Theism: God Is

The world and human experience is made sense of in light of the acknowledgment that God exists and is the most important thing that there is.

For Christian faith, “God” is the basic starting point. He exists. Before we get to questions about what God is like or what he does, the fact and importance of God is foundational.

Christians are monotheists. This means that we not only believe in a God, but that he is also the only God who exists and ought to be worshipped. This differs from other positions, including:

• Atheism – “there is no God”
• Polytheism – “there are lots of gods”
• Henotheism – “there are other gods but we only worship one of them”
• Pantheism – “everything is part of God”
• Deism – “God exists, but isn’t meaningfully involved in anything here on earth”

Furthermore, people might believe that God exists, but that he is not all that important to them. The faith that counts is a faith that is committed – not only believing Christian ideas, but loving God and serving him.

Many modern people believe that belief in God (or anything supernatural) is ridiculous. But rational reasons for believing in the existence of God have been proposed, not merely hundreds, but even thousands of years before today. Three examples of this are:

• The “Cosmological Argument” – that the universe must have been made by something, i.e. God.
• The “Teleological Argument” – that the order and design detected in the makeup of the universe suggests that an intelligent designer shaped it.
• The “Moral Argument” – that the universal human conception of good and evil, and that people should live according to a standard of conduct, supports the idea that a moral Maker is behind this innate sense prevalent in humanity.

These arguments have of course been hotly debated over time by theologians and philosophers, with a considerable amount of criticism and refinement. Normally people believe in God for reasons other than his existence being proven to them, although arguments like these support and validate belief in his existence. But even if such arguments persuade people to believe God exists, they do not create the kind of faith that is committed to him. Committed faith comes as a response to God’s worthiness, promises, and actions—both in history and in personal experience.

The Bible does not argue a case for the existence of God. The Bible opens with the words “In the beginning God…” (Gen 1:1), assuming his existence before showing what he is like, what he has done, and how we understand the world in light of him. Christians hold that belief in God is not a goal in itself, but something that provides a point of view on all of life. Christian faith should change how we see and live the rest of life!

As a Christian philosopher named C. S. Lewis once wrote, “I believe in Christianity as I believe the sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”

Romans 11:36 shows a view of the world where God is in his proper place: the centre. It recognises that everything comes from him, continues because of him, and is for him. The verse gives a cheer for him with all the enthusiasm of a sports fanatic as his team takes its winning score. It sees that God is truly awesome, and wants to give voice to that: “For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen.” (Romans 11:36, New Living Translation)