How do you prove that there is a God to a friend who insists that there isn’t a God? Can you teach me how? Thanks.<\/p>\n\t
The first thing that you need to ask yourself and your friend is: Would any proof of God’s existence be adequate to your friend? Some people have already made up their minds. You can give them the most iron-clad case for the existence of God, yet they will always demand more. Often, this is because acceptance of God means having to alter your personal life. I once studied with a young man who bounced from one sexual partner to the next without much thought. As I proved to him that the Bible said his lifestyle was wrong and harmful, he would respond that he wasn’t certain whether the Bible was true. As I probed this, it became apparent that deep down, he did believe the Bible was God’s word, but as long as he could continue insisting that he wasn’t certain, he felt justified in living a life contrary to the Bible’s teachings. No amount of proof would be acceptable to him because to accept the proof would mean that he would have to give up his multiple sex partners.<\/p>\n
The second thing to ask is “What evidence does your friend have that God does not exist?” Too often, as Christians, we find ourselves on the defensive, but we don’t have to be. An answer to this question will give you some idea of which way you need to approach the topic.<\/p>\n
Third, start with the approach suggested by the apostle Paul. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse<\/i>” (Romans 1:18-20). Paul states there is evidence within the world around us of not only the existence of God but also evidence of His character — evidence that can be understood by examining what God has made. A good starting point is the orderliness of this world. Science tells us that entropy (chaos) increases when intelligence is not applied to a system, so how did this world become so sophisticated? Evolution, by its very nature, cannot explain this without claiming this law of science to be wrong.<\/p>\n
Another approach is to examine the numerous irreducible systems that exist within nature. There are many complex systems that require multiple parts working in harmony to accomplish a goal. For example, numerous chemical reactions are required to cause blood to clot. Missing any step would mean that a creature would bleed to death from a wound. So how could these multiple-step systems gradually evolve?<\/p>\n
An honest look at our world leads a person to conclude that there must have been intelligence behind the design of our world. To acknowledge that such intelligence exists is the first step toward recognizing the existence of God.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: How do you prove that there is a God to a friend who insists that there isn’t a God? Can you teach me how? Thanks. Answer: The first thing that you need to ask yourself and your friend is: Would any proof of God’s existence be adequate to your friend? Some people have already…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[37,90],"class_list":["post-2568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-apologetics","tag-god"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32268,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-answer-the-claim-that-the-scriptures-have-some-truth-but-cant-be-infallible-because-men-were-involved-in-its-writing\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":0},"title":"How do I answer the claim that the Scriptures have some truth but can’t be infallible because men were involved in its writing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 24, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I was talking about the inspiration of Scripture with a friend. He claimed that the Scriptures had some truth and were inspired by God, but were not infallible because men had to have messed it up in our fallibility. He also said that there was no way God forced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32174,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-the-bible-assume-gods-existence\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":1},"title":"Does the Bible Assume God’s Existence?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 17, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Kenneth J. Wells Sentry Magazine, March 2002 \"And the angel of Jehovah appeared unto him in aflame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will turn aside\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":47465,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-friend-thinks-that-gods-prohibition-against-instrumental-music-in-worship-is-due-to-mistranslations\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":2},"title":"My friend thinks that God’s prohibition against instrumental music in worship is due to mistranslations","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I have a friend who has left the church to participate with a community church. Can you offer me advice on what to say to her or point me to articles already posted that I can use in hopes of restoring her? This friend thinks that too much of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43779,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/gods-proof-of-his-existence\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":3},"title":"God’s Proof of His Existence","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Exodus 3:1-6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Perhaps you have heard statements to the effect that the Bible doesn\u2019t try to prove that God exists. It simply assumes the existence of God. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0At the beginning of the Bible we read \u201cIn the beginning God created the heavens\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":25608,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hypothetically-speaking\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":4},"title":"Hypothetically Speaking","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 31, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"by Chad Sychtysz via\u00a0Biblical Insights, v. 10, no. 11, November 2010 Perhaps you have been in the following situation. You are sitting down with a non-Christian friend and an open Bible. You explain the need to be obedient to the gospel and what this involves. You talk about the need\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/desert-240x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31868,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-if-i-say-you-cant-prove-god-is-real\/","url_meta":{"origin":2568,"position":5},"title":"What if I say you can’t prove God is real?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 18, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: If religion (Catholicism) is the absolute truth, then how come when questions are asked about it no one can ever answer with facts, only faith and belief? Basically, if I say \"you can't prove God is real\", you can only prove it with faith and belief, no facts. Why\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2568\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}