FY1 – Lesson 1: Does God Exist?

Scripture: Romans 1:18-32

introduction

The mentor or group leader should first lead the group members in discussing the following two sentences:

a) Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) once said: "It is difficult to prove the existence of God; it is even more difficult to prove the non-existence of God." Why?

First: The so-called God refers to a supreme and all-powerful ruler who transcends all things. Since He transcends all existence, no human can prove His existence with anything else, because He is above all methods of proof. If God could be proven, He would be smaller than the "proof" itself. Therefore, proving God's existence is extremely difficult.

Second: As a philosopher, Kant knew that the arguments proving God's existence in the past did have their flaws; however, Kant also found that arguments proving God's non-existence were extremely rare and arbitrary, so he said: It is even more difficult to prove that God does not exist!

Group leader should note: There is no need for lengthy discussions on this topic, because the issue of whether or not to accept God's existence is not a purely rational question, meaning that we cannot simply judge people by reason, as it involves moral issues.

B) Many people (especially ordinary citizens) like to say, "If you believe, it exists; if you don't believe, it doesn't!" Do you think this is reasonable?

This is the view of idealists: the existence of God depends entirely on our inner belief or disbelief. If we believe, He exists; if we don't, He doesn't exist. Then, does God actually exist or not? If belief or disbelief can determine God's existence, it means our belief or disbelief is greater than God, because it can determine God's existence or non-existence. This argument is clearly unreasonable.

Discussion of issues

1. Before accepting the Christian faith, a person often possesses some knowledge about God, such as His existence, His justice, and His mercy.

According to Genesis 1:26-27, this is because humans possess the image of God, which includes spirituality, morality, and eternity. Therefore, under certain circumstances, people may develop a concept of God or a desire for eternal life, because God has placed eternity/forever in their hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11). The group leader should illustrate this with examples.

The group leader can ask group members to share their experiences or opinions on this issue.

2. In what ways or through what means does God make His existence known? (Romans 1:18-20)
3. "Impatience" refers to sins committed by people against God, including the first four commandments in the Ten Commandments.

"Unrighteousness" refers to sins committed by one person against another, including the last six commandments in the Ten Commandments. These people use unrighteousness as evil to obstruct some truths they already know in their hearts, including the truth that God exists.

As a result, God's righteous wrath was manifested in them, and through God's righteous judgment, people knew the existence of "divine justice." In fact, most people believe in so-called cause and effect; history tells us that political tyrants quickly bring about the downfall of their nations, and may even face trial in their lifetime. Some may think that someone who commits numerous evils still prospers and escapes divine retribution, but these people, though wealthy and powerful, enjoy riches and honor, lack inner peace—this too is a form of judgment. On the other hand, people often believe in the saying, "Good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds are punished; if not now, then later." God's retribution doesn't necessarily all come in this life; the final judgment at the Great Throne of Jesus Christ will be the definitive one.

1. "This shows that the law is written on their hearts, and their consciences bear witness that their thoughts contend with one another, whether they agree or disagree." Romans 2:15

The “human heart” here, or “the heart of right and wrong,” is conscience, a voice that bears witness with us. When I do good, it says, “This is good”; and when I am about to do evil, it responds, “This is evil.” Kant once said, “There is a bright morning star in the sky, and in the human heart is the lamp of God.” It is evident that conscience has the function of witnessing to God; it is the effect of God engraving the function of the law in the human heart.

However, due to human sin and depravity, a pure conscience has been polluted. If a person constantly resists the voice of their conscience, the conscience may lose its normal function and become "numb" as if branded by a hot iron (1 Timothy 4:2).

1. Nature is like a book that proclaims God's glory, hence we call it the "Book of Nature." The words in this book are easy for everyone to understand. God reveals Himself through this book, and if we read it with reverence, we can recognize God's true existence. Here, the group leader can provide some examples of wondrous phenomena in nature to illustrate this.

 For example: the mysteries of water and other phenomena

Everyone knows that hydrogen and oxygen combine to form water. Oxygen is the main gas that helps things burn, and hydrogen itself is easily ignited. However, when they combine to form water, they become a fire extinguishing agent. Isn't that amazing? Now consider water turning into ice, as hard as stone. Logically, it should sink to the bottom of the sea like a stone. If ice did sink, then the freezing of oceans and rivers would surely rise from the bottom, wiping out all aquatic life. In fact, the ice floats on the surface, and aquatic life still survives. This is very different from the general laws of physics. According to the general laws of physics, all things expand when heated and contract when cooled. When its temperature drops to almost freezing point, it suddenly violates the general laws of physics and expands instead. If you observe the freezing process under a microscope, the lower the initial temperature, the more the water shrinks. If this contraction continues, once it freezes, it will sink like a stone, and all fish and shrimp will die. But here, a miracle happens. When the temperature drops to four degrees Celsius, the contraction of the water suddenly stops. When the temperature drops from four degrees to zero, not only does the original volume return to its original state, but it also increases by one-sixth. Therefore, ice can float on water, allowing aquatic life to survive. Who designed this? Other organisms, like animals absorbing oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, and plants absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen through photosynthesis, rely on these cycles to survive. Birds fly with wings; fish float with swim bladders; earthworms, lacking legs, walk on their bellies; male and female flowers mate through bees and butterflies; sound is transmitted through air; light illuminates objects. These are the means of communication. Similarly, the eyes of cattle and horses are long and wide because they need to look straight ahead, while those of rabbits and mice are high and protruding because they need to look backward. Likewise, the stomachs of tigers and leopards are narrow and small because they digest meat easily; those that eat grains have thick and strong stomachs because they are difficult to digest. For example, birds have stomachs that hold sand to grind up debris, so they won't be harmed even if they eat glass; cows and deer, which eat grass, have four stomachs specially prepared for rumination. Did you design these ingenious arrangements? Or were they just a lucky coincidence?

3. Why do people, though possessing knowledge of God, not worship God as God? (Romans 1:21-23, 3:23)

First, sin obscures our knowledge of God, making us like blind men touching an elephant. One might mistake the elephant for a fan (because he touched its ear) or a pillar (because he touched its foot)... This is why some people worship idols as if they were God.

Second: Because of sin, people want to exalt themselves and build their own "Tower of Babel." Therefore, "although they know God, they do not glorify Him as God, nor do they give thanks to Him."

Third: Although people know that God is holy, because of sin, they still prefer to live in darkness and are therefore unwilling to get to know this God further.

4. Christians know of God's existence not through "revelation" from nature, that is, through messages from the "Book of Nature," but through the "Book of Scripture." The Bible clearly reveals God not only His existence but also His attributes and deeds.

Christians know that God is a living, personal God who can communicate with people. Therefore, Christians can experience God through prayer, Bible reading, and daily life events.

5. We do not build relationships with people based on intellectual knowledge, but rather on trust and mutual interaction. Similarly, a life-long relationship can only be established with God when one is willing to accept Him and believe in Him.

Jesus Christ clearly states that He is the way, the truth, and the life. Only through Him can we truly know God, therefore He desires and hopes that we accept His invitation. The Bible says, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). Are you willing?

Conclusion

The group leader can invite group members to open their hearts and pray to God, whether it is to accept Him or to express their willingness to get to know Him better.