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Show Notes
I was once asked, “How do you know that God is real?” That drew me up short, to tell you the truth. I had to pause and think about it. How did I know? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 4.
My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple, simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, very not shallow, ok, that’s probably not very good English, but very not shallow, so that when the storms of life hit, and they will hit, our faith need not run aground.
It has often been observed that science cannot prove that there is a God. It is also true that it cannot prove that there is no God. In fact, science can do nothing in establishing the reality of God, but that is a topic for another episode. I only mention it now, because as I was thinking on this that I began to wonder, was I looking for physical or scientific proofs, such as those given for the existence of gravity or of the earth being a big blue ball rotating around the sun? Or… is proof of a relational God better found in terms of the non-physical, ones outside the scientific realm? That is, should a proof of the relational be sought in terms that are relational?
So, where did I go in looking for proofs? The first place that I went looking for proof was my Bible. The first passage I found was in John 8, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:31, 32). So, if we continue in His word, reading, pondering, and acting on what we learn, then we are His disciples and we will know the truth. At first glance, this may look like a circular argument. Meaning that we are trying to make our belief the proof; that we prove God is real because we believe him to be real. Which is truly no proof at all. Yet, a closer look into what the Bible says, we see that this is not what is being said.
Jesus says, just a few chapters later, “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you…. you will be my disciples (so far tracking with John 8) …. Remain in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in My love…. This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (Jn 15:7-12).
Did you notice how Jesus opened up this remaining in his word to involve loving others? Knowing how to love, knowing love, is part of knowing the truth. And nothing takes us out of the realm of mere physical proofs quicker than loving others. And lands us straight smack dab in the middle of relational ones. It is at this point that things begin to get interesting.
In 1 John it says, “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments” (1 Jn 2:3). Which, opens up a very interesting thought: if we know him, by default, we know him to be real. And as we saw above, this does involve loving him and others. For, “One who says, ‘I know him,’ and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him. But God’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him” (1 Jn 2:4, 5). Is this not fascinating?
Paul emphasizes this when he prays “That he (God) would grant …. that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints … and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:16-19). Grounded in love in order to comprehend and know the fullness of God. What a simple and yet thoroughly not shallow thought; to love is to know.
Back to the original question, “How do you know God is real?” My first answer would now be “I know that God is real because my love continues to grow.” Not just my love for him, for as we discovered in the last two episodes, our love for him must include our love for others. So, I know God is real, not only because my love for him grows but also because my love and compassion for the unlovable are growing. The more I am able to care for those I (by all natural desires) should despise, the more this relational God is proven to be real. In the book of John, Jesus himself even said that this is how others will know he is real and that we are authentic followers of his; “If you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Not if we have religious knowledge, a vast store of memorized Scripture to pull up at any given moment, a holy sound in our voice, the word “Christ” repeated often in our music, a thoroughly highlighted Bible, or… anything else. It is by love and only by his love. His love, which flows through us and is both returned to him and passed on to others. That we love others as he does is proof that he is real.
Now, there is much more that could be said on this topic. Much more. And yes, there are non-relational things, such as deductions made form facts, and arguments of logic that can be made, the complexity of the human cell, the fine-tuning of the universe for life, and so much more which support God’s existence. And it is not my purpose or intent to downplay or disrespect any of these. These things are important to know and to talk about. Yet, I have never found one of these that is as effective in proving the reality of God as the simple statement made by Jesus, God himself, in John 13. His love is the simplest and most profound proof that anyone can have, know, and offer to others.
In light of this:
Love simply, love wisely, love well, and know that God is real.
Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #4, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field. Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.
