Reasoning the Nature of God 
 

Examining the Evidence
Now it’s often very difficult and painstaking to examine all the evidence for God. The Cosmological, Teleological, Axiological and Anthropic arguments can be kind of complex and involved, but they certainly leave little doubt that we are the result of an act of creation and purpose. These arguments address the big, important questions of life. God is not afraid of those big questions, in fact, he has all the answers if we are only willing to open our eyes, surrender our selfishness, and take an honest look. For those of us who have come to think that there may, indeed, be a God out there who created everything in the universe, there is a logical question that we find ourselves asking: “What is God Like?” The answer to this question is incredibly important because our spiritual life will be shaped by its answer. There are a number of world religions to choose from, and each does its best to describe God. But their descriptions are clearly not the same. So who are we to believe?

Three Important Questions
Well if we come at this question based on our ability to observe the universe and reason with the minds that God gave us, we may be able to describe God, then compare our description to the faith systems available to us to see if any of them explain what we see! We usually begin our search for God with two questions. The first one is a “how” question: “How did we get here?” The second question is a “Why” question: “Why are we here?” Once we have answered these two questions (and the arguments for God’s existence do actually answer these questions), we find ourselves turning to the “What” question: “What is God like?” It just so happens that the answer to the last question can be found as we answer the first two! Let’s review our arguments for the existence of God and see if they help us to understand His Nature…

The Cosmological Argument
Let’s begin by taking another look at the Cosmological Argument. The complete argument for the existence of God based on the evidence from cosmology can be found HERE, but in summary, it goes something like this:

 
The “Cosmological Argument”
(1) The Universe Has a Beginning
(2) Anything That Has a Beginning Must Have Been Caused By Something Else
(3) Therefore, the Universe Must Have a Cause
(4) This Cause Must Be Eternal and Uncaused
(5) The Cause is God

 
This argument describes a God that has tremendous power and ability to create something from nothing. All science points to a single point at which time and matter begins (a point of ‘singularity’), and the being that could account for this has to, by definition, be uncaused and stand outside time. Based on this truth, we can begin to understand the nature of God, using nothing but our ability to reason from what we see in science and in our universe. So, what is God like? The God described by the truth of creation is very distinctive. We can begin to describe him:

 
He is Eternal and Infinite
Because God is obviously the creator of time and initiates the beginning of time in our universe, it is clear that He is eternal and infinite. If this were not so, we would have to say that God was also created and we should be looking to God’s creator as the true God of the Universe. Some people really struggle with the idea that there could be something that has no creator, but many of these same people would be very comfortable describing the universe as eternal and infinite! See, whatever you describe as eternal is, in fact, God.

He is All-Powerful
Clearly, a God who creates everything from nothing, all matter from non-matter, all time from eternity, is powerful beyond words. This kind of being is perfect in every way, if only because He has the power to make Himself so!

 
Mormonism Does Not Account For What We See in the Universe
Now this description of God as an eternal, infinite and all-powerful being automatically eliminates some world and religious views. Mormonism, for example, cannot explain a God like this. The Mormon God is not eternal. He has a father and this God also has a father and so on and so on. They have a problem trying to explain how the “First” God came to be, and would simply say that the problem of infinite regression is a mystery. And the Mormon Universe is eternal. It has no starting point, and therefore requires no God to create it. But this defies the nature of the universe (of all time and matter) as we see it today!

But Christianity Gets It Right
While Mormonism clearly fails to describe a God that reflects the nature of the universe, it just so happens that Christianity cannot yet be eliminated on these grounds. Christianity DOES describe a God who is eternal and all-powerful:

 
Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal

Isaiah 40:26
Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

 
The Christian God is both eternal and all-powerful, reflecting the nature of what we see in science and can reason with own our minds. But there are other qualities of God that can be seen in the universe and in our own bodies. Do these qualities disqualify Christianity as a worldview?

The Teleological Argument
Let’s take another look at the evidence that is found for God in the design of the universe. The complete argument from design can be found HERE, but in summary once again, it goes something like this: 

  
The “Teleological Argument”
(1) Our Intelligent and Ordered Universe Demonstrates Qualities of Intelligent Design
(2) Therefore, There Must Be An Intelligent Designer Who Designed the Universe
(3) The Designer Who Exists is God

  
This argument describes a God who is incredibly creative and amazingly innovative! It describes a God who has not used the elements of random chance, but has creatively and intricately designed our world and our very bodies! For this “undesigned” designer, there is no waste, no careless creation. Everything is intricately purposeful. So, what is God like? The God described by the truth of design is also very distinctive. We can continue our description of God by adding the following traits:

 
He is Creative and Personal
The complexity and imaginative inter-connectedness of the universe and our human biology certainly demonstrate that God is incredibly imaginative, visionary and creative. With all the paints and crayons at His disposal, He has drawn for us an amazing world and an awesome universe. And by definition, an impersonal being cannot create and design. The moment this being designs something, He has committed a personal act. A being like this has to have a creative mind in order to design and this mind is the first requirement and reflection of His personhood!

He Loves Us Individually
One of the wonderful truths of a God who has created us is the benefit and blessing of a proud Father. Think about it for a moment. The artist has no particular love for the raw paints or the empty canvas. But as soon as he creates the painting, he understands that he has given something of himself in the process. The finished art reflects his nature, his passions, his interests, his dreams for the future. It is now impossible for the artist to remained detached from his creation. It is a part of him. In the same way, because we are also the product of God’s design, He holds a special place for us in his heart. The impossibilities of natural selection and random chance are so well demonstrated, that the remaining conclusion that we are the carefully crafted and designed creation of a designer God, leads us to the truth of God’s personal love for us, His artwork in the universe.

 
Eastern Religion Does Not Explain the Nature of a Creative, Personal God
Now this description of God also eliminates a number of religious worldviews. All New Age and Neo-Eastern Religions deny that God could ever be a personal being. In these faith systems, God is seen as a transcendent, mystical force. He is not seen as having His own “personhood”. But what we see in nature, especially in the evidence of creative design, moves us away from this kind of thinking toward a personal, loving a proud creator who has designed us as an artist would sculpt or paint his precious artwork.

But Christianity Gets It Right
Christianity, however, still remains as a possibility for us, because its description of a creator God does, in fact, match the physical evidence for a Supernatural Designer as described in the teleological argument:

 
Isaiah 43:7
I want them back, every last one who bears my name, every man, woman, and child Whom I created for my glory, yes, personally formed and made each one.

Isaiah 46:3-4
Since the day you were born, I have carried you along. I will still be the same when you are old and gray, and I will take care of you. I created you. I will carry you and always keep you safe.

 
The Christian God is a Personal Creator God. He is the grand and magnificent designer, who loves His creation because it is the art He has so carefully and creatively imagined, planned and sculpted. Christianity tells us that there is a God out there who designed us and as a result, proudly loves us. Let’s take a look at another aspect of God’s nature as we reason through our observations of the world around us.

Axiological Argument
The Axiological Argument reasons that the common morality that transcends culture on our planet is a proof that God exists. For the detailed version of the argument, click HERE, but the short version goes something like this:

  
The “Axiological” Argument
(1) There is an Objective (Absolute) Moral Law
(2) Every Law Has a Law Giver
(3) Therefore, There is an Objective (Absolute) Moral Law Giver
(4) The Objective (Absolute) Law Giver is God

  
This line of thinking argues that there are moral absolutes that transcend culture and time, and all laws (moral or otherwise) have law givers. In this case the law giver must also transcend culture and time. And that sure sounds a lot like God! So, what is God like? But if there is an absolute moral law giver, he is going to have to have a couple of traits that distinguish him as a being, and these traits can now be added to our list:

 
He Is Perfect and Moral
In order to be the “prescriber” of what “ought to be”, God has to attain and maintain the highest moral bar. In order to set the example for moral behavior, God has to be spotless in this area. We already know that He is perfect, if for no other reason than the fact that He has the power to be perfect. And perfection in the area of morality is defined as something we call “goodness”. All absolute morality that we define in our world is delineated by definitions of what is good. We should not kill whoever we want, we should not take the spouse of another, we should not torture little children; all moral absolutes call us to what we would agree is “good” behavior. Would not the moral absolute law giver then also be the epitome of moral perfection and goodness?

He Is Trustworthy and Patient
And as the moral law giver, He becomes the source of our trust for all things of value and morality. When we have a question about what we should do, we can turn to the ultimate source for the definition of right and wrong to get the answer. Beyond that, a perfect moral being must be pretty patient to put up with a less than perfect, fallen and often morally rebellious people. Patience has to be at the very core of God’s nature or He would have destroyed all of us centuries ago!

 
Satanism and Islam Do Not Honor a Holy, Moral God
Because of this good, moral and perfect nature of God, derived from our thinking related to the Axiological Argument, there are several world views that must be eliminated from consideration if we are looking for a faith system that accurately describes what we see in the world around us. Those who play with the occult, and particularly those who would describe themselves as Satanists, clearly worship a lesser being, and refuse to worship the true God of Moral Perfection. But other faith systems, such as radical Islamic ideologies, also believe that the God they worship would advocate behaviors that are immoral. Regardless of how you feel about groups such as these, the presence of moral absolutes in our world demonstrates that God is not the God of evil, but the high of love and moral goodness. Any system that describes Him otherwise is flawed.

But Christianity Gets It Right
All along, Christian Scripture has agreed with this description of God. Nothing in Christianity violates or contradicts what we see in the world we examine with our rational mind. Check out these scriptures:

 
2 Samuel 22:31-33
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.

Nehemiah 9:29-30
You warned them to return to your law, but they became arrogant and disobeyed your commands. They sinned against your ordinances, by which a man will live if he obeys them. Stubbornly they turned their backs on you, became stiff-necked and refused to listen. For many years you were patient with them

 
The Christian God is a personal, moral God of perfection, who cares about us enough to be patient with us. He is reliable and trustworthy, and our scriptures confirm this! God’s patience for us does reveal a level of understanding and care that can only be described as “love”. There is another argument for God’s existence, however, that also confirms his love for his creation.

The Anthropic Argument
Let’s take a look at something we called the Anthropic Argument to see if we can learn a little more about God’s nature. The complete argument can be found HERE, but this is the Reader’s Digest version:

 
The Anthropic Argument
(1) Our World has been uniquely designed so that life can exist and that same life can examine the Universe
(2) This unique design cannot be the result of random chance or probabilities
(3) There is, therefore, a God who has designed us for a special cause in the universe

 
This argument describes a glorious creator who not only designed a world for us that would support life, but placed that world and crafted that world in such a way that we would be able to observe and examine the universe! He clearly wants His creation to see the universe around them, because He knows that our scientific observation and explorations will eventually lead us to know Him, even as we are studying Him here in this article! So, what is God like? This description of God illuminates elements of His nature that are comforting and encouraging at the very same time:

He Has a Plan for Our Lives
For God to design our universe so it can support both our lives and our observations, He must have had some goal in mind. Any activity like this speaks of a larger plan that God must have wanted to accomplish. His design is specific to our ability to find Him through observation, so it is clear that God has a purpose for our lives as reflected in this design of the universe.

He Knows the Future
And if God sits above time, He must already know how that His plan is going to turn out the way He wanted it to turn out! God clearly had a future in mind when He shaped the plan and purpose of our lives. He is simply waiting patiently to see if we “get it”! To design so specifically demonstrates that God already has and “end plan”.

 

He Loves Us Too Much Not to Have a Plan to Bring Us Home
And that “end plan” involves more than our simple discovery of Him through our examination of the universe. It involves a final plan to bring us into the presence of God. Think about it for a minute. A God that would allow us to figure out that He exists, yet not allow us to ever see Him face to face, is not, by definition, a “good” God. The fact that God has allowed us to get a ‘peek’ of his existence and nature, demonstrates that He will eventually allow us to see Him completely. To be the ‘best’ moral God that He can be, this simply must be the case! God’s desire to bring us into His presence, therefore, is an intrinsic part of His nature.