Christianity occupies an important position in human history because of its great impact and many adherents. Consequently, it is worthwhile to study the matters of the Christian faith related to believing in Jesus Christ. There are several important matters in the Christian faith, such as God, man, and sins. If we are clear about these matters, we will have a basic understanding of the Christian faith. It is a pity that many people lack a proper understanding of these important matters.
The first matter related to the Christian faith is God. Some say that there is a God, and others say that there is no God. There is even a Chinese gospel hymn entitled, “You Say There Is No God, but I Say There Is a God.” Those who have God are joyful, but those who do not have God are miserable. Those who say that God exists are strengthened when they speak of His existence, but those who say that God does not exist feel empty when they deny His existence. Another hymn entitled “There Is a God” says, “Listen to the voice of your conscience; / If you say there is no God, / You go against your conscience! / Listen to the voice of your conscience; / How can there be no God?” The last stanza firmly declares, “There is a God! There is a God! Yes, there is a God!” This is the most important matter related to believing in Jesus Christ.
People may say that it is useless to speak of God in the twentieth century with so many advances in science. However, the first great matter related to believing in Christ involves the question of the existence of God. There is no way to understand the Christian faith if this point is overlooked.
When people ask about the existence of God, some strongly say that God exists, and others strongly say that there is no such thing as God. Rather than answering yes or no so assertively, others lack a willingness to say yes but are equally unwilling to say no. Those who fall into this in-between category are afraid to say no because God may exist; however, they also are reluctant to say yes because they do not want to waste their time if He does not exist. Therefore, they sit on the fence, unable to make a decision.
Even though many people are not clear about the existence of God, this matter has a great impact on our lives. Those who believe that God exists live a certain kind of human life, whereas those who assume that there is no God live a different kind of life. As human beings, we need to be clear about this question in order to be clear about our human life.
The number of people who believe that there is a God is about equal to the number of people who believe that there is no God. Those who think that there is no God often despise those who believe in His existence, regarding them as superstitious and overly assertive in their beliefs. However, those who deny the existence of God are just as superstitious and are overly assertive because they have no way to prove their denial.
Those who do not believe in God always ask those who believe to give them some proof of His existence. Since believing in God is not a matter of superstition, we can certainly provide some arguments for His existence. However, before we offer any argument for the existence of God, we should ask those who do not believe about their proof that He does not exist. We should ask, “What is your basis for saying that there is no God? You should provide evidence for your belief that there is no God.” Often their strongest proof is nothing more than a declaration that God does not exist because no one has ever seen God. They regard their inability to see God as some kind of scientific proof. But basing one’s belief on only what can be seen is truly a matter of superstition.
If we regard everything that cannot be seen as being non-existent, there are many things whose existence we would have to deny. For example, the universe is so big that we cannot fully observe, describe, and understand it. Likewise, should we deny the existence of microorganisms or oxygen simply because we cannot see these things? Is it logical for a blind person to say that there is no such thing as color in this world? Should a deaf person say there is no such thing as sound in the universe? It is not reasonable to deny the existence of something that cannot be seen or heard.
The surface area of the earth is nearly 200,000,000 square miles, whereas human beings are only around six feet tall. Man is tiny compared to the earth. Even the distance between the earth and the sun is slight in comparison to the distance between our solar system and other stars. The distance between stars in the universe is measured in terms of light-years. Light travels at approximately 186,000 miles per second. If we multiply 186,000 miles by the number of seconds in one year, then the distance associated with one light-year is slightly less than 5,865,700,000,000 miles. The shortest distance between the sun in our solar system and another star in the sky is approximately 4.24 light-years. If this is the shortest distance, the distance to faraway stars is almost incomprehensible. If it is difficult to understand the vastness of the universe, one should not quickly assume that his determination of the non-existence of God is correct.
The mystery of God is much greater than the vastness of the universe. Consequently, it is amazing that people would dare to conclude that there is no God. Their denial of God’s existence is too bold. Even though the universe is vast and we see so little, some people are willing to boldly assert that there is no God merely based on what they see. This is not reasonable.