Lead Pastor, Brian Hopkins, recently introduced a series called: Sticky Questions Christians Hope No One Will Ask. Many Christians hope (some of us even pray) that no one will ever ask us questions about our faith because we wonder how-in-the-world we might answer tough questions in a way that honors God AND satisfies the questioner’s curiosity.

Many Christians find themselves at a loss when confronted with questions like:

• what makes you so sure that God exists?
• why should I trust the Bible?
• how could God allow evil, pain & suffering in the world?
• why does Christianity condemn homosexuality?
• does heaven really exist? and would a loving God, really send people to hell?

When asked sincere, challenging, spiritual questions, do you know how to respond appropriately?

Unanswered or poorly answered spiritual questions oftern lead to doubt, frustration, even spiritual alienation. Peter challenges us, “If someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain, but do this in a gentle and respectful way.” 1Peter 3:15-16

Spiritual questions can be powerful doorways. When spiritual questions are answered well, they can bring truth & light… They are opportunities to share God’s truth with other people.

Last weekend, we moved into this series unpacking the question, “Does God exist?”

How do we know there is a God, especially when we can’t see Him, hear Him, or touch Him? His presence doesn’t register with any of our five senses…and yet many millions of people believe in Him. Why?

When presented with this question, let us consider that God is like a lot of things we may not be able to see, hear or touch directly, however we can see evidence for them. Let’s take a look at love, air and gravity.

1. Love

It is true that love is a profound reality, isn’t it? Most all of us believe in love. Love is not something we can see, hear, or touch directly. You cannot prove love. Yes, you can show people the evidence of your love, but you can’t show them the love itself. The love is invisible. You only detect love through its effects.

2. Air

Another very important thing we all believe in is air. Air is only detectable to us through its effects. None of us can see air, but we all breathe air. We move through the air. We experience air.

3. Gravity

We all believe in gravity. We can’t see, hear or touch gravity, yet we live constantly with its effects.

Unlike the things we can experience with our five senses—God is a spiritual being. He is a spiritual reality. Spiritual beings and spiritual realities are not things that can be seen with physical eyes, heard with physical ears or touched with physical hands. Check out John 4:24.

We know God exists because He is our friend, and because He has forgiven us of our sins. He speaks to us, challenges us, guides us and corrects us when we need it—always acting out of His incredible love for us which compelled Him to send Jesus to die on the cross to take our sin upon Himself so that we might know Him as our Savior.

Think of how God has changed you. Sure, those who challenge your faith, may not be able to see God, but they can see what He has done in our lives!

So, if we are confronted with the question, “Does God exist?”, we may enter conversations around these four answers:

Answer #1: The Existence Of The Universe

In the past 30+ years, there has been explosive growth in cosmology—the study of the origins, structure, and development of the physical universe, which trace the origin of the universe back to what’s called a singularity event, known as the “Big Bang”.

Einstein’s theory of relativity demonstrates that time, space, matter, and physical energy have a starting point in history. The Hubble Space Telescope continues to provide proof of Einstein’s theory, allowing astronomers to see that the universe is actually expanding. This leads to the conclusion that the universe must have had a beginning point for the expansion. The cause for the universe must be something beyond “time and space, matter and physical energy”. …“God?”, you ask.

Answer #2: The “Just So” Universe

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1

Science teaches that the laws and physical constants that govern all the matter in the universe appear to be precisely and perfectly balanced for life to occur and flourish. This points powerfully to the existence of an incredibly Intelligent Designer who made our universe “just so”. Isaiah 40:25-26, 28 (NLT)

Answer #3: Our Morally Good Universe

Where does the the intrinsic sense of right and wrong come from?

• Did goodness arise out of the results of the Big Bang? No.
• Atheists struggle with the “problem of good”.
• Morals and values are not just the creations of human beings. They are objective—not relative.

Might it be that a Moral Lawgiver actually knit those moral standards, along with the ability to understand and operate by them, into the very fabric of what it means to be human?

Answer #4: Pascal’s Wager

Suppose the previous conversations leave the questioner feeling these answers are inconclusive… You might reference, Blaise Pascal, the French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer, and Catholic philosopher. Pascal’s “Wager” asks, “Where are you going to place your bet?”

The “Wager” unfolds, if you place your bet on the existence of God, you lose nothing if it turns out that God does not exist. But if you place your bet against the existence of God and you’re wrong… If God does exist, you lose everything… God, eternity, heaven, infinite gain… all are lost to you for eternity.

The “Wager” cannot coerce belief. It can, however, be a motivating incentive to challenges our friends and family to search for God; to study and seek to know God.

Independently, each answer points to the existence of God. When taken together they provide what Mark Mittleberg calls, “strong confirmation of His existence.” This can be summed up when he says, “The cumulative case for God’s existence is more than sufficient for an open-minded person to believe that He really is there.”

Next week, our Student Pastor, Chis Townley, will be tackling another foundational question, “Is the Bible reliable?” Don’t miss it – Saturday at 6PM, or Sunday at 9AM & 11AM!