the creed - i believe in god

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker

of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only

Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose

again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the

right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy

catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;

the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

The CreedI BELIEVE in GOD

The Creed – I Believe in God


“An affirmative existential proposition can be proved, but a negative existential proposition – one that denies the existence

of some thing – cannot be proved.”

- Dr. Mortimer Adler“Truth in Religion”


“Two explorers came upon a clearing in the jungle. In the clearing were growing many flowers and many weeds. One explorer says,

“Some gardener must tend this plot.” The other disagrees, “There is no gardener.” So they pitch their tents and set a

watch. No gardener is ever seen… Yet still the believer is not convinced. “But there is a gardener, invisible, intangible,

insensible to electric shocks, who comes secretly to look after the garden he loves.” At last the Skeptic despairs. “But what

remains of the original assertion? Just how does what you call an invisible, intangible, eternally elusive gardener differ from an

imaginary gardener or even from no gardener at all?”- Anthony Flew, Theology and Falsification


Key Question…

“Why do we have something rather than nothing at all?”

-Martin Heidegger“The Fundamental Question of Metaphysics”

Our argument is … if anything exists, God exists.


“In one sense man does not ask the question about God, his very existence

raises the question about God”.

-Wolfaart Panneberg“Basic Questions in Theology”


Four Possible Explanations for Reality

1. Reality is an illusion2. Reality is/was self-created3. Reality is self-existent (eternal)4. Reality was created by something that

is self-existent


“I think, therefore I am.” -Rene Descartes

Descartes, a mathematician, argued that if he is thinking then he must „be‟. In other words, I think, therefore I am

not an illusion.

Illusions require something experiencing the illusion. You cannot doubt the existence of

yourself without proving your existence.

Reality is an Illusion

Reality as an Illusion is ruled out...


“Nothing is what rocks dream about.”-Aristotle

Spontaneous generation is an analytically false concept – false by

definition. Something cannot be ontologically prior to itself.

“I never asserted so absurd a proposition as that anything might arise without a cause.”

- David Hume, Skeptic/Atheist

Reality is/was Self-Created

Reality being Self-Created is ruled out...


• Something exists• Nothing cannot create something• Therefore, a necessary and

eternal being exists

-Jonathan Edwards

Only Logical Stance on Reality

Two possible options: an eternal universe or an eternal Creator


Only Logical Stance on Reality

“There are not many options – essentially just two. Either human intelligence ultimately owes its origin to mindless matter; or there is a Creator. It

is strange that some people claim that it is their intelligence that leads them to prefer the first to

the second.”- John Lennox

Matter before Mind or Mind before Matter


All scientific discovery points to one fact: The universe had a beginning.

• Everything that begins to exist must have a cause

• The universe began to exist• Therefore, the universe had a cause

And simply stated, what has a beginning cannot be eternal.

An Eternal Universe

Reality being an Eternal Universe is ruled out...


• Something exists• You don‟t get something from nothing• Therefore a necessary and eternal

being exists• The only two options are an eternal

universe and an eternal Creator• Science has disproven the concept of

an eternal universe• Therefore, an eternal Creator exists

An Eternal Creator

Reality being created by a Eternal Creator is our answer


According to Francis Crick, Richard Dawkins, and other leading scientists, the answer is …

Directed Panspermia

Scientists Explanation for Life


The “Unmoved” Mover-Aristotle

An infinite regress of causes is impossible. There is a difference

between theoretical and actual infinity; you can‟t practically put an

infinite number of things between two points.

Problem: Infinite Regress


• Some limited, changing being(s) exist• The present existence of these beings is caused by another• There cannot be an infinite regress of causes of being• Therefore, there is a first Cause of the present existence of

these beings• The first Cause must be infinite, necessary, eternal, simple,

and unchangeable• This first uncaused Cause is identical with the God of the

Bible - Norman Geisler, The Philosophy of Religion

What Kind of Eternal Creator?

True or False?


• He must be supernatural in nature.• He must be powerful (incredibly). • He must be eternal (self-existent; no infinite regress of causes).• He must be omnipresent (He created space and is not limited by

it).• He must be timeless and changeless (He created time). • He must be immaterial (because He transcends space/physical).• He must be personal (impersonality can‟t create personality). • He must be necessary (as everything else depends on it).

The Eternal Being as Revealed in Nature


• He must be infinite and singular as you cannot have two infinites

• He must be diverse yet have unity• He must be intelligent (supremely). • He must be purposeful as He deliberately created everything.• He must be moral (no moral law can be had without a giver). • He must be caring (or no moral laws would have been given).

The Eternal Being as Revealed in Nature

“No finite point has any meaning unless it has an infinite reference point”- Jean Paul Sarte


• Supernatural – “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”(Gen. 1:1)

• Powerful - "„Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,"(Jer. 32:17)

• Eternal - "Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God."(Psalm 90:2)

• Omnipresent - "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?"(Psalm 139:7)

• Timeless and Changeless – “I, the Lord, do not change.”(Mal 3:6).

The Eternal Being Revealed in Scripture


• Immaterial – “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”(John 4:24)

• Personal - "Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”"(Gen. 3:9)

• Necessary - "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."(Col. 1:17)

• Infinite and Singular - “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? declares the Lord."(Jer. 23:24) . “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!"(Deuteronomy 6:4)

• Diverse yet have Unity – "“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"(Matthew 28:19)



• Intelligent - "He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite."(Psalm 147:4-5)

• Purposeful - "„For I know the plans that I have for you,‟ declares the Lord, „plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."(Jer. 29:11)

• Moral – “for the Lord our God is righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done"(Daniel 9:14)

• Caring - “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”(1 Peter 5:6-7)



Which Best Explains the Evidence?

A Mindless, Purposeless, Meaninglessness, Amoral, Impersonal universe accidently creating personal

beings equipped with minds who are obsessed with purpose, meaning and morals? In other words,

impersonal matter + time + chance equals a cause that possesses none of the characteristics of its effect…

Or

A Creator that embodies them all…?


“Essentially, I realized that to stay an atheist, I would have to believe that nothing produces everything; non-

life produces life; randomness produces fine-tuning; chaos produces information; unconsciousness

produces consciousness; and non-reason produces reason. Those leaps of faith were simply too big for me

to take, especially in light of the affirmative case for God's existence and Jesus' resurrection (and, hence,

his divinity). In other words, in my assessment the Christian worldview accounted for the totality of the

evidence much better than the atheistic worldview.”

- Lee Strobel on accepting atheism from a thinking standpoint


Immanuel Kant didn‟t believe you could know God, but

taught that if God doesn‟t exist, then ethics were meaningless.

Without God all ethics are emotive – a matter of opinion.

Kant asked the question, “What would it take for ethics

to be meaningful?”

Another Example – The Moral Argument


For there to be meaning in ethics there must be … Justice.

What is necessary for justice to be real? This world shows that justice doesn‟t always prevail. There must be life after death.

Is that enough? No. There must be a judgment. And it must be perfect.

And for there to be perfect justice and a perfect judgment, there must be a perfect judge. One that must know all the facts of the case. He

must have all knowledge.

Is that enough? No. the judge must be righteous. A judge can know all the facts and be corrupt.

Is that enough? No. The judge must have the power to implement and enforce the justice. Nothing must be able to oppose him.


Now you have an omnipotent, omniscient, righteous, and holy Judge, who serves over a world that is beyond

this life.

Doesn‟t this sound like the God of the Bible?

Remember – Kant came to this result without using the Bible


No Excuse

“But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! ”

– Romans 1:19, The Message


Some Old Testament Names of God

• YHWH – Jehovah: Self-existent One (Ex. 3:14, “I AM WHO I AM”).

• Elohim: Strong one. Plural word; plural of majesty.• Adonai: Lord. Indicative of master-servant relationship. • El Elyon: Most High, “strongest strong one”, “possessor of

heaven and earth” (Isa. 14:13-14)• El Roi: Strong One who sees (Gen. 16:13)• El Shaddai: Almighty God (Gen. 17:1-20)• El Olam: Everlasting God (Isa. 40:28; c.f. Micah 5:2 for Jesus)• Jehovah Jireh: the Lord will provide (Gen. 22:13-14)• Jehovah Raah: The Lord is my Shepherd (Ps. 23:1)• Jehovah Shammah: The Lord who is present (Ezek. 48:35)


God – A Trinity

Father

SonSpiritIs not

God

“Every once in a while in my discussions someone asks how I can believe in the Trinity. My answer is always the same. I would still be an agnostic if there was

no Trinity, because there would be no answers. Without the high order of personal unity and diversity as given in the Trinity, there are no answers.”

- Francis Schaeffer, He is There and He is Not Silent


“And the catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the persons, nor dividing the

substance.

For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. But the godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of

the Holy Spirit, is all one, the glory equal, the majesty co-eternal.

Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Spirit. The Father uncreated, the Son uncreated, and the Holy Spirit

uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, and the Holy Spirit

incomprehensible.

The Father eternal, the Son eternal, and the Holy Spirit eternal. And yet they are not three eternals, but one Eternal.”

- Excerpt from Athanasian Creed


Hierarchy in the Trinity“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws

him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”(John 6:44)

“For I did not speak on My own initiative, but the Father Himself who sent Me has given Me a commandment as to what to say

and what to speak.”(John 12:49)

“When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will

testify about Me”(John 15:26)


The Trinity in the New Testament

"After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a

dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.””

- Matthew 3:16-17

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the nameof the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,”

- Matthew 28:19

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

- 2 Corinthians 13:14


The Trinity in the New Testament

"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia,

Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by

the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace

and peace be yours in the fullest measure.” - 1 Peter 1:1-2


God the Father

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)

“For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you."(Matthew 6:14)

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

in Christ,"(Ephesians 1:3)


God the Father – What is He Like?

“But when he came to his senses, he said, „How many of my father‟s hired men have more than enough bread, but I am dying here with hunger! „I will get up and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me as one of your hired men.” ‟ “So he got up and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion for him, and ran and embraced

him and kissed him. “And the son said to him, „Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.‟ “But the father said to his slaves, „Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life

again; he was lost and has been found.‟ And they began to celebrate.“- Luke 15:17-24


God the Father

“He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His

will”-Ephesians 1:5

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as

sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!””- Romans 8:15


God the Father“so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Because you are sons, God

has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!””-Galatians 4:5-6

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name”

- John 1:12

“See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and sure we are.”

- 1 John 3:1


A Change of Heart

“I think the origins of the laws of nature and of life and the Universe

point clearly to an intelligent Source. The burden of proof is

on those who argue to the contrary.”

– Anthony Flew, former outspoken atheist


“More consequences for life and action follow from the affirmation or denial of God than from any other

basic question”– Mortimer Adler, Philosopher, Legal Scholar


Why Belief in the True God is Critical

“The history of mankind will probably show that no people has ever risen above its religion, and

man‟s spiritual history will positively demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its

idea of God … What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing

about us. ”– A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy








The CreedI BELIEVE in GOD

the creed - i believe in god

Spiritual

eternal universe

eternal creatorthe creed

right hand of god

theologythe creed

religionthe creed

matterthe creed

falsificationthe creed

panspermiathe creed