Apologetics
If God Has Been Seen
A simple, valid argument for the existence of God takes the following form:
If God has been seen, then God is.
God has been seen.
Therefore, God is.
This argument is logically valid. The first premise is obviously true. The conclusion, based upon the two premises is necessarily true, provided that the second premise is also true. The task, of course, is to demonstrate that the second premise is true. This is done more inductively.
We might clarify that when we say, "God has been seen," we do not mean "seen" in the sense in which God cannot be seen with the physical eyes, that is, in the fullness of His glory (cf. 1 Tim. 6:16). Rather, we mean, "seen" in the sense of "manifest" or "evident."
How does one go about showing that "God has been seen"? One way is to appeal to the evidence of nature. In other words, one might argue that "God has been seen through nature," just as Paul pointed out in Romans 1:20. God’s "eternal power and divine nature" have been "clearly seen" through the "creation of this world." Supporting evidence for this comes in the more formal and traditional arguments concerning nature: e.g., cosmological (first cause, cause and effect) and teleological (design). Indeed, Christians believe that nature reveals God in such a way that one is without excuse for not "seeing" it. But this can only go so far; it is limited in its scope. One can appeal to nature to argue for the existence of God, but this does not necessarily prove that this is the God of the Bible. For that, we need to go to another step.
Another way, however, to demonstrate that "God has been seen" is through the use of historical evidences. Following this path, we would argue that "God has been seen through the person of Jesus Christ." This is, what one has called, the "Gospel Argument for God" (Chumbley). This argument is structured like this:
If Jesus is God, then God is.
Jesus is God.
Therefore, God is.
If the "Gospel writers can sustain the proposition that Jesus is God, they have also established the fact that God is, for if it can be demonstrated that Jesus is God, it most certainly follows that God is" (ibid. 1). This is the simplest form of argument possible (the "if … then" form). It all rests on whether or not the biblical claim concerning Jesus Christ is true.
To do this, one need not begin with the inspiration of the Bible. I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, but for our purposes in making this argument about Jesus, we do not need to sustain that proposition. So then we are not resting an argument merely on the basis that the Bible says so, and since we all know the Bible is true, then the argument is true. No, that would be circular at best, and to convince a skeptic, such an argument won’t go very far. Instead, we back up a little bit and consider the gospel accounts simply as historical documents. In this way, we do not need to get bogged down in little quibbles about apparent contradictions in the Bible. That can be taken up at another time when dealing more with the concept of inspiration. For now, let’s stick with the historical document approach. The strength of this approach is that we can learn about Jesus the same way that we can learn about any other person or event of history. "The evidence that establishes Jesus’ deity is a matter of history. Therefore, the same processes we use to prove the historical fact that the Persians were defeated by the Greeks at Marathon can be used to prove that Christ was raised from the dead" (Ibid. 13). We realize that historical proof is not the same thing as mathematical proof. However, the evidence is powerful enough that it warrants the conclusion: God is. If we can accept that Julius Caesar conquered Gaul based upon historical evidence, we can accept that Jesus was raised from the dead based upon the same kind of evidence.
Historically, there is no doubt that Jesus lived (the Jesus we read about in the Bible). Further, by looking at what Jesus taught, we see a distinct message, different from anyone else who has ever lived. That he claimed to be deity cannot reasonably be refuted on historical grounds. So we have a man named Jesus who claimed to be God. That in and of itself does not prove the case, of course. What the historical evidences ultimately point us to are the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. The resurrection coupled with his life and claims are the lock and key for proving the argument we are making. If Jesus was raised from the dead, then he has proved that his claims are true. If his claims are true, then God is. It’s that simple.
We will take up more historical evidence in other articles. Here, consider the approach we are advocating. It is historical in nature, considering the biblical accounts simply as historical documents. The trustworthiness of the biblical documents can also be taken up later, but for now, we will just assert that the documents are historical in nature, standing on as solid a ground, if not more so, than any other ancient historical documents. These are matters that can be well established historically.
Works Cited
Chumbley, Kenneth L. The Gospel Argument for God. Temple Terrance, FL: Florida College Bookstore, 1993.
Doy Moyer