How can we know that God exists?

Every now and then I receive some hate mail.  I don't take it very seriously because 99.9% of it comes from people I don't even know, and likewise they don't know me.  Just a few days ago, I received one of those special pieces of mail.  As I read it, I was filled with mixed emotions that included a combination of concern and compassion.

I won't repeat what the message said because it was both vulgar and blasphemous.  Ironically, the person who sent it actually included their own name which isn't common.  After reading it, I mentioned it to my wife and we chatted about it for a few moments.

The message was from someone who found some of the online articles I have written about the Christian faith.  I don't know how many of the articles he actually read, but I do know he took the time to contact me through my website and he wanted me to know just how much he hated the concept of God.  I'm assuming that he doesn't believe in the existence or omnipotence of God because if he did, I don't imagine he would have felt quite so comfortable saying what he said.

Sadly, this man is not alone in his opinions.  There are many people on this planet who don't believe God is real, and if they do believe in the concept of a god, their beliefs certainly don't align with what the Bible teaches.

What do you think about this subject?  Is God real, and if so, how can we know for sure?

I believe there are several ways to approach this question, each of which convince me that God is indeed real.

I.  Creation demonstrates that God is real.

"The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork."  (Psalm 19:1)

Once your eyes are opened to God's existence, you begin to see Him everywhere.  When David wrote Psalm 19, he indicated that by looking upward to the heavens, we would see the handiwork of God.  So, what can we see when looking heavenward?

 For starters, I see symmetry and order.  I see the effects of the planets revolving around the sun in a defined and intentional pattern that allows us to measure time and seasons.  I also understand that if the earth was positioned closer to the sun or further from the sun, life would not be sustainable on this planet.  I also see stars in the sky that provide evening illumination and can also be used by those who sail the seas to accurately chart the course they're taking.

 I also see evidence on this planet for an intentional designer.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse."  (Romans 1:18-20)

 The apostle Paul explained that in order to fail to see the hand of God in creation, one has to actively suppress obvious truths.  In His creation, God has revealed His power and His attributes, so there is no excuse for not believing in His existence that will stand up as valid when the day comes and humanity stands before Him.

 When I look at what God has made, I see His fingerprints everywhere.  When trees lose their leaves during the winter, I'm grateful to see the intelligence of God infused into their design.  If they didn't lose their leaves, their branches would break from the weight of snow and ice.

 When I look at the human face, I see eyebrows intentionally placed in order to block sweat from dripping into our eyes.  I see pupils that have the capacity to expand or contract to adjust to the available light.  I see two ways to breathe in case one becomes temporarily inoperable.  I see fine hairs in our nostrils to help filter particles in the air from reaching our lungs.  I see teeth that come in smaller and larger sets depending on our age and season of development.  I also see teeth that have specific functions.  Some are there for making incisions in food while others are perfectly designed to crunch it up and aid in digestion.  I also see the tongue and vocal cords which cooperate with the air in our lungs to give us the ability to speak intelligent languages.

 There's even more I could say about things like the reproductive system, the ability of our bodies to fight disease, and the fact that skin, hair, and fingernails continually regenerate over the course of our lives.  Just a quick glimpse at what God has created demonstrates that there is an intelligent designer behind creation.

II.  The Bible accepts and illustrates the existence of God.

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  (Genesis 1:1)

 The Bible itself is filled with convincing proofs of the reality of God, but you'll notice that the Bible actually begins with faith and acceptance of His existence as if it is trying to say that the reality of God is an obvious truth that doesn't need to be defended.

 We're told in the opening verse of Genesis that before the heavens and earth were created, God already existed.  He has always existed, even before we began counting time.

 There are other ways the Bible itself convinces me of the existence of God.  I consider the Bible to be a miracle.  It was written over the course of 1,500 years by over 40 writers.  Some of them didn't have access to each other's writings, yet the things they wrote align perfectly without contradiction. 

"For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."  (2 Peter 1:21)

The Bible also contains approximately 2,500 prophesies and at present, about 2,000 have been fulfilled.  Some of those prophesies are so hyper-specific that it would be impossible for them to be revealed and fulfilled without an omniscient being who exists outside of time providentially revealing them and orchestrating their precise fulfillment.

III.  Jesus Christ is proof that God is real.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:1, 14)

 The Bible reveals many things about God's nature, including the fact that while there is only one God, He exists in three co-eternal and co-equal persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  When Jesus, who is God the Son, came to earth and took on flesh, He made it known to us that He and the Father are united as one.  He also demonstrated that He was God by multiple convincing proofs.

 I believe the wisdom Jesus taught with was a demonstration of His deity as were His sinless life, His miracles, His transfiguration, His resurrection from the dead, His post resurrection appearances to hundreds of people, and His visible ascension back to Heaven.

 People often say things like, "If God is real, why doesn't He show Himself to us so we can see and hear Him."  In Jesus, this is exactly what God chose to do.  Since that time, many people have believed in Him, while many others have persisted in the suppression of the truth.

IV.  The transformative power of the Holy Spirit convinces me that God is real.

"I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus."  (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

 There are many examples in Scripture of lives that have been dramatically changed.  We're shown multiple pictures of lives that were being lived apart from God, being radically transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Paul's life is one in particular that stands out in the pages of the New Testament.

Earlier in his life, Paul actively opposed those who followed Jesus.  He participated in their executions and imprisonments, but in time, through the direct intervention of God, Paul's life was transformed.  He went from blaspheming God to serving Him.  He went from persecuting followers of Christ to being persecuted because he followed Christ.

 Having experienced this kind of transformation in my own life, and having seen this transformation of belief and behavior in the lives of others helps convince me that God is real.  The new desires the Lord has placed in my heart, including the desire to love Him, obey Him, serve others in His name, and a willingness to suffer persecution or even death because of my faith in Him, persuade me to believe He is indeed real.

 Some might say this proof is anecdotal, and I certainly understand why they might feel that way.  If lives that have been miraculously transformed aren't a convincing proof of the existence of God, let me conclude by pointing out that believing in God's existence is completely reasonable and logical.

V.  Logic itself reveals that God is real.

In the world of logic and philosophy, there are three primary arguments that are often given for the existence of God.  We call those arguments (or views) the cosmological, teleological, and moral arguments for God's existence.

 The cosmological argument states that everything we see is an effect that has a cause behind it.  Tracing those causes backward, we eventually begin to realize that somewhere along the way, there has to be what's referred to as the "first cause."  The first cause would have to be an intelligent, self-existent being who is uncaused.

 The teleological argument states that the intricate order and purpose in the universe point directly to the existence of an intelligent designer.  This is seen in the structure of the universe, the laws of physics, and biological complexities like DNA and cellular structures.

 The moral argument states that since objective moral values like good and evil exist, there must also exist a moral lawgiver, which is God.  The very existence of a universal sense of right and wrong points to the existence of a supreme source of morality.

VI.  It takes faith to believe.

 I'm happy to share some of the reasons I believe that God exists, but in the end we have to admit that it really takes faith to believe any aspect of what I just shared.  If someone's heart is completely closed off to believing in God's existence, there's no argument I'm going to be able to make to effectively persuade them to believe differently.

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  (Hebrews 11:1)

 My prayer is that you'll consider these observations with an open heart and wrestle with whether or not they're reliably true.  Most notably, please remember that God has clearly revealed Himself to us in Jesus, and Scripture explains that through faith in Jesus, you will be completely forgiven of any offense you've made against God.  Through Jesus, you will be reconciled to God, welcomed into His eternal family, and blessed with an everlasting inheritance in His divine kingdom.

© John Stange, 2025