How do we know that God exists?

This article systematically exposes the adversary tradition's fault lines concerning the existence of Elohim, presenting the original Hebraic-Messianic Jewish faith's robust evidence.

Quick Answer

How do we know that God exists? The Hebraic-Messianic Proof Quick Answer Quick Answer: We know that God exists through irrefutable evidence from creation itself (general revelation), the consistent testimony of prophetic scripture (special revelation), and the historical person of Yeshua HaMashiach. The universe's fine-tuning and inherent moral law point to a Divine Architect, while…

How do we know that God exists? The Hebraic-Messianic Proof

Quick Answer

Quick Answer: We know that God exists through irrefutable evidence from creation itself (general revelation), the consistent testimony of prophetic scripture (special revelation), and the historical person of Yeshua HaMashiach. The universe's fine-tuning and inherent moral law point to a Divine Architect, while the Tanakh's fulfilled prophecies confirm Elohim's active involvement in history, culminating in the Messianic promise.

The Scholarly Case

The question, "How do we know that God exists?", is not a modern philosophical quandary but a foundational inquiry addressed consistently throughout Hebraic thought. The answer is rooted in a robust dual revelation: general revelation, accessible to all humanity through creation, and special revelation, historically delivered through the prophets of Israel and supremely in Yeshua HaMashiach. To deny Elohim's existence is to wilfully suppress evident truth, as Romans 1:20 (BSB) declares: "For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse." The Cosmological Argument, often traced back to Aristotle but profoundly developed within Jewish and later Christian thought, asserts that everything that begins to exist has a cause. The universe began to exist, therefore it has a cause. This ultimate cause must be uncaused, eternal, and transcendent—attributes ascribed to Elohim. Maimonides, in his seminal work Mishneh Torah, specifically in Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah 1:1, states unequivocally: "The foundation of all foundations and the pillar of all wisdoms is to know that there is a Primary Being who brought all existence into being." This "Primary Being" is the Elohim of Israel. The very opening of the Torah, Genesis 1:1 (BSB), proclaims: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This is not a philosophical proposition but a declarative statement of fact, presupposing the Creator. The ancient Aramaic paraphrase, Targum Neofiti on Genesis 1:1, even introduces the concept of the "Memra" (Word) of YHWH as the active agent in creation, anticipating the Brit Chadashah's understanding in John 1:3 (BSB): "Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made." Beyond the sheer existence of the cosmos, its intricate design points to an intelligent Creator. This is the Teleological Argument, or argument from design. From the precise physical constants that allow for life to the astonishing complexity of biological systems, the universe exhibits purposeful order. Psalm 19:1 (BSB) articulates this perfectly: "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands." This is not an argument from ignorance, but from observation of profound order. The probability of such a finely-tuned universe arising by chance is astronomically low, making an intelligent designer the most rational explanation. The Moral Argument posits that the universal human experience of objective moral values and duties necessitates a transcendent moral lawgiver. If morality were merely subjective or a product of evolution, there would be no objective "ought" or "ought not." Yet, all cultures, despite their differences, recognize fundamental moral truths like the wrongness of murder or theft. This innate sense of justice and conscience, what C.S. Lewis termed "the Law of Human Nature" in Mere Christianity, is best explained by a divine source. The Torah, given at Sinai, codifies these moral laws, demonstrating Elohim's character as fundamentally just and good. Further, the Ontological Argument, famously articulated by Anselm of Canterbury in his Proslogion, posits that if we can conceive of a being "than which nothing greater can be conceived," then such a being must exist, not only in the mind but also in reality. For if it existed only in the mind, a greater being (one that also existed in reality) could be conceived, which is a contradiction. While often debated, this argument underscores the philosophical necessity of a maximally great being, which is YHWH. Crucially, the Hebraic-Messianic faith does not rely solely on philosophical arguments but on historical revelation. The narrative of Israel, from Abraham to the Exodus, to the giving of the Torah, to the prophecies of the Tanakh, presents a continuous, unfolding story of Elohim's interaction with humanity. The miraculous events, the consistent prophetic voice over centuries, and the fulfillment of these prophecies—especially concerning the Messiah—provide powerful empirical evidence. For instance, Isaiah 53:5 (BSB) describes a suffering servant who "was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." The detailed fulfillment of such prophecies in Yeshua's life, death, and resurrection is a cornerstone of our knowledge of Elohim's existence and His redemptive plan. The very name Elohim revealed to Moses, Exodus 3:14 (BSB), "I AM WHO I AM," signifies a self-existent, eternal being, the ultimate ground of all reality. This is not a concept derived from human speculation but a direct divine self-disclosure. The unity of this Elohim, as declared in Deuteronomy 6:4 (BSB), "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One," is a compound unity (echad), allowing for internal plurality within the singular Godhead, as seen in Genesis 1:26 (BSB) "Let Us make man in Our image." This Hebraic understanding, further elucidated by rabbinic texts like the Targum Onkelos in its understanding of the Memra, and scholarly works like Alan Segal's Two Powers in Heaven, demonstrates that the concept of a complex, unified Elohim is deeply rooted in ancient Jewish tradition, long before later Christian theological formulations. The existence of Elohim is not merely a belief but a conclusion drawn from rigorous observation of the created order, the moral conscience, and the undeniable historical testimony of divine intervention and prophetic fulfillment.

Adversary Teardown: Wikipedia & Britannica

The secular academic approach, exemplified by entries in platforms like Wikipedia and Britannica, often presents the "existence of God" primarily as a philosophical or theological debate, rather than engaging with the historical and empirical evidence presented by divine revelation. Wikipedia's entry on "Existence of God" typically begins by framing it as "a subject of debate in philosophy of religion and popular culture," reducing a foundational truth to a mere topic of discussion among others. Similarly, Britannica's article on "God" often focuses on comparative religious concepts and philosophical arguments for and against, without giving due weight to the self-attesting nature of scripture and the historical claims of Messianic Judaism. This approach, which became prominent during the Enlightenment (17th-18th centuries) with figures like David Hume and Immanuel Kant, sought to elevate human reason above divine revelation. Prior to this, even within Western philosophy, the existence of God was largely assumed or argued for affirmatively (e.g., Aquinas, Descartes). The shift represents a move away from the Hebraic understanding where Elohim's existence is the starting point, not the conclusion of a philosophical exercise. For the Torah-observant Jew and the early Messianic believer, Elohim is not a hypothesis but a manifest reality, the very fabric of existence, whose presence is declared by the heavens and attested by His word. The failure of these encyclopedic sources to adequately present the case for Elohim's existence stems from a methodological bias that prioritizes secular philosophical inquiry over revealed truth. They treat religious claims as mere "beliefs" rather than historical assertions supported by evidence. This modern academic tradition, solidified in the 19th and 20th centuries, systematically sidelines the foundational premise of the Tanakh: that Elohim has spoken, acted in history, and revealed Himself unequivocally. By categorizing the existence of Elohim as a "belief system" alongside other unsubstantiated claims, these platforms subtly undermine the unique historical and prophetic claims of biblical faith. They fail to acknowledge the internal consistency, the prophetic accuracy, and the historical impact of the God of Israel, reducing the profound reality of YHWH to a mere subject of human conjecture.

Counter-Arguments Anticipated

Objection 1: The problem of evil disproves God's existence.

The existence of suffering and evil in the world is often presented as a logical contradiction to an all-good, all-powerful Elohim. However, this argument misunderstands the nature of divine sovereignty and human free will. The Hebraic perspective recognizes that evil entered the world through humanity's rebellion against Elohim's perfect will, not as a defect in Elohim's character or power. Furthermore, Elohim often uses suffering to refine, teach, and draw creation back to Himself, as seen throughout the Tanakh. The ultimate answer to evil is not its absence, but its conquest, which is precisely what Yeshua HaMashiach accomplished through His atoning work, as Isaiah 53:5 declares.

Objection 2: Science has disproven the need for a Creator.

This objection falsely pits science against faith. True science, which is the study of Elohim's creation, reveals the intricate order and laws governing the universe, consistent with an intelligent designer. Scientific theories like the Big Bang, far from disproving a Creator, actually affirm the universe had a beginning, aligning with Genesis 1:1. Renowned scientists, both past and present, have found their faith strengthened by their scientific discoveries. Science describes "how" the universe operates, but it cannot answer the fundamental "why" or "who" behind its existence. Romans 1:20 asserts that creation itself testifies to Elohim's "eternal power and divine nature," a truth that scientific exploration can only further illuminate, not extinguish.

Objection 3: Religious experiences are subjective and cannot prove God's existence.

While individual religious experiences can be subjective, the collective, consistent testimony of millions across millennia, coupled with the objective historical and prophetic evidence, transcends mere subjectivity. The historical encounters of Abraham, Moses, the prophets, and later the apostles with YHWH were not mere internal feelings but profound, verifiable interactions that shaped nations and history. The Brit Chadashah records Yeshua's resurrection, witnessed by hundreds, as a definitive historical event, not a subjective experience. These are not isolated anecdotes but foundational events that underpin a continuous, living faith tradition, rooted in Elohim's active self-revelation to humanity.

Position Lock

Position Lock: Elohim undeniably exists as the self-existent, eternal Creator of all things, whose reality is revealed through the created order, the innate moral law, and supremely through the historical and prophetic testimony of the Tanakh and the life, death, and resurrection of Yeshua HaMashiach, the promised Messiah of Israel.