Right up front, I'm going to say that it's ultimately up to you to answer this question in order for the answer to mean something in your life.
My answer is, "Yes." But that answer does not help you unless you believe it.
Welcome to our home bible fellowship in Raleigh. God bless you in the power name of Jesus Christ. I hope you enjoy the following short teaching about God.
It's reasonable to believe in something without having to prove the assertion. Let me repeat that. It's reasonable to believe in something without being required to prove it exists.
But Can I Prove God Exists?
My answer is "Yes." Please give me 60 seconds to provide a reasonable explanation for my answer.
Man's Best Friend
I grew up with a dog name Bandit. That dog loved me. He walked with me. He talked with me. He protected me. He came when I called for him. He answered me. He was my best friend. I couldn't imagine growing up without that dog. He loved me. That dog loved me.
But I can't prove it. I can't prove that my dog loved me. There's no evidence. There's no science or data that can prove that his love for me existed. And to require evidence that a dog is man's best friend seems unreasonable. We all know this to be true.
Sometimes, my wife has some back pain. Not all the time. Just sometimes. That's my wife in the picture. She's the most beautiful woman in the world.
Sometimes, her pain, on a scale from 1 to 10, is a 15. Again, it's not persistent; it's not all the time. It's here and there. If any of you have ever had back pain, it's a real pain in the butt. Heh. It's something that is always with you, sometimes you forget it, and then, "Bam!" It's there.
It's been years. We've had the best doctors. The best science has been researched and applied. We've taken tests, seen the results, and made decisions based on that data. And we're doing better. The pain is going away. And we're getting healthier and healthier every day. My wife will be 100% healthy at some point—maybe it's today. And we'll celebrate that "day without pain" for sure.
But to ask my wife to prove she's in pain is unreasonable. Doctors, science, and data do not prove the pain exists, but it does. It's subjective. Only my wife, my wife alone, can tell you what she's experiencing, what she's going through. It can't be measured. Doctors and scientists can acknowledge what people testify to, but often, they can't prove it.
Prove Your Love
If you think you are in love and that your companion loves you, just ask them for information that you can verify, specifically with a neutral third-party scientist that could prove the love. This should be simple for any mature, reasonable human being who says they're in love. Yes? Just ask your companion to prove it. See what they say. I warn you, this may start a dispute.
Burden of Proof
The burden of proof is the obligation of someone in a dispute to provide sufficient justification for their position, which may include perceptual experience (the evidence brought to you by your senses), reason (making sense of things based upon existing information), and authoritative testimony (solemn attestation as to the truth of a matter; to bear witness to; to declare something to be correct, true, or genuine; to declare the truth of something in words or writing).
But my dog and I, my wife and I, are not in a dispute. I remember my dog. And I believe my wife.
The Queen of England and President Trump
I have every reason to believe these two human beings exist. They are alive and well, at least for the time being. I believe they exist even though I've never met them. I've never actually seen them. I've never heard them say a single word. I've never touched them. Or smelled them. I've never even taken a picture of them. I've stood in front of the Queen's castle and the White House. But I have actually no evidence they exist. Yet I have every reason to believe they do.
Millions of people follow them. (Trump has more than 84 million Twitter followers, as of today). Millions have said they've seen these people. People say that they've been deeply and forever affected by their words and actions. People say that they've changed their entire lives, because of these two people (Trump and the Queen). Many people hate them. Many love them.
It's reasonable for me to assume that millions of people are not lying to themselves and to others. They're not imagining things. It would be unreasonable for me to require millions of people to provide 3rd-party neutral scientific evidence of what they believe in Trump or the Queen of England. And it's not unreasonable because I have never met Trump or the Queen of England, or that I don't believe those two people exist. It's just because it's unreasonable, it's not rational, to require proof of the assertion that they do indeed exist.
Describe God To Me
You could probably describe your best friend's personality, distinguishing characteristics, favorite food, or hobbies. Right? Just as you can describe your friend, you can actually describe what God is. Thousands of years ago, men and women testified as to what they described as God. Their descriptions are written down in the bible. People, inspired by God, wrote down what they believed best describes what God is. God, my inspiring people, gave us a description of himself in his Word, so that you can know God. Let’s learn about what God is by taking a look a few biblical verses.
Creator
In Genesis 1:1, we see that God is a creator.
Genesis 1:1, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Faithful
In Deuteronomy 7:9, God is faithful, which means reliable; trusted; true to one's word, promises, and assertions.
Deuteronomy 7:9, "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations."
Good
Psalms 34:8 says that God is good.
Psalms 34:8, "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."
Great
Psalms 135:5 says that God is great.
Psalms 135:5, "For I know that the Lord is great, and that our Lord is above all gods."
Powerful
Psalms 147:5 says that God is powerful.
Psalms 147:5, "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite."
Strong
Isaiah 26:4 says that God is strong.
Isaiah 26:4, "Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."
Spirit
John 4:24 says that God is a Spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Not a Man
Is God an old man with a big, bushy grey beard? No. Is God a man? No. Is God a woman? No. Is God Jesus? No. No to all of those questions. God is spirit, energy, and light.
The word “worship” in that verse (John 4:24) is the Greek word pronounced "pros-koo-neh'-o," which means to reverence. Worship is a feeling, attitude, or gesture of deep respect; an act of devotion, adoration, or manifestation or acknowledgment offered to God. And the word “spirit” in that verse is the Greek word "pneuma," which refers to the spiritual energy inside you. Spirit connects you to God and everything in the universe. You may want to read "Spirit is a Force" in TheKingsGuide.com for more information.
Peace
God is peace in 1 Corinthians 14:33.
1 Corinthians 14:33, "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."
Father
God is a father in 1 Corinthians 8:6, which says "But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." Acknowledging God as a “father,” our heavenly father, help us realize all that he can and will do for us. Just as an earthly father has certain abilities that enable him to care for his children, God, our heavenly father, cares for us and fulfills his promises.
Ephesians 1:3 says that "God is our heavenly father, and father of Jesus Christ." So, God is also a father to Jesus Christ, who was a wonderful spiritual man.
Supplier
Philippians 4:19 says that God is a supplier. And this is where where praying comes in. You may want to read "Trusting in God by Praying" in TheKingsGuide.com to learn what praying is.
Light
1 John 1:5 says that God is light. Light. God is energy and light. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says that we consider and look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen; for the things that are visible are temporal (brief and fleeting), but the things that are invisible are deathless and everlasting. When we live in the light, we see things others can not. The unseen things of the world become visible and known to us, and we thereby become wise.
Love
1 John 4:16 says that God is love. That's pretty plain and simple to understand. What do you love? I love my wife, my children, pepperoni pizza, football, and many other things. But who do you love? Who? Wherever there is love between people, there God is. Matthew 18:20 says, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” To learn more about being in the midst, read "The Meaning of Life Is in the Middle" from TheKingsGuide.com
Conclusion
In conclusion, we now have a pretty good description of God. People are always looking for evidence or proof of God's existence. They do not see that God is all around us. He’s creation, goodness, peace, light, and love. It's reasonable to believe in something without having to prove it. Now, by studying God’s Word, we have a pretty good idea of who God is.
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