SEMESTER 1
102 – The Existence of God
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE
COURSE: THEOLOGY SEMESTER I LESSON # 2
THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
INTRODUCTION:
God’s existence underlines all Bible doctrine.
I. GOD’S EXISTENCE IS ASSUMED IN SCRIPTURE
1. Israel, for whom the Old Testament was primarily written, already believed in God.
2. The evidences of God are apparent and forceful.
i. Evidence of inanimate creation:
a) Matter is not eternal, thus must have been created.
b) Matter must have something other than natural process.
III: Effect without cause.
ii. Evidences of animate creation:
a) Living matter cannot spring from non-living.
b) Since matter is not eternal, physical life involving matter cannot be eternal.
c) Order, design and adoption in the universe.
1) Orbits in the solar system.
2) The arrangement of air, and its maintenance.
d) Human conscience – Roman. 2:15 (natural)
III: Conscience supposes law, which supposes a lawgiver.
e) The Bible – Not its statement, but:
The nature and contents of the Bible: Would man so condemn himself?
1) Fulfilled prophecy
2) The life of Jesus
3) The resurrection of Jesus
iii. The fact that God’s existence is universally accepted:Paul explains this in Romans 1
.
a) Tradition is a cause, but seldom forsaken.
b) Intuition. Perception of the truth without understanding.
1. The existence of God is a first truth.
III: To doubt this is to claim effect without cause and design without purpose. (Ps. 14:1, Pro. 1:7)