The very first verse in the Bible states, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). The Bible declares that the story of human existence begins with God. We accept this teaching of the Bible as fact. Obviously, none of us were there at the beginning of time. But, the Bible says God was there. We believe the Bible is the most reliable and trustworthy source in the world. Wherever the Bible and another text disagree, we believe the Bible. According to the Bible, God has revealed Himself in several ways. As we carefully consider each one of the means the Bible says God has used to make Himself known, it is apparent to us that He, in fact, does exist. Our belief in God is based on a reasonable faith.
1. He has revealed Himself in the Bible itself.
The Bible is the written revelation of God's character, and His purpose and plan for mankind. From the Bible, we learn He has always existed – Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life... (Hebrews 7:3); He rules over the world – God reigns over the nations, God sits on His holy throne (Psalm 47:8); He is righteous and kind in everything He does – The Lord is righteous in all His ways and kind in all His deeds (Psalm 145:17); He is alive – The Lord lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation (Psalm 18:46); He specially designed you before you were born – For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them (Psalm 139:13-16); He cares for human beings – When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained; what is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him? (Psalm 8:3-4); He sees and knows everything about us – The Lord looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works (Psalm 33:13-15); He hates sin – For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil dwells with You. The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes; You hate all who do iniquity. You destroy those who speak falsehood; the Lord abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit (Psalm 5:4-6); He has provided a way for man's sin to be forgiven – But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him (Romans 5:8-9); He created us to bring Him honor – Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created (Revelation 4:11).
This message, unique to the Bible, has transformed the lives of millions and millions of people down through the centuries, including our own. It has changed people in their hearts, not by some outward forced conformity. The Bible is, by far, the most published and read book in the history of the world. The Bible has a life and power to it that no other book has. To what does the Bible owe its incredible influence? We believe it is because it really is the Word of God.
2. He has revealed Himself in the natural universe.
Listen to these definite statements of Scripture: The heavens are telling 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 (Psalm 19:1-2). Yours is the day, Yours also is the night; You have prepared the light and the sun. You have established all the boundaries of the earth; You have made summer and winter (Psalm 74:16-17). The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land (Psalm 95:5). He made the moon for the seasons; the sun knows the place of its setting (Psalm 104:19). The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them (Proverbs 20:12). He who made Pleiades and Orion and changes deep darkness into morning, Who also darkens day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is His name (Amos 5:8). And yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17).
The stars, the planets, the seasons, the seas, the human body – all of these reflect the wisdom, power, and love of God. Our experience as human beings makes the Bible's testimony that God is the designer of our amazing world easy to accept. We have never known intelligent design without an intelligent designer. God is the best explanation. And, according to Scripture, He is the only explanation. Man's refusal to acknowledge God based on the evidence of the natural universe leads him to worship in bizarre ways, and brings God's wrath. The Bible could not be any clearer – for a man to deny the existence of God, he has to willfully suppress the irrefutable knowlege God has given him in the universe. Atheism is volitional foolishness. Listen to Romans 1:18-23, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 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. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
3. He has revealed Himself in the nation, Israel.
How can anyone explain not only the survival, but also the prosperity of Israel, apart from the real existence of God? The Bible is the only source that describes the founding of the nation as one specially chosen by God, and records God's promises to protect and bless the nation as a means of displaying His character to all people. This country, a little larger than New Jersey, is surrounded by countries which are committed to her destruction, and yet thrives. After the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman emperor, Titus, the Jews were scattered all over the world, only to return to the land, and become a nation again in 1948. What other civilization has been totally wiped out, and yet retained its identity – let alone returned as a nation almost 2,000 years later?! The Bible proclaims, O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God (Psalm 98:1-3).
4. He has revealed Himself in the hearts of men.
How is it that stealing is universally known to be evil? And, the same can be said of adultery, lying, murder, etc. Cultures which have never been exposed to the written revelation of God still know these things are wrong. The Bible says, In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them (Romans 2:15). The Bible is saying here that God has written His moral law into the hearts of men. Men know what is right and wrong. They have a conscience. The fact that humans are moral beings is strong evidence for the existence of God. If not from God, where did the conscience come from? Chemicals? What about self-awareness, and the sense of purpose all human beings are created with? As someone insightfully asked, "Would it not be strange if a universe without purpose accidentally created humans who are so obsessed with purpose"?
5. He has revealed Himself in Jesus.
It is widely accepted that Jesus was the greatest human being who ever lived. If you doubt it, just ask people. The world over, Jesus is held up as the greatest example of love, kindness, and goodness the world has ever known. Who was Jesus? Was he just an incredibly special human being? According to the Bible, no. He was God. Hear these words from Scripture, No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him (John 1:18). He is the image of the invisible God... (Colossians 1:15). And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). We conclude from the life of Jesus that He must have been more than a man. He must have been who He said He was, God.
Because of the Bible, the natural universe, Israel, our own consciences, and Jesus, we believe in God. The Bible declares, The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God" (Psalm 14:1).
I am so excited about being part of this new church in Providence. I believe this is the kind of church each of us needs. We need God. We need to know His reality in our lives. We need His strength and guidance. We need to be righteous like Him. And, He has made all of this possible through Jesus.
I grew up right here in "The Ocean State"! A love for "Lil' Rhody" traditions such as coffee milk and Del's lemonade were ingrained in me at a young age! The home I grew up in was a Christian home. As far back as I can remember, my parents brought me to church and taught me about Jesus. One morning, when I was five years old, I was alone in my room. I had done something that I knew was wrong, and because of that, my heart was very troubled. Despite being so young, I knew that my sin was standing between me and God. I had learned from my parents that Jesus died on the cross to save people from their sins; but, would He save me? After wrestling with this question in my mind for a while, I finally asked my mom whether or not Jesus would save me. She shared with me from the Bible promises like this: For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. And, everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins. These promises gave me great relief and hope! It was then I fully believed that Jesus had paid the penalty my sin deserved. I asked Him to be my Savior and my heart found peace! I cannot even imagine how different my life would be if I did not know Jesus as my Savior. Don't misunderstand: Life can be hard; I am still a sinner. But, in the midst of it all, God is working out His perfect plan for my life! As I continue on this incredible journey, my greatest desire is to more fully know and experience the reality of Jesus in my life.
