What evidence do you have that there is a God?”

The universe itself is evidence that there is a God. Let’s think about this for a moment. There are only three options to explain the existence of the universe. One, that it has always been. Two, that it created itself. Three, that it was created. The first option, that the universe is eternal, has been utterly rejected by the scientific community. The motion of the galaxies, the background radiation echo, and other evidences all overwhelmingly point to the fact that the universe sprang into existence at a particular point in time. Option two, that the universe created itself, is philosophically impossible. Of course, before the universe existed it would not have been around to do the creating. Obviously, a non-existent universe could not have done anything! It did not exist. We all know that nothing can not do something. Nothing is nothing. Nothing cannot see, smell, act, think, or create. So option one and two can be thrown out on scientific and philosophical grounds. Option three, that something or someone outside of the universe created the universe, is the option that both reason and the evidence point to.

SKEPTIC: I hear what you're saying Charlie, but I still have a hard time believing in a God that I cannot see

CHARLIE: I understand that struggle. I struggled with that before I became a believer as well. Let me help you think through this though. Let’s imagine I am holding up a painting. When you see a painting, what proof do you need to establish the fact that a painter exists? Nothing else besides the painting itself. The painting is absolute proof that there was a painter. You do not need to see the painter to believe that he or she exists. The painting is all the evidence you need. It would not be there if the painter did not exist, and so it is with the universe. The existence of the universe itself is compelling evidence for a creator.

SKEPTIC:  But if the universe demands a creator, then why can’t we just say God must have a creator as well? In other words, who made God?

CHARLIE: Nobody made God. Unlike the finite universe (a universe that began to exist) that demands a creator, God does not need a creator.

SKEPTIC: Why?

CHARLIE: Because He is eternal. Someone who has always existed does not need a creator or someone to have brought Him into existence, because He’s always been. Psalm 90:2 says, “Even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.” God is eternal. But the universe falls into an entirely different category. As the scientific discoveries have shown, it has not always existed. And anything that begins to exist, requires a cause or maker. Things don’t just pop into existence all on their own. Nothing does not produce something.

SKEPTIC: Okay Charlie that makes sense, but you believe that God has just always existed?

CHARLIE: Yes.

SKEPTIC: Impossible!

CHARLIE: Well, before you scoff at the notion of God having always existed, keep this in mind: something must have always existed. Do you realize that?

SKEPTIC: Why do you think that?

CHARLIE: Well, think through this with me: if nothing cannot produce something, and yet something exists, then it follows necessarily that something has always existed (in order to bring the something into existence). Think of it this way:1. If there ever was a time that absolutely nothing existed, nothing would exist now.
2. Something exists now.
3. Therefore, there was never a time that absolutely nothing existed.

So, to answer the question, Who made God? No one. God is eternal and does not need a maker. The universe is not eternal and does require a maker. For more help on this topic, go here.

Of course the New Testament, which has proven to be a reliable historical record, attests to His life. On top of that, there are at least thirty-nine sources outside of the Bible that attest to more than a hundred facts regarding Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection. Take, for example, Flavius Josephus, a first century Roman historian. He affirms, not only that Jesus lived, but that He was “a doer of amazing deeds,” that “Pilate condemned Him to be crucified to die,” that He was a teacher who “won over many Jews and many of the Greeks” and that He was reportedly seen alive by His disciples after His crucifixion. A second extrabiblical source would be the Babylonian Talmud. This collection of ancient Jewish writings mentions Jesus, even saying that He was killed on the eve of Passover, just as the Biblical account describes.Other sources include the Roman historian Tacitus, the Didache, Pliny the Younger, Suetonius, the Gnostic gospels (e.g., the gospel of Thomas), etc. The Encyclopedia Britannica, fifteenth edition, devotes 20,000 words to the person of Jesus Christ and never once hints that He didn’t exist. The evidence is certain. Jesus of Nazareth was a real person. For more on this topic, go here.

“What evidence do you have that the Bible is actually true?”

If I had to narrow it down to a few evidences, I would probably say: fulfilled prophecies, archaeological discoveries, and the Bible’s amazing unity. The Bible, unlike any other religious book, has demonstrated itself to be the Word of God through its ability to rightly predict the future. There are literally hundreds of very specific prophecies in the Bible that were spoken hundreds of years before their fulfillment that have already come to pass. No other religious book can verify itself in this way. The Bible has also been proven to be historically reliable by numerous archaeological discoveries. To date, there have been more than 25,000 archaeological discoveries that have verified the names of persons, places, events, and customs mentioned in the Bible. Finally, there is the Bible’s amazing unity. Here is a book that is actually a collection of sixty-six different books, written down by more than forty different authors, over a period of 1,500 plus years, on three different continents, in three different languages, and it addresses life’s most controversial topics from beginning to end. You would think there would be chaos, confusion, and contradictions, yet the Bible miraculously remains absolutely consistent and internally harmonious from beginning to end. These three evidences (fulfilled prophecy, archaeological discoveries, and the Bible’s amazing unity) build a compelling case for the divine origin and historical reliability of the Bible. For more on this topic, go here.

“Hasn’t the Bible undergone corruption as it was translated hundreds of times down through the centuries?”

The Bible has been translated into hundreds of different languages down through the centuries. You are right about that, but the text of the Bible has been accurately preserved all the way through. How do we know that to be the case? First, there is the manuscript evidence. Today, there exists several thousand partial and complete, ancient handwritten manuscript copies of the Bible, some dating as far back as the third century B.C. These manuscripts have allowed textual critics and scholars to verify that the Bible we have today is the same Bible the early church had. Secondly, there are the writings of the church fathers. By church fathers, I am referring to leaders in the early church. In their commentaries on the Bible, their letters to one another, and their letters to other churches, these men quoted the New Testament Scriptures alone more than 86,000 times. Their quotations have allowed scholars to reconstruct nearly the entire New Testament. These two evidences, the manuscript evidence and the writings of the church fathers, verify conclusively that the original text of the Bible has been accurately preserved. For more on this topic, go here.

The Bible says that God is loving (Psalm 103:8, 1 John 4:10) and that He is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9). If a person has never heard of Jesus, the Bible says that God is going to be absolutely fair with them (Psalm 98:9), and that He will judge them based on what they do know through the testimony of creation and their conscience (Romans 1:20, 2:12-15). If a person truly seeks to know God, the Bible says that “God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).” There are many ways that God can get the truth about salvation to those who truly seek to know Him. He can send a missionary (Acts 10), a radio broadcast, or a Bible (Psalm 119:130). Theoretically God could send a vision (Daniel 2) or an angel (Revelation 14:6). You have heard the truth. You have heard of Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins and God will hold you accountable for what you do with that information. For more on this topic, go here.

“If God is so loving, why does He allow evil and suffering?”

This is the most common question people have regarding God. Here is an interesting question for you to consider. What do you propose God should do about it? To stop evil and suffering, God would have to stop every act that causes any suffering. To do that, He would have to stop those who cause the suffering (adulterers, liars, murderers, criminals, fornicators, etc.). Wouldn’t that mean He would have to put a stop to you too? Haven’t you, by your own actions, caused some of the suffering that exists in the world? Haven’t you hurt somebody’s feelings? My friend, God has not destroyed evil because He would have to destroy us. By permitting evil and suffering to continue, God is actually showing the world mercy. The Bible says that there is coming a day when God will stop evil (2 Peter 3:7-13). He will judge sinners, put them away forever, and create a new heaven and a new earth where there will no longer be any death, mourning, crying, or pain (Revelation 21:4). In the meantime, God is using the suffering that exists for good (Romans 8:28, Philippians 1:12). Often, when a person is suffering, they turn to God and receive the kind of help they truly need. For mroe on this topic, go here.

“Haven’t certain books of the Bible been lost?”

No. The supposedly “lost books” of the Bible that have been found, the so-called gospels of Thomas, Philip, and Mary Magdalene, were not lost gospels, they were pseudo gospels that the early church rejected as uninspired, spurious writings. The Christian church was familiar with these documents, but purposely left them out of the Bible, easily recognizing that they were not divinely inspired. We too can be certain these books do not belong in the Bible. Why? First, they were not written by any of the apostles or their close associates (e.g., Mark or Luke). Most scholars, Christian and non-Christian, date these Gnostic gospels to the second and third centuries, long after the time of Christ. Secondly, these writings contradict authentic revelation. You can be absolutely confident that God, who inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) the men to pen the words of the Bible (2 Peter 1:21), saw to it that none of the inspired writings were lost. It would be foolish for us to think that an all-knowing, all-powerful God could lose track of books He intended to put in the Bible, or anything else for that matter. For more on this topic go here.

“Why would God have created us if He knew that so many would perish?”

God being omniscient certainly did know before He created us, that many would reject Him and end up eternally separated from Him. His foreknowledge is perfect. So then, why did He create us, even knowing in advance that many would be lost? I believe the simplest answer is this: Just as the Lord knew many would reject Him, He also knew that many would freely receive Him and enjoy eternity with Him. Apparently, even knowing that many would reject Him and end up in Hell, He felt it worth it, so that we who would receive Him, could have fellowship with Him, and Him with us. Why should God have not created humans, just because some would refuse to love Him and submit their lives to Him? That would allow evil to triumph over good. I wouldn't refuse to start a family just because I realize that some of my descendants will reject the gospel and end up in Hell. Why? Because I know that many will not. I realize that by having kids, I become the trunk, if you will, to a large family tree. I realize that it is very likely that some of my descendants will reject the gospel and go to Hell. Should I have refused to start a family because these will suffer? No. Why? Because many of my descendants will not go to Hell but will get to enjoy the glories of heaven forever! And those who do suffer will end up in Hell of their own free accord. By me fathering (or grandfathering) children, I am not in any way forcing them to go to Hell. They will have the option to receive God's mercy and forgiveness. So I'm not going to withhold the blessings of eternity from my children and other descendants, because of the evil actions of a few. This is also true with God. He knew that some would reject Him, but He also knew that some would receive Him. For more on this topic, go here.

“Why do Christians reject the apocryphal writings that are in the Catholic Bible?”

There are numerous reasons why Christians (including those making up the early church) have rejected the apocryphal books as authoritative or divinely inspired. Let me share with you four reasons. First, the apocryphal writings contain numerous teachings that contradict authentic Scripture (e.g., praying for the dead, the doctrine of purgatory, the teaching that salvation is available through good works and the giving of alms). Secondly, the apocryphal writings contain numerous historical, geographical and chronological errors. Thirdly, Jesus and the apostles cite the Old Testament nearly three hundred times in the pages of the New Testament (referring to it as Scripture); they never quote any of the apocryphal books accepted by the Roman Catholic Church. Fourthly, the apocryphal writings were never included in the Hebrew Bible. The Jews themselves, from whom the apocryphal writings came, did not accept the writings as divinely inspired. The apocryphal writings were not formally declared to be authoritative and inspired by the Catholic Church until the Council of Trent in A.D. 1546. The Catholic Church’s acceptance of these writings into the canon of Scripture was an effort to counter the teachings of Martin Luther and the other leaders of the Reformation. These men were pointing out that many teachings of the Catholic Church came from the Apocrypha, not the sixty-six books of the Bible. For more on this topic, go here.

“What about homosexuals? Do you believe that they go to Hell?”

The Bible says that anybody who refuses to turn from their sin and receive God’s forgiveness will end up in Hell, whether they be a heterosexual or homosexual. Does the Bible teach that homosexuality is a sin? Yes, very clearly (see Leviticus 18:22, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Romans 1:26-28), but it also says that fornication (sex between an unmarried man and woman), lying, stealing, and drunkenness are sins. So, let us lay aside the whole issue of homosexuality for a moment and imagine that our homosexual friends are married, monogamous heterosexuals. They still have a problem. They, like all of us (Psalm 143:2), have broken a number of God’s other commandments. No matter the sin, every person, heterosexual or homosexual, must turn to the Lord and trust in Christ, in order to be saved (Acts 4:12, 17:30-31).For more on this topic, go here.

“What about evolution? Haven’t Darwin’s theories disproved God’s existence?”

“Can God make a rock so big that He cannot move it? Yes or No?”

With the way you have worded the question a simple “Yes” or “No” answer will not work. Either answer would suggest that God is not omnipotent (all-powerful), something the Bible clearly affirms (Genesis 18:14, Luke 1:37). Your question is like asking someone, “Have you stopped beating your wife yet? Yes or No?” For the person who has not been beating his wife, a simple yes or no answer will not do. If he says yes, he implies that he used to beat his wife. If he says no, he lies and implies that he is still beating his wife. The same is true with this question. A yes or no answer will not work. I will answer your question this way; God, because He is omnipotent, can create any kind of rock that He wants to and because He is omnipotent, He can lift any rock that He creates.

“Why aren’t dinosaurs mentioned in the Bible?”

First, we should not expect to see the word dinosaur in the Bible. The term was not coined until a famous paleontologist, Sir Richard Owen, gave them that name in 1841–nearly eighteen centuries after the New Testament was finished. Second, just because a creature is not mentioned in the Bible does not mean that it did not exist. There are thousands of creatures that are not specifically mentioned in the Bible: giraffes, alligators, penguins, just to name a few. Thirdly, the Bible does actually mention at least two different creatures that very well may have been dinosaurs: Behemoth, and Leviathan. Behemoth is described as having a tail like a cedar tree (Job 40:15-19). Of Leviathan, the Lord said to Job, “…indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up….Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle? Who can open the doors of his face, with his terrible teeth all around? His rows of scales are his pride” (Job 41:9-10, 13-15a). Scales? Terrible teeth? So fierce that no one would dare wake him up? It is easy to see why numerous Biblical scholars have concluded that Leviathan may have been a dinosaur. For more on this topic, go here.

"How could the Gospel writers have accurately remembered all that Jesus said and did?"

We must remember that the disciples had the supernatural aid of the Holy Spirit. On the eve of His crucifixion, Jesus told His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and