The Cosmological Argument (2)

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This is the written transcript for Lesson 3 in this series of presentations on evidence for the existence of God — (it is likely that transcripts will vary somewhat from the actual video recordings).

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In lesson one, we defined the “Cosmological Argument” – there must be a Creator because there is a creation. And the Bible gives us many examples of this logic. Let me share with you the words of the Psalmist and the poetry of Job, written thousands of years ago:

The heavens are telling of the glory of God;

And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

Day to day pours forth speech,

And night to night reveals knowledge.

There is no speech, nor are there words;

Their voice is not heard.

Their line has gone out through all the earth,

And their utterances to the end of the world.

(Psalm 19:1-4, NASB)

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Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell Me, if you have understanding,

Who set its measurements? Since you know.

Or who stretched the line on it?

On what were its bases sunk?

Or who laid its cornerstone?

Or who enclosed the sea with doors

When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;

When I made a cloud its garment

And thick darkness its swaddling band,

And I placed boundaries on it

And set a bolt and doors,

And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;

And here shall your proud waves stop’?

Have you entered into the springs of the sea

Or walked in the recesses of the deep?

Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

Where is the way that the light is divided,

Or the east wind scattered on the earth?

Who has cleft a channel for the flood,

Or a way for the thunderbolt,

Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades,

Or loose the cords of Orion?

Can you lead forth a constellation in its season,

And guide the Bear with her satellites?

Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,

Or fix their rule over the earth?

Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

So that an abundance of water will cover you?

Can you send forth lightnings that they may go

And say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Who has put wisdom in the innermost being

Or given understanding to the mind?

(Job 38:4-36, NASB)

Wow… that’s all very humbling, isn’t it? I mean, only a very foolish person would claim to have that kind of extensive knowledge and power. You know, these are the very kinds of things that science is continually pursuing and still trying to explain, even today. And while God allows humanity to research, and investigate, and learn new things; still, there are some things that just belong to God alone! Well, these are only a couple of examples from the scripture – there are many! But, you know, the Bible also says,

“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God” (Psalm 14.1).

So, I guess we’ve got plenty of fools walking around on planet earth today, don’t we? But, do you know why this statement is true; why it foolish to think that there is no God? It’s true…

“…because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20, NASB)

There is no excuse for unbelief. No one will be excused when they stand before God in judgment because they say, “Well, Lord, I didn’t believe because I was really messed up by all that quasi-scientific, evolutionary teaching that I was subjected to in school!” No! It’s a personal choice people are making… what they want to believe or what they refuse to believe. And the very creation itself negates, or nullifies, that excuse because it testifies daily to the existence of God. In closing, the Bible says: “By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible” (Hebrews 11:3, NASB).

Now, we know the Biblical writers spoke initially to a pastoral people of an agrarian society. So, their writings were simple (for the most part), straight forward, and couched in the culture of their day. But we see, from this verse, that even these seemingly less advanced societies were prompted by God’s servants, the prophets, to take “the quantum leap” – if you will. That is, to make an intellectual connection between that which cannot be seen and the vast visible cosmos as we know it.

You know what this “leap” is called? The Bible calls that, faith! And I’m not talking about “blind” faith, here – you know, just believing in something because you want to, or because you think you’re supposed to. The Bible always speaks of intelligent faith… faith that is rooted and grounded in rational observation leading to the realization of an intelligently designed universe. The scripture goes on to say: “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6, NASB).

Notice, in this verse, that the Bible does not say that we must come to understand just what God is; but, rather, simply, that He is. We don’t have to learn everything there is to know about the existence of God, or be able to explain Him; it is enough to acknowledge that He is, and to recognize that He is still, very much involved with His creation.

I love science, I love nature… So, I am not afraid to turn to the wonders of the creation itself to substantiate my belief in God. Why should I be, when the Bible does so in abundance? At the heart of the “Cosmological Argument” is this idea: An intelligent mind has no problem acknowledging that intelligent design demands the existence of an intelligent Designer.

May God continue to bless your sojourn toward eternity!

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Resources and References:

Smith, B. (2012). Argument by creation: The cosmological argument. Retrieved from the knowtruth.com website at: http://www.knowtruth.com/god/existence/creation_argument_1.php

Scripture taken from:

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Online Bible Study

The Cosmological Argument (2)

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