Why Do Some People Need Evidence To Believe In God?

 You should need evidence for anything you believe or you’re being gullible. Without evidence, faith is blind faith. God doesn't expect us to kiss our brains goodbye or to commit intellectual suicide or anything.

The Bible says there is sufficient evidence in nature and there is enough to make us without excuse and the fact is plain to us (cf. Romans 1:19–20). For example, Doctor Luke says that the resurrection had “many infallible proofs.” (cf. Acts 1:3). And Psalm 19:1 says that the heavens declare the glory of God.

But God will not accommodate intellectual arrogance and expects us to search for Him and to be willing to obey Him. Jesus promised that if we will be willing to do His will, then we shall know (cf. John 7:17).

What Is More Important To You, Faith Or Proof?

 I see this as a false dichotomy. You can have faith and proof and God doesn’t expect us to kiss our brains goodbye or to commit intellectual suicide or to have blind faith (without evidence). If you put God to the test and demand your kind of proof before you’ll believe, He will not accommodate you. God needs not to prove Himself to anyone and has given all the evidence necessary in the Bible. Note: evidence isn't always definitive, compelling, objective, or authoritative.

How do you define faith and proof? Faith can be seen as trusting in what you have good reason to believe and knowledge in action; what’s wrong with that? Everyone has faith in something; faith in science is still faith. You can have faith in yourself and your own reasoning. All knowledge is contingent and begins in faith with some presupposition that cannot be proved, even in math. Proof and evidence are often used interchangeably. Proof can be seen as just an argument or reason to believe: evidence. The apostle Luke said that there “were many infallible [or convincing] proofs” for the resurrection and he was a doctor and must have known something about proof.

There are many philosophical arguments for the existence of God, for example, but you cannot either prove or disprove God beyond a shadow of a doubt; there's no “smoking gun” evidence either way and both theists and atheists are persons of faith. No amount of evidence would make you believe without any possible doubt either way. There is never enough proof or evidence for someone who doesn't want to believe something, even in religious matters.

Note: there are different categories of evidence such as in law, science, philosophy, history, and literature. In science, something isn't held as true unless it is demonstrable and observable (repeatable and measurable); these types of evidence don’t hold water for metaphysical matters and go beyond the parameters of the scientific method. In a court of law, truth (it must be beyond a reasonable doubt, not all doubt), is by oral and written testimony and considered evidence. In history, for example, corroborating texts and artifacts are considered evidence. No one can not believe in God, for instance, due to the lack of evidence of seeing all the evidence in nature and God says no one has an excuse and that this is plain to see.

Is It True That The Absence Of Evidence Is True Regarding God?

It is true in general, much more regarding the existence of God. Just because you cannot prove God, doesn’t preclude His existence. But the principle applies much more in metaphysical matters than the physical. You cannot prove some premise is untrue just by stating there is no evidence, but you can refuse to believe it. Note that evidence isn’t always certain or conclusive but one goes in the direction of the evidence no matter where it leads with an open mind.

You cannot prove a universal negative according to logicians. You cannot deny the existence of love because you have never experienced it. Physically, there is no evidence of aliens—we have no tangible proof (though there may be legal evidence of testimony or witness), but that doesn’t prove they don’t exist. To prove a universal negative, you have to know everything and be everywhere at once. Only God knows that.

But in law, one must prove beyond a reasonable doubt for something to be considered true (absence of evidence holds water and sometimes the jury is still out), in historic matters, truth depends upon documents and corroboration, and in scientific matters, something must be repeatable, demonstrable, measurable, or observable in the real physical and natural world.

But if we are to make a claim and want to have credence, we must present evidence and plead the facts, if they are on our side. To some skeptics, there is never enough evidence for God’s existence, even though there is some (scientific, philosophic, historic), but no proof. God expects us to take a leap of faith. Proof and evidence differ. God will not force us to believe against our wills. God desires us to come to Him by faith not head first. But He respects our brains and doesn’t expect us to kiss them goodbye: “Come now let us reason together, says the LORD,” (cf. Isaiah 1:18).  Soli Deo Gloria! 

What Is Extraordinary Evidence As Seen By Theologians?

 

Many of them are referring to the so-called audacious claims of Christ that He is God, not believing there’s enough evidence. But this is proven fallacious reasoning because it can be demonstrated that if you won the lottery and just turned on the TV and heard your numbers, you would believe without any further confirmation, that it satisfied your requirements for assurance. If you won the lottery, you wouldn’t be skeptical until the CPA actually certified you ticket, you would celebrate before that! You would’ve trusted the TV as a reliable and credible source of news and info.

But Jesus did that to His disciples when He rose from the dead and appeared to them for 40 days to convince them that He was really risen and not some ghost or imposter. They were so convinced that they became martyrs because of it. This is important testimony in a court of law because people usually tell the truth when faced with death. If they had been consummate liars they probably wouldn’t have been willing to die for it. Most sincere or fanatical men will die for what they believe is true, but not for what they KNOW is false. The disciples had such character that we can count them as credible witnesses and the veracity of their claims.

Any such conspiracy theory will not hold water in light of the truth, because it is unlikely that all the disciples would’ve died for a lost cause. The truth would’ve leaked out before that and the movement wouldn’t have gotten off the ground. The Jewish Pharisee Caiaphas predicted that, if the movement were of God, they couldn’t stop it (they would be fighting God); if not, it would go nowhere and not get off the ground. Jesus is known as changing the course of history and not as a liar. Actually, the disciple Thomas said that he wouldn’t believe unless he could stick his hand in Jesus side and feel for himself; this was skepticism and doubt but not unreasonable—Jesus accommodated him.

The point is not what Jesus claimed (to be God or not) according to cults or sects but according to mainline Christianity, but the point is moot because it doesn’t affect the answer.  Soli Deo Gloria!

A Primer On Epistemology

"The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, NIV).
"Eliminate the impossible, and whatever remains, no matter how improbable, is true." (unknown).
"Tell me your certainties, I have enough doubts of my own." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe).
"We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers." (G. K. Chesterton).
"... and a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (Hos. 4:14, ESV).
"Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge..." (Isaiah 5:13, ESV).
NOTE THIS PHILOSOPHICAL AXIOM: ALL KNOWLEDGE BEGINS IN FAITH (FAITH PRECEDES REASON!). REMEMBER: A CHRISTIAN WITH FAITH HAS NOTHING TO FEAR FROM THE FACTS AND SCRUTINY.

They were "always learning and never coming to a knowledge of the truth" (cf. 2 Tim. 3:7)! That's probably why Socrates said that you must "admit your ignorance" to begin to learn. Sophomores in college think they know so much, but they have only begun to learn. Education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of one's ignorance. Augustine said that he believes in order to understand; indeed faith comes before reason! We all have faith, whether in God, mankind, nature, science, logic, or religion, because everyone starts out with some presupposition they cannot prove. Faith in science is not inherently superior knowledge--it's still faith.

People erroneously have blind faith that science has disproved creationism or Christianity, and this is dangerous to all of us. We erroneously assume that believing something makes it true and not believing something makes it false; there is no universal belief, but there is universal truth. We must always be ready to back up our allegations and assertions with facts.

By the way, science is becoming "scientism," thinking it is the only true source of truth, and consequently, it's becoming a religion according to Carl Sagan, a professor at Cornell Univ. in astronomy. Science is not meant to answer philosophical, historical, legal, ethical, or religious issues, but restrict itself to the logical, observable, measurable, and repeatable. The scientific method, as invented by Sir Francis Bacon, is only one way to find truth. You can't have your minds made up so that you don't want to be confused with the facts! If you are a know-it-all that is unwilling to admit you could be wrong, you will never know the truth of the matter at hand.

There are facts that have evidence and can be proved by various means, then there are allegations and accusations that are unsubstantiated. When someone disseminates unsubstantiated so-called facts, it is slander, not news! Journalists know what sources are and their credibility factors. Unreliable sources are ignored and so are those that have lost credibility. Anonymous "leaks" are not good sources to publish as gospel truth and are fake news services that are the tabloids of the internet and unworthy, unreliable sources.

We don't have faith in faith for its own sake, but the object of our faith makes all the difference. We must be willing to admit we could be wrong to find the truth and also be willing to go wherever the evidence may lead, no matter how unpalatable. Sometimes truth is something we couldn't have guessed and is stranger than fiction--who wouldn't have thought the Godhead or Deity was triune. In examining the evidence we fit the theory to match the facts, we don't fit the facts to fit our theory! In short, there is Truth with a capital T and all truth meets at the top because it's God's truth according to Augustine and Aquinas. Remember that Jesus announced: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life..." (cf. John 14:).

Jesus, being the incarnation of truth itself proves we can know it and that it doesn't change--truth is timeless and always relevant. Truth is nonnegotiable and isn't a short-term contract and we have a right to our own opinions, but not our own truth or fact (there are no "alternative facts" as Kellyanne Conway and Trump say). We all have the right to our own opinion but not to fabricate our own facts. The thing about truth is that Jesus promised us we'd find it if we searched for it with the right attitude. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free" (cf. John 8:32). Jesus also said that if we are willing to do His will we shall know whether it is of God (cf. John 7:17).

Unbelievers are those who "reject the truth" (cf. Rom. 2:8) and repentance will be granted to some that they may "come to a knowledge of the truth." A sign of a true believer is that he is thirsty for and loves the truth: "... because they refused to love the truth and so be saved" (2 Thess. 1:10, ESV) they were judged and condemned.

Pseudo faith: Some people would say something is true because it works for them or feels right, these are fallacious presuppositions; John Dewey actually thought you couldn't evaluate the truth of an idea, only its usefulness (if it works!); the biggest misunderstanding is that all truth is relative and this would have to be a relative statement, making it meaningless! Ever since Pilate asked Jesus what truth is man has wondered if there is some absolute, universal truth for everyone everywhere--in antiquity "might made right!" There is truth in Christ who came to "bear witness of the truth" (cf. John 18:37). We must avoid the fallacious assertion that something may be true for one person, but not another and that everyone has their own truths that are only relative--we don't the right to fabricate our own truths! The Bible is truth and has the power to change or transform (cf. John 17:17) lives by virtue of that power.

In sum, Jesus said (cf. John 18:37) that everyone who is of the truth hears His voice--His sheep hear and recognize His voice and follow Him (John 10:27). In the final analysis, we need to be workers approved by God, who are "rightly handling the Word of truth" per 2 Tim. 2:15. Caveat: Beware of academia teaching the so-called theory of evolution as unquestioned scientific fact, when it's only a time-honored scientific tenet of faith!

"The Christian position is not that the truth is unknowable or that we are confused; it is that truth is knowable and we have rebelled," according to David Noebel. In application consider George Lucas' faith: "The conclusion that I've come to is that all religions are true." This is nonsensical and has no truth value, period; I rest my case! Soli Deo Gloria!

Refuting Error And Polemic Technique

Gen. George S. Patton wrote a book, Patton's Principles: A Handbook for Managers Who Mean It.  The point he makes is that we need to pick our battles and not get into disputes for no good reason when we have nothing positive to gain.  If we have everything to lose and nothing to gain, avoid it!  Some arguments generate more heat than light, and subsequently, aren't worth the adrenaline. 


The Bible says that God's servant must not be quarrelsome, and forbids us to be contentious, argumentative, judgmental, or divisive; the strategy of the devil is to divide and conquer and we need not be ignorant of his schemes.  We must learn the art or discipline of agreeing to disagree, and to disagree without being disagreeable!  Some people avoid all arguments like the plague, but an argument is simply showing someone his error or falsehood.



There are rules of debate and etiquette to keep arguments civil and under control, so as not to alienate and do irreparable damage to the relationship:  they say you shouldn't ever talk politics or religion, according to the American maxim, but how do we ever arrive at truth without doing that?  Truth is not relative but absolute and we need to be devoted to the truth; the unbeliever rejects the truth, but he who is of the truth hears God's voice--Jesus came to bear witness of the truth and truth came through Him, the personification of it.  A good lawyer can argue both sides of the case and knows the arguments pro and con, but we also hone our skills at learning and speaking by the principle that "iron sharpens iron" (per Proverbs 27:17). 


We all tend to be opinionated and some people don't want to understand, just express opinions, but just as we hold opinions, convictions hold us and we would consider laying down our lives for them.  We all have a right to our own private opinions, but not to fabricate our personal facts. The Bible doesn't forbid controversy, just godless controversy.  A point in fact:  John Stott wrote a book, Christ the Controversialist, to show that he didn't shy away from hot topics and wasn't afraid to upset the apple cart and the security of the Pharisees' turf, so as to make them jealous of His fame and popularity. We must not avoid controversy because it's not an option; to avoid it is to avoid Christ and the truth, letting heresy take over the church.   



We must aggressively confront heresy and confute those in opposition to sound doctrine--a good deacon can defend the faith and confront heresy, even smelling false doctrine a mile away, as it were. Edmund Burke said, "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." Let's not lose by default because we conceded and didn't come to the rescue and aid of our errant brothers.  The truth of the Bible is fully defensible and we need to be equipped to rightly divide the Word of Truth and to study to show ourselves approved unto God, as workmen without shame (cf. 1 Tim. 2:15).


Republicans insist there's no "evidence" of a cover-up; there's plenty of it, but they don't know what evidence in a court of law is:  it doesn't necessarily mean "proof" but only an argument or case to consider in making the decision of guilt or innocence.  There is often evidence pro and con in every case.  There is evidence of a cover-up because Trump told the Russians that he got rid of the "crazy nut job" to ease the pressure on the Russia issue.  He also admitted to Lester Holt on TV that the reason Comey was fired was an attempt to end the Russia investigation (by intimidation).  


Obstruction of justice, by the way, doesn't have to be successful, to be considered obstruction, all one has to do is make the attempt, even if it fails.  It isn't just one staff member that's under suspicion, but eighteen and there is evidence according to the FBI of a cover-up, and this implies there's a crime to cover up!  As they say, where's there's smoke, there's fire.  Soli Deo Gloria! 

Do We Need Evidence For God?

"The only system of thought that Christ will fit into is the one where He is the starting point."  --Athanasius
We begin with God and explain the universe of ideas, we don't reason to God but from God!  

Unbelievers don't want to believe in evidence because the evidence is stacked against them and they're looking for a loophole to justify themselves.  Find out for yourself:  Ask them just what evidence they have found that proves there is no God!  They will have to answer far more questions for God's existence than they can argue against God, as we will see.  God needs no evidence to exist and merely assumes you have realized His existence--He doesn't need to prove Himself!  The Bible even presupposes and assumes God:  "In the beginning God...."  The Bible doesn't seek to apologize for God or offer any proof but even says those who deny Him are fools.  It is a matter of the heart, not the intellect, for denial of God is intellectual suicide and people suppress the knowledge they do have.  They are in a state of denial!  It is convenient for their lifestyles to deny a God who is the moral center of the universe.

What we know about God is not a matter of speculation or conjecture, but revelation and faith, we cannot have laboratory conditions or put Him in a test tube or conduct an empirical investigation on a God who is not tangible, visible, nor audible to us but dwells in another dimension. He isn't subject to scientific analysis--there can be no laboratory conditions--because He's not observable, measurable, verifiable, repeatable, experimental, predictable, testable, variable, nor controllable.  God has revealed Himself to us and in the Bible we see this consummated, personified, and incarnated in the personhood of the God-man, Jesus Christ.  Where we start determines where we will end up!  We must begin with Truth with a capital T to find God.   We don't start with the universe to explain God or explain Him away, but start with God and explain reality and the universe.  We don't conclude with God in the equation; rather, we start with God in the equation.

Man's problem today is to forget God and take Him out of our reckoning and life's equation.  God makes no apologies and owes no one an explanation for His works or actions.  He is too kind to be cruel, too deep to explain Himself, and too wise to make a mistake, it has been said.  The problem with the infidel and you cannot argue him into the kingdom.  There is always enough evidence or conviction for the willing but never enough for the unwilling.  Even if convinced he will be of the same opinion.  There isn't enough evidence to dissuade the willing, nor enough to persuade the unwilling.  This is because God cannot be rationalized but only known through faith by a work of grace.

Unbelievers are people of faith too, they just place it in their own logic and philosophy and ultimately that science has all the answers or can find absolute truth. Using science to harness truth out of its proper domain is not science but scientism--there are ways to truth outside of science and some knowledge isn't subject to science:  ethics, morality, philosophy, theology, et cetera.  The infidel puts God on trial and to the test, thinking they can judge God when He is their Judge.  The point is that all knowledge is contingent except God's and we all begin our quest for it in a leap of faith, accepting something or someone's word as truth we cannot prove. The Bible says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge!  It's never a matter of reason versus faith but which set of presuppositions one is willing to accept.

We are all at the stage in our faith at the onset of believing but still needing God to help our unbelief.  Miracles, for instance, never force belief but only bolster and support faith and even produce a desire for more miracles.  God is not in the business of miracles on demand or doing biggie, showy, miracles to amaze us into faith.  Miracles don't make faith--faith makes miracles!  Everyone should realize that juries convict on the preponderance of the evidence, not all of it--which isn't available--and in the direction of the evidence.  Often they must rely on merely circumstantial evidence or witnesses with little corroboration.  But the biblical rule of thumb is to rule in favor of the defendant lest an innocent man perishes by mistake.

Also, history is not subject to scientific inquiry because it's nonrepeatable by nature and cannot be observed or measured.  There are no living witnesses to antiquity!  But the resurrection is arguably the best-attested fact in ancient times.  Christ's resurrection is a matter of history and the circumstantial evidence is most compelling!  In fact, Luke says there are many "infallible proofs." The Bible needs no defense or evidence for it is self-attesting and appeals to no higher authority than itself or it wouldn't be the final authority!  You cannot logically say that it's true because it's never been disproved, but a person only need read it with an open mind and find out for himself--he can prove it himself!  Legally, the burden of proof is always on the party disputing the validity or genuineness of the document.

The only way you can prove God is to limit Him or put Him in a box, and this cannot be done and if we could He wouldn't be worthy of our worship because the finite cannot grasp or contain the infinite.  We do have arguments and evidence though for Him--and evidence isn't conclusive but only a reason to believe- but no smoking gun proof that makes us believe against our wills.  He leaves faith up to our own decision but the Hound of Heaven is wooing us and is able to convict us and even make the unwilling willing and turn hearts of stone into hearts of flesh--for the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart!  But you cannot disprove God either, for it's illogical and impossible to prove a universal negative without being all-knowing and everywhere at once.

You can argue for God by realizing He makes sense of everything.  We don't need a holy grail or theory of everything in science; what we need is enlightenment from God and return to our roots to Christianity as the mother of modern science.  It's like saying we believe in the sun, not because we see it, but because we can see, and see everything else!  Could you imagine someone not believing in words yet speaking them?  We only believe in love because we've experienced it, not because its existence has been proven to us! Where did all the abstracts come from?  For instance, what about heroism, honesty, fair play, aesthetic appreciation, conscience, good faith, altruism, fairness, equity, generosity, truth, honor, bravery, courage, et cetera?   God makes sense of history and of the world, seeing it as having meaning and going somewhere, even telling a story with lessons to learn.

Even science is explained by God and wouldn't have arisen without Him in the picture.  How can we explain the Big Bang or the beginning without a Beginner? If we have "creation," we need a Creator!  How can we posit design without a Designer?  Since we have art, that necessitates an Artist. Things appear to be in order and according to specs:  what about an Orderer?  They want to shun hell but they believe in justice without the Judge!  How can we explain the principle of biogenesis (which denies spontaneous generation) or that life only comes from life without a source of life?  How can we see the Anthropic Principle (or the fine-tuned earth) without realizing a God of design, beauty, intelligence, harmony, and intention?  It looks like our Creator intended it this way.  One scientist wrote a book entitled The Privileged Planet to prove this principle.  Where did the first DNA, the metabolic motor of life, come from, if  DNA only comes from DNA?  How can we explain the First and Second Laws of Thermodynamics without God in the calculus?  If we must offer proof, so must the infidel!

Thinking in the abstract, where did love come from and how can you measure it or define it.  Measuring three feet of love is absurd!  How did we come to know of good and evil if they don't exist and there isn't a source?  Why do we have such a concern for right and wrong and a moral compass if there isn't a God who is the moral center of the universe?  How can there be purpose, design, beauty, art, order, and musical harmony without God or one of purpose, design, and intent?  How can there be wrongdoing and crime without a Judge?  How can there even be good without a source of good or Supreme Good as the standard?  History makes no sense without seeing it as His story and having a beginning and ending or consummation and of meaning instead of being circular or cyclical?  Basically, how can we believe in the existence of truth without a God of truth as its source?

Cosmologically speaking:  When we realize the law of causality or of cause and effect, we realize that there must be a First Cause because an infinite regress is illogical and it's impossible to cross infinity--the chain in the link has to begin somewhere. Note that we can know nothing for sure without the principle of cause and effect!  But nothing can cause itself and be its own cause, and therefore everything must have a cause except this one uncaused cause that got it all started--no beginning means being eternal and nothing would exist without this beginning; however, God had to begin everything somewhere in time, for everything captive to the time-space continuum had a beginning and God created time, space, and matter, and so had no beginning--being eternal implies having no cause. In short, God is not an effect, and is independent of time and therefore needs no cause, being self-existence or dependent on no one or nothing. Indeed, there are so many constants and fixed laws in the universe that it makes it look like God has a pure mathematical mind, which is what Einstein postulated.

Note:  We are the evidence:   Our very existence is rigged and we are a miracle!  The biggest miracle is seen in the conversion and transformation of a believer upon salvation. We cannot explain our existence, much less God's!  We will find that a little philosophy may incline one toward atheism, but true knowledge begins with God in the equation we may think we can reason to God, but reason tells us some things are beyond reason; we can only reason because of God of reason and our gift of reason!

Christians have simple, not simplistic faith, but not enough to be an atheist!  The Bible says that unbelievers suppress the truth; this implies they know the truth! We must ask the unbeliever if he would repent and receive Christ as Lord and Savior if given sufficient evidence.  The problem is always the same:  Not that they cannot believe but they won't and will not believe!  Believers are not Christians because of the evidence who were convinced against their will, but because the Holy Spirit made believers out of their sincere hearts, wooing them and turning hearts of stone into ones of flesh.

The conclusion of the matter is making decisions based on facts and evidence, not whim or feeling--without which it ends up being merely blind faith.  We must be willing to follow the evidence with an open mind wherever it leads.  We will never find truth--and all truth meets at the top according to Thomas Aquinas--unless we admit we could be wrong, as Socrates said.  In other words   Soli Deo Gloria!  

Our Impending Entrance Into The Promised Land

"Expect Great Things from God, Attempt Great Things for God."-- a sermon by William Carey, "the Father of Modern Missions"

Our Christian experience is a journey to the Celestial City, as John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress describes, and we must aim toward heaven to get there. But it's a solitary journey we must endure alone with only Christ as our Beacon and heavenly GPS.  Aiming nowhere gets you nowhere!  Israel's entrance into the promised land is analogous to the Christian's experience of the abundant life in Christ mentioned in John 10:10, and when Christ said in Matt. 6:33, "all these things shall be added unto you."  

In another sense, it also foreshadows our crossing of the bar into eternity to meet our Pilot face-to-face as we go one-on-one with the Lord at the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ (cf. 2 Cor. 5:10) in glory to determine our final, eternal reward.  But God wants to bless us in the here and now (in time as well as in eternity) and to make our way prosperous according to The Will that glorifies Him.  Indeed, our future is in God's hands (cf. Psalm 31:15, ESV).

However, some believers never experience life to the full known as the more abundant life, even though they will be ushered into eternity with Jesus upon death.  We are meant to eat the fat of the land in the here and now and to live in a land flowing with milk and honey as it were, but if we don't attain this, or sacrifice it for the kingdom's sake, there's a greater reward to go above and beyond the call of duty, such as martyrdom or missionary work.  We are all poised to enter our promised land and be blessed by God in all our endeavors as we find His will for our lives and how he has gifted us--we can be like David who fulfilled all God's purpose for him.  We can also conquer our personal demons and the archenemy, the devil, and take control of his territory with the armor of Christ, and we are more than conquerors (cf. Rom. 8:37) with Jesus and cannot lose--we are in a win-win situation.  Don't waste your life wandering in the wilderness--claim the promised land!

What it takes is to take God at His word and at face value, and to claim His promises, none of which have failed (cf. Josh 23:14).  We may seem like grasshoppers compared to the bullies of the world, but God is on our side and will fight for us.  Just like Canaan was a land filled with giants, life is full of difficulties and obstacles, but we must keep our eyes on Jesus and He will see us through the flame and it won't overwhelm us (cf. Is. 43:2; 1 Pet. 1:7).  We all have our personal giants and bullies to overcome.  We can do all things through Christ, who strengthens us (cf. Phil. 4:13).  With God, nothing is impossible (cf. Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26) and nothing is too difficult for God (cf. Gen. 18:14; Jer. 32:17, 27)!

We honor God by observing His Word and claiming His promises by faith, living out His precepts, and following His will--this is the essence of worship.  We need have no fears with God because everything is small to Him--everything is small--neither is anything too trivial for His loving attention.  If we don't want to learn things the easy way of focusing on the Word of God, we may have to learn our lessons via the school of hard knocks and find out what it's like to be without the hedge of protection, knowing it's a frame of mind and state of grace, not a geographical place.

We must never forget who God is nor who we are in Christ.  God is no respecter of persons and there are no bullies nor giants to Him, so we are safe in His loving care.  Yes, His grace is sufficient for us (cf. 2 Cor. 12:9)!  The issue is whether we see blessings in difficulties or difficulties in blessings.  In other words, do you tend to see the evil and say "Why?" or the good and say "Why not?"  Don't question God's wisdom in trouble, as Job found out:  God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself!  

We don't have to enjoy trials, but they do bring wonderful opportunities to glorifying God in our deliverance.  Problems provide wonderful chances--they're tests.  We must never forget that God is bigger than any problem we may encounter and with God nothing is impossible.  When we connect and resonate with God's will our life will be in harmony and blessed to the full in doing God's will (cf. 2 Cor. 9:8).

The challenging question is whether we are getting what we want out of life and are we being used by God as vessels of honor? The divine order is emptying before filling, before using. Caveat:  Christians must never forget it is God who blesses them and whatever they achieve is to His glory by His power (cf. Deut. 8:18):  "Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD" (cf. Zech. 4:6).  God gets all the credit and glory, but He desires to share it with us (cf. Ps. 84:11; 1 Pet. 5:10), and to give us a taste of His glory, even on this side of eternity. Indeed, we have seen the coming of the glory of the Lord.  Paul ventured to boast of nothing but of what Christ had accomplished through him (cf. Rom. 15:18).  Isaiah said that all he had done was through Him (cf. Isa. 26:12).

Never forget God is in control and His sovereignty is not limited by our freedom, while He freely orchestrates history to His glory, as He does all events and circumstances (cf. Eph. 1:11).  Our job is to spread the Word of God's glory revealed in Christ and that He has won the ancient war with the devil and our victory is sure with Him on our side. We are not fighting for victory, but from victory--Christ won and is sharing the booty with us!

We all must be tested and pass the trials for "through many tribulations, we enter the kingdom of God" (cf. Acts 14:22).  "Experience is not so much what happens to you, but in you--i.e., what you do with what happens to you," according to Aldous Huxley--you either become bitter or better.  The same sun melts the butter but hardens the clay!  It really matters what you do with your experience and whether you learn by it, even if it's the school of hard knocks--however, blessed is he who is taught by the wisdom of God's Word (cf. Ps. 94:12).  In short, God owes no one an explanation; He's not accountable to us, but we to Him.

But we demonstrate our faith by our works which is the evidence of its reality. Bogus faith without works doesn't save but is dead faith (cf. James 2:26).  As the Reformers' formula said, "We are saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone."  Works validate our faith! But, before we can take what's ours in the promised land, we must believe God's promise and that faith must be tested by fire, for it's more precious than gold or silver.  Faith is abstract and must be seen to be real, we show our faith by our works (cf. James 2:18), and are rewarded according to our works (cf. Rom. 2:6).  When God sees Himself in us we are purified, because the goal of our life in Christ is Christlikeness as the icons of God. In the meantime, we're all works in progress and God isn't finished with us yet!   Soli Deo Gloria!

Evidence's Verdict...

"This is the verdict, that light has come into the world and men loved darkness greater than light, because their deeds are evil," (cf. John 3:19). 

Josh McDowell wrote the book, Evidence That Demands a Verdict, in which he systematically unfolds and lays out proof and arguments for Christianity and its tradition, the Scriptures.  There are several volumes and there is sufficient evidence for the seeker who wants to believe and is willing to do God's will. But for the skeptic who wants to stay in his sin because he is fond of it, and not repent, there is never enough evidence--you cannot argue someone into the kingdom; they must be receptive and open-minded. 

Where there's a need God will fulfill it; therefore the kingdom belongs to the poor in spirit (those who recognize their need and sin).  If you are earnestly and diligently seeking God you will find Him  (cf. Deut. 4:29; Jer. 29:13) and God is no man's debtor and will let Himself be found by the sincere and willing seeker.  The truth of the matter is that you don't need all the answers to believe. It is not an intellectual problem, but a moral one and the heart of the matter is that it's a matter of the heart!   Mark 9:24 says: "I believe, help thou mine unbelief."

We may find we have doubts, but this is a good thing that will strengthen our faith in the end--doubt is not the opposite of faith, but an element of it.  Our faith must be tried in the fire and tested as to its validity and whether it is genuine, saving faith.  God will not make a person believe against their will, that would be coercion and against our natures, to be forced or coerced by someone to do something we don't want to do; however, God is able to make the unwilling willing and to woo (cf. Jer. 20:7; John 6:44, 65; Psalm 51:12; Col. 1:29; Heb. 13:21) us to the Father and melt our hearts in grief for our sins and repent in all sincerity.  "God is at work within you, both to will, and to do of His good pleasure" (cf. Philippians 2:13).

There is no question that is going to make Christianity come to its knees without the answer:  The Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties by Gleason Archer, and the book, Alleged Discrepancies of the Bible by John W. Haley, answer just about every question about the Bible skeptics have.  Apologetics is a discipline that takes many forms: literary like C. Lewis; philosophical like Francis A. Schaeffer; scientific like Henry Morris; cultural like Charles Colson; and historical like Josh McDowell, et al. Belief in God is universal and in every culture, nation, people, group, and tribe.

God is the Potter and we are the clay and He is ultimately in control of our destiny and all those who are the elect shall believe--His divine decree (cf. Acts 13:48).  You practically have to teach a child not to believe in God, because he instinctively knows everything we observe has a purpose, and that ultimately leads to the uncaused cause or the necessary being, which is God. A child's heart isn't hardened and it is with the heart that man disbelieves according to Psalm 14:1.

The original tradition, historically speaking was of one God, not a pantheon.  Eventually, they thought the more gods, the better! Paul is right in Romans 1:20 that man has no excuse and he also says that God has never left the world without a witness (cf. Acts 14:17). People are without excuse and we are not God's judgment, weighing the evidence--He doesn't need evidence--His fingerprints are on all creation and every living thing.  God accommodates us and condescends to strengthen our weak or little faith, but we must take that first step in the right direction when He woos us.

Many scholars have attempted to disprove the Bible and have been forced to admit its truth and found out the truth does set you free--they wrote books, such as General Lew Wallace's Ben Hur:  A Tale of the Christ; Lawyer Frank Morrison attempted to disprove the resurrection, and ended up writing Who Moved the Stone? with the first chapter entitled, "The Book that Refused to be Written;" Simon Greenleaf, the world's foremost expert on legal evidence in the nineteenth century, and professor at Harvard, considered the evidence and then wrote, The Testimony of the Evangelists.  Many archaeologists have tried to discredit the Bible's historicity and have ended up becoming believers because no dig has ever contravened the Bible's record.

What they say is that you don't have to prove the Bible it can defend itself--you can prove it yourself by just reading it and giving it the opportunity without a closed mind. The Bible makes no effort either to prove God's existence, but assumes this and asserts that all knowledge begins with the fear of God (cf. Prov. 1:7).  The Bible actually declares a person a fool if he doesn't believe in God!  In sum, there's never enough evidence to convince someone who's unwilling to believe or do God's will; there's just enough light to see for the willing, and enough darkness not to see for the unwilling. Soli Deo Gloria!

What About The Evidence?

Every good scientist knows that the lack of evidence does not mean the evidence or proof of a lack. Bertrand Russell (an atheist who wrote a book, Why I Am Not a Christian), was asked what he would say to God if he were wrong, after all. He would retort: "Why didn't You give us more evidence?" The great legal expert, erstwhile atheist, and Harvard professor, Simon Greenleaf was challenged to consider the evidence. He became a believer! There is evidence (not proof though) against God. God has not coerced belief but has left it an open question. (If faith wasn't required, you could no more deny God than the sun.)

For instance, the problem of evil; there is no easy answer on either side--so don't claim that you have all the answers, because God requires faith ("For without faith it is impossible to please God...") and you don't need all the answers to take the leap of faith. However, an honest scientist must be willing to follow the evidence no matter where it leads, leaving his presuppositions behind. However, there is NO SUCH THING AS TOTAL OBJECTIVITY WITH MANKIND.

Lee Strobel calls Christian belief a "properly basic" belief because the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Christ can be experienced. N.B. that Einstein was not an atheist, but even philosophized about Him: "God doesn't play dice with the universe." Another famous scientist, Blaise Pascal said, "...earth indicates neither the total absence of God nor his manifest presence, but rather the presence a hidden God." The Bible says, "O that I knew where I might find Him" (Job 23:3). God wants to be found, but not by triflers, he promises in Jer. 29:13 that if we seek with our whole heart we will find Him. God's pet peeve with man is that he doesn't seek. We must admit with Isa. 65:1 that God is found by those that aren't looking for Him. Actually, He gets the credit. He found us--we didn't find Him!

But remember that faith is a choice. If someone says to prove God exists, tell him to prove He doesn't. Either way, it takes faith; there are no laboratory conditions for God! God wills that if you want to deny Him you can. One philosopher has said, "If there is no God, why is there so much good? And if there is a God, why so much evil? You have the ability to explain away God if you so desire. God has given us just enough light to have faith, and just enough darkness to deny Him if we want to. "But men loved darkness rather than light..." Where there's the will God will bless as He says in John 7:17, "If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is of God...."   Remember this from Isaiah: "Truly You are God who hide Yourself... (Is. 45:15).   Soli Deo Gloria!