Something from Nothing?
Last month, we discussed how to talk about God’s holiness and mankind’s sinfulness with our unbelieving neighbors. Now, let’s talk about God’s existence.
“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 ESV
God exists. It’s the most foundational belief. We can’t have any hope of our neighbors being saved if they don’t first believe that there is a God.
If you’re speaking to someone who is atheistic or agnostic, it’s wise to start by simply pressing them to consider the clues for the existence of God.
Ask them, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Listen to their answer. And as you formulate your response, make use of Tim Keller’s observations. He writes, “Everything we know in this world is ‘contingent,’ has a cause outside of itself. Therefore the universe, which is just a huge pile of such contingent entities, would itself have to be dependent on some cause outside of itself…What could that be but something outside of nature, a supernatural, noncontingent being that exists from itself” (The Reason for God, ch. 8).
Nothing can’t produce something. There must be something greater than the universe. That’s the only reason that adequately explains the universe’s existence.
Now, that doesn’t prove that the God of the Bible is real. But it does make the skeptic deal seriously with the reality of God’s existence. And His existence needs to be established before we can talk about what He’s like.
(For more arguments about the existence of God, refer to chapter 8 in Tim Keller’s book The Reason for God.)
Next Steps
Decide who your “one” is for October and prepare to share about them with your small group. If you didn’t share the gospel with your “one” from last month, feel free to pick them and try again!
Prepare to share with your small group about the unbelievers in your life who claim to be atheistic or agnostic. Ask your fellow small group members to help you strategize how to talk about the existence of God.
Invite your “one” to the Christianity 101 class. It starts this Thursday night at 7:00pm. Offer to attend with them.
Review the “Who’s Your One?” webpage and make use of the recommended resources at the bottom.
May our neighbors come to know that God exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.
