Lesson 2- Does it matter if God exists?

Introduction

There are many people in our world today who simply do not care to think about whether God exists. The point of today’s lesson is to explore the far reaching consequences of a world without God.

Ecclesiastes 1:2–3 KJV 1900

Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

Throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, we see that Solomon bemoans the fact that the life lived without God is all vanity.

The Implications of Atheism- Life Without God

God- an all-powerful, perfectly good Creator of the world who offers us eternal life.

If such a God does not exist, then life is essentially absurd, with no meaning, no value, and no purpose.

Meaning- significance, why something matters / Value- good and evil, right and wrong / Purpose- a goal, a reason for something.

If atheism is true and there is no god then it must be assumed that meaning, value, and purpose are ultimately human illusions. Without God life is really objectively meaningless, valueless, and purposeless, despite our subjective beliefs to the contrary.

The Absurdity of Life without God

If God does not exist, then both man and the entire universe are inevitably doomed to death and destruction.

Ecclesiastes 2:15-17- Solomon spoke of this notion that all shall ultimately die.

Scientists tell us that the universe is expanding, and the galaxies are growing farther and farther apart. As it does so, it grows colder and colder as its energy is used up. Eventually all the stars will burn out, and all matter will collapse into dead stars and black holes. There will be no light, no heat, and NO LIFE remaining.

One philosopher rightly states “several hours, or several years make no difference once you have lost eternity.”

Without God there is no ultimate meaning

If every individual cease to exist when he dies then what ultimate meaning can be given to this life? Does it really matter in the end whether he ever existed at all?

If the same blind cosmic process that supposedly gave rise to mankind and all that we see will eventually swallow them up again, there can be no assertion that man is anymore significant than any other form of life.

Ecclesiastes 3:19–20 KJV 1900

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Even if man and the universe could exist forever, but there were no God, their existence would still have no ultimate significance. This only provides a longer term of meaninglessness.

It’s not just immortality man needs if life is to be ultimately significant; he needs God and immortality. And if God does not exist, then he has neither.

Without God there is no ultimate value

“If life ends at the grave, then it makes no difference whether you live as a Stalin or as a Mother Theresa. Since your destiny is unrelated to your behavior, you may as well live as you please.” -Craig / Dostoyevsky- “If there is no immortality…then all things are permitted.”

Ecclesiastes 2:9–11 KJV 1900

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

Some may say that it is in our best interest to adopt a moral lifestyle, but clearly this is not always true. We have all experienced situations where what is in our own self-interest directly contradicts morality.

If there is no God there can be no objective standard of right and wrong.

If there is no objective standard then it is impossible to condemn war, oppression, or crime as evil and equally impossible to praise generosity, self-sacrifice or love as good. “To kill someone or to love someone is morally equivalent.”- Craig

Without God moral values must be assumed to be nothing more than the expressions of personal taste or the by-products of biological evolution and social-conditioning. There is ultimately no one to say you are right and I am wrong.

Without God there is no ultimate purpose

In a universe without God there is no hope and our lives have not ultimate purpose.

If there is no God then all that we do is utterly without purpose and our lives are ultimately pointless.

Ecclesiastes 2:18-19- all that we do and all that we have accomplished will ultimately be given to another or forgotten if there is no God.

Without God the universe is the result of a cosmic accident, a chance explosion. There is no ultimate reason for which it exists.

The Atheist’s Solution

The only solution the atheist can offer up is that we face the absurdity of live and live bravely, and yet there is a fundamental problem with this solution.

Francis Shaeffer- upper story and lower story illustration. Man must constantly make leaps into the uppers story where there is meaning, value, and purpose, even though he has not right to enter there because he does not believe in God.

The atheist suggests that you must create meaning for your life by freely choosing to follow a certain course of action and yet this is simply a form of self-delusion if there is no God. Life does not suddenly have meaning because I say that it does.

The most blatant inconsistencies occur in the area of the values of life. Even avowed atheists promote certain values and stand against certain abuses, violating the very claims which they make., for if there is God there can be no basis on which to judge right from wrong.

Example: Richard Dawkins- vigorously condemns the harassment and abuse of homosexuals, religious indoctrination of children, and human sacrifice. This condemnation of these behaviors as wrong or evil is totally inconsistent with the belief that there is no God.

Many atheists also attempt to attach purpose to life through activities such as the exploration of the universe and yet if there is no God then such pursuits ultimately amount to nothing more significant than “shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.”

The Christian’s Solution

The Christian asserts that God does exist and that life does not end at the grave.

Hebrews 9:27 KJV 1900

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

This provides the necessary conditions for a meaningful, valuable, and purposeful life.

Our life has meaning because we are valuable to God.

Matthew 10:31 KJV 1900

Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

Life has value because we believe that in God there is to be found an objective standard of right and wrong. Romans 2:14-16- the law of God is written in our hearts.

Life has purpose because we believe that we were created to bring glory to God.

Revelation 4:11 KJV 1900

Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Biblical Christianity thus succeeds precisely where atheism breaks down. Thus we learn that the existence of God is not something that we can be merely indifferent about.