider the logical extension of our first question. Since it is reasonable to believe that God exists, why do you suppose that he created us? Is it reasonable to believe that He has made us for a purpose beyond this world? If so, how would we know that purpose? The bottom line is this: Has God spoken to us - did He invade our space and time, communicating to us something that really matters? Almost 3000 years ago, Isaiah the prophet wrote these words:

(15) Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God and Savior of Israel. (18) For this is what the LORD says—he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited— he says: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. (19) I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' Isaiah 45: 15,18,19

God indeed is not visible to us. But that doesn't stop Him from communicating with us. Just as surely as He hides himself, He is also the Creator who made this world to be habitable. He has also not spoken in secret, but has delivered and confirmed His word.

There are many religions that claim to have heard a word from God. But which one is telling the truth? Are they all the same, sharing words from God to different cultures in different ways? Come back in two weeks and we'll consider those questions, seeking to understand if these religions are different and if any of them stand out as unique.

Waiting their turn Bike Limbo! Derailleur clinic