You cannot argue people into believing in God. You cannot prove the existence of God, although there are many philosophical proofs for its probability. Ultimate questions require faith because there is a limit to rationality. The eternal requires infinite categories. "Anyone who comes to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." (Hebrews 11:6) However, if I were asked why I believed in God I would give these reasons.

I believe in God because of the Logic of Consciousness. Human beings have the ability to explore with their minds and imaginations. We have the capacity to connect the dots. We can explain how things work. We can experiment and develop theories. We can find meaning and purpose in life. We can write books about the human condition. We can create artistic designs. We can compose harmony in music. We can enjoy contentment and achievement. Our powers of observation can draw conclusions that satisfy our understanding. "What may be known about God is plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature - have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." (Romans 1:19,20)

"An essential and important dimension of the human self....is that he can soar in thought beyond the immediate circumstances of his life...Humans are, as far as we know, the only animals that can be transported by a novel or a movie into another world, with its loves and hates, enchantments and terrors, cozy comforts and unnerving suspense. We alone can know, ten years in advance, that the moon will be full on a given day, or sixty years in advance, that we will one day molder in the ground. Only human life can be shaped by an ideal, such as the life of Christ, or an ideology, such as Marxism, or an obsession, like making money..... Because of our imagination - ability and compulsion to survey our lives, to see them for what they're worth - meaninglessness is the destiny of human consciousness, except in the context of eternity." (Robert C. Roberts, Spiritual Emotions, 51,55)

It is illogical to me to be conscious of all that makes life meaningful without also being conscious of an eternal purpose which is being fulfilled in and through my life and history. That which is so valuable in our lifetime cannot just disappear and be rendered useless in death. There must be some eternal dimension to existence, some creation and salvation, some Creator and Savior. Our consciousness of this life logically requires the eternal perspective who is God.

I believe in God because of Moral Sense. All human societies have standards of right and wrong in order to survive. Most of us recognize the difference between what is just and what is unjust. We are aware of the values of sympathy, fairness, self-control, and duty. We condemn selfishness, cruelty, abuse, and violence. We experience consciousness of sin, shame and guilt. We need forgiveness. The Bible calls this moral sense: conscience - the requirements of God's law is written on our hearts. "When outsiders who have never heard of God's law follow it more or less by instinct, they confirm its truth by their obedience. They show that God's law is not something alien, imposed on us from without, but woven into the very fabric of our creation. There is something deep within them that echoes God's yes and no, right and wrong." (Romans 2:14,15 The Message) Yes, some people suppress the truth of their conscience, harden their hearts against God and goodness, and give themselves over to evil.

Many people find that the problem of evil in our world, the moral evil of the Holocaust for example, or the senseless suffering of children, makes it impossible for them to believe in God. To the contrary, I find that there is no answer to the problem of evil outside of a belief in the ultimate justice of God and eternal salvation. With God we are all accountable and personally responsible. If there were no evil in this world, and terrible things did not happen, I doubt that everyone would automatically give God credit and believe in him. I believe that our only hope in overcoming evil is in the kingdom of God: "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil."

I believe in God because of the Witness of Revelation. The Bible reveals to us the person and work of God in our midst. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." (Hebrews 1:1,2)

As I read the Bible I become aware of the presence and power of God in the world and in my life. The Bible is God's love-letter to me. The witness of Spirit-filled men and women down through the ages reveals to me the reality of God. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. He reveals to me the glory of God. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." (Hebrews 1:3) Begin your search for God with Jesus. God himself is infinite in his being and altogether beyond our reach and comprehension. That is why he has taken the initiative to reveal himself -- for we could never come to know him otherwise.

I believe in God because of the Reality of Love. The inward feeling of love for another transcends all that passes away in this world. When you see the beauty of your new born baby, your children and grandchildren, your loved ones, you experience love that never ends. Against all odds love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. This feeling of the dignity and worth of others, the wonder and mystery of life, which humbles you and motivates you to do extraordinary and heroic deeds of unselfishness, comes from God. "Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." (1 John 4:7-9)

I do not believe in a generic God, but in the God of love, who is revealed in Jesus. It is God who gives us the ability to love and be loved, to be valued and treasured, for life to be sacred. Without God we would be devalued, become merely a statistic, one of many biological species to be exploited only for our economic utility. Instead we are beloved of God, destined for greater glory.

Belief in God makes logical sense of life. Belief in God enables me to enjoy the fullness of life. Belief in God holds me morally responsible for my attitudes and actions. Belief in God is revealed in the words of the Bible and the life of Christ. Belief in God is experienced through the power and beauty of love. To believe in God is to know that all things are possible. To know Jesus is to know God.

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