Does God Exist?

Introduction

When I was in college, I took courses in philosophy and logic, and one of my favorite discussions—this is before I became a Christian—was the existence of God.

Our discussions always ended up as stalemates. Thinking back, I concluded no one could logically prove that God exists and that no one could logically prove that He doesn’t exist. As a result, I left college even more confused and apathetic than when I entered. And let me tell you, I was pretty confused and pretty apathetic when I first began!

Years later, I discovered that God does exist. But I still had a lot of questions that needed answers, like what would have happened to me if I lived in the remotest parts of Africa, where Christians and Bibles are few and far between? How could not believing in God be held against me if I didn’t know anything about Him?

Another question I had—it was really a misconception, a popular misconception at that—Does God get mad? Even when I didn’t believe in God, I had always heard what a kind, loving and generous God He was. Where in the world does wrath fit into that picture?

In this article we’re going to try and find the answers to those questions:

How do we know God exists?

What happens to people who aren’t exposed to Christians and the Bible—are they still accountable to God?

Does God really get angry—and when He does, what’s the result?

Our home base is Romans 1:18-20.

For those of you who have studied Romans, you know that it’s unlike a typical letter, by Paul or anyone else. It contains so many Biblical truths that most, if not all, of the great revivals and reformations in the history of the church have been directly related to this book.

And as we’ll see in verses 18-20, there’s a lot of profound things in this relatively short passage.

Wrath Of God

In verse 18 we’re going to answer the question “Does God get angry?” Let’s read it:

Rom. 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

For a lot of people—especially non-believers—God is love and only love, and the thought of that same God getting angry, and being wrathful, is really foreign. They think of God as loving, forgiving, kind and gentle.

The Bible tells us that God is love. The apostle John tells us in 1 John 1:4 that “love comes from God.”

And God does forgive. In Luke 23, hanging from a cross, Jesus said:

“Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”

And God IS kind and gentle—in Galatians 5 we read that as Christians we can become more like him:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” Those are all attributes of God, attributes that God wants us to develop, with his help.

But we also know—in fact every Christian should already know— about the wrath of God. It’s a basic to being saved. After all, we have to be saved from something, don’t we?

In Psalm 45:7, the writer says of God: “You love righteousness and hate wickedness…”

God’s holiness and our sins aren’t compatible. That’s fundamental knowledge to being a Christian.

We became Christians because we realized that we’re sinners and that we fall short of God’s standards and that we need what only Jesus Christ offers—forgiveness for our sins. Romans 6:23:

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It’s pretty hard for Bible-believing Christians to not be aware of God’s eternal wrath for those who don’t put their faith in Jesus. In other words, hell. In Revelation, it says that Satan will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. That’s the same hell that unbelievers will go to. God’s wrath will be very evident in hell.

At this point let’s take a minute to remind ourselves that God is perfect and just—His anger isn’t like ours, which is almost always momentary, emotional, often uncontrolled and tainted by sin. The wrath of God isn’t like that at all. When Jesus cleansed the temple in John 2, it was because His Father’s holy and perfect name was being dishonored. Jesus’ anger was righteous anger. He got angry for the right reasons.

When I yelled at one of my sons one time for accidentally kicking me at the dinner table, he ran off and cried until I came over and apologized. That wasn’t righteous anger—I wasn’t defending God and his standards. That was cowardly, that was pure sin, done because I was irritated after a long day at work and bad traffic. I got angry for the wrong reasons.

That’s an important difference for us to remember—our anger is not like God’s at all.

But the eternal wrath of hell we just talked about is not the kind of wrath that Paul is talking about here in verse 18. And he’s not talking about the wrath of God shown in judgments when he flooded the earth and only saved Noah and his family, or when God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Paul’s also not talking about the wrath of God that’s going to be poured out during the seven-year period of time called the tribulation. That’s the time in the future when God’s wrath will be unleashed on unbelievers like never before.

Jesus talked about it in Matthew 24:21: “For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.”

But if Paul’s not talking about eternal wrath—hell. And if he’s not talking about wrath as seen in judgments like the flood and Sodom and Gomorroh. And if he’s not talking about the wrath of God during the tribulation period, just what kind of wrath is this?

What wrath is being revealed now? The NIV translation of verse 18 accurately reflects the original Greek. “Is being revealed” shows that this kind of wrath is a continuous thing, that people are experiencing it right now. Just what kind of wrath is this?

The answer is in verses 21 through 32. Let’s read it:

Rom. 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Rom. 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

Rom. 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Rom. 1:24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.

Rom. 1:25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator -who is forever praised. Amen.

Rom. 1:26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones.

Rom. 1:27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.

Rom. 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.

Rom. 1:29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips,

Rom. 1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;

Rom. 1:31 they are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

Rom. 1:32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.

Let’s look at the passage a little closer:

In verses 21 and 22 we see that people reject God and begin worshiping false gods.

In verses 24 and 25 we see that, because people reject God and deny his existence, God gives them over to their sinful desires— the degradation of sexual immorality. And again we see that they are worshiping anything and everything but the true God.

In verses 26 and 27, God gives them further freedom and the result is even worse activity: homosexual acts.

And in verses 28-32, we see the final result of that downward spiral as men and women’s sins get worse and worse: God gives them over to a depraved mind which results in them being filled with all kinds of wickedness and evil.

Do you see the kind of wrath that Paul’s talking about in verse 18, the wrath that is “being revealed?” The kind of wrath that I’m convinced is happening to people right now?

In a nutshell, God is saying, “OK, since you reject me and dream up false gods, you’ll experience my wrath.” And what is God’s wrath?

He allows them to do whatever their sinful natures want! He removes his divine restraint in their lives.

You want to degrade your bodies sexually? OK.

You want to engage in homosexual acts? OK.

You want to become even more depraved and fulfill every other kind of evil desire? OK.

You see, the wrath of God—these people’s punishment—are their own sins and progressively committing even more and worse sins. Look again at the end of verse 27:

“…received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.”

So, sins not only incur God’s wrath initially, but sins are also the form of God’s wrath. Taking this a step further, think about what happens when people sin.

For instance, the sin of committing homosexual acts might result in persecution, AIDS and loneliness.

Sexual immorality can bring venereal disease, unwanted pregnancies leading to abortions and marriages that end in divorce because of unfaithfulness.

The result of dishonesty and deceit might be not having any friends, because you can’t be trusted. Or maybe you lose your job or even end up in jail because of blatant and illegal acts.

God doesn’t want to force himself on us. If people don’t respond to his love and His sovereignty, at some point—and only God knows what that point is—we risk having Him let us go our own way. In Matthew 15, Jesus, when talking about the pharisees, said: “Leave them alone; they are blind guides.”

As we can see from these verses, when God let’s us go our own way, that’s not only the road to eternal wrath in hell—in a sense, it leads to a hell right here on earth.

In answer, then, to the question of does God get angry? The answer is yes. Fortunately, while as Christians we may experience discipline—Hebrews 12:6 tells us that God disciplines the ones he loves—we will not incur His wrath. Paul reminds us in Romans 5:9:

“Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

Does God get angry? Yes.

We Know God Exists

Now let’s look for an answer to another question: “How do we know God exists?”

Let’s read verses 19-20

Rom. 1:19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

Rom. 1:20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities -his eternal power and divine nature -have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

These two verses are remarkably clear: Every single human who has ever lived—or who will ever live—knows that God exists. And how? We know because we can see and experience what God has made!

Several years ago my family and I went on vacation to Colorado, and while I wasn’t wild about driving 15 straight hours across Kansas and eastern Colorado with three small kids—we must have seen the inside of every gas station restroom between here and Denver—it was a great vacation.

We drove up to Estes Park in northern Colorado and drove on a mountain road that’s billed as the nation’s longest continuous alpine highway. We drove all the way to the top, stood in several inches of snow—in the middle of summer—and looked out across other snow-capped mountaintops. How anyone can see that and deny that God doesn’t exist I don’t know. It took our breath away—literally!

Maybe you’ve never been on a mountaintop, but how about some of these things?

the warmth of the morning sun shining through your bedroom window;

the clap of thunder during a rainstorm;

a hug and a kiss from your toddler;

the quiet purring of a cat on your lap;

the sound of birds early in the morning;

and the sound of a baby sucking milk from his mother’s breast.

How do we know God exists? One way—without ever reading a bible or ever talking to a single person—is by just looking around at what he made, by looking at nature.

Humans didn’t evolve from apes. Only an infinitely powerful creator could make something so beautiful and complex.

The sun didn’t just appear or evolve from a pool of galactic goop.

A hummingbird didn’t start out as a prehistoric fish at the bottom of a pond.

We know that God exists from all that he made. Psalm 19:1-2 says:

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge.”

God reveals Himself in other ways as well. In Romans 2:12-15: Paul tells us that each of us have consciences, and that regardless of whether we’ve ever read a bible or not, whether we know the ten commandments or not, we know instinctively from right and wrong. Did you know that? We instinctively know right from wrong. And the knowledge of right and wrong comes from God. It’s His standard.

Of course, God has also revealed Himself through the Bible, and, most importantly, through his son Jesus. Listen to Hebrews 1:1-2:

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”

Most of you have heard of Helen Keller. Keller, as a very young girl, became deaf, dumb and blind. Through her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Keller finally learned to communicate through touch and eventually learned to talk. Shortly after Helen Keller learned to communicate, Anne Sullivan tried to tell her about God. Do you know what Helen Keller’s response was? “I already know about him—I just didn’t know his name.”

How do we know that God exists? Through His creation, our consciences, prophetic revelation in the Bible, and in Jesus.

Everyone Is Accountable To God

The answer to the last question is obvious by now: Is everyone accountable to God? The last part of verse 21 is pretty clear on that point:

“… so that men are without excuse.”

So on judgment day nobody can plead with God and say:

“Nobody ever told me that you were real.”

Or “I never read a Bible.”

Matthew 7:7-8 says:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.”

Jeremiah 29:13 says:

“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Listen to that verse again: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

If anyone acknowledges God’s existence and responds to the revelation that he or she has—whether it’s through nature or a conscience—God will reveal Himself even more. That applies to all people everywhere. God isn’t going to hide from them.

I read a great article in a Trans World Radio publication several years ago. It’s a true story about something that happened in what used to be Byelorussia in the former Soviet Union. Listen to what it says:

“The teacher taught in a public school, and she was heartbroken when the communist system failed. She did not know where to turn. She knew only that she needed something in her life—but what?

“So she tried reading different kinds of literature, but found nothing that could satisfy her emptiness. Then she began listening to the radio. One day, as she was turning the dial, she found Trans World Radio. She did not totally understand what was being said because the vocabulary was unfamiliar to her. “God,” “Bible,” “faith,” “Jesus”—were as foreign to her as another language. But she sensed a warmth in the voice of the speaker. He had something she didn’t, so she listened again and continued listening for several weeks.

“The more she listened the more she understood what those words meant.

“Before long, she developed a respect for God and a desire to talk to Him. `Oh, Almighty God,’ she prayed, `if it is true what people say on the radio, that this Bible is such an important book, then help me to get such a book.’

“Nothing happened—except that she heard an inner voice say, `Go to the city.’

“She didn’t know what to make of it and ignored it until the inner urging came again. So she decided to travel to the city, even though that mean hitchhiking because she had no means of transportation. As she waved her hand, a car pulled to the side of the road, and a woman driver, who also spoke her native language, offered her a ride.

“After a few minutes the woman asked where she was going. `To the city,’ replied the teacher.

“`What will you be doing there?’ asked the curious woman.

“`You will not believe this, but there was something like an inner voice in my heart saying that I have to go into town to look for a Bible. I’m listening to a Christian radio station, and they are always saying that a Bible is such an important book. So I’m looking for a Bible.’

“Upon hearing the teacher’s explanation, the woman stopped her car at the next convenient location and rummaged through her suitcase searching for something. She pulled out a Bible and handed it to the surprised teacher.”

Here’s a woman who was searching and God revealed Himself to her. What are the odds that the woman in this article would just happen to tune into a Christian radio station in the middle of Russia? And what are the odds that the same woman weeks later would find a Bible through a total stranger while hitchhiking? And what about that “inner voice?”

It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are—if you look for God, you’ll find him, and you’ll also find His son Jesus.

2 Peter 3:9:

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”

Is everyone accountable to God? Yes.

Conclusion

So if everyone is accountable to God, and if everyone has proof of God’s existence, and if God’s wrath on non-Christians is real, what does that mean to us as Christians?

The Bible is very clear on that. We are to pray for all unbelievers, regardless of who they are or what they’re doing. And that includes people that curse God and deny his existence. In 1 Timothy 2 the apostle Paul instructs us to pray for everyone, because God wants all men to be saved.

As Christians, we’re also supposed to personally fulfill the great commission: to make disciples of all nations.

My brother Ken died of a heart attack at the age of 34. He wasn’t a Christian. One of my grandmothers died several years ago. She wasn’t a Christian as far as I know.

My best friend from high school died when he was 29. Another good friend from high school died at 36. And another good friend had a brain tumor.

People are dying every day. And if people die without committing their lives to Jesus Christ, the Bible says they will face the wrath of God.

Please, right now, write the name of one person that you can invite to your home church next week. Make a commitment right now, that you’ll invite that person to come to church with you next Sunday.

And for those of you who haven’t acknowledge God and his son Jesus, please don’t finish reading this article without making that commitment. Admit to God that you’re a sinner. Ask Him for forgiveness. Tell God that you want Jesus as your Lord and Savior. And then share that good news with a Bible-believing Christ-exalting church near your home, get baptized and begin your life not in the wrath of God, but in the grace of God.