My friend said he would only believe there is a God if he could see, hear or touch Him. How should I answer him?
Suggested Daily Reading: John 4:19-30
We believe in many things that we cannot see, hear or touch. Imagine telling a person in great pain that you do not believe in pain because you cannot see, hear or touch it. Think of telling a couple on their wedding day that there is no such thing as love and that you know this because you cannot see, hear or touch love. We know that pain and love are real because we feel and experience the truth of them. So it is with God, we know He is real because we experience the joy of His presence and love and we feel the pain when we sin against Him.
We also believe in things we cannot see, hear or touch directly because we see the effects of them. We see the effects of pain and love. We see the effects of electricity, gravity and air. We see the effects of God’s creative and upholding work in the universe and the effects in the lives of those who believe in Him.
We believe in many things that we cannot fully understand. Imagine a little child asking you to explain how the seeds you just planted in the garden are going to produce tomatoes, carrots or corn. You believe they will, but you cannot fully explain the miracles that take place to make this happen. In this same way we also believe in God even though we cannot fully understand his infinite being with our finite mind.
We also believe things that we have never personally witnessed because reliable people have told or reported them to us. For example, if you read a news report online that a strong earthquake occurred in Japan, you believe it, even though you were not there to personally experience it. You trust the sources reporting this information to you. In this same way we also believe that there is a God because the Bible, the most reliable source of all, informs us of Him.
Do you believe in God? Are the results of love to God and others seen in your life?