There is an over-confidence that says, "because I cannot see or feel God, I do not believe in Him.  Things are true and real only if I can prove them scientifically."

 INITIAL CHALLENGE

 "I am interested you should say that because it shows you have been thinking about these things.  How can you be sure that God does not exist?  Do you have total information?  How much of the world's knowledge do you possess?  Couldn't it be possible that God exists outside of your realm of knowledge?"

 THE BIBLICAL APPROACH

 The Bible nowhere sets out proofs of God's existence on the lines of 2+2=4.  But it provides a number of "signposts to God", aspects of the world which point irresistibly to Him.  Taken one by one they are not conclusive, but put together they are compelling.  Some of these are:

 Nature.  Romans 1 : 19-20.  The world around us presents us with order and law in minuteness of the atom and the vastness of the universe.  Whenever in human experience we see order, for instance trees in a straight line, we say "Someone put them that way." Design demands a designer.  The world does not explain itself.

 Conscience.  Man, unlike any other creature, has a sense of  “ought to" which often conflicts with his "want to." Romans 2: 14-15.  Why?  Why does he long for meaning and purpose?  If he is only the product of a meaningless world, why is he not content to live a meaningless life? Something else has made him like this; this world does not explain it.

 Jesus Christ.  His unique character, death and resurrection can only be explained by His being more than a man.  He is the supreme signpost to the supernatural.  See section 8 for the expansion of this idea.

 Prophecy.  Within the Bible is a unique pattern of prophecy and fulfillment in detail that only a supernatural Mind could have worked out.  Jesus Christ himself fulfilled over 300 of these prophecies, including where He would be born, who his parents would be, how He would die and where He would be buried.  These were not fulfilled by conscious planning.

 Invisibility.  2 Cor. 4: 18.  The essence of everything is invisible; the visible is only the surface.  The heart of human personality, the real "you", cannot be seen but is the most vital part.  The atom, the essential building-blocks of the universe cannot be seen.  The most important things in life, e.g. love: truth, faith, cannot be seen.  Yet we believe in all these things because we can see their effects, The ultimate heart of all things is the invisible God; we know He is there by the effects that He has.

 No God, No Hope.  If you leave God out and think logically, this world is pointless-just a product of chance and evolution.  We men are no more than the highest animals, Ephesians 2: 1 2: "having no hope and without God in the world." As Bertrand Russell put it: "We must build our lives on the foundation of unyielding despair." The existence of God is essential if the world is to make sense.

Draw and build up this diagram as you explain each point.

TURNING THE TABLES

 God does not become a living reality to us until we make a step of personal commitment, Turn to Law Four to make this point clear.  You could add your own testimony by saying "Let me tell you how God became real in my life."