How do you know God is real?

philismyname · Dec 14, 2005

As a preface, I have to admit that this is my first post, so please excuse the newbie, and I'm sorry if this has been addressed earlier.

I am 18 years old, and am currently attending College. Religiously, I would classify myself as a "Hopeful Agnostic", in that I want to believe in God, but I have yet to see proof. I was raised Christian, attended a Christian school from 1st till 11th grade, and church since I was born. However, for the past 3 to 5 years or so, I had been wavering in my faith, partially because of such over exposure to many negative aspects of what is "The Church" and I feel I over analyze everything, therefore finding faults in what I have been taught. All of this would be forgivable, just because I understand that society and time can corrode basic truths and no one has all the answers, however these past few years, I feel that I tried everything in my power to feel some sort of presence of God, but have yet to experience anything.

So here is the question, what do you do, that helps you know that God is real? Any advice would be most helpful, as I'm sure you can imagine, having faith in nothing can be painfully somber.

Thank you,
Phil

~EDIT: So I came back this morning, to read what I had written last night, only to realize how misleading my question was. I blame fatigue for this. I don't want to see a picture of you and Jesus on your last ski trip. Sure, some science backs up the bible, but some science backs lots of theories, so that means some science must be wrong. Personally, I believe there is a creator of some sort, the idea of life coming from chaos is obsurd to me, but I just don't know which creator is the correct one. I was looking more for your personal reasons of why Christianity is correct, and all else is wrong. I guess ideally, I would like to hear from someone who has been in my place, and has found that experience they needed to bring peace to themselves in the search for truth. My bad.

innocentman56 · Dec 14, 2005

Its not a question of How, instead its a question of "Do You Believe In God?" It's by God convicting us that we come to Christ and make ourselves right. We put our faith in Christ that when we ask for him to forgive us, that he does and dosen't turn us down.

SavedByAnAngel · Dec 15, 2005

but I have yet to see proof

Why do you need proof ? Afraid you might be wasting your time or that you might be right, there is no God. True but what if you're wrong and after all there is a God. If it was all that easy we would all be christians. God never promised us 'a rose garden'. .
It's called belief and faith. The fact that you posted this question on this board says you are trying to find your way there. It's not something I can give you. It's something that you have to get yourself.

what do you do, that helps you know that God is real?

There is no real proof unless you are willing to look at the archeological evidence that matches the testaments of the bible. Look around you when you stand outside sometime and realize that it could not have been an accident. Study your own hand and marvel at it and even then at your own eyesight!

having faith in nothing can be painfully somber.

and scary too. I don't know how people who don't believe in God get through life on a day to day basis. God is there with us 24 & 7 to listen to us and help us. But we have to go to him.

mez1 · Dec 15, 2005

How do you know God is real?

I dont.

but I could guess at an orthodox response. It is a mystery between God and the Heart of Man. It is by Grace or uncreated energies that we experience God, not by the unaided intellect or the realization of some abstract truth.

FriarTuck · Dec 15, 2005

I think we as humans tend to overcomplicate things. Especially we Christians. We're given a simple way to salvation. Eph 2:8
[BIBLE]
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
[/BIBLE]
but we have to complicate things. We are given a simple set of rules. Mathew 22

[BIBLE]
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.This is the first and great commandment And the second [is] like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
[/BIBLE]

But we have to complicate things by concentrating on all these other rules, not realising that if we could just follow those two we wouldn't be breaking any of the others. When we clutter our lives with contemplations on things that only God can know for sure we leave little room for Jesus to come in. I'm not saying thinking about theology is bad but until you can feel the holy spirit in you it can lead you down the wrong path. Then again maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. I will however pray that the Holy Spirit will fill you with his love and that you might know that he is Lord, and for whatever else it's worth that you be blessed in all things.
Peace and love to you all in Christ Jesus.

bethdinsmore · Dec 15, 2005

I used to have this same question. Here's my profile, to answer your question -

QUOTE: Personal Testimony - How I became a Christian:
Raised in a liberal denomination, I became an atheist. Later I became demon oppressed as a result of playing the Ouija board. I was terrified for a couple of years. When demonic things happened, I would pray (some atheist, eh?) and things would stop temporarily. Then I read the Late Great Planet Earth. The 100% fulfilled past prophecies convinced me there had to be a God - the God of the Bible. I then trusted in Christ alone to be my sinbearer and to get me to Heaven one day.
For those who haven't yet trusted Christ as their Savior, you might like to read "How to be saved" in my website.
END QUOTE

If you are interested in checking out external proofs for the Bible's accuracy, you might like these sites:
www.tektonics.org
www.probe.org

Since I trusted Christ as my Savior, God just keeps confirming His reality over and over. So many ways, answered prayers, miracles, profoundly changing me as I rely on the Bible (I had a long, long way to go), giving me the peace that passes understanding, becoming so real to me that He has been my best friend for years (and no one questions my sanity, I'm glad to say ), and on and on. If you want to know details, see "Personal Testimony" on my website. It's amazing what God has done, that never was accomplished before no matter how hard I tried.

I came to Him by the intellect, not by some leap of faith. Now I have faith too.

God bless you in your search, friend. Please let me know if I can help.

Aloha in Jesus

Harlan Norris · Dec 15, 2005

philismyname said:
As a preface, I have to admit that this is my first post, so please excuse the newbie, and I'm sorry if this has been addressed earlier.

I am 18 years old, and am currently attending College. Religiously, I would classify myself as a "Hopeful Agnostic", in that I want to believe in God, but I have yet to see proof. I was raised Christian, attended a Christian school from 1st till 11th grade, and church since I was born. However, for the past 3 to 5 years or so, I had been wavering in my faith, partially because of such over exposure to many negative aspects of what is "The Church" and I feel I over analyze everything, therefore finding faults in what I have been taught. All of this would be forgivable, just because I understand that society and time can corrode basic truths and no one has all the answers, however these past few years, I feel that I tried everything in my power to feel some sort of presence of God, but have yet to experience anything.

So here is the question, what do you do, that helps you know that God is real? Any advice would be most helpful, as I'm sure you can imagine, having faith in nothing can be painfully somber.

Thank you,
Phil

~EDIT: So I came back this morning, to read what I had written last night, only to realize how misleading my question was. I blame fatigue for this. I don't want to see a picture of you and Jesus on your last ski trip. Sure, some science backs up the bible, but some science backs lots of theories, so that means some science must be wrong. Personally, I believe there is a creator of some sort, the idea of life coming from chaos is obsurd to me, but I just don't know which creator is the correct one. I was looking more for your personal reasons of why Christianity is correct, and all else is wrong. I guess ideally, I would like to hear from someone who has been in my place, and has found that experience they needed to bring peace to themselves in the search for truth. My bad.

Well you know I've seen the president on tv.One might consider that proof of his existance.But with todays technology well he might just be computer generated.I mean I've never met him never touched him.How do I know he's actually real?Shure other people have seen him,but I never met any of them either.Iguess I'll just have to take it on faith that he exists.Everything I see is proof of God to me,but,I don't have proof,but faith that he's there.That's what it takes to know God.Faith.

L.A.W. · Dec 16, 2005

philismyname, proof is all around you. The reason why you don't see could possibly arrise from your unfamiliarity with the scriptures, you don't meditate on it, nor study it diligently and daily and with all your heart. You have to surrender yourself and forget all about you and focus all your heart into Him. He have to seek Him like a buried treasure. You cannot serve two masters for you will love one and despise the other. Seek your own kingdom or seek to enter His kingdom? Humble yourself and seek to walk with Him. The more you walk in the teachings of Yahushua, the more you will come to know the truth and then will the truth set you free. The thing is, are you willing to humble yourself and walk in obediance to His teachings? If you cannot even believe in His words, how then can you believe in Him, likewise, that is why Yahushua said, "I am the life and the way and the truth. No one comes to the Father except through me." If you cannot even believe in the Son, how then are you gonna believe in the Father?

Manakin · Dec 18, 2005

Best of luck with that, Phil. Went through the same thing myself, only I'm atheist now. <shrug> Nobody can give you the answers to this question. You have to read, investigate, and think for yourself. To do any less is to surrender your individuality.

Best wishes,
Manakin

chris414 · Dec 20, 2005

Ive always considered myself a Christian but there was always the nagging thought at the back of my mind questioning actual the existance of God. Then about a year ago i asked God to show himself in my life (and to show me where im supposed to be taking my life) so that i could be sure of his existance. Now i am so sure of His existance and pressence in my life! Its amazing

If you're doubting God, ask Him to show himself to you... and He will. Answers cannot be found in man's opinion, but from God alone.

soap · Dec 26, 2005

I have had the same experience as Bethdinsmore. God is not a far away being, but is very near. You can have a close relationship with Him and not doubt His existence.

James 4:8 "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you".

Blessings, my friend.

QUOTE: Personal Testimony - How I became a Christian:

Since I trusted Christ as my Savior, God just keeps confirming His reality over and over. So many ways, answered prayers, miracles, profoundly changing me as I rely on the Bible (I had a long, long way to go), giving me the peace that passes understanding, becoming so real to me that He has been my best friend for years (and no one questions my sanity, I'm glad to say ), and on and on. If you want to know details, see "Personal Testimony" on my website. It's amazing what God has done, that never was accomplished before no matter how hard I tried.

I came to Him by the intellect, not by some leap of faith. Now I have faith too.

God bless you in your search, friend. Please let me know if I can help.

Aloha in Jesus[/QUOTE]

Anti Existance · Dec 26, 2005

I had a visit from an angel one night, im still clueless today as why it happend , but for me i do not believe in God anymore , i know for SURE he exists.

I'll expand on what happend if requested.

Yggdrasil · Dec 26, 2005

Well, no one can prove he is real, at all. others will say it's because they have faith in him or whatever, but you still cannot prove God is real.

soap · Dec 26, 2005

It has been proven historically that Jesus was a person. To say that Jesus never existed is like saying Columbus never existed! Historical records prove the existence of Jesus. When Jesus talked of the rapture, He would speak of people being raptured at night (two people lying in bed, and one is taken) and also during the day (one in the field, and the other taken). It makes sense to us, but in Jesus' day and for centuries later, everyone thought the world was flat--which would mean that in their eyes, it would be daytime for everyone around the world. So, when Jesus spoke of this during His life on earth, many might have thought He was crazy, and many had faith that He knew what He was talking about. Since Jesus was God, He knew the world was round, which would mean the rapture would occur in the daytime for some and nighttime for others.

ForumGuy · Dec 27, 2005

Pray and open himself to him, sharing your thoughts, feelings, cocerns, and even your doubts, and you will feel his presence

Yggdrasil · Dec 27, 2005

soap said:
It has been proven historically that Jesus was a person. To say that Jesus never existed is like saying Columbus never existed! Historical records prove the existence of Jesus. When Jesus talked of the rapture, He would speak of people being raptured at night (two people lying in bed, and one is taken) and also during the day (one in the field, and the other taken). It makes sense to us, but in Jesus' day and for centuries later, everyone thought the world was flat--which would mean that in their eyes, it would be daytime for everyone around the world. So, when Jesus spoke of this during His life on earth, many might have thought He was crazy, and many had faith that He knew what He was talking about. Since Jesus was God, He knew the world was round, which would mean the rapture would occur in the daytime for some and nighttime for others.

Well, comparing Jesus to Columbus is a tad extreme. Many people back in that time were named Jesus. I'm not denying his existance, i'm just saying there is a possibility.

Yggdrasil · Dec 27, 2005

EDIT: Accidental double post.

TheKingdom · Dec 27, 2005

It mostly comes down to faith, however it seems that science breaks down at and prior to creation. For example, the law of conservation of mass/matter states that matter can change form, but it cannot be created or destroyed. Obviously at one point in time, all matter in the universe had to be created which violates this scientific law as well as others. I happen to believe that this was God's work.

matthewgoh · Dec 29, 2005

Your question is like saying if God speak to you or physically appear to you, then you will believe in him for sure. Then, if he do that, you will be disqualified for the salvation, because the condition of receiving Christ's salvation is by believing in him by faith alone. So, what is more important than the salvation made possible by Christ's crucificion?

You might want to read my answers at http://www.matthewgoh.com/app1.html

How do you know God is real?

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