44 Bible Doctrine – The Being (Existence) Of God

A transcript of the video teaching

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The Chapter Headings Of John Gill’s “Body Of Divinity” Aligned With The Framework Of Sovereign Grace:

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This Chapter Is Found In John Gill’s Body Of Doctrinal Divinity, Book 1, Chapter 1

I would like to welcome you back to another study in Bible Doctrine. I am pleased to say that we begin this day with the actual content of Gill’s “Body of Divinity”. We are looking at the first thirty chapters, all dealing with the blessed Godhead of the TriUne Jehovah. Of course, I have rearranged these chapters in order to align them with the Framework of Sovereign Grace. These chapters are located on the top right corner of the diagram, next to the TriUne Jehovah, all of which deal with the being, existence and perfections of the Godhead. This, of course, is the proper place to begin a study on Theology—with God Himself. In fact, it is the proper place to begin all fields of study, for God is the Author of all things, and if we are to understand and appreciate anything, then we must begin with God Who authored it. This holds true, of course, to every facet of our lives. Every moment of life—every event that unfolds—should begin with God. That is, we are to keep Him foremost in the mind’s-eye. For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. The Lord God should be on your mind when you rise in the morning; when you climb out of bed; when you prepare yourself for the day; when you eat breakfast; when you travel to work; while you’re in the office doing your job, completing your assignments, interacting with your work colleagues and associates; when you take your lunch break; when you get home and do your house chores; when you kick back and relax for the evening; when you prepare for bed, washing up, brushing teeth and doing your devotions. The Lord God should be foremost on your mind and in your heart. The Apostle Paul told the churches at Corinth “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31) And you see, my dear friends, if you’re eating and drinking to the glory of God, then you are conscious of God, aware of Him, thinking of Him, beginning with Him, in those activities. 

And of course, the same is true when you encounter troubles and difficulties in life. How many troubles do you face on a daily basis? Too many to count. We face a hundred minor troubles that aren’t worth the time enumerating. But we also face dozens of mediocre troubles, with usually one or two major difficulties that stand out from the rest. Now, if these troubles may be compared to a rocky coast line, then how do you hope to safely navigate the coast, avoiding the rocky troubles, without the help of the Lord your God? You know, we have memorized and often quote the words of Proverbs 3:5,6, but we don’t always apply them—“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” In all your ways acknowledge Him—that’s what I’m driving at here, my dear friends. We must start with God in all things, acknowledging Him. And how important that is when it comes to navigating our course through this world, encountering obstacles and facing troubles. I wonder, how well are you doing it? Just take the last 24 hours as a snapshot of your life. Have you been starting with the Lord God in all things? Is He in your mind and on your heart at all times? Surely we must all confess we are prone to forget the Lord and conduct our lives as if He does not even exist. Well, is it therefore not timely that we mark out for the first point in this study the importance of beginning with God in all things? Why not commit yourself to making a conscious effort to remember the Lord your God. You know, we find that expression, or something similar to it, repeated throughout the Scriptures, particularly with reference to the children of Israel—remember the Lord thy God. They were prone to forget Him, as we so easily do. My friends, let us remember the Lord our God. 

Now, Gill’s Systematic Theology begins with God, and the first chapter is on The Being of God. The title is actually a little misleading. In Gill’s Divinity, he labels this chapter only as the Being of God, and therefore the reader might be under the impression the chapter is about the nature and essence of God’s being. However, that subject is reserved for the second chapter. This first chapter is actually about the existence of God. Gill presents several arguments in an effort to prove God exists. 

Now, I take the view that we do not need to give our time to such a question—does God exist? The Bible doesn’t waste space arguing for the existence of God. You will remember, from the first chapter of the Bible, the existence of God is set forth as a basic fact upon which all things depend. The Bible makes the existence of God the first principle of truth and reality. Genesis 1:1—“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Now, if ever there was a time for the existence of God to be proved from the Bible, would it not be here, at the beginning? But God doesn’t deal with it here, nor anywhere else in the Bible. I therefore do not believe there is a need to prove the existence of God, and I will back it up for these reasons: 

First, God has imparted a knowledge of His existence to the heart of every person, insomuch that only  “the fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” (Prov 14:1); 

Second, to question the existence of God is comparable to fables, and the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy and Titus to not “give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which turn from the truth, and which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith.” (1 Tim 1:4; Tit 1:14); 

Third, to question the existence of God is comparable to foolish and unlearned questions, which the Apostle Paul told Timothy to “avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.” (2 Tim 2:23); 

Fourth, to question the existence of God is the result of suppressing one’s knowledge of Him, in which case the point of discussion should be the existence of sin, rather than that of God; 

Fifth, if one denies the existence of God, the only substantial and sufficient way to convince the sinner of his/her error is by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit. You see, even if you are able to convince an Atheist that God exists, unless the person has been born again, he/she will just as easily be convinced by someone else that God does not exist. Henceforth, the anchor point for a sinner to know the existence of God is not an Appeal to the mind with arguments of science and logic, but the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.

Having said this, John Gill believes there is a legitimate place in theology for making a case in proof of God’s existence. He says,

“I shall begin with the Being of God, and the proof and evidence of it; which is the foundation of all religion…Some, because the being of God is a first principle, which is not to be disputed; and because that there is one is a self-evident proposition, not to be disproved; have thought it should not be admitted as a matter of debate: but since such is the malice of Satan, as to suggest the contrary to the minds of men; and such the badness of some wicked men as to listen to it, and imbibe it; and such the weakness of some good men as to be harassed and distressed with doubts about it at times; it cannot be improper to endeavour to fortify our minds with reasons and arguments against such suggestions and insinuations.”

Gill makes his case with eight leading arguments. 

I. The Universal Consent Of All Nations Bears Evidence Of God’s Existence. 

In all nations of the world, throughout the course of history, there has been a universal belief in some sort of deity, or deities—a divine power that transcends creation. Now, that is not to say that all nations of the world have believed in the one true and living God. That certainly is not the case. Most nations throughout history may be characterized as pagan in their worship and practices. That is, according to paganism, there are many gods, and these gods are understood to be the great powers of nature, such as the wind, flowing rivers and the burning sun. And very often, these nations are steeped in idolatry, making images of their deities out of wood, stones and metals. Other nations have understood there to be only one God who is distinct from the creation, but they have not understood this one God to be He who is revealed in the Bible. Nevertheless, the fact that all nations throughout history have universally believed there is some sort of higher power, which they look upon as God, or gods, is evidence that God has put within the human heart an innate knowledge of His existence. It is not something that children must learn when growing up in their communities, but rather, it is something that children know by default, which is why their communities worship deities and practice religion. 

It may be objected, however, that there have been scattered throughout these nations those who have denied the existence of God; that there have always been Atheists; that Atheism is not new to our generation, but a very old and ancient fact. To this we may easily answer, the exception to the rule only proves the rule. That there have been Atheists throughout the ages no one will deny, but that they have been in the vast minority is also undeniable. The fact is, Atheists and world religionists share the same problem. Because of their sin, the Atheists suppress their knowledge of God, whereas the world religionists pervert their knowledge of God. And this, my dear friends, has been happening since sin entered into the human race through Adam and Eve. 

So, this is the first argument for the existence of God—in all nations of the world, throughout the course of history, there has been a universal belief in some sort of deity, or deities.

II. The Innate Knowledge Of God’s Existence Inscribed Upon The Human Heart. 

Closely aligned with the first argument, this second point underscores the universal acceptance of God’s existence. There are five things God does to an individual when bringing him/her into existence at the time of conception. First, He imparts to the soul a knowledge of Himself, insomuch that every person has planted in his/her heart a knowledge of God’s existence. This is what we call the innate, or inborn, or natural knowledge of God’s existence. Second, He inscribes upon the soul a twofold law—to love Him supremely and to love one’s neighbor and himself/herself. Third, He puts him/her under the authority of the covenant of works, requiring perfect obedience to the heart law. Fourth, the sin of Adam is judicially imputed bringing him/her under the condemnation of God; Fifth, the sin of Adam is spiritually imparted corrupting his/her soul, rendering him/her spiritually dead in trespasses and sins. By default, this is how every son and daughter of Adam is brought into the world, and it is the first of these things which gives to every person an inborn knowledge of God’s existence. 

So, this is the second argument for the existence of God—God has imparted to every soul, from the time of conception, a knowledge of His existence.

III. The Works Of Creation Declare The Existence of God. 

The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 1:18-20—“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” The evidence for God’s existence is all around us, His work of creation testifying both of His power and His wisdom. 

So, this is the third argument for the existence of God—the work of creation points to the Almighty Creator.

IV. The Providential Care Of God Over His Creation Bears Evidence That He Exists.

On this point, I wish to read in Ecclesiastes 3:1-14: 

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” 

That is, God has ordained all things from eternity, according to the counsel of His own will and good pleasure, that will come to pass in process of time. That is why there is a season to every thing, and a time to every purpose—every purpose of God—under the heaven. What then follows in this chapter are twenty-eight extremities of life, demonstrating that from one extreme to the other, and everything in between, God has purposed and planned all things. There is,

“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace…He hath made every thing beautiful in his time…”

Everything is made beautiful from eternity, according to God’s eternal decree, but we do not see its beauty until God brings it to pass and completes His design in the process of time. It therefore requires patience, waiting on the Lord, until He is pleased to complete His work in each and every circumstance. Do you remember the little incident recorded in Genesis 50:19-21—after the death of Jacob, his sons and the brothers of Joseph were eaten up with guilt as a result of what they did to Joseph by selling him to Egyptian slave traders. They therefore reasoned together, that Joseph would surely take his revenge now that their father was death. However, Joseph, knowing this to be the fear of his brothers, said to them, ”Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Do you see the perspective God had given to Jospeh? He accounted everything that happened to him to be exactly as God had planned it should be. From being sold into Egypt as a slave; to being set as steward over Potipher’s house; to being falsely accused by Potipher’s wife; to be thrown into prison; to the interpreting of dreams and eventually to the promotion as second in command of all Egypt, himself standing between the famine that was laying waste to the land and the people who were receiving food for their needs. Upon scanning over all of these adversities and trials and tribulations and disappointments, Joseph was finally able to see how the pieces of the puzzle fit together, and he says, “Am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” And you know something, having received this perspective on the providential governance of God, Jospeh went further and encouraged his brothers—“Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones.” And we’re told that he comforted them and spake kindly to them. You see, when God bestows upon us the right perspective of His providential governance, it will lead to a satisfying contentment, allowing us not to nurture anger towards those who have done us wrong, or to seek revenge; but rather, to be humbled, and to nurture a gentle spirit, and to speak kindly to them. I wonder, my dear friends, have you been able to share in this type of experience with Joseph? Or, perhaps, you are in the middle of something similar that he experienced—you are, as it were, in a prison and you can see no way out of your difficulties. Well, fear not, God is in charge of your life and all your circumstances, and as He worked out His perfect plan in the life of Joseph, so believe you me, He is working out His perfect plan in your life also. David was able to testify in Psalm 27—”I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” Perhaps that is where you now are—ready to faint, unless you believe to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Well my afflicted friend, wait on the Lord. Be of good course. And He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord!

“…I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it:”

Nothing can be put to God’s decree, nor anything taken from it, because all that He has chosen to do is perfect. No one is able to improve on God’s plan, not even you, when you think things are falling apart and God doesn’t know what He’s doing. You then attempt to help God out, by manipulating circumstances and forcing square pegs into round holes. But that is rather presumptuous of you, isn’t it? God knows exactly what He’s doing, and He’s doing it according to His timetable, not yours. And when the fulness of time comes, and it always comes eventually, the perfection of God’s providential governance is as beautiful as any of His creative works, such as the rising sun or the blooming flowers of spring. And you see, that is why Gill puts down as the third argument for God’s existence, His providential care over creation. Henceforth, Solomon continues:

“And God doeth it, that men should fear before him.” 

That is, the providential governance of God is an evidence, not only that He exists, but that He is a good and gracious and faithful God, doing wonders on the earth and performing miracles in the lives of His redeemed people, and it puts a fear, a reverence, a love, an adoration for God in our hearts. We fear Him! We love Him! We adore Him!

And so, this is the fourth argument for the existence of God—the perfection of His providential governance points to the fact that there is a wise and gracious God.

V. The Miraculous Events Throughout History Declare The Existence Of God. 

There are Scriptural testimonies of enumerable miracles, recorded in both the Old and New Testaments. There are also testimonies of numberless miracles that have occurred after the canon of Scripture was complete. Now, a miracle is a supernatural act which runs against the laws of nature. For instance, the parting of the Red Sea; the collapse of the walls of Jericho; the feeding of thousands with only a few loafs and fishes; Jesus walking on the water. What can account for these miracles, but a God who transcends creation and controls the laws of nature?

Henceforth, this is the fifth argument for the existence of God—the miraculous events throughout history declare God’s existence.

VI. The Fulfilled Prophesies Of Future Events Declare The Existence Of God.

There are prophesies recorded in the Old Testament Scriptures, especially those with reference to the Messiah, that were fulfilled in exact detail by the Lord Jesus Christ. Likewise, there are prophesies recorded in the New Testament Scriptures, many of which have been fulfilled over the last 2,000 years. Now, what can account for the fulfillment of hundreds of these prophesies, but a God who revealed such things to His prophets, bringing them to pass in the exact order of His promises? 

So, this is the sixth argument for the existence of God—the fulfilled prophesies of future events declare His existence.

VII. The Guilty Conscience Of The Human Heart Declares The Existence Of God. 

There is in the heart of every man and woman a deep seated fear of death. Now, if you ask the average person on the street the reason he fears death, he’ll tell you it’s because of the unknown—he doesn’t know for sure what is on the other side. However, that is a cover story. The actual reason people fear death is because they know there is a higher power they must one day give an account to. A guilty conscience is experienced by those who transgress the law inscribed upon their hearts, and because they have been brought under the authority of the covenant of works, they instinctively know that God is angry with them, and that He will hold them to account on the day of judgment. Although most people will not admit to these things, yet they know it to be true in their hearts, and it is that which causes them to fear death, and ultimately, God’s judgment. 

Henceforth, the seventh argument for the existence of God—the guilty conscience of the human heart affirms it.

VIII. The Judgments Upon The World Declare The Existence Of God. 

Throughout the centuries, God has demonstrated His wrath upon sinners by destroying them with catastrophic events such as famines, pestilence, earthquakes, floods, storms and war. On each occasion, those who survive such events often speak about a power that is bigger than nature—something extraordinary being behind the disaster. Indeed, there are testimonies of Atheists turned Religionists, having personally witnessed the power of God in natural disasters, especially when the wicked are destroyed thereby. Which is why Gill makes this the eighth argument in proof of God’s existence. 

Now, my dear friends, these are the eight reasons Gill sets forth in an attempt to prove the existence of God. Of course, if you have been born again, then you have the witness of the Holy Spirit testifying to your spirit that He is real, the Lord Jesus Christ is real, the Father is real, the TriUne Jehovah is real, and you are one of His children. Henceforth, you need no other proof than that. In fact, the greatest evidence that God exists is the witness of the Holy Spirit upon your heart. Having said that, I leave with you the assignment to read Gill’s chapter on the existence of God, trusting you will find it challenging and profitable, perhaps in ways not even intended by Gill. I will be uploading Gill’s chapter to The Baptist Particular, which will include my outline of the chapter, and I hope you will find it useful. And just in case you want to read the chapter in your printed copy of Gill’s Divinity, you will find it in the first book of Gill’s Doctrinal Body of Divinity, and the first chapter. 

Let me mention before closing, that I have received requests by some who follow these weekly teachings to be given more time to read Gill’s Body of Divinity. To meet that request, I will from this time forward rotate the midweek services between this Bible Doctrine series and a new series of studies on the Epistles of the New Testament Scriptures. This will therefore give you two weeks to read the designated chapter from Gill’s Divinity, and will also provide the opportunity for us to examine whole chapters of the Bible during those weeks that we are not looking at Bible Doctrine. 

Well, as always, I wish upon you the blessings of the Lord and look forward to meeting you next week, when I will be introducing you to the Epistle of James. Beginning today, you have two weeks to read Gill’s chapter on the being and existence of God.