Articles
Why Believe in God? Part 1
Why Believe in God? Part 1
Tyler King
There are multiple arguments that favor the existence of God. No matter where a Christian is in their spiritual journey, it is good for them to know basic and fundamental reasons to believe in God. First, these arguments solidify the believers’ faith in the reality of God by utilizing logic. Without a rational faith, one becomes vulnerable to an artificial belief fueled by emotion. Second, these truths not only develop a believer and their walk with God, but also present opportunities to speak about God’s existence to others.
One of the most basic arguments one can make for the existence of God comes from an individual by the name of Blaise Pascal. Blaise was a 17th century mathematician and philosopher – the recipe for a brilliant thinker. He constructed an argument that became known as Pascal’s Wager. In short, the argument illustrates a path of two directions; God exists or God does not exist. For path one, if God exists then the believer receives a wage of eternal reward while the unbeliever receives eternal loss. In path two, if God does not exist the believer and unbeliever lose nothing. Moreover, the believer likely lived a high-quality life surrounded by close friends and relationships.
While Pascal’s wager remains primitive in its roots, it offers a proposition consisting of rationality for someone who has not come to know God. Through the upcoming weeks, we will explore more logical and rational reasons to encourage the journey of that first path – believing that God does, in fact, exist. By God’s existence and our obedience, the blessing of eternal life is in full grasp. Many will discount the reality of God for fear of accountability or a resistance to a church community. Of course, scripture even affirms this: “the fool says in his heart, ‘there is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). Interestingly, the Hebrew vocabulary for “fool” is also described as one who is “senseless, one without perception of ethical and religious claims, and godless” (BDB, 614). One of the first steps to rationally believing in God, is considering the eternal consequences at stake.
