The Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God (Level 1 discussion)

Before reading below, I recommend you read my post - What is the Faith Pyramid?

The Cosmological Argument for the Existence of God:

1.  Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

2.  The universe began to exist.

3.  Therefore, the universe has a cause.

Before getting into the details of the argument, it should be noted that this argument is sound, in that, if the premises (#1 & #2) are true, then the conclusion (#3) must be true.

1.  Everything that begins to exist has a cause.

-This point is instinctively known. We have never experienced or heard of anything that came into existence without a cause, which is why this premise is usually not even challenged. Let me illustrate: Let's say I locked you in a room with no way out after giving you a pill that made you live forever. While in this room, you hear a banging sound outside the room...10 years later, you hear it again. Then you only hear it two or three times a century from then on. At no point (even after being in that room for a million years) would it be rational or smart to hear the sound and conclude that nothing had caused it. Logically, you know it was caused...every single time! Likewise, anything and everything that begins to exist has a cause.

2.  The universe began to exist.

-There are both philosophical and scientific reasons to accept this premise. Philosophically speaking, the universe had to come into existence, because it is not possible for there to have been an "actual infinite" past in time (meaning a past that goes on and on backwards). Otherwise, an infinite number of steps must have already been crossed to arrive to the present. This is not possible. Scientifically speaking, there is good evidence that the universe did come into existence at the "Big Bang." Scientists have confirmed that the universe is expanding and began at a first moment or "singularity." An additional scientific reason for there being a finite past (a past that has a beginning) to the universe is the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which teaches that the amount of usable energy is running out and eventually there will be no usable energy left. This implies that there has always been a finite amount of usable energy, which means that the universe had to have begun a finite time ago.

3.  Therefore, the universe has a cause.

-Once again, if premises 1 & 2 are true, then the conclusion must be true. Something (or Someone) "Big" indeed caused a "Bang"! This First Cause of all things is God, who must transcend time because time was created in the Big Bang, He must transcend space because space (or "material") was created in the Big Bang (this is consistent with God being Spirit), and He must be enormously powerful to cause such an effect. The Cosmological Argument is a sound and rational argument for the existence of God.

Finally, notice how these attributes of God - that He is timeless (or eternal), spaceless (or Spirit), and enormously powerful - are known without even having to open your Bible! This is called general revelation, or the way in which God has revealed Himself through nature and reason..."For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that they are without excuse." - Romans 1:20

Did Jesus actually think he was God? (Level 3 discussion) - Part 3: Jesus' personal understanding of his bodily resurrection

Before reading below, I recommend you read Part 1: The self-references of Jesus and Part 2: The teaching and behavior of Jesus.

Continuing with the evidence that Jesus did, in fact, believe himself to be God, I now turn to Jesus' personal understanding of his bodily resurrection. In multiple places, he reveals a clear expectation of his resurrection.  Immediately following Peter’s confession, Jesus states, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised on the third day” (Luke 9:22; italics mine).  This proclamation is also recorded in Matthew 16:21 and Mark 8:31.  In another place, Jesus explicitly prophesies, “For He [the Son of Man] will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:32-33).  Jesus also implies his death and resurrection when he states, “In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me” (John 16:16).  He further implies his death and resurrection in his mentioning of the prophet Jonah: “For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40).  Finally, Jesus states, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up…But He was speaking of the temple of His body” (John 2:19-21).  Without question, Jesus had a personal expectation of his own resurrection.

A further point concerning Jesus’ divine self-understanding is in regards to Who raised Jesus from the dead.  Paul teaches in Romans 10:9, “If you…believe in your heart that God raised him [Jesus] from the dead…” (italics mine).  However, in addition to John 2:19 already mentioned, Jesus states, “For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.  I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again” (John 10:17-18).  Jesus is clearly teaching that he will raise himself.  Finally, you also have Paul teaching the role of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection: “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead…” (Rom. 8:11).  Furthermore, Peter likewise states, “For Christ also died for sins…having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18, italics mine).  The obvious question must be asked, Who raised Jesus from the dead?  God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit?  A close examination of Scripture reveals that the answer is…YES.

The fact that Jesus claims a direct role in his resurrection expresses an even stronger divine self-understanding, because it illustrates, from his perspective, that he is God.

Did Jesus actually think he was God? (Level 3 discussion) - Part 2: The teaching and behavior of Jesus

Before reading below, I recommend you read Part 1: The self-references of Jesus.

As stated in my previous post, the question of Jesus' understanding of who he was has been the center of much debate, especially since the late eighteenth century. But the evidence is overwhelming: Jesus of Nazareth, indeed, believed himself to be God in the flesh. And the self-references discussed in my last post are only a part of the ample evidence...Jesus' teaching and behavior also allows us a peek at Jesus' self-portrait. Here are several examples:

• First, note how Jesus interprets his own miracles. He states, "But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Luke 11:20). Jesus' miraculous acts are not similar to other miracle workers who do extraordinary things, only for life to go on as it always has. Jesus views his own miraculous acts as a sign of the ushering in of God's Kingdom. This sets him apart. The scholar Ben Witherington has stated, "Jesus sees his miracles as bringing about something unprecedented - the coming of God's kingdom...And that's a not-too-thinly veiled claim of transcendence." (qtd. in Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, pgs. 135-36).

• Jesus also flatly states while teaching, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). This definitely aroused a reaction from his Jewish audience! The next verse states, "The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him."

• In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus reveals his perceived authority in his teaching on the Old Testament Law. Jesus takes the 7th commandment against adultery and extends its meaning to include lust of the heart. He does this in several instances and at one point later proclaims, "It is not what enters in the mouth that defiles the man, but what proceeds out of the mouth, this defiles the man" (Matt. 16:11). You have to see what Jesus has done here! He has, in fact, set aside large portions of the Old Testament book of Leviticus, with its rigorous purity laws. Clearly, Jesus believed he had the authority to teach something new.

• Early in his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus states, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill" (Matt. 5:17). This teaching undeniably implies a divine self-understanding. In fact, Jesus later makes a similar statement in which he extraordinarily claims that he is, in fact, the grand subject of the Old Testament!  He states, "...all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and Psalms (or Writings) must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44).

• Jesus had twelve disciples, but notice how he's not one of the Twelve. Ben Witherington has noted, "If the Twelve (disciples) represent a renewed Israel, where does Jesus fit in? He's not just part of Israel, not merely part of the redeemed group, he's forming the group - just as God in the Old Testament formed his people and set up the twelve tribes of Israel. That's a clue about what Jesus thought of himself" (qtd. in Lee Strobel's Case for Christ, pg. 134).

• There's also the obvious question - How did Jesus end up on the cross? He was crucified during Passover season when no Jew wants any Jew to be crucified by the Romans. And while on the cross, the sign above his head read, "This is the King of the Jews." Either Jesus had made this claim or someone sure though he did.

• Jesus also stated that the way people viewed him would determine God's judgment toward them on judgment day. He proclaimed, "I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God; but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8-9). William Lane Craig has stated, "Jesus is claiming that people will be judged before him on the basis of their response to Jesus. Think of it: people's eternal destiny is fixed on their response to Jesus. Make no mistake: if Jesus were not divine, then this claim could only be regarded as the most narrow and objectionable dogmatism. For Jesus is saying that people's salvation depends on their confession to Jesus himself" (Reasonable Faith, pgs. 325-26).

• Jesus claims to have authority to forgive sins. Mark 2:5-7 states, When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

Finally, note all of the times that Jesus accepted worship:

• Matthew 8:2 - A leper came to Jesus and worshiped him without rebuke from Jesus.
• Matthew 14:33 - The disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus without rebuke.
• Matthew 28:9 - Jesus' disciples took hold of his feet and worshiped him without rebuke.
• Matthew 28:17 - Jesus' disciples saw him and then worshiped him without rebuke.
• Mark 5:6 - The man with the unclean spirit ran to Jesus and worshiped him without rebuke.
• Luke 24:52 - As Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples worshiped him without rebuke.
• John 9:38 - The blind man who was cured by Jesus worshiped him without rebuke.
• John 20:28 - Thomas says "My Lord and my God!" to Jesus without rebuke.

The teaching and behavior of Jesus clearly exemplifies a divine self-understanding. Don't forget to check my final post on this subject - Part 3: Jesus' personal understanding of his bodily resurrection.