Come, let us reason together. Conclusion.

In this series of postings we have explored together an argument which defends the belief in a theistic God, specifically the God of the Bible. This final post on the subject will summarize briefly in bullet point fashion the argument, and conclude with one final thought on the subject.

My inspiration for such arguments comes from many devoted followers of Christ in the past starting with the Apostles. Above is a picture of Mars Hill. This is a modern day picture of the place where the Apostle Paul stood and argued for Christ with the men of Athens as recorded in Acts 17:22-32. At the conclusion of his speaking the Bible records the response of the people:

Acts 17:32-33 "Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, 'We shall hear you again concerning this.' So Paul went out of their midst. But some men joined him and believed."

Some rejected the message (atheistic), some wanted to hear more (agnostic), and some joined Paul, (believers). Certainly these are the results I can expect. My hope is that all would come to believe in Christ, but if the teaching on this blog leads one to want to learn more then my joy will be made complete.

This argument has been based on the teachings of Norman Geisler, and follows a logical progression to prove the probability of a theistic God. One step builds upon another, and I recommend before reading this post you read through the previous ones in this series.

The argument summarized:

1. Truth about reality is knowable.
2. Opposites cannot both be true.
3. The theistic God exists.
4. Miracles are possible.
5. Miracles performed in connection with a truth claim are acts of God to confirm the truth of God through a messenger of God.
6. The New Testament documents are reliable.
7. Jesus claimed to be God in the New Testament.
8. Jesus' claim to divinity was proven by miracles.
9. Therefore, Jesus was God in human form.
10. Whatever Jesus (who is God) affirms as true, is true.
11. Jesus affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God.

Which leads us to our concluding thought. Since Jesus affirmed the Bible as the Word of God, and we have shown that Jesus is God, we must conclude that the Bible is in fact the Word of God. Whatever is opposed to the Bible and the truth it contains is false. Some will read this post and argue against me claiming that I am using circular reasoning. Again, I encourage you to begin with the first posting in this series. If I began at step 6 then I would agree that the reasoning is circular, but when this argument begins at step one it builds upon itself. If a theistic God exists then there is the possibility of miracles. If Jesus is God, and proved it by a miraculous life, then he has all the attributes of God. God does not lie. If Jesus claims that the Bible is the word of God, and He is God, then we must believe Him. If the Bible is the Word of God we must conclude that Christianity is true as well. Since opposites cannot be true then all opposing world religions are simply false religions. Finally, we conclude that only Christianity is the true religion.

You have heard what I believe. Now what about you. What do you believe?