This is part 1 of what will be a 5 part series, dealing with doubt. This article is a little out of the ordinary, as compared to what I normally write. Typically, I focus on discipleship, which is helping people who are already Christians to walk more closely with God and better serve Him in their daily lives. Occasionally, I focus on evangelism, which is helping to bring people into a relationship with God through a relationship with His Son, Jesus the Christ. Rarely do I try to change the minds of people who do not believe in the existence of God. However, in this article, I feel compelled to do so. This is what I will focus on in parts 1 through 3 of this series. Parts 4 and 5 will focus on dealing with doubt in the life of someone who already is a Christian. I am speaking in general terms, concerning the audience of the parts of this series. Both Christians and non-Christians may find all 5 parts of this series helpful.
A few years ago, I listened to a podcast in which a self-described “proud atheist” talked about how the idea of the existence of God in general and some of the beliefs of Christianity in particular just don’t make any sense. Then, in a YouTube video, I heard a man say that we know that “all religion is crap” because of what he considers to be the poor design of the universe. Do these men have valid points? Yes. but I think there are more compelling counterpoints. Let’s talk about that.
In my experience, people say that the concept of God doesn’t make any sense, for two main reasons. One of those reasons is the question of why, if He exists, does God let bad things happen to good people. I will address that question in parts 2 and 3 of this series. The other reason people tend to doubt the existence of God is that an all-powerful being just speaking the universe and humanity into existence out of nothing simply makes no sense. It is this that I would like to discuss in this article.
The man who said that much of what the Bible says isn’t logical and just doesn’t make any sense. The guy who said that the design of the universe doesn’t make any sense. In some ways, I can sympathize with both of their positions. I have a very analytical personality. I used to be an accounting and finance guy (I am a former CFO). I understand running everything you encounter through logic filters and then rejecting what won’t fit through the filters. But we can’t just think about this from a logical perspective and I’m not just saying that to defend the beliefs of Christianity.
Think about something with me. You may feel that it is not logical to believe that God spoke the universe into existence. You may feel that it is not logical to believe that God created man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him. These things may seem so illogical that you think it not even possible. I get that. So, let’s think about the possible alternatives.
Beings of our complexity having come about as a result of evolution is not logical either. Think about the male and female of any species. It happened that a male and a female mutated with exactly the compatible anatomy and physiology needed for successful sexual reproduction. Those are some unimaginably specific mutations. Also, both the male and the female would have to have evolved in the same generation and would have had to find each other. Otherwise, these mutations would not have persisted in future generations. Thinking logically, does that seem likely? Does it even seem possible? Let’s take another step back. Without these mutations having already occurred, how would we even get to the point of this being a possibility in the first place? Evolution cannot occur if perpetuation is not occurring so how could a species evolve the ability of perpetuation? We know for a fact that adaptation has occurred in some species since their initial creation, where in those species have better adapted to their environment as it exists on some parts of the planet. I will grant you that, but is it logical that evolution is responsible for the initial creation of those species? Adaptation has been proven, within individual species, but no scientific evidence has ever been found that proves or even suggests that one species has ever evolved into an entirely different species.
OK, what about before there were any species. Where did the world itself come from, if you discount the possibility of a creator? The most widely accepted theory concerning this is the “Big Bang Theory”. This theory basically says that, in the beginning, all matter in the universe was infinitely compressed, to the point that it had no mass, and that there was an enormous explosion which caused this matter to expand outward and evolve and transform over time to what exists today. Now then, I am not Stephen Hawking and Albert Einstein rolled into one. Quantum physics is not exactly my strong suit. I do not understand most of the physics associated with this theory. Guess what? Those who are experts in such things don’t entirely understand it either. In fact, they freely admit that, in order for the big bang to have occurred, the laws of physics would have to not have existed at the time of the bang because the bang cannot be reconciled with the laws of physics. They acknowledge that fact but say it happened that way anyway. Is that logical?
My point is this. There is no explanation as to where we came from that is logical. The answer to the question of where we came from is too much for our limited human minds to make sense of. It isn’t a question of what makes sense. It is a question of which explanation that doesn’t make sense do you believe. We have to look beyond pure logic because logic is not sufficient here.
For a lot more on creationism and the existence of God, check out the SDM podcast entitled “Debunking Darwinism”. You can find that here.
So, if you acknowledge that logic is not sufficient and that more is required, where, then, do you go for the “more”? As a Christian, I go to the Bible – that is the Christian Bible, which is the Old Testament, the New Testament, and nothing more. Why the Christian Bible? Why not the Quran? How is one to know that one is correct and that the other is not or, for that matter, that either of them is correct?
How do we know that the Bible is accurate? How do we know that God really exists and that the things in it really happened? That’s actually a pretty good question and one that I suspect that even many Christians struggle with from time to time.
I want to take a little time to talk about this and I want to take what I think is the simplest approach to this subject. I want to focus on the One who is at the center of it all, Jesus. How do we know that He even existed? Of course, the Bible says that He existed but, other than that, if you don’t just take the Bible at face value, how do you know?
We know that Jesus existed because His existence is more thoroughly documented than any other figure in history, even if you completely discount the Bible. Jesus was written about by the Jewish historian, Josephus, and by the Roman historian, Tacitus. In addition, there are writings by many non-historians which mention Jesus. Some of these people were very anti-Christian. In fact, some of them actively persecuted Christians and even killed them because of their faith. And yet, even these people who killed those who followed Jesus did not deny the existence of Jesus. Today, even among non-Christians, there is near unanimity among scholars that Jesus really lived and that he was crucified by order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.
The central tenants of Christian faith are based on not just the crucifixion of Jesus but on the truth of the identity of Jesus, as the Son of God, and His resurrection from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. I believe that establishing the truth of His resurrection also establishes the truth of His deity. There is other significance to the resurrection as well but we will deal with that later. For now, let’s just focus on the fact of the resurrection.
I will say, from the outset, that it is not possible to definitively prove that the resurrection occurred. However, there is some pretty convincing evidence.
Many believe that the Shroud of Turin offers proof. The Shroud of Turin is a piece of ancient linen which bears the image of a man who appears to have suffered physical trauma that is consistent with what we know of the crucifixion of Jesus. Some of the scientific evidence suggests that there was something very unusual about the creation of the image. It is a negative image, like a photographic negative, and it is as though it was caused by very intense radiation emanating from the body that was wrapped within it. Many believe that this is the burial shroud of Jesus, that there are supernatural elements related to the creation of the image, and that this proves that the resurrection occurred. However, there is debate as to how the image was actually formed and there has been radio carbon dating which dates the Shroud to a time that is much more recent than the time of Jesus. Because of these things, the authenticity of the Shroud as the burial shroud of Jesus is not universally accepted.
Ultimately, there is no definitive scientific proof that the resurrection occurred. However, the gospel, that is the story of Jesus’ life including His resurrection, had spread around the known world within 60 years after the crucifixion. Bear in mind, this occurred without all of the information technology and means of travel that we have now. Think about that. That is truly astounding. Would the impetus of such a movement have been based on events that did not really occur? Not at all likely.
Now, let’s talk about the disciples of Jesus. These 12 men were with Jesus continually during his earthly ministry, which took place during the last three years of His life. They saw Jesus crucified, they watched Him die, and they saw Him after he arose from the dead. One of these 12 men, Judas, hung himself after having played a part in the arrest and crucifixion. After the suicide of Judas, he was replaced by Matthias, another man who had been with Jesus, so there were again 12 disciples who had been with Jesus during his entire ministry. We know, from historical records independent of the Bible, that of these 12 men, 11 were martyred for their faith. Would all of these men have been willing to die for a lie? Would they have been teaching and preaching about Jesus and his message, something that they knew was very likely to eventually lead to their death, if they had not really seen Him after he had arisen? I don’t think so.
You may say: “Wait a minute. That proves nothing. People die all of the time for their faith and not just for Christianity. What about, for example, the hijackers on 9/11?”
It is true that people often die for faith in things other than Jesus and, when they do, they die for things they genuinely believe in. I’m sure this was the case for the hijackers. However, people don’t die for faith in things that they know to be false. Remember, His disciples were with Jesus continually during his earthly ministry. If Jesus had not really performed the miracles that are recorded, they would have known. If Jesus had not really been crucified, died, and been buried, they would have known. If Jesus had not then arisen from the dead, they would have known that too. They were there the whole time. It was they who recorded many of these things. They saw enough that they were absolutely convinced that Jesus was who He said He was, so much so that they were willing to die for teaching the things He commanded them to teach. It’s also worth pointing out that they all died at different times and in different places, so this was not some kind of group mentality driven thing. I suppose it is possible that one of them could have died for something that they knew not to be true, because of some sort of mental illness, but 11 of them? To me, that’s getting beyond the realm of realistic possibility.
Is all of this absolute proof that Jesus existed and was who He said He was? No, I suppose not. You won’t find absolute proof but, even in a court of law, absolute proof is generally not offered. In a criminal trial, the verdict is based on whether there is a reasonable doubt. In a civil trial, the verdict is based on a preponderance of the evidence. God has given us not proof but what I would consider overwhelming evidence and He leaves it up to us what to do with it. That’s why it’s called faith.
What have you done with the evidence that God has offered? If the answer is “nothing”, I invite you to get to know Him. You start to get to know Him by getting to know His Son, Jesus. If you don’t know how to do that but would like to, please read the “The Most Important Thing” section of the Scott Duck Ministries website. If you still have doubts about Him, stay tuned for the next article in this series.
