KNOWING GOD

Dr. Richard J. Henderson January 4, 2004

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Ephesians 1:3-14
John 1:1-18
Psalm 147:12-20

Introduction

The preacher, Fred Craddock once told of his proof that God exists. He boarded a plane, found his seat right on the aisle, and began to settle in for a long flight. The people around him took their seats, and the plane took off. It was back in the days before smoking was banned from flights, and as soon as they got to their cruising altitude the man across the aisle from him lit up a cheap cigar. The people around him coughed and choked, and gagged.

Finally someone called one of the flight attendants. She politely went to the man and asked him to put out the cigar. He said, "I don't have to." and blew a puff of smoke up in her face.

Later in the flight the crew was serving beverages. When they got next to Fred, a very attractive flight attendant poured two drinks and was ready to serve them. Suddenly the plane hit an air pocket and the flight attendant lunged forward, dumping both drinks in the lap of the man smoking the cigar. Then in trying to get her balance she pulled back and fell right into Fred's lap! He said, "Right there I had proof that there is a God in heaven!"

I

Lots of people have tried to prove that God exists. Saint Thomas Aquinas made the classic attempt in the 13th Century. In his massive work, the Summa Theologica, he laid out the five proofs that there is a God.

I suppose the most famous of these proofs is referred to as the "Unmoved Mover." It says that some things in our world are in motion. We know that everything that is moving has been put in motion by something else. When a ball flies through the air, someone must have thrown it or somehow made it fly. Objects don't project themselves.

Therefore, since we see our world in motion, something must have started it all. Since the stars and planets are in motion, something must have started them moving. Aquinas says it is God, the "Unmoved Mover" who started the world moving. God is the one who sets the world in motion, but God is not moved himself.

Some of you are already thinking of objections to that proof. "Yes, but..." or "What about?" All of Aquinas' proofs have been studied carefully, and not everyone who has read them has been convinced. If something is proven, there shouldn't be any questions about it.

II

I recently read a book called, Is There a God? written by Richard Swinbourn, a professor of philosophy at Cambridge University. This was a dense book. Swinbourn tries to prove the existence of God using the scientific method. His argument is that if scientists really follow the scientific method, the most rational conclusion is that God exists, and God brought the world into existence. It's a tough book to get through, especially if you aren't a scientist.

Now lots of people have read his book, and not all of them are convinced that he's right. When you come to the end of the book, you have seen some very strong reasons why belief in God makes sense. If you believe in God you probably will feel even stronger in your believe. But I don't think he has proven that God exists. For centuries people have been trying to prove God. No one yet has been able to prove beyond doubt that God exists.

III

I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer was right. He wrote, "A God who let us prove his existence would be an idol." What he is saying is that a God who would allow human beings to have absolute certainty that he exists, wouldn't be God at all, but a human creation. To be able to prove God's existence would mean that God was small enough to fit into the human mind. It would mean God was understandable to us.

If God is God, we can't comprehend him - God is beyond our ability to grasp. To prove that God exists, is to put God is a box. It is an attempt to steal the mystery and wonder of God. It means reducing God to our human limitations.

IV

Besides, proving that God exists isn't what's important; being in a relationship with God is. We are able to have that relationship because God sent his son into our world. We know God because of Jesus of Nazareth. God loved us humans so much that he sent his only son into the world.

Jesus is not only the incarnation of God, that is, the embodiment of God; he's also the revelation of God. God shows us everything we need to know about God in his son Jesus. He is all the proof we need. In Jesus we see what we need to know about God.

Conclusion

A young boy came into the house for dinner. His mother looked at him and said, "Wash those hands and get the germs off, we're going to be eating dinner soon." He gave her a frustrated look.

She said, "What?"

He said, "Germs and God, germs and God. That's all I hear about, and I've never seen either one of them!"

No one has ever seen God. None of us can even prove that God exists. But when we know God, we don't need any proofs. When we are in a relationship with God, when we talk with God everyday, the proofs seem kind of senseless. It would be like trying to prove that your best friend exists. We wouldn't waste our time on that.

As we begin this new year, let's make a commitment to strengthen our relationship with God. Pray for God to draw you closer. Talk with God about everything that matters in your life. Ask for God's will and for how you can help it come about. And especially listen to what God may be saying to you.

When we really know God, that's all the proof we need.

Amen.

©Richard J. Henderson 2004