I Believe in God

The Existence of God is Axiomatic

The myths of the ancient pagan religions often contain stories to explain how the gods were born or came into being. They attempt to answer the question beloved of children even today - "If God made the world, who made God?" The question shows that the one who asks it has not grasped the essential point about God, which is that there is nothing before God and there can be nothing before God. Any being that came before God would have to be God.

The Bible, in either the Jewish or Christian sections of it, makes no attempt to explain the existence of God. The opening words of Genesis are, "In the beginning God . . .". God is not explained - he simply is. The name he gave to Moses for himself is YHWH (sometimes pronounced Yahweh or Jehovah but never pronounced at all by orthodox Jews). The name seems to mean something like, "I Am, I always was and always will be". Moffat's translation of the Bible translates the holy Name as "The Eternal". If there is never a time when God was not, then no explanation is possible or necessary. God is .

To explain where God came from, then, is impossible. What is also impossible, to the annoyance of many, is to prove the existence of God. That is not to say that it is impossible to put forward theories which show that God must exist. Many books of theology attempt to do this. They may go so far as to show the probability of God's existence but they never finally prove it in the sense that a scientist demands proof.

There is only one way to prove God's existence and that is by personal experience. No one who has met with God in a real and personal relationship with him as Father and as sovereign Lord can doubt him but such proof is sufficient only for the person who experiences it. It is subjective. That does not invalidate it, of course, but it does mean that those who have not experienced it for themselves will not necessarily feel that they can accept it as proof. That is as it should be - like love, or a delicious flavour each person must have their own experience of God. (Oh taste and see that the L ORD is good!)

So, when I say " I believe in God", I can say it on two levels. My mind accepts the existence of God because I find his existence perfectly logical but also I believe because I know . I have a relationship with God. That means that either I am mad or God exists. I prefer the latter explanation.