Portal for Truth

A Theological View of the Existence of God

Portal for TruthMay 16, 2026existence of God, cosmological argument, apologetics, Bible, creation, theology, Genesis, KJV

A Theological View of the Existence of God

Intro: Where to Begin?

The inaugural words of Genesis are simple and to the point. “In the beginning God … (Gen 1:1).” The Bible takes no time, at least in its opening, to prove that God exists it simply assumes that the reader believes in him and will move through scripture with that belief. A pertinent question, then, for a work on this topic would be: why begin an argument for the existence of God by citing an obviously biased source such as the Bible? The answer is simple: the Bible is where humans go to consider God.[1] Further, for one to argue against God without understanding something of his nature is to argue against one's own assumptions of his nature, which is no argument at all. While there are certainly good philosophical and scientific arguments for God’s existence, the most readily available way for human beings to enter the discussion of God is by reading the pages of the most significant work of literature in the history of the world. Not only does the Bible argue for God’s existence, but it also claims to be God’s very words breathed in. If true, the Bible is God’s self-description, God describing God. More significantly, where Scripture takes the time to venture into apologetics, it is God proving God. To truly consider God, for believer and skeptic alike, there is no better place to begin. This work seeks to enter that discussion.

That the Bible claims to be God’s very word should initiate critical thinking, meaning that one of two things can be said about the origins of Scripture. Either the words of the Bible came from God, or they came from men who wrote as if the words were from God. Simply stated, either God wanted humans to believe, or humans wanted other humans to believe. In either case, divinely inspired or humanly contrived, the Bible argues for the existence of God. The fact that the Bible exists, and is almost global in its influence, is itself an apologetic. Such a document demands a verdict; the argument for God must be met.

Does the Bible Participate in Apologetics?

“Apologetics is the discipline that deals with a rational defense of Christian faith. It comes from the Greek word apologia, which means to give a reason or defense.”[2] There is some controversy about the work of apologetics. Some, such as Fideists[3] (Barth and Kierkegaard, for example), or Presuppositionalists,[4] believe that apologetics runs counter to the notions of faith and religion. Others, such as the authors and commentaries presented in this work, feel very strongly that apologetics is a necessary component of evangelism in the modern era.

For those who embrace scripture as the Word of God, an important question is the following: Does the Bible speak to the necessity of an apologetic, and does it provide one? The answer is yes. The necessity of apologetics is found in several places in the text. “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you … (I Pet 3:15, emphasis mine).” The word “reason” in this passage comes from the Greek word “λόγον” or “logon,” from which we get our word logic. The apostle admonishes the believers that they should be able to provide sound logic for what they believe. Similarly, Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote that saints should “… earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3).” Scripture seems to admonish the saints that they should be able to defend, reasonably and rationally, the things that they believe.

There are several ways that the Bible itself takes up the topic of God’s existence. For example, speaking of human behavior and morality, the Psalms say this: “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, There is none that doeth good (Ps 14:1, KJV).”[5] The implication in this verse is that the corruption of the fool is the testimony of not believing in God. Further, the Psalm writer speaks of God’s glory being declared universally throughout the earth. “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, And night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, Where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world … (Ps 19:1-3, emphasis mine).” The apostle Paul speaks in the same manner as the psalm writer when he declares that God’s existence and nature can be seen by observing the created order, and specifically within humanity. “… Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse (Rom 1:18-20, emphasis mine).” In fact, the Bible points to the presence of faith itself as an apologetic. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, … (Heb 11:6, emphasis mine).” Further, Paul discusses one of the most fundamental questions that apologetics has to answer: who made God? “For by him were all things created, … all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist (Col 1:16-17, emphasis mine).” Paul is asserting that God preexisted all other existing things and is the means by which those things exist. Rather than avoiding the topic, the apologetic presented in scripture is courageous enough to make a full declaration of itself. Scripture declares both God’s existence and his preexistence and the logical affirmations of this apologetic. This is the foundation for what is referred to as the Cosmological Argument.

The Cosmological Argument: Is It Possible for God to Not Exist?

To discuss the cosmological argument, a return to the beginning is necessary. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth (Gen 1:1).” The opening words of Genesis don’t merely assume the existence of God; they also assert that he is the source of everything. This raises an interesting consideration, for both skeptic and believer: is it possible for God not to exist? To answer this question, one must ask, does anything exist? The reason for this question is that for anything determinate to exist, something greater must bring it into existence. Therefore, the existence of anything implies that something greater exists. A house requires a builder, a book requires a writer, a design requires a designer, etc. While the skeptic may scoff at the apologetic use of the Bible to prove its own point, scripture does indeed point to non-biased, universal rationale. For example, the writer of Hebrews says the following of Jesus Christ: “For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God (Heb 3:3-4, KJV, emphasis mine).” By asserting that anything that has existence was brought into existence by something that preexisted that thing, the Bible is asserting the foundational logic of the cosmological argument.[6]

What is the Cosmological Argument? “The cosmological argument is the argument from creation to a Creator. It argues a posteriori, from effect to cause and is based on the principle of causality ... This states that every event has a cause, or that every thing that begins has a cause.”[7] The cosmological argument argues the following: “‘There is a universe rather than none at all, which must have been caused by something beyond itself. The law of causality … says that every finite thing is caused by something other than itself.”[8] The foundational idea is that nonbeing cannot cause being. Geisler offers further explanation of this point, albeit with redundant language. “Only what exists can cause existence, since the very concept of ‘cause’ implies that some existing thing has the power to effect another. From absolutely nothing comes absolutely nothing. Or it can be more popularly phrased, ‘Nothing comes from nothing; nothing ever could.’”[9] This is the law of nature: only that which exists may exert causality to bring another thing into existence. In short, something can cause something, but nothing can cause nothing. In this way, the question, “Is it possible for God not to exist?” is answered. The logic presented by scripture, and by apologists who embrace it, is this: because anything exists, something or someone must preexist to initiate the existence of all things. If nothing produces nothing, then logically it would be impossible for God not to exist.

Summation

A theological worldview must address the above understanding of the law of nature because of the Christian assertion is that God did indeed create everything ex nihilo, out of nothing. “When Jewish and Christian theologians first talked to Greek philosophers, the Greeks thought the biblical notion that God created the world ex nihilo (“out of nothing”) was absurd and irrational, because it violated a law of nature that ex nihilo nihil fit (‘out of nothing nothing comes’).”[10] Those ancient Jewish and Christian responses expressed how modern theologians must also respond. “It is indeed a law of nature, but the laws of nature cannot be expected to bind the transcendent Creator of nature … all powers in nature are finite, but God is infinite; … The idea of God creating out of nothing is not irrational because it does not claim that anything ever popped into existence without an adequate cause…”[11] This affirms the necessary concept to this topic: that anything that exists must have a preexisting originator. This is the ultimate consideration when it comes to the idea of the universe being brought into existence. Thus, Genesis 1:1 provides an answer to the fundamental question of God and the origin of the universe. Genesis asserts that God is “‘that than which a greater cannot be thought.’”[12] This contends that God is the preexistent being and that nothing greater than him can be considered.[13] He is therefore not merely existent, but He is the reason for the existence of everything else.

  1. An approach to the topic of God’s existence through philosophical or scientific methodologies rarely produces a true picture of God, but rather a preconceived and skewed notion of the topic. Often the discipline of science tends to force the discussion toward a “God of the gaps” for instance, where an individual reaches the end of rational thought concerning the universe and then “makes a leap” across the gap of the unexplainable. ↑

  2. Norman L. Geisler, “Apologetics, Need For,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 37. ↑

  3. “Religious fideism argues matters of faith and religious belief are not supported by reason. Religion is a matter of faith and cannot be argued by reason. One must simply believe. Faith, not reason, is what God requires (Heb. 11:6).” Norman L. Geisler, “Fideism,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 246. ↑

  4. “Presuppositional apologetics is opposed to evidentialism and classical apologetics (see Apologetics, Classical). Presuppositional apologetics differs from classical apologetics in that presuppositional apologetics rejects the validity of traditional proofs for the existence of God (see God, Evidence for).” Norman L. Geisler, “Presuppositional Apologetics,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 607. ↑

  5. The same point is made in a later Psalm as well. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: There is none that doeth good (Ps 53:1).” ↑

  6. In the realm of apologetic discussion, this is referred to as the Kalam Cosmological argument. “The kalam (Arabic: “eternal”) argument is a horizontal (linear) form of the cosmological argument. The universe is not eternal, so it must have had a Cause. That Cause must be considered God. This argument has a long and venerable history among such Islamic philosophers as Alfarabi, Al Ghazli, and Avicenna…” Norman L. Geisler, “Kalam Cosmological Argument,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 399. ↑

  7. Norman L. Geisler, “Kalam Cosmological Argument,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 399. ↑

  8. Norman L. Geisler, “God, Evidence For,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 276. ↑

  9. Norman L. Geisler, “Causality, Principle Of,” in Baker Encyclopedia of Christian Apologetics, Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999), 121. ↑

  10. Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1994), 105. ↑

  11. Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1994), 105. ↑

  12. Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli, Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions (Westmont, IL: IVP Academic, 1994), 69. ↑

  13. Skeptics often argue against this point by asking: “who made God?” The answer is; nothing made God. God is the one being that preexisted everything else. He is the uncaused cause that brought everything into existence. ↑